Financial Times 16,849 by IO

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A super puzzle, there is a lot to go at in here. Io makes you think harder than the average setter! Thank you Io.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1 BACK DOWN
Front up, do we assume, to submit? (4,4)
if the back is down then the front is up
5 ZLOTYS
The last sale item sure wants a little eclat? Polish ready! (6)
Z (the last) LOT (sale item) and YeS (sure) missing first letter (a little) of Eclat – ready money, cash
9 OPERA HAT
Surgery on time, I’m not sure I’ve got it – I collapse in theatre (5,3)
OP (operation, surgery) then T (time) follows (on…is…) ER (I’m not sure) AHA (I’ve got it)
10, 20 DOUBLE-BOOKED
Having a foursome in the honeymoon suite? (6-6)
I think this is right, as a cryptic definition, since a honeymoon suite is specifically intended for only two
12 NOT A PRETTY SIGHT
Apt representation of potty shattering? (3,1,6,5)
anagram (apt representation of, rearranged in an appropriate way to get the solution) of POTTY SHATTERING
13 FRINGE BENEFIT
More bang for one’s buck? (6,7)
cryptic definition – a bang is a fringe (haircut)
14 SCAVENGERINGS
Searches small clubs to repay damage done to jewellery (13)
S (small) C (clubs) AVENGE (to repay damage done) and RINGS (jewellery)
19 COMPLEX SENTENCE
Punishment handed to Oedipus for patricide and for marrying his mother? Could be (7,8)
a sort of cryptic double definition – he got an Oedipus Complex and an example of a complex sentence in grammar
20
See 10
21 OPEN-MIKE
Frank M joined members of the public taking turns in the pub? (4-4)
OPEN (frank) then (joined) M (mike, phonetic alphabet)
22 GATING
Machine gun for old soldier is heartless punishment (6)
GATtlING (Gattling machine gun) missing middle letters (heartless)
23 UNTETHER
Strike 3 is from unit, ie their release (8)
remove (strike) III (3, Roman numeral, or 3 I’s, 3 is) from UNiT iE THiER
DOWN
1 BOOING
Kids’ reaction to “Time for Bed”? Signal Zebedee’s arrived to take over! (6)
BOING (sound made at the end the program by Zebedee from the children’s TV program Magic Roundabout) contains (taking) O (over)
2 CREATURE COMFORT
This might be food order because caterer cut fancy sandwiches (8,7)
OM (Order of Merit) FOR (because) inside (that…sandwiches) anagram (fancy) of CATERER CUT
3 DEADPAN
Expressionless faculty chief accepts new pad (7)
anagram (new) of PAD inside DEAN (faculty chief)
4 WHATEVER NEXT
I despair, not like Jules with two crosses to bear (8,4)
HATE (not like) VERNE (Jules Verne, author) inside (…to bear) W (with) X T (two crosses, St Andrews and tau)
6 LOOK-SEE
Butcher’s duck, then again, dressed with pureed leeks (4-3)
O (duck, zero score) and O (duck again) inside (dressed with) anagram (pureed) of LEEKS – a butcher’s hook, rhyming slang for look
7 TO BE GOING ON WITH
Travel documents are, it’s recommended, temporary (2,2,5,2,4)
you need travel documents to go on a plane etc? – I’m not sure how to read this
8 SVELTE
Elegantly slender forms loveliest after massage with oil (6)
SVELTE with OIL is an anagram (after massage) of LOVELIEST
11 STEELEYE SPAN
With Priest sliding down steeple – yes! – an ensemble of Prior’s (8,4)
STEEpLE YES AN with P (priest) moving further down the grid – folk-rock band featuring Maddy Prior
15 VILLEIN
Old tenant badly severing blood vessel (7)
ILL (badly) inside (severing) VEIN (blood vessel)
16 INTENSE
Powerful decimal point (7)
IN TENS (decimal) and S (south, point of the compass)
17 ICE BAG
Cool blocks from me, also big ace with spin (3,3)
anagram (with spin) of BIG ACE
18 METEOR
Heavenly body – not as slim, some might say (6)
sounds like (as some might say, but not everybody) “meatier” (not as slim)

19 comments on “Financial Times 16,849 by IO”

  1. Of all John’s alter egos, I do think IO is the most fun, which may or may not be because IO is always a little kinder to solvers. The top half went in quite easily which made me wonder who this was and what they had done with IO but the bottom half made up for it. My particular favourites were 19a and 1d

    Thanks to IO for a great crossword and to PeeDee for the blog

  2. Great puzzle at the easier(slightly) end of his mighty spectrum
    I loved the travel documents and the bang for buck-not to mention Zebedee.
    the whole thing was a delight.
    One slight disappointment(not with the puzzle) was that no word finder picked up
    STEELEYE SPAN I was able to work it out myself after recharging my battery but they should not be in such obscurity. Fairport they werent but still held a respectable position in the electric folk scene

    Thanks IO and PeeDee

  5. Hard work as expected, but made up for by some excellent clues, my favourite being the ‘ensemble of Prior’s’ for 11d. Ended up failing on FRINGE BENEFIT, which I see now but doubt I would have ever solved unaided. I didn’t quite see how DOUBLE-BOOKED worked, didn’t understand the ‘from me’ bit of the clue for ICE BAG, missed the ‘two crosses’ in WHATEVER NEXT and hadn’t come across ‘Zebedee’ from “The Magic Roundabout” before. I think 7d might be a triple def.

    Io is usually followed by an Enigmatist or Nimrod soon after. Something to look forward to, sort of!

    Thanks to Io and PeeDee

  6. Very entertaining.
    In 23 across isn’t it just removing the letter i three times (3 is) ? Thanks S & B.

  7. In 23a, I took “strike 3 is” to mean “strike 3 i’s” with no need for Roman numerals.

    My first attempt at an anagram for 12a gave its a pretty thong which I was pretty sure was wrong.

    Loved it.

  8. Thanks Io and PeeDee
    23ac: I took “3 is” to mean three occurrences of the letter I without the need for Roman numerals.
    16dn: The parsing needs to say E not S for the final letter, clued by “point”.

  9. I crossed with jmac. I often get annoyed by people who write “its” for “it’s” or vice versa, so I’m now annoyed with myself ?

  11. So WordPlodder @ 5, Io is also Enigmatist ? I can see the similarity although this is easier and the clues generally far more sound.

  12. Roz @11: The top menu (may be different on mobiles) has a link “Setters” which lets you see who are the same people across FT, Guardian, and Independent.

  13. IO is Enigmatist, Nimrod and Elgar and fiendish in all manifestations.
    Even in his most impenetrable mode the clues usually parse perfectly if you can see your way through the subterfuge
    In short a Supersetter.

  14. Thank you Pelham Barton @12 .
    copmus @ 13 I beg to disagree, often the definition or word play for Enigmatist bears little resemblance to the actual answer.

  15. My heart sank when I saw who the setter was but glad have got 3/4 with a few wrong answers. FOI ZLOTYS from the now chestnutty ‘ready’ for money. * Oops, ‘to’ between glad have above.

  16. Great puzzle which kept us occupied on the drive to London – and back – with a couple still to finish off when I got back home and could see the grid for myself. I still don’t see where the “for me” comes into ICE BAG and I needed Pee Dee’s explanation of the two crosses. Thanks to him and Io.

  17. WhiteKing@ 16 the ice bag is telling you that it is a source (from me) of cool blocks (ice cubes)

  19. Thanks Io and PeeDee
    This sat idle for a month with 23a unfinished – a flash of inspiration finally saw that my TO BE GOING ON TIME was not right and then seeing another excellent word play, UNTETHER finally succumbed. Sadly when checking it off, found that the long clue at 2d had a shoddy D instead of O which had led to DOUBLE-BEDDED (which I think still works to a certain degree, but not with an O in there).
    It’s always a feeling of satisfaction to complete a puzzle by this setter and even better if one can get it all correct – think I’ve messed up his last couple at the last hurdle. Complex clues but as copmus states, always impeccably put together that are typically only seen when have been unpicked and put back together.

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