Financial Times 16,913 by SLORMGORM

23 comments on “Financial Times 16,913 by SLORMGORM”

1. Just what I wanted this Monday morning. The singer I didn’t know (must broaden my horizons) was still parsable, luckily. Might not have landed 27a if it werent an oft-used expression of my mum’s. Favourites were 1a, 7d and 17d.
   Yes, 14d was droll and a neat intersection with 29a.
   Thanks to Slormgorm and Teacow.

2. I have an issue with 14D: Nanometre is the correct answer but that is not a homophone of nana-metre. What is missing is a reason for the “O” in the answer. Yes, I know that I’m a pedant but this seems sloppy to me.

   Also, Teacow, you have both “nana” and “nano” in your explanation. But thanks for a great explanatory blog.

3. Peter@2,
   The homophone works better with ‘nan’ than ‘nana’ (obviously not ‘gran’) but Teacow’s original idea of ‘nan-o-meter’ recalls the ‘dad-o-meter’ of popular American comics like Calvin and Hobbes, the ‘o’ coming from ‘of’. At least, that’s how I enjoyed it.

4. Thanks Diane. I am not aware of “Calvin and Hobbes” or the expression “dad-o-metre” but I stand by my original comment: there is nothing in the clue to indicate the letter “o”. I accept that “nan” and “nana” are both acceptable versions of a relative, but there is no indication that “o” is a shortened version of “of”. I am aware of Robert Burns “Tam O’Shanter” but there is nothing in this clue to reference it.

5. I’m going to be an 8d and point out that a 15a is sour, not bitter. I suppose we can allow the setters some latitude, however.
   My favorite was 20a. Old stager was a new expression to me, as was “turn” as a performer, rather than a performance. That said, I had a great time with the puzzle and the blog. Thanks to both Slormgorm and Teacow.

6. I completely agree with EK@USA. It was a most enjoyable puzzle and great blog. Nice to be reminded of Beniamono Gigli who died as recently as 1957. Many of us would have heard him.

7. I had 14d as sounding like nan-ometer, which must be something that measures a relative in the same way as speed is measured by a speedometer.

8. Baniamino rather !

9. Thanks for the blog , I usually try not to get involved with homophone discussions but I do not think nanometre quite works. It is pronounced nan -oh – metre , I do use and hear the term regularly and I have never heard anybody say it differently.
   Never mind , I really enjoyed this puzzle , it was full of wit and invention, STUPOR was my favourite from a long list.

10. EdK @ 5, My only memory of a ” gay old stager” is the one who was “the Galloping Major”. “Hey, hey, clear the way here comes the—–.” Thanks for a fun puzzle Slormgorm and a clear parse Teacow.

11. Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow

    EdK @ 5: yes, acid may sour as a taste, but Chambers Thesaurus gives to way support to them being synonyms.

    Separately, re nanometre, I think most people would pronounce the second vowel as a schwa, so don’t really see a problem.

12. Nano is a word in its own right , like pico , femto , atto. An SI prefix that can be placed in front of any unit. Nanosecond , nanoVolt , nanoTesla ….. always a long o sound.

13. I agree with Roz on nanometre. The O in Nan-ometer may well be a schwa (especially since it’s not even a word) but I can’t see it working on nanometre.

14. Roz@12: … and it can also be pronounced with a long a sound.

15. allan @14 yes I have often heard this , mainly people whose first language is not English.

16. Many thanks to The Teacow for a lovely blog and to all who solved and commented.

    For me, Nan-O-Meter is pronounced the same way – and not the same as a nan-ometre or a clapometer, say, and because it is my neologism I claim dibs on spelling and pronunciation! (Actually, I think my spelling and the pronunciation that spelling led to for me has been influenced from the way these sort of comedic meters were written in the comics of my youth.).

    Hope to see y’all next time around, but until then its cheerio from me. 🙂

17. Very pleasant stroll so thanks to Slormgorm.
    Had 5 ‘guesses’ therefore thanks also to Teacow for confirming.
    Still a bit unsure about 13A (other R?) and 6D (DVD extra?). However, as no one else has raised them, must be me!

18. Thanks Slormgorm for the Monday fun. PIERROT required a look-up, STUPOR was my favourite, and I couldn’t parse several so thanks Teacow. ACID is sour in a culinary sense but can be bitter in a personality sense.

19. Thanks Teacow and Slormgorm

    Lemski@17 re 13ac: “a range” sounds like “arrange”.
    6dn: I think the idea here is that some DVDs allow you to watch a film with (for example) the director’s commentary added to the normal sound track.

20. I rather thought a Nan-o-metre was a way of measuring your grandmother (gran, or Nan) so it is a measure of your relations (measure of relativity) or perhaps, a Nanometre. Rather clever i thought. ?.
    I don’t understand why did an auditor produces the letter R in ArRange.

21. Thanks Slormgorm & Teacow.
    Martin Brice @ 20. An “auditor” is a listener so, as Pelham Barton @ 19 said, “a range” sounds like “arrange”.

22. Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow
    Actually did this on Monday but only getting around to checking it off tonight. Was a quick but very pleasant solve with no hold ups, except for having to look up the Italian tenor at 25d – oh, and for my last in EINSTEINIUM (which I had to use a word finder to get after not being able to unscramble the anagram fodder).
    Actually had SNAP as a triple definition – “go mad”, “just like that” and “I’ve done the same”. It was my third to last in, followed by PIERROT, the clown and that ‘look-up’ element.

23. Belated thanks PB!

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