Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 27, 2021
We have not had an Alberich puzzle in this space since February and I was happy to see him here again. My first-in was 1a and I quickly completed the top half save for 3. The bottom took longer. My favourites are 1d (CHOPIN), 9 (GRATIS) and 23 (RUMEN).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CONFOUND |
Utterly surprise statement that prisoner’s been located? (8)
|
| CON (prisoner) + FOUND (been located) | ||
| 5 | EFFETE |
Decadent female on European holiday (6)
|
| E (european) + F (female) + FETE (holiday) | ||
| 10 | OUTDO |
Surpass alfresco party? (5)
|
| OUT (alfresco) + DO (party) | ||
| 11 | TERMINATE |
Call it an ultimately tiresome loose end (9)
|
| TERM (call) + anagram (loose) of IT AN [tiresom]E | ||
| 12 | INELEGANT |
Graceless ninnies oddly ignored support worker? (9)
|
| [n]I[n]N[i]E[s] + LEG (support) + ANT (worker) | ||
| 13 | BIDET |
Wait short time for bathroom fixture (5)
|
| BIDE (wait) + T (short time) | ||
| 14 | LICHEE |
In public, he eschewed fruit (6)
|
| Hidden word (in) | ||
| 15 | SERBIAN |
European from Bern is a suspect (7)
|
| Anagram (suspect) of BERN IS A | ||
| 18 | ENGAGED |
Aim to keep good time as promised (7)
|
| G (good) + AGE (time) together in (to keep) END (aim) | ||
| 20 | PRISSY |
To snoop around is beginning to seem fussy (6)
|
| IS (is) + S[eem] together in (around) PRY (to snoop) | ||
| 22 | EARTH |
Compassion making leader last to give ground (5)
|
| HEART (compassion) with the ‘H’ moved to the end (making leader last) | ||
| 24 | TRADITION |
Skill is reflected by speech without constant practice (9)
|
| ART (skill) backwards (is reflected) + DI[c]TION (speech without constant) | ||
| 25 | REMBRANDT |
Make parting shot term for artist (9)
|
| BRAND (make) in (parting) anagram (shot) of TERM | ||
| 26 | BRACE |
A couple to stay (5)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 27 | HINDER |
At home, daughter packs her hamper (6)
|
| IN (at home) + D (daughter) together in HER (her) | ||
| 28 | SENTIENT |
Aware of opinion millions expressed (8)
|
| SENTI[m]ENT (opinion millions expressed). I had a hard time with this one because I would not have thought of ‘expressed’ as a removal indicator. I do now see that it works though with ‘express’ in the sense of to force or squeeze out, such as the juice of a lemon. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CHOPIN |
He scored century, batting after spring (6)
|
| C (century) + HOP (spring) + IN (batting) | ||
| 2 | NATTERING |
Having a yack, get rant in somehow (9)
|
| Anagram (somehow) of GET RANT IN | ||
| 3 | ON ONES HIGH HORSE |
Santa’s first Ho Ho Ho spoilt with sneering and acting haughtily (2,4,4,5)
|
| Anagram (spoilt) of S[anta] HO HO HO SNEERING | ||
| 4 | NITRATE |
What’s used in fertiliser can upset class (7)
|
| TIN (can) backwards (upset) + RATE (class) | ||
| 6 | FLIBBERTIGIBBET |
Liar admits beginning to like it up on gallows, creating gossip (15)
|
| L[ike] in (admits) FIBBER (liar) + IT (it) backwards (up) + GIBBET (gallows) | ||
| 7 | ELAND |
Dash with daughter to find antelope (5)
|
| ELAN (dash) + D (daughter) | ||
| 8 | ELECTING |
Choosing, after polling? (8)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 9 | GRATIS |
Returned musical instrument good for nothing (6)
|
| SITAR (musical instrument) + G (good) call backwards (returned) | ||
| 16 | INSTIGATE |
Begin to look into eliminating extremes of violence (9)
|
| IN[ve]STIGATE (to look into eliminating V[iolenc]E) | ||
| 17 | RESEARCH |
Study hard to follow different careers (8)
|
| Anagram (different) of CAREERS + H (hard) | ||
| 19 | DATING |
Diamonds on a ring becoming old-fashioned (6)
|
| D (diamonds) + A (a) + TING (ring) | ||
| 20 | PRATTLE |
Penny wants toy rabbit (7)
|
| P (penny) + RATTLE (toy) | ||
| 21 | INVENT |
Trendy outlet for design (6)
|
| IN (trendy) + VENT (outlet) | ||
| 23 | RUMEN |
Springboks, say? It’s part of their stomach (5)
|
| R.U. MEN (Springboks, say) with Springboks referring to the South African Rugby Union team. |
I too enjoyed this showing from Alberich which, alas, was over too quickly.
My favourites included ON ONE’S HIGH HORSE, RUMEN and FLIBBERTIGIBBET. I note that the latter and LICHEE have multiple spellings apiece but both were clear from the parsing.
I just wondered if ‘statement’ in 1a was redundant?
Thanks for the entertainment, Alberich, and to Pete for a walk considered blog.
Thanks Alberich and Pete
Nice puzzle that I leisurely got through this morning whilst preparing for work, taking over the hour of elapsed time to complete but, apart from the ‘gossip’ at 6d that I hadn’t heard of, nothing else too hard.
It did take some time to understand the extraction of letter(s) from INVESTIGATE and SENTIMENT to get the answers to 28a and 16d. Didn’t associate the Springboks to the SA rugby union side, who don’t seem to maul us on the scoreboard as much as the All Blacks !
Finished in the NE corner with TERMINATE and GRATIS the last couple in.
Thanks for a great blog, did get RUMEN but not the R U MEN but I see it now.
ELECTING I took the second version as Selecting , after polling meaning lose the S , the head.
Agree with Diane @ 1 for favourites , especially now I see how RUMEN works .
Thanks, Alberich and Pete!
SENTIENT: quite interesting.
Liked RUMEN.
Diane @ 1: Yea. ‘statement’ looks superfluous in 1a.
Forgot to say how much I enjoyed this, I thought the clues were very elegant and neatly constructed.
Oops, me@1. Of course I meant well considered!
Stuck in the SE corner with the across clues, even with all the letters except 21d!
Thanks Alberich, I always look forward to your crosswords even if I need a bit of assistance in solving clues like 6d and PRATTLE, not knowing that definition of rabbit. I had many favourites including INELEGANT (great surface), TRADITION (another good surface), HINDER, GRATIS, and RESEARCH. Thanks Pete for the blog — I never would have parsed RUMEN without it.