Phew! This is a cracking puzzle, but I was left staring at a half empty grid for ages. Fortunately things finally fell into place, but for a long while I thought I was going to have to admit failure and ask you all for help. Thank you Io for a seriously taxing workout.
The grid is a pangram.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | HARVEY SMITH |
Re “V”, this may upset on horse? (6,5)
|
| anagram (upset) of RE V THIS MAY then H (horse) – a Harvey Smith or Harvey Smith salute is a V-sign, notoriously given to his judges by showjumper Harvey Smith | ||
| 9 | OVOLO |
Bands regularly arranged throughout very large moulding (5)
|
| O O O (three circles, bands) placed in regular positions inside (regularly arranged throughout) V L (very large) | ||
| 10 | GET TOGETHER |
Reach grand number – party! (3-8)
|
| GET TO (reach) G (grand) ETHER (number, something that numbs) | ||
| 11 | DONUT |
Become very angry, not getting one’s jam and cream cake (5)
|
| DO one’s NUT (become very angry) missing ONE’S | ||
| 12 | MICKEY MOUSE |
Mortimer, his original name, inferior? (6,5)
|
| Mortimer Mouse was Walt Disney’s original name for Micky Mouse | ||
| 13 | YEN |
Longing for a bit of old Tokyo? (3)
|
| a coin (bit) from Japan (of Tokyo). I’m not sure about “old”, according to Wikipedia there is still Yen coinage. Perhaps someone can shed a bit more light on this? | ||
| 14 | SENZA SORDINO |
This’ll rouse snoozers – and I don’t play it down! (5,7)
|
| anagram (this will rouse) of SNOOZERS AND I – play without mute, play loudly | ||
| 18 | LEFT STANDING |
An ovation, then, from Starmer & co, utterly outclassed? (4,8)
|
| Kier Starmer &co would be the Labour Party(the political left), so during an standing ovation they would be the LEFT STANDING | ||
| 19 | QUA |
Having capacity of two pints, right out of it! (3)
|
| QUArt (two pints) missing (with…out of it) RT (right) | ||
| 21 | POISON PILLS |
Dad facing troubles, one of his boys adopted financial deterrents (6,5)
|
| POP (dad) next to (faces) ILLS (troubles) contains (with…adopted) I SON (one son, one of his boys) | ||
| 22 | ERASE |
Wipe over the contents of one’s area (5)
|
| found inside (the content of) onE’S AREa reversed (over) | ||
| 23 | POLE DANCING |
Something Trump’s created? Nice lad involved in this provocative act (4,7)
|
| PONG (something created by a trump, a fart) contain (with…in this) anagram (involved) of NICE LAD | ||
| 24 | NODDY |
Children’s character looking out of place in the Big Apple (5)
|
| ODD (looking out of place) inside NY (The Big Apple) – character form Enid Blyton stories | ||
| 25 | SHEERNESSES |
Visionary women at intervals receiving tips from hang-gliders near steep cliffs? (11)
|
| SEERESSES (visionary women) containing, but not in the same place (at intervals receiving) first letters (tips) of Hang-gliders Near | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | HIGH MASS |
Deacon and subdeacon would typically celebrate this heavenly body? (4,4)
|
| HIGH (heavenly) MASS (a body) | ||
| 2 | RETICENT |
Reluctant to communicate quote about cutting revenue (8)
|
| CITE (quote) reversed C (circa, about) inside (cutting) RENT (revenue) | ||
| 3 | EXONERATE |
That was a standard release from duty (9)
|
| EX (former, that was) ONE (a) then RATE (standard) | ||
| 4 | STEAMBOAT WILLIE |
Short of 12 special co-workers, stole fabric – which means, . . . . (9,6)
|
| S (special) TEAM (co-workers) BOA (stole) TWILL (fabric) IE (that is, which means) – a short film featuring Mickey Mouse | ||
| 5 | I SHOULDN’T WONDER |
. . . . likely this would end in short supply (1,8,6)
|
| anagram (supply, in a supple way) of WOULD END IN SHORT | ||
| 6 | HORDE |
A lot of people put in rush orders (5)
|
| found inside rusH ORDErs | ||
| 7, 8 | JOHNNY ROTTEN |
Pistol, a form of protection, has gone off (6,6)
|
| JOHNNY (a contraceptive, form of protection) has ROTTEN (gone off) – Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols | ||
| 15 | NINEPENCE |
Comparatively speaking, the right change? (9)
|
| cryptic definition – from the phase “as right as ninepence” | ||
| 16 | SIRLOINS |
Arrangement of Rossini with William Tell’s most common cuts (8)
|
| anagram (arrangement) of ROSSINI with L (the most common letter in “William Tell”) | ||
| 17 | AGA SAGAS |
Works like installing alternative to electric oven (3,5)
|
| AS (like) contains (installing) GAS AGA (alternative to electric oven) – novels about middle class country folk | ||
| 19, 20 | QUEENS AWARDS |
Palace gives us chance we squander needing to net a second (6,6)
|
| anagram (chance ?) of WE SQUANDER containing (needing to net) A S (second) – things given by the palace? what about us? Can anyone help me out on this please? | ||
| 21 | PEPYS |
Diarist’s entourage detected in the auditorium (5)
|
| sounds like (detected in the auditorium) “peeps” (one’s people, entourage) – diarist Samuel Pepys |
As normal for an Io, way too tough for me. I surprised myself by very nearly finishing but needed a word fit for the nho SENZA SORDINO and failed in the top right missing OVOLO & JOHNNY ROTTEN (just never thought of that ‘Pistol’). I was slightly reluctant to enter YEN as I also didn’t get the ‘old’ bit. Funnily enough, without OVOLO & YEN, I noticed “French Letter” fit into 7,8 so I had the right protection.
I was happy to include “us” as part of the definition in 19/20 but fail to see “chance” as a valid anagram indicator. Then again, I often fail to get these.
I always think of IO as Mr Henderson’s most solver-friendly alter ego, but not today. One of those workouts of the cryptic grey matter that requires a post-solve lie down in a darkened room.
I didn’t know 14a so had to work with what remained of the anagram letters after I’d got the checking letters. My favourite was 15d
Thanks to IO and well done and thank you to PeeDee
I was staring at a fairly blank grid for a while then thought it must be
opening time somewhere so buckled under and poured a drink
Then the answers trickled in gradually-all perfectly fair
Then I was stumped in the NE corner and had to reveal
OVOLO which lead to definition of PISTOL which I thought was a good
punchline to finish off(Pistol tends to send you to Shakespeare to misdirect)
A toughie but goodie-thoroughly enjoyable tussle
Thanks JH and Pee Dee
I admit that when I opened the FT site and saw who today’s setter was, I let out an audible “Oh, no!” I humbly apologise to Io.
Anyway, thank goodness we don’t report times here as mine would have been embarrassingly off the scale. Just like PeeDee, I had long periods of inactivity before eventually finishing with all in correctly, though the parsing of some, eg PEPYS, defeated me and I “hit and hoped” with a few others like SENZA SORDINO. I’m still not quite sure of the correct def for 25a – is it ‘steep cliffs?’, or just ‘cliffs?’ and what is the question mark doing?
So many good clues, but almost at random I’ll mention AGA SAGAS (“a tale of illicit rumpy-pumpy in the countryside”), OVOLO and my last in the ‘Pistol’ def as being real stand-outs.
Thanks to Io and PeeDee
WordPlodder – yes the definition for 25a should be steep cliffs. I have updated the blog. I think the question mark is there to indicate a definition by example, “steep cliffs, perhaps”, as various other things can be sheer too.
Thanks v. much PeeDee. Makes sense.
Finished bar SHEERNESSES, for which, having S*E*R*ESSES, the likelihood of cliffs being the definition rather than the women seemed negligible.
Didn’t understand NINEPENCE, not being familiar with the phrase. Liked plenty, inc. AGA SAGAS and SENZA SORDINI. Tutted a bit, eg. at DONUT being a jam and cream cake, mostly at HARVEY SMITH, which seems to be a clue without a definition referencing an incidental event in a minority sport that happened 50 years ago. wt*?’
I had ‘Palace gives us’ as definition
Thanks Io, PeeDee
James – giving a “Harvey Smith” and “Harvey Smith salute” have entered the English language as meaning giving the V-sign. I think that is the definition in 1ac rather than the event itself. I didn’t make this clear in the blog.
PeeDee, thanks. So Harvey Smith means a V-sign. Fair enough then, and it’s even in Chambers. I really must read my dictionary more.
I didn’t realise Harvey Smith was in Chambers as a V-sign either. I also note that the DONUT spelling is only given as esp US so, maybe, it is starting to take root this side of the pond. Personally, I don’t have the objections many do to US spellings.
I failed miserably at the crossword so not even going to comment on how difficult I found it.
Peedee – For 2 dn, the ‘about’ just indicates the reversal so we don’t need C ( circa ) in the parse?
Regards,
TL
Tough but fair just about sums it up. Many thanks to IO for the exercise and to PeeDee for the blog. Not only ingenious clueing but some fairly obscure GK re Mickey, Harvey Smith etc. Finally got OVOLO from the wordplay, as it’s not in my vocabulary, but overall it certainly took me much longer than the average FT puzzle – the pangram did help towards the end.
I am not sure that “fair” is the correct description Perplexus @ 12.
3 long across answers (1, 12, & 14) and 4d required pretty specialist knowledge and frankly that “Harvey Smith “ is in Chambers does not constitute fair game.
The 7/8 combination and the superb 23 across were the only clues to raise a smile.
More of the latter and less Mickey Mouse please JH.
It seems I had a similar experience to others – lots of brain pause time waiting for inspiration.
I wondered how EDO meant longing, when I saw the “old” in 13a and got in a muddle trying WOLF WHISTLE, mainly unparsed, for 23a – well, that president was mentioned.
An overnight brain reset was required and I have just finished it and my breakfast coffee, so all will be well with my world.
A great exercise Io, so thanks and also to Peedee for untangling everything in ,I have better time than me.
This was vicious.
This was rotten
Just got round to this after lunch today. Absolutely brilliant. A few I’d never heard of before, but using online help kept me plodding on, and eventually finished in the NE corner.
Thanks Io and PeeDee
Got just under half of this done on the day … and then needed time off to let the brain rebound a bit … and left it for nearly a fortnight before being brave enough to bring it out again. Still took another couple of sessions and unrepented electronic help to finally get it finished.
A couple I didn’t parse properly – the PONG, I’d accepted as a political comment of that president. Had forgotten about that description of passing wind – it was a term that my late grandmother used for it. Hadn’t heard of the “ninepence phrase”, so the second part was accepted with a shrug.
Thought that JOHNNY ROTTEN was a hoot when I made sense of the word play and was happy to put together and then check SENZA SORDINO from the anagram fodder after all of the crossers were there.
Finished with SHEERNESSES (working from SEERESSES back), NINEPENCE (with a bit of hope) and that SENZA SORDINO as the last one in.
Lucky that he doesn’t surface too often, else the backlog pile would continue to mount !