Steerpike’s fourth FT offering
The good bits first – this was a little harder than the previous Steerpike that I blogged (his debut, I think), which may mean that the setter is becoming more confident. Their definitions are often well hidden and the surfaces are clean, if in some cases a little long.
On the other hand, I think there are a couple of obvious errors (Edit: now only one and according to Steerpike, that is because the clue was changed post-submission, which must be frustrating for the setter). I am always reticent to criticise mistakes, as sometimes they turn out not to be mistakes at all – just mental blocks by yours truly that are often explained by the first or second comments on the blog (as has occurred today).
The first is 15 across. The component parts of HOLD SWAY are all there H + S + OLD WAY, but the compiler is supposed to tell us how to put them together. From the wording of the clue, I can see OLD HS WAY or HS/SH OLD WAY, but not HOLD SWAY. As always, happy to be corrected. (Edit: Steerpike has popped in to show me how it works, so have edited my original parsing)
The second is 5dn – there is no indication in the clue that LP needs to be reversed. As it stands, the clue is for DISCILPES. (Edit: this was changed post-submission, so the fault here lies with the editor, not the setter)
Please let me know if it’s me that has got it wrong, or whether the FT needs a new puzzle editor (Edit: given what happened to 5dn that comment still stands?).
Thanks, Steerpike.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1, 6 | FIVE POUND NOTE |
Video of nun wandering around Portugal essentially wasting cardinal’s money (4,5,4)
|
| *(video of nun) [anag:wandering) around P (Portugal) + [essentially] (was)T(ing) + E (east, so “cardinal” (point)) | ||
| 8 | OVERKILL |
Frenzied attack upon retired clergyman opening fair? Sick! (8)
|
| [retired] <=REV (reverend, so “clergyman”) opening OK (“fair”) + ILL (“sick”) | ||
| 9 | SCRIPT |
Writing exercise follows extremely schematic lesson (6)
|
| PT (physical training, so “exercise”) follows [extremely] S(chemati)C + RI (religious instruction, so “lesson”) | ||
| 10 | PRINTS |
Advertising is about trust in impressions (6)
|
| PR (“advertising”) + IS about NT (National “Trust”) | ||
| 11 | AGITATED |
A twisted jibe about gallery in troubled state (8)
|
| A + [twisted] <=DIG (“jibe”) about TATE (Gallery) | ||
| 12 | INSANE |
Salvation Army quarters behind home for mentally disturbed (6)
|
| SA (Salvation Army) + N + E (North and East, so “quarters”) behind IN (“home”) | ||
| 15 | HOLD SWAY |
Exert power over husband and son by traditional method (4,4)
|
| H (husband) and S (son) by OLD +WAY (“traditional method”), so H-OLD+S-WAY
Thanks to Steerpike for this parsing. |
||
| 16 | OFFENCES |
Wrongdoings of church in parts of Eastern England (8)
|
| OF + CE (“Church” of England) in FENS (“parts of Eastern England”) | ||
| 19 | STRAYS |
Wanders off and runs into reinforcements (6)
|
| R (runs, in cricket) into STAYS (“reinforecements”) | ||
| 21 | GREMLINS |
Men wrestling with girl’s problems (8)
|
| *(men girls) [anag:wrestling] | ||
| 22 | LUSHLY |
Drunk starts to lecture youth in an extravagant manner (6)
|
| LUSH (“drunk”) + [starts to] L(ecture) Y(outh) | ||
| 24 | SIERRA |
Mountainous region in South Africa one’s entered by mistake (6)
|
| I (one) + ERR in SA (South Africa) | ||
| 25 | EXPLOITS |
Adventures of former international included in storylines (8)
|
| EX (“former”) + I (international) in PLOTS (“storylines”) | ||
| 26,27 | LIVE AND LET DIE |
Obstacle circumvented by rogue in Evil Dead movie (4,3,3,3)
|
| LET (“obstacle”) circumvented by *(in evil dead) [anag:rogue] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FEVER |
Temperature in Fahrenheit on day before beginning of Ramadan (5)
|
| F (Fahrenheit) on EVE (“day before”) + [beginning of] R(amadan) | ||
| 2 | VERANDA |
Tribesman detailed to guard queen covered entrance (7)
|
| VANDA(l) (“tribesman” detailed (i.e. having its tail removed)) to guard ER (Elizabeth Regina, so “queen”) | ||
| 3 | PAILS |
Papa, having lost wife, cries buckets (5)
|
| P (Papa, in the phonetic alphabet) + (w)AILS (“cries”, having lost W (wife)) | ||
| 4 | UNLEASH |
Peacekeepers seal off hospital for free (7)
|
| UN (“peacekeepers”) + *(seal) [anag:off] + H (hospital) | ||
| 5 | DISCIPLES |
Students record independent album on hollow experiences (9)
|
| DISC (“record”) + I (independent) + PL (“album” is LP??) on [hollow] E(experience)S
According to comment 1 by the setter himself, this clue was amended post-submissio, but as the clue is printed, it’s wrong as LP needs to be reversed. |
||
| 6 | NORMANS |
Conquerors of Poles hoisting standard on top of arsenal (7)
|
| N + S (North and South “poles”) hoisting NORM (“standard”) on [top of] A(rsenal) | ||
| 7 | TIPPERARY |
Attempt to hide protective gear commandeered by terrorists in Irish town (9)
|
| TRY (“attempt”) to hide PPE (“personal protective equipment”, so “protective gear”) commandeered by IRA (Irish Republican Army, so “terrorists”) | ||
| 13 | NEFERTITI |
Entire FT spread about India’s royal consort (9)
|
| *(entire ft) [anag:spread] about I (India, in the phonetic alphabet) | ||
| 14 | ENCHILADA |
CIA handle criminal’s fare from Mexico (9)
|
| *(cia handle) [anag:criminal] | ||
| 17 | ELM TREE |
Regularly tells mate about English timber supplier (3,4)
|
| [regularly] (t)E(l)L(s) M(a)T(e) + RE (“about”) + E (English) | ||
| 18 | SUSPEND |
Hang from post outside American battleship’s base (7)
|
| SEND (“post”) outside US (American) + (battleshi)P [‘s base] | ||
| 20 | RESPOND |
Take retaliatory action regarding South Atlantic (7)
|
| RE (“regarding”) + S (South) + POND (term for the “Atlantic” ocean) | ||
| 22 | LAPSE |
Lose one’s faith in large part of church structure (5)
|
| L (large) + APSE (“part of church sculpture”) | ||
| 23 | LITHE |
In general, IT headhunter is flexible (5)
|
| Hidden in “generaL IT HEadhunter” |
Thanks to Loonapick for the blog. You are certainly correct about 5 down. The clue I submitted for DISCIPLES read ‘about hollow experiences’ not ‘on hollow experiences’, with ‘about’ as a reversal indicator. As to HOLD SWAY, I would argue that ‘by’ can indicate either before or after other letters, so ‘son by traditional” could be both S/OLD or OLD/S.
Thanks Steerpike – I see the parsing for HOLD SWAY now.
I have now edited the blog in line with Steerpike’s comments. Thanks for dropping in and clearing up these issues – it is always great to get the situation straight from the horse’s mouth.
While I had the same experience as Loonapick re 15a, it didn’t bother me unduly.
Thanks Steerpike for popping in to fess up re 5d.
There was much I liked in today’s grid with some very crisp cluing, such as AGITATED. My favourites, though, were NEFERTITI and GREMLINS, the latter because I spent a long time barking up the wrong tree with this clue when in fact, the answer was plain and simple.
My last in was 6d, entered during a second session after lunch with a friend by the same name so it popped out at me.
Thanks Steerpike and Loonapick.
I wasn’t on the ball enough to question 15a and missed the significance of ‘cardinal’ in 1, 6 but did spot the lack of a reversal indicator in DISCIPLES which I thought was probably a mistake. Good to hear that it was definitely not Steerpike at fault.
Enjoyed the puzzle and, as intended, was fooled into thinking of polar explorers at 6d, my pick of the day.
Thanks to Steerpike and loonapick
Didn’t have any problems parsing 15a. I see that the error in 27a, which should read 26, 27 hasn’t been corrected yet.
All these gremlins aside, another good outing from Steerpike – one of a few recent additions to the FT camp that have raised the standard – much appreciated.
So who changed “about? to “on”
Editor or typo?
Even though I missed SCRIPT, PRINTS, and NORMANS I enjoyed this crossword with HOLD SWAY, GREMLINS (good anagram), TIPPERARY, and RESPOND being favourites. Thanks to both.
Thanks for the blog and the setter for clearing up the mistake. A lot of neat clues here where you have to construct the answer in exactly the right order. I agree with Hovis@ 6 that the FT standard has improved a lot recently.
Thanks Steerpike and loonapick
An enjoyable crossword completed in the car during the 1.5 hour wait in a Covid-testing queue, having visited a cafe on the weekend where a positive case had been identified ! At least this helped kill the time.
Started off with INSANE and NEFERTITI (which wasn’t fully understood until the full parsing later, as to why she wasn’t an ‘Indian consort’). Lots of neat clues, seeing the parsing of 15a as intended and noting the lack of reversal of the LP.
Did notice a plethora of one and two letter abbreviations throughout the grid – some of them cleverly woven into the surface, such as the F (Fahrenheit) in 1d.
Finished up the top with that wayward DISCIPLES, FIVE POUND NOTE (which just wouldn’t come to mind, thinking that it was some video film for way too long) and my favourite, NORMANS (when the penny finally dropped).
Now fingers crossed for the negative result !!