GUY kicks off the week leading up to Christmas in style…
I believe this is this setter's first outing, and very enjoyable it was. Always a nice surprise to get a themed crossword on a Monday, in this case an OBIT for the MAESTRO STEPHEN SONDHEIM, composer of SWEENEY TODD, winner of TONYS, and cryptic CROSSWORD SETTER, credited with introducing cryptic crosswords to the American audience, who died last month aged NINETY-ONE. Plenty of other references in the clues themselves also. All in all, an excellent crossword with some lovely concise clues.
Thanks GUY!
O (old) + BIT (coin)
COMP (school, comprehensive) having ANY (no particular)
Years (7) of Stephen Sondheim (13) – He was 91 when he died on November 26, 2021.
Note also that 7 x 13 = 91.
T[r]I[p] A[b]R[o]A[d] (regularly taking)
SPOT (see) + LIT (writing, literature)
(RAINS)* (*fresh) during TT (dry, teetotal)
STEPHENSON (Rocket man, Robert Stephenson, designer of Stephenson's Rocket) + (HE has DIM (stupid) clothing)
(WORD (news) on CROSS (mad)) + SETTER (dog)
GUY being today's crossword setter
Double definition
RÉSUMÉ (New Yorker's CV) + D (director)
C (a hundred) + ANON (soon)
RET (retired) + (ACTOR (player) on R (runs))
((N (new) + E (England) + Y (yankee)) clipped by SWEET (charming)) + ODD (eccentric)
(A BORN)* (*criminal) claiming DOLE (benefits)
TOT (drink) + AL[e] (beer, for the most part)
C (conservative) + ROUT (defeat) + ON (ahead)
(AT MORSE)* (*codes)
(SAT)* (*fashion) on R[oan] (top of) + ADDLE (to go off) &lit
YES (I agree) skirts AR[e] (short)
(NAB)< (nick, <raised) + TAM[e] (domestic, tailless)
NOES (those voting against) retaining S (shillings)
(AT CHINESE)* (*busy)
(ESTATE (area of housing) to bury I'M (one's)) + D (diamonds)
[musi]CAL ICO[ns] (a selection of)
RUN (hurry) after OVER (deliveries, cricket)
(TO DRY + O (oscar) + H[ammersteins] (head))* (*specially fitted)
RADA (performing college) + R[oles] (at first)
(SOT)< (drunk, <turned up) to host NY (New York)
SCAN (examination) + [oversigh]T (ending in)
Welcome to Guy and thanks for a very enjoyable puzzle. This was no gentle introduction for me, though having had a similarly themed crossword a few weeks ago (Knut in the Indy on 07/12/2021) definitely helped, particularly after seeing the ‘hairdresser’ at 26, 27. I’d already forgotten the great man had also been a CRYPTIC CROSSWORD SETTER (though I now see this was well covered in the Indy blog) which made the ‘Guy in today’s paper’ and ‘Expert at Morse codes’ at 5d doubly clever.
Others to catch my fancy today were ASTRADDLE and the ‘Hardly any toast’ def for CROUTON.
Thanks again to Guy and to Teacow
Thanks for the blog and all the extra background on the theme. Guy is certainly new for me , yet another quality new setter for the FT.
NINETY-ONE is very clever working in both ways. STEPHEN SONDHEIM just works as a clue so neatly and it is not usually easy for someone’s name, rocket man is inspired.
CROSSWORD SETTER I just really like the Guy at the front, so it is naturally a capital without giving anything away. I could go on and on about fine clues …………
I mentioned recently how much FT crosswords have improved of late with several top-class new setters and today I can add another to that list. Wonder if he/she is known by another alias elsewhere. Didn’t spot the 7 x 13 = 91, so thanks for that, Teacow. The Elton John imagery of 13a made this my pick. Great stuff.
COMPANY is another Sondheim reference.
Great fun with some lovely clues – I thought ‘Rocket Man’ in the clue for STEPHEN SONDHEIM was brilliant. Enough to give my old brain a workout, too.
Thanks Guy and Teacow. Oh, and I didn’t spot 7 x 13 = 91 either.
Guy is certainly warmly welcome. I agree that the FT seems to have upped its game recently and this is an admirable new addition: entertaining and neatly clued.
Thanks Guy for the treat. I could not parse STEPHEN SONDHEIM but after I got SWEENY TODD I knew my guess was correct. I solved NINETY-ONE by the math alone and I never got RESUMED because CV seems just as common in the US as resume’ so the New Yorker bit threw me off.
Favourites included 16a but I thought it just referred to today’s setter; I didn’t know the connection between SONDHEIM and cryptics. I guess it’s a sign of good cluing when I can nearly solve a themed crossword with just peripheral knowledge of the theme. I also liked TRANSIT, TOTAL, and YEARS. Thanks Teacow for the blog.
A topical theme in a debut puzzle – wow!
Quite challenging in places but once we twigged the theme things started to fall into place. We’d forgotten, though, that 13 was also a 16 and got the latter from wordplay alone.
We took a while to get BANDOLERO – all we could think of for a Spanish robber was ‘ladrón’ but we eventually sorted the anagram fodder.
Plenty to enjoy; favourite was CROUTON.
Thanks, Guy and Teacow.
Tnanks Teacow and I will join the general praise, lots of wit here and it took a long time for me to get into it (praise be for LET IT BE!), I was held up on SWEENEY TODD by “clipped” as an inclusion indicator, I can only think of a ticket being clipped by having a hole punched in it, but then it would be the other way round, if anyone can shed light I would be grateful. But not to distract from a fun puzzle, thanks and congratulations Guy.
Gazzh @ 9
If you use a bulldog clip it clips the various pieces of paper.
Simon S@10 – Yes and I have one right in front of me, as well as several paperclips which act similarly! (But in my defence did not when looking at the puzzle last night.) Thank you.
Thanks Guy and Teacow
Late to this after being up the country looking after mum for a few days after a procedure. A stunning debut puzzle by Guy – the FT has always had a big stable of setters and the quality keeps coming !
Was able to get this one completed in just over the hour across two settings (one late at night, the other early the next morning). So much depth in the clues with some tricky misdirection and some lovely surfaces. Was able to get and parse everything which was very satisfying – saw a couple of the thematic answers, but failed to see the complete theme – more from ignorance of his works and awards. Thought that NINETY-ONE was clue of the day, especially the clever arithmetic part of it (which was how I generated the answer and then remembered that was how old he was when he passed.
Finished in the top half with SPOTLIT, the cleverly defined CROUTON and COMPANY (after remembering comprehensive schools).