Goliath is this morning's FT setter.
What a shame that there was an error in 21dn to take the shine of what was, in my opinion, an otherwise excellent puzzle, filled with interesting clues and devices such as those used for NAVY SEAL and EXHILARATE. I also liked the ellipsis and juxtaposition of ICARUS and DAEDALUS. I don't think I've come across VIVIPARITY before but it was clear from the clue what the solution was.
Thanks, Goliath – it's a shame the editor didn't spot the error.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | HOME AND DRY |
Hospital modern-day treatment is safe (4,3,3)
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H (hospital) + *(modern day) [anag:treatment] |
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| 7, 3 | BEEFEATER |
Guard with a penchant for a burger? (9)
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Cryptic definition |
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| 9 | STET |
Some obstetricians don’t change (4)
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Hidden in [some] "obSTETricians" |
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| 10 | VIVIPARITY |
Not laying eggs with six and half a dozen being the same (10)
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VI (six) + VI (six, so "half a dozen") + PARITY ("being the same") |
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| 11 | ICARUS |
High-flyer is to secure limo, possibly by the 2nd of August . . . . (6)
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IS to secure CAR ("limo, possibly") by [the 2nd of] (a)U(gust) |
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| 12 | DAEDALUS |
. . . . for his father, lauded as revolutionary (8)
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*(lauded as) [anag:revolutionary] In Greek mythology, Daedalus was the father of Icarus, and the designer of the wings that proved fateful to his son. |
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| 13 | PLANTAIN |
Obvious insect seen inside banana (8)
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PLAIN ("obvious") with ANT ("insect") seen inside |
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| 15 | IBEX |
Primarily ignorant, bigoted old goat (4)
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[primarily] I(gnorant) + B(igoted) + EX ("old") |
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| 17 | SCUM |
It’s the worst type of people that will rise to the top (4)
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SCUM will rise to the top |
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| 19 | GRUESOME |
Beginning to enjoy morgues, possibly? (8)
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*(e morgues) [anag:possibly] where E is [beginning to] E(njoy), and &lit. |
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| 22 | HAIR BALL |
Queen’s problem finding room to host broadcast by Brexit chief (4,4)
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HALL ("room") to host AIR ("broadcast") by B(rexit) [chief] The queen in the clue is a cat, not a monarch. |
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| 23 | EDISON |
No team backing for this original thinker (6)
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<=(NO + SIDE ("team")) [backing] |
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| 25 | WITCHCRAFT |
Magic reported from this or that boat? (10)
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Homophone [reported] of WHICH ("this or that") + CRAFT ("boat") |
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| 26, 27 | CULTURAL |
Artistic range after religious minority (8)
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URAL (mountain "range") after CULT ("religious minority") |
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| 28 | EXHILARATE |
Phil into sex and karate, initially out to thrill (10)
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(p)HIL into (s)EX and (k)ARATE with all their initials out |
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| DOWN | ||
| 2 | OPTICAL |
Current chief demoted: it’s visual (7)
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TOPICAL ("current') with its chief (i.e. first letter) demoted could become OP(T)ICAL |
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| 3 |
See 7 across
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| 4 | NAVY SEAL |
Elite fighter getting entangled with dentist for St Valentine’s Day (4,4)
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*(st valentines day) [anag:entangled] would give "NAVY SEAL dentist" |
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| 5 | DAVID AND GOLIATH |
Unequal combat when six intercept father on leave in unstable Thailand (5,3,7)
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VI (six) intercept DAD ("father") on GO ("leave") in *(Thailand) [anag:unstable] |
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| 6 | YIPPEE |
We are delighted to find ground pipe you once covered (6)
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YE ("you, once") covered *(pipe) [anag;ground] |
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| 7 | BURSARIES |
Sign supporting right to board public transport as financial assistance for scholars (9)
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ARIES ("sign" of the Zodiac) supporting R (right) to board BUS ("public transport") |
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| 8 | ENTHUSE |
Tune she played for rave (7)
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*(tune she) [anag:played] |
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| 14 | NUMERICAL |
Designer manicure on fingernail, ultimately digital? (9)
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*(manicure) [anag:designer] on (fingernai)L [ultimately] |
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| 16 | PUBERTAL |
Adolescent hostelry getting renovated later (8)
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PUB ("hostelry") getting *(later) [anag:renovated] |
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| 18 | CLAVIER |
To start computer, laptop and various IT equipment requires a keyboard (7)
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[to start] C(omputer) L(aptop) A(nd) V(arious) I(T) E(quipment) R(equires) |
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| 20 | MOONLIT |
Low and old city centres thus illuminated at night (7)
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MOO ("low") + (a)N(d) (o)L(d) (c)IT(y) [centres] |
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| 21 | GAUCHE |
Being held captive by Nicaragua checkpoint is awkward (6)
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Hidden in [held captive by] "nicaraGUA CHEckpoint", except of course it isn't – this is an obvious error GUACHE rather than the intended GAUCHE |
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| 24 | INCUR |
Since discarding clothing, you are said to suffer (5)
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(s)INC(e) [discarding clothing (i.e. outer layers)] + homophone [said] of YOU + ARE |
A beautiful crossword and, I have to admit unusually for me, I didn’t notice the error in 21d. You see what is meant rather than what is there. Lots of inventiveness made for an enjoyable solve.
Apologies to all for being so gauche in 21 down, and thank you, Loonapick, for spotting it and for the kind comments.
The pdf also has the wrong solution for 16,984, so Tuesday’s answers have been published twice. Fortunately we solvers have bloggers here to set us straight. Thanks to Loonapick today and to Goliath for the workout.
An entertaining and inventive puzzle not at all spoilt by the obvious slip.
Yet another example of “You see what you’re expecting to see”; I missed the 21d slip too, which therefore didn’t lessen the enjoyment of this crossword for me. I particularly liked the ‘Queen’s problem’ def for HAIR BALL and learning a new word in VIVIPARITY at 10a.
Thanks to Goliath and loonapick
I also didn’t notice the error. Should pay more attention! 22a took me longer than it should as I’ve always known it as a ‘fur ball’, but I got there eventually. Enjoyable puzzle and blog – thanks to both.
I agree with Hovis @1 – a beautiful crossword.
Like loonapick, I admired the interesting devices: the clever linking of ICARUS and DAEDALUS and the construction of VIVIPARITY, NAVY SEAL, EXHILARATE and BURSARIES. I grinned at GOLIATH’s appearance at 5dn.
I feel properly spoilt today, with three of my top favourite setters, Goliath, Rodriguez and Vlad.
Many thanks, as ever, to Goliath and to loonapick.
Thanks for the blog, I also missed the slip for 21 D, I think being a hidden word meant we just what we wanted to.
I loved WITCHCRAFT of course and EXHILARATE is brilliant but the pick has to be NAVY SEAL , an incredible compound anagram that does seem the least bit contrived.
Thanks Goliath for an excellent crossword. I had HAIR BALL in place when I saw “guache” in 21d, I erased “ball” and entered “guache” thinking it might be a British variation. However, no source would confirm that so I put “ball” back in and changed “guache” to GAUCHE. My favourites were the &lit GRUESOME, EDISON, EXHILIRATE, and the simple INCUR. I missed the cleverness of NAVY SEAL — thanks loonapick for explaining.
Me @8 …..does NOT seem the ……..
Completed reasonably quickly by my standards and very enjoyable. I too didn’t see the mistake in 21 down so we shouldn’t be too hard on the editor. It seems perhaps most of the commenters above had the same miss.
Enjoyed this, but allowed myself to be convinced by GUACHE despite being sure it wasn’t the spelling, leaving me with a (n unparsed!) FAIR BULL – problem finding room if the hotel’s FULL (spirit of Christmas lingering) and definition queen as some obscure phrase I hadn’t heard of. Good fun.
Having been traveling this week, I’m a little behind in my puzzles, but this one was well worth waiting for. I did notice the error in 21d and assumed it was a minor slip in an otherwise outstanding puzzle. Every clue mentioned in the blog is one of my favorites, too.
Thanks, Goliath, for an excellent puzzle, slip notwithstanding, and thanks to Loonapick for the clear parsings.
Thanks Goliath and Loonapick. Thoroughly enjoyed this, though the mistake had me stuck on both 21d and 22a before I finally decided GUACHE couldn’t possibly be a word, making HAIR BALL my loi. I didn’t know VIVIPARITY or PUBERTAL in those forms either, but the wordplay made them clear. I also learned that I’d been spelling 28a wrong my entire life: “exhilerate.” Realized the correct spelling purely from the wordplay. So between 10a, 16d, and 28a, quite an educational experience for me. Loved the crossword, and I thought 5d was nothing short of genius.
Thanks Goliath and loonapick
On the easier end of this setter’s difficulty spectrum and finished in about half the usual time for an FT puzzle. Typically wide variety of devices used throughout with the unusual GUACHE thrown in to keep us on our toes as well this time. I had actually written it in like that initially with a raised eyebrow but without checking it, but picked up shortly afterwards when the right ‘queen’ dawned on me at 22a and was able to correct it.
Same as Verbose@14, VIVIPARITY and PUBERTAL were both new to me.
Finished back up the top with HOME AND DRY (which had to be re-remembered), YIPPEE (quite tricky) and NAVY SEAL (with its subtraction anagram device, one of my favourite clues, especially when it takes a while to realise that’s what it will be).