Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of January 29, 2022
My first-in was the clever hidden-word 3 (EDEN) and my last another hidden-word 26 (UNDO). There is one answer that is a new word to me, 28 (TRAINLOAD). My favourites are 3, 9 (PHOOEY), 17 (CAPRICORN) and 27 (ASCOT).
I occasionally call Mudd the master of double definitions but once in a while he comes up with a triple definition as in 1ac here with HOWLER.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | HOWLER |
Wolf as primate? Big mistake (6)
|
| Triple definition with the second referring to a Howler Monkey | ||
| 4 | COLD SNAP |
Former partners entering peak period in winter, perhaps (4,4)
|
| OLD (former) + SN (partners, i.e. south and north) together in (entering) CAP (peak) | ||
| 10 | BESEECHED |
Sack filled with melted cheese requested (9)
|
| Anagram (melted) of CHEESE in BED (sack) | ||
| 11 | TATER |
Rubbish sovereign one’s eyed (5)
|
| TAT (rubbish) + ER (sovereign) with a cryptic definition | ||
| 12 | LOOP |
Ring bank back (4)
|
| POOL (bank) backwards (back) | ||
| 13 | COPPERHEAD |
Get hold of each snake (10)
|
| COP (get hold of) + PER HEAD (each) | ||
| 15 | NASALLY |
First of nomads on a journey through central feature (7)
|
| N[omads] + A (a) + SALLY (journey) | ||
| 16 | SWITCH |
Whip: controlling mechanism (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | INDEED |
Popular feat, certainly (6)
|
| IN (popular) + DEED (feat) | ||
| 21 | SWEEPER |
Minute saved by agents turning back (7)
|
| WEE (minute) in (saved by) REPS (agents) backwards (turning back) | ||
| 23 | TOMFOOLERY |
Around Foreign Office, spy probing Conservative antics (10)
|
| FO (Foreign Office) in (around) MOLE (spy) together in (probing) TORY (Conservative) | ||
| 25 | FINE |
Perfectly executed penalty (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 27 | ASCOT |
Brit attending a racing venue (5)
|
| A (a) + SCOT (Brit) | ||
| 28 | TRAINLOAD |
Squashed in a little bit, travelling on rail – all those people? (9)
|
| Anagram (travelling) of ON RAIL in (squashed in) TAD (a little bit) | ||
| 29 | DANSEUSE |
Supple Sudanese ballerina (8)
|
| Anagram (supple) of SUDANESE | ||
| 30 | MORNAY |
Woman finally slicing through eel served with cheesy sauce (6)
|
| [woma]N in (slicing through) MORAY (eel) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | HOBBLING |
Lame cooking appliance, flashy thing (8)
|
| HOB (cooking appliance) + BLING (flashy thing) | ||
| 2 | WISCONSIN |
State showing good judgment, briefly, over criminal offence (9)
|
| WIS[e] (good judgment briefly) + CON (criminal) + SIN (offence) | ||
| 3 | EDEN |
Garden admired, enchanting beds (4)
|
| Hidden word (beds) | ||
| 5 | OEDIPUS |
Complex character in English reference is up for a change (7)
|
| OED (English reference) + anagram (for a change) of IS UP with a cryptic definition | ||
| 6 | DETERMINED |
Set ended: timer reset (10)
|
| Anagram (reset) of ENDED TIMER | ||
| 7 | NITRE |
Salt stored up in larger tins (5)
|
| Reverse (up) hidden word (stored) | ||
| 8 | PARODY |
Travesty, staff splitting wages (6)
|
| ROD (staff) in (splitting) PAY (wages) | ||
| 9 | PHOOEY |
Rats beginning to pick over trash (6)
|
| P[ick] + HOOEY (trash) | ||
| 14 | BLUEBOTTLE |
Fly down, daring (10)
|
| BLUE (down) + BOTTLE (daring) | ||
| 17 | CAPRICORN |
Sign there’s maize on Italian island? (9)
|
| CAPRI (Italian island) + CORN (maize) | ||
| 18 | FRIENDLY |
Warm day close, extremely lovely (8)
|
| FRI (day) + END (close) + L[ovel]Y | ||
| 20 | DILATES |
One larva originally burrowing into fruit, expands (7)
|
| I (one) + L[arva] together in (burrowing into) DATES (fruit) | ||
| 21 | STREAK |
Meat sandwiches right – is that lucky? (6)
|
| R (right) in (sandwiches) STEAK (meat) | ||
| 22 | STRAND |
Beach: place round back of harbour (6)
|
| [harbou]R in (round) STAND (place) | ||
| 24 | MACON |
Computer referring to wine (5)
|
| MAC (computer) + ON (referring to) | ||
| 26 | UNDO |
Pound off, not entirely free (4)
|
| Hidden word (not entirely) |
Thanks Pete
An enjoyable puzzle, with special favourites marked as UNDO, DANSEUSE, WISCONSIN and POOL. It took me for ever to realise that “each” in 13 is not only PER, but also PER HEAD.
A few new words for me – SWEEPER as a back (a football / soccer phrase I assume), BOTTLE as daring, and TRAINLOAD to mean all those people. Mudd took a few liberties with the English language, but it would not be a crossword without a few of those, would it?
Thanks for the blog and explanations, Pete, and thanks to Mudd for the puzzle
Thanks for the blog. TRAINLOAD was a very neat clue, PHOOEY is a nice word rarely used these days. Hong Kong PHOOEY was a famous 70s cartoon dog.
Ha, PHOOEY and TRAINLOAD were the two I slipped up on. I too remember Hong Kong Phooey, Roz.
I admired HOWLER for the same reason as Pete. MORNAY, HOBBLING OEDIPUS and BLUEBOTTLE (which made me think of my Dad and his Goons impressions) were my other ticks.
Good fun all round.
Thanks to Mudd and Pete.
“Nah, you deaded poor Bluebottle”. Mmmm, nice memory there.
I never heard of Hong Kong Phooey.
Thanks Mudd for more weekend fun with TOMFOOLERY, DANSEUSE, OEDIPUS, and PHOOEY being favourites. I couldn’t quite parse TRAINLOAD but it was easy to guess. Thank Pete for the blog.
Pete@4
Answer to the following:
Eccles, are you holding the ladder?
Hong Kong Phooey was a dog working as a janitor in a police station who could transform into a crime fighting superhero, probably best left in the 70s .
For 26d I had : pound off (anagram) less the p (not entirely)
Aha! Yes, that sort of works.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Typically entertaining crossword from this setter and it seems as if I had a similar start and end experience to Pete with EDEN as the first in and UNDO (which I didn’t parse) as the penultimate entry followed by FRIENDLY as the last one in.
Whilst intuitively equating HOWLER to wolf, I couldn’t find dictionary or Google confirmation other than ‘someone or something that howls’. Really liked the cleverly disguised definition of ‘back’ for SWEEPER, the construction of COPPERHEAD, the ‘Sudanese’ anagram fodder and the overall PHOOEY clue.