Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 5, 2022
Buccaneer keeps up a great standard. My first-in here was 1 (GET-UP-AND-GO) and I quickly finished the top half. The bottom half was a bit more of a challenge and I even needed some help with 17 (REED PIPE). My favourites are 2 (TURGENEV), 23 (BRUMMIE), 25 (SETH) and 27 (TOWN PLANNER).
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | EMU |
Maastricht Treaty idea – it won’t fly! (3)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | INADVERTENT |
Trendy figure breaking plug, which is accidental (11)
|
| IN (trendy) + TEN (figure) in (breaking) ADVERT (plug) | ||
| 11 | URGES |
Drives empty Subaru around, in which reg is wrong (5)
|
| Anagram (is wrong) of REG in (in which) S[ubar]U backwards (around) | ||
| 12 | TURBULENT |
Unsteady from posh sort of wine knocked back fast (9)
|
| U (posh) + BRUT (sort of wine) together backwards (knocked back) + LENT (fast) | ||
| 13 | AMNESIA |
Failure to recall men deployed in the east (7)
|
| Anagram (deployed) of MEN in (in) ASIA (the east) | ||
| 14 | ELASTIC |
Keep going through melted ice – it’s fluid (7)
|
| LAST (keep going) in (through) anagram (melted) of ICE | ||
| 16 | DIVERSIFICATION |
Branching out in papers about writing poetry (15)
|
| ID (papers) backwards (about) + VERSIFICATION (writing poetry) | ||
| 20 | OYSTERS |
Story’s rewritten about European aphrodisiac? (7)
|
| E (European) in (about) anagram (rewritten) of STORYS | ||
| 23 | BRUMMIE |
British stranger hasn’t right kind of accent (7)
|
| B (British) + RUMMIE[r] (stranger hasn’t right) | ||
| 25 | STRIP CLUB |
Staff put on kit? They take it off here (5,4)
|
| STRIP (kit) + CLUB (staff). I had some trouble understanding how ‘kit’ could clue STRIP and thank BC for pointing me to this Wikipedia page. | ||
| 26 | COLIC |
Windy complaint from officer in charge (5)
|
| COL (officer) + IC (in charge) | ||
| 27 | TOWN PLANNER |
Maybe Le Corbusier’s name in new plant or works (4,7)
|
| N (name) in anagram (works) of NEW PLANT OR | ||
| 28 | TUN |
Fish with 25% cut in VAT (3)
|
| TUN[a] fish with 25% cut with a slightly cryptic definition | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | GET-UP-AND-GO |
Vim in clothing an unusual dog (3-2-3-2)
|
| GET UP (clothing) + AN (an) + anagram (unusual) of DOG | ||
| 2 | TURGENEV |
Novelist with wobbly gut? Never! (8)
|
| Anagram (wobbly) of GUT NEVER | ||
| 3 | MISSUS |
Dutch feel sad in our absence? (6)
|
| MISS US (feel sad in our absence?) with a definition referring to Cockney rhyming slang for ‘wife’ | ||
| 4 | PASTRAMI |
Soft stuff in a kind of white meat (8)
|
| P (softly) + RAM (stuff) in (in) ASTI (a kind of white) | ||
| 5 | AVERSE |
Hostile states close to Delaware (6)
|
| AVERS (states) + [delawar]E | ||
| 6 | BROUHAHA |
Family member you heard laugh makes a racket (8)
|
| BRO (family member) + U (you heard) + HA HA (laugh) | ||
| 7 | REGENT |
Stand-in governor, say, cutting regular payment (6)
|
| EG (say) in (cutting) RENT (regular payment) | ||
| 8 | STAT |
Country rejecting English in fact (4)
|
| STAT[e] (country rejecting English) with the definition referring to STAT as an abbreviation for statistic. | ||
| 15 | CONDESCEND |
Right-winger and Democrat with key objective to be superior (10)
|
| CON (right-winger) + D (Democrat) + ESC (key) + END (objective) | ||
| 17 | REED PIPE |
Ready to catch curiously deep wind instrument (4,4)
|
| Anagram (curiously) of DEEP in (to catch) RIPE (ready). The term reed pipe refers to a wind instrument with sound produced by a vibrating reed | ||
| 18 | IMBIBING |
Setter’s large drinking receptacle for drinking (8)
|
| IM (setter’s) + BIN (receptacle) in (drinking) BIG (large) | ||
| 19 | IMMOLATE |
Sacrifice one million, constructing a motel (8)
|
| I (one) + M (million) + anagram (constructing) of A MOTEL | ||
| 21 | SCRAWL |
Primarily scruffy stroke in such handwriting? (6)
|
| S[cruffy] + CRAWL (stroke) | ||
| 22 | SALAAM |
Greeting old lady, unfortunately the wrong way (6)
|
| MA (old lady) + ALAS (unfortunately) all backwards (the wrong way) | ||
| 24 | UNCORK |
A French king’s housing I’m amazed to open (6)
|
| UN (a French) + COR (I’m amazed) + K (king) | ||
| 25 | SETH |
Determined husband makes third child (4)
|
| SET (determined) + H (husband) with the definition referring to Adam’s third son in the Bible |
Lots of ticks for this weekend puzzle from Buccaneer. Coming from 021-er stock, my hands-down favourite was also BRUMMIE (I’ll try not to take offence at the slight contained in the surface!) Growing up in the E.Mids, though, my own attempts at the accent are as bad as those of the Peaky Blinders cast.
I also liked the subtle definition for 13, the cleverly misleading “white meat” in 4 and the neat surface of 21.
Thanks to Buccaneer and to Pete, especially for explaining MISSUS.
Thanks Pete
I enjoyed this one very much too – much more approachable than the last Buccaneer.
I share some favourites with you – TURGENEV, and SETH. I rather liked STRIP CLUB and AVERSE for their surfaces too
Like Diane, I was mystified at MISSUS. Thanks for explaining that it is cockney rhyming slang, but can someone explain what Dutch rhymes with to make it mean wife? Further, I have never seen BIB used to mean receptacle before, and none of my dictionaries contain that meaning. I am probably missing something, but could someone enlighten me?
BRUMMIE is new to me. While I am delighted for Diane, sometimes I do wish crossword setters would recognise that more than half the FT readers live outside UK.
Finally, thank you to Pete for an excellent blog as usual, and thanks to Buccaneer for an enjoyable puzzle that was challenging in all the right ways.
Martyn @2
Dutch is Cockney slang for wife as in ‘one’s old dutch’. Chambers gives the origin as ‘Duchess of Fife’ / wife.
There is a typo in Pete’s explanation of 18dn which should read IM (setter’s) + BIN (receptacle) in (drinking) BIG (large).
Martyn,
In case you haven’t guessed already, BRUMMIE is the accent (or word for a native of) Birmingham, England’s 2nd city. They’re also known as 021-ers, a reference to the former area phone code.
They get a lot of flack for having a comical, sing-songy accent but it’s still not half as laughable as that of outsiders attempting to get it right. Listen to actors Tim Spall or Julie Walters for authenticity.
Thanks Guafrid @2 for both explanations. I accidentally threw threw this week’s answers away, so I was taking Pete at his word on BIB.
I must admit, I have never been to the midlands, Diane @2. I think I know what the accent sounds like, but I will take your advice and seek out the actors you mentioned
Cheers all!
Thanks for the blog, another excellent puzzle to enjoy. My favourites mentioned by Diane and Martyn, will just add TUN for the elegant simplicity.
For STRIP CLUB, I did actually know that sports teams have a KIT-MAN ( or woman ) to look after the strips .Diane is quite right about how hard it seems to be to copy a BRUMMIE accent .
Thanks Buccaneer. I found this on the tough side but ultimately satisfying. I liked BRUMMIE because it was an unknown term to me but one I could figure out from the wordplay. It’s fun learning new words and meanings. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Before anyone ticks me off, Timothy Spall is not, of course, a Brummie but his years with the city’s rep theatre qualify him!
Yes, Roz, it’s true, along with a few other notable accents. All part of our rich tapestry …or a deep well of misunderstanding depending on your point of view, our kid!
I will say having Buccaneer provide regular extremely enjoyable FT Saturday Cryptics has added something extra to the weekend
Thanks to him and Pete
Diane @8 I would never have known he was not a Brummie, very convincing playing Barry.
Well said, crypticsue @9 – and lucky Pete gets them all! 😉
Many thanks to setter and blogger.
My apologies for the mistake in 18dn, now corrected.
Very late to the party but wanted Pete to know that I did tackle this one following his suggestion.
No problem here with regard to BRUMMIE but the root word ‘rummier’ is not one I’ve come across before, I would always think of ‘rummer’ meaning more rum.
Didn’t know the novelist so had to discover him from the anagram fodder and I’m not overly conversant with the Maastricht Treaty so that involved a bit of homework.
Tops for me were STRIP CLUB & TOWN PLANNER.
Thanks to Buccaneer and to Pete for the review.
Thanks Buccaneer and Pete
This fell down the to-do list with travel to Noosaville, Old and Inverloch, Vic after travel restrictions were finally eased up around the country – WA only opened this week but its just too far away anyway !! Found it quite a quick solve for this setter when I finally got to it.
Knew that the Maastricht Treaty was to do with the EU, but did have to look up EMU for the monetary bit of the answer. Was familiar with BRUMMIE from these puzzles but had to look up M Le Corbusier to find out that he was an architect / town planner. Think that I enjoyed working out the logic to GET UP AND GO the best out of all clues.
Finished in the NE corner with TURBULENT, PASTRAMI and REGENT as the last few in.