Financial Times 17,045 by LEONIDAS

by

Leonidas is today's setter.

I've been lucky this week as my two blogs this week have both been for excellent, witty puzzles. Yesterday's Guardian by Imogen was excellent and this Leonidas effort is almost as good. I particularly liked the clues for GLASS HAMMER and PUSHOVERS, but there were many other crackers in here. It took me ages to see the parsing of SIB and LET-UP, but I got there in the end. A minor quibble – LAMPREY is not "a bit fishy", but it makes for a wittier surface, so it's forgivable.

Thanks, Leonidas.

ACROSS
1 PEEKABOO
Game board flipped with a note of disapproval (8)

<=KEEP ("board", flipped) with A + BOO ("note of disapproval")
5 HAMMER
Drive three-quarters inebriated (6)

[three-quarters] HAMMER(ed)
10 REGRADE
Remark about Edgar being dishevelled (7)

RE ("about") + *(Edgar) [anag:being dishevelled]
11 LAMPREY
Bivalves discovered near quarry? It’s a bit fishy (7)

(c)LAM(s) ("bivalves", discovered) near PREY ("quarry")

A lamprey is a jawless fish, so "it's a bit fishy" is a bit loose as far as definitions go, in my opinion,
12 HORSEMEAT
Stable source of protein (9)

Cryptic definition
13 DEFOE
Agent retired finally to become writer (5)

<=FED ("agent", retired) + [finally] (t)O (becom)E
15 STERN
Part of Ship Street regularly out of herring (5)

St. (street) + [regularly out of] (h)E(r)R(i)N(g)
16 CHAMPION
Defender starts to intimidate opposite number after bite (8)

[starts to] I(ntimdate) O(pposite) N(umber) after CHAMP ("bite")
19 EVANESCE
Wind instruments collected by eastern church vanish (8)

VANES ("wind instruments") collected by E (eastern) + CE ("Church" of England)
20 SISAL
Plant species is alien to some extent (5)

Hidden [to some extent] in "specieS IS ALien"
21 SPROG
Child skinning both snakes and amphibians (5)

[skinning] (a)SP(s) ("snakes") and (f)ROG(s) ("amphibians")
23 MELBOURNE
Scary girl mistaking Rouen for another city (9)

MEL B ("Scary" Spice, one of the Spice Girls) +*(Rouen) [anag:mistaking]
25 DESPAIR
Misery of O’Connor and Lynam collaboration? (7)

DES O'Connor and DES Lynam could be considered a pair of Des's or a DES-PAIR

Des O'Connor was an English comedian and presenter who died in 2020 and Des Lynam is a sports presenter and former host of Countdown.
27 TEENAGE
Juvenile eaten up and giraffe eviscerated (7)

*(eaten) [anag:up] and G(iraff)E [eviscerated]
28 ROBUST
Sturdy vehicle obscured by rhubarb (6)

BUS ("vehicle") obscured by ROT ("rhubarb")
29 EPISODES
Poetry on record is in instalments (8)

ODES ("poetry") on EP (extended play "record") + IS
DOWN
1 PURCHASE
Acquire funds when full of drink (8)

PURSE ("funds") when full of CHA ("drink")
2 EAGER BEAVER
One who is damn enthusiastic, so to speak (5,6)

A pun on "dam" and "damn", as a BEAVER may be EAGER about "dams"
3 AGAMEMNON
Busy man hosts contest working for king (9)

*(man) [anag:busy] hosts GAME ("contest") + ON ("working")
4 OBESE
Huge round insects having turned tail (5)

O ("round") + BE(e)SE ("insects" (bees) having turned tail (i.e. last two letters reversed))
6 ARMED
Version of 7 journalist is packing (5)

*(mar) [anag:version of] where 7 refers to ARM (solution to 7dn) + ED (editor, so "journalist")
7 MAR
Boozer ultimately overcome by mother’s ruin (3)

(booze)R [ultimately] overcome by MA ("mother")
8 RHYME
Verses maybe in Frost broadcast (5)

Homophone [broadcast] of RIME ("frost")
9 FLATMATE
Cohabitee left feeding Big Mama briefly (8)

L (left) feeding FAT ("big") + MATE(r) ("mama", briefly)
14 FOOLS ERRAND
New roofer’s lad around noon fetching a 22 5? (5,6)

*(roofers lad) [anag:new] around N (noon) and &lit.

A fool's errand is a practical joke often played on an apprentice (for example, being sent out to buy tartan paint or a long stand or in this case a GLASS HAMMER (solutions to 22dn and 5ac)).
16 CASHMERE
Fabric caught on tree at top of lake (8)

C (caught, in cricket) on ASH ("tree") at top of MERE ("lake")
17 PUSHOVERS
Suckers in jumpers put on the wrong way? (9)

A PULLOVER ("jumper") put on the wrong way could be a PUSH-OVER
18 SLEEPERS
Carriages should primarily shelter reps in transit (8)

S(hould) [primarily] + LEE ("shelter") + *(reps) [anag:in transit]
21 SEDER
Diviner welcomes daughter’s ceremonial meal (5)

SEER ("diviner") welcomes D (daughter)
22 GLASS
Witness algae engulfing upturned vessel (5)

Hidden backwards in [engulfing turning] "witneSS ALGae"
24 LET-UP
Respite from the French 7 in Revolution (3-2)

LE ("the" in "French") + TUP (the answer to 7, in revolution)

TUP and RAM (MAR reversed, so "7 in revolution") are both sheep.
26 SIB
Queen leaving banger for relative (3)

Qu. (queen) leaving S(qu)IB ("banger")

36 comments on “Financial Times 17,045 by LEONIDAS”

  1. Thanks Loonapick for explaining the two I couldn’t parse: 28a/26d.
    I’m a big fan of Leonidas puzzles for featuring the sort of wit and clever wordplay seen here today. Besides GLASS HAMMER, I really liked 23a and 25a. Also enjoyed tying up 6d/7d with 24d.
    Many other gems besides. Thanks Leonidas.

  2. Didn’t enjoy. Why is rhubarb rot? Why is armed packing? Qu queen? Never heard of a tup — OED says it’s “mainly British”. And as for O’Connor & Lynem …

  3. GDU @ 2 – appears this puzzle was more British than I thought. While I wouldn’t expect non-Brits to get the two Des’s, I didn’t realise that TUP wasn’t universal. I’ve seen Qu. As an abbreviation for Queen on maps, and in the movies, gangsters were often packing a piece (carrying a gun)

  4. Second good one on the trot after Picaroon in the Guardian. Eventually managed to work everything out except for that should have been so simple, but wasn’t, SIB. Just remembered the names of the DES PAIR and somehow saw AGAMEMNON with a bit of inspiration and the help of crossers. Never heard of SEDER.

    Favourites were the GLASS / HAMMER / FOOLS ERRAND trio and the original wordplay for PUSHOVERS.

    Thanks to Leonidas and Loonapick

  5. I agree with Geoff&2. Never heard of SEDER. REGRADE is not in my Shorter OED and I never seen REMARK used as to mark again. Also I do not recognise qu as an abbreviation for Queen. Queue is the only
    one I have heard off. But well done Loonapick for the excellent blog.

  7. Geoff@2,
    It was rather Brit-centric, I suppose, but “packing”, as in “packing heat”, I’m sure, is an American coinage (as Loonapick says, in films) which has no doubt travelled widely.

  8. I was hoping 12 would not be that but when it transpired. I had to visit the bathroom
    Save it for a French crossword.

  11. I think Leonidas has been reading my favorite history book ( 1066 And All That) where it is reputed that Henry I died of a surfeit of “PALFREYS”. Then L’s next answer, 12a, is HORSEMEAT!

  12. A bit late to the party but had to add my twopennorth to the praise for this witty puzzle.

    I’d add AGAMEMNON and MELBOURNE to the favourites already mentioned. (I think loonapick and Diane maybe meant FOOL’S ERRAND, rather than GLASS HAMMER. I had it as pick of the bunch, for the brilliant anagram and surface: a new roofer’s lad might well be sent for a GLASS HAMMER.)

    Many thanks to Leonidas for the fun and loonapick for a great blog.

  13. Thanks Loonapick. I dithered about LAMPREY, originally defining it as fish: but then it was pointed out that Chambers has it as a ‘fish-like vertebrate’ so I had to go one way or the other.

    John@11 I haven’t read that in a good while… you have inspired me to dig it out. Maybe Henry actually was done for by H*******T which appears to be so toxic, just reading the letters themselves can invoke physical symptoms.

    Thanks to all who have commented and apologies to those who didn’t find it their cup of tea.

  14. Thanks Leonidas and loonapick

    Chambers has re-mark for mark again: if you mark exam papers you’re grading the sitters, so if you re-mark you re-grade. Possibly the setter has omitted the punctuation to mark it a trickier lift & separate to spot.

    Qu. is in Chambers as an abbreviation for queen.

  15. Thanks Leonidas and Loonapick

    10ac: Having been involved as an academic member of staff in the assessment of work by postgraduate students at a Russell Group University (in other words, a respectable one) for over twenty years, I can assure anyone interested that requests for the remark of an assignment were by no means unheard of.

  16. Simon S @14: I do not know which edition you were looking at, but my copy of Chambers 2014 (page 1317) has remark² or re-mark as either verb or noun for the meaning required.

  17. Thanks to Leonidas for my favourite crossword so far this week. PUSHOVERS actually made me laugh, which is rare.

  19. Leonidas. I apologise for my rather Tetchy response which was unfair. My complaints about REMARK and Qu were misplaced. Perhaps I should not rely on an elderly Shorter OED. I suppose I was cross by a DNF. There were some great clues as others have commented. FOOLS ERRAND was my favourite and I pleased to learn its origin. Just have to a bit sharper for your next puzzle.

  20. Since I appear to be the only one counting, this was no 16 from Leonidas. Solved this earlier today, then had to go out for some essentials. Super puzzle, except IMHO, for the HORSEMEAT clue. I also laughed at the PUSHOVER clue.

  22. Not happy with this.
    Remark is not synonymous with regrade. If you re-mark a student’s work it doesn’t mean their work will be regraded.

    Board = keep doesn’t work for me, either.

    And I’m supposed know that ‘Scary girl’ = Mel B?

    5/10

  23. A pullover put on the wrong way would be inside-out or back-to-front, but it wouldn’t be a pushover – ridiculous clue.

    Never heard of seder, and not aware that sib is a known abbreviation of sibling.

  24. Gordon N A pullover is so-called because that is the (right) way to put it on. Pushover would be the wrong way.

  25. Thanks Leonidas, as an American I enjoy crosswords that others consider “too British” because I love the discovery aspect of them. I was able to get all but ROBUST but there were several I could not fully parse i.e. MELBOURNE, DESPAIR, LET-UP, and SIB. I liked so many including HAMMER, REGRADE, EVANESCE, AGAMEMNON, CASHMERE, and PUSHOVERS (innovative style of cluing). Thanks loonapick for the much-needed blog.

  26. As often happens these days I finished this with my breakfast coffee. Thanks Loonapick for explaining SIB. I guessed that one.
    The rest was all good fun. Last time I looked, FT was published in Britain so I expect the crossword to contain British centric clues and answers. Like Tony above, I think that adds another aspect to it. Thanks Leonidas.

  27. Thanks Leonoidas and Loonapick. I’m not and have never been British, but I had no complaints with this puzzle, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I almost put down PREDATOR for 1ac (<=ROTA for table and DERP for a note of disapproval) but luckily I’ve been trying to teach a dog object persistance by playing PEEKABOO with him so I was saved from a dnf. Needed help parsing 22a MELBOURNE and 26d SIB.

  30. Loonapick@3 & Mystogre@26, I hasten to point out that I have nothing against the odd Britishism, and enjoy discovering them, so long as they’re not too numerous. As I’ve said here before, if we had a few more quality compilers in our local stable, we addicts wouldn’t need to go to the other side of the world for our fix!

  31. Thanks, Leonidas and Loonapick. This was a fun puzzle and all the clues were well constructed.
    I agree with Tony@25 – I like to learn new things including Britishisms.
    SPROG was the only really unfamiliar term, though GLASS HAMMER relating to FOOL’S ERRAND I couldn’t figure out until the blog. I knew Des O’Connor so guessed DESPAIR.
    SEDER is pretty familiar here in cities with large Hebrew communities – especially around Easter/Passover time which is coming up.

  32. Sharon @22
    Mel B was a member of the Spice Girls – she was known as Scary Spice. A Britishism, certainly, but the band were ubiquitous at one time.
    I took ‘board’ to mean ‘keep’ as in ‘earn your keep’/’pay board’, money or services rendered in return for a roof over your head.
    Gordon N @ 23
    I needed to check ‘Seder’ was a meal but the parsing was absolutely fair.

  33. Thanks for the blog, far too late I know. Did it yesterday but too busy for the blog. Just want to add to the praise for the puzzle , especially FOOL’S ERRAND with the link to GLASS HAMMER ( a tub of elbow grease and a left-handed screwdriver were often on the shopping list for the apprentice.
    It was good to see the word SPROG , one of my favourites although our sprogs get very annoyed when we use it.

  34. 1ac: Further to Diane@32, Chambers 2014 gives “food, means of subsistence, board” as one of the definitions of the noun keep.

  35. Thanks Leonidas and loonapick
    Not sure why people complain about a British focus in a British crossword – sort of the same as being annoyed at being served dim sum in a Chinese restaurant ! Always good to learn new things – in fact, am probably more aware of British geography, politics and entertainers than I am of Australian ones from doing these.
    Found this one challenging, having to come back to it 4 or 5 times to nut it out on Friday afternoon / evening. Needed the blog to see the S[QU]IB part of 26d and didn’t twig to the ‘damn’ / dam trick to fully understand EAGER BEAVER. A bit of work involved in most clues to solve and fully understand which made it very enjoyable.
    Finished in the NW corner with OBESE (which wasn’t as hard as I made it out to be), PEEKABOO (not the game that I was expecting) and PURCHASE (that took longer than it needed to see the why bit).

  36. [ Roz@33,
    Being a southpaw, I was once given a left handed screwdriver as a birthday gift. It was elaborately packaged, properly labeled, and came with a detailed set of instructions for its use. It was, of course, an ordinary screwdriver. ]

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