Basilisk provides this morning's FT entertainment
This was a joy to solve – some of the clues were tricky to parse, but everything was fair. There are two ways into this puzzle – getting the long down answers helps with the crossers, but the gradual realisation of the Nina (the repeated Fs and Ts on the top and bottom row) helps to get some of the down answers in first (don't know if I'd have got EYELET for example without the final T being a given). I really liked BOTTOMLESS PIT, but in reality there wasn't a weak clue in the puzzle, so you can take your pick when it comes to choosing a favourite.
Thanks, Basilisk.
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | AMATEURS |
America, China and half of Russia trained Olympic athletes originally? (8)
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A (America) + MATE ("china", rhyming slang – china plate = mate) + *(rus) [anag:trained] where RUS is [half of] RUSsia |
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| 8 | CINEMA |
Film soldiers returning to infiltrate security agency (6)
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<=MEN ("soldiers", returning) to infiltrate CIA ("security agency") |
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| 11 | RELIC |
Catholic church protecting priest is thing of the past (5)
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RC (Roman "Catholic church") protecting ELI (Old Testament "priest") |
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| 12 | GROTTIEST |
Most unsavoury case of grift fosters corrupt relationships (9)
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[case of] G(rif)T fosters ROT ("corrupt") + TIES ("relationships") |
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| 13 | GODLIKE |
Start day with, for example, appearance of Venus? (7)
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GO ("start") + D (day) + LIKE ("for example") |
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| 14 | TERRIER |
Row about stray dog (7)
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TIER ("row") about ERR ("stray") |
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| 15 | DRAUGHTSMANSHIP |
Drawing power of team member’s stopping game happening (15)
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MAN'S ("team member's") stopping DRAUGHTS ("game") + HIP ("happening") |
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| 18 | OPULENT |
Rich in fat but no trace of carbohydrate or roughage (7)
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(c)O(r)PULENT ("fat") with no trace of C(arbohydrate) or R(oughage) |
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| 20 | ETHICAL |
Decent charitable spread, but no free bar (7)
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*(chaitle) [anag:spread] where CHAITLE is CHA(r)IT(ab)LE without the letters of [free] *(bar) |
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| 22 | HEDGEROWS |
That man had initially grumbled and cursed about country’s borders (9)
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HE'D ("that man had") + [initially] G(rumbled) + <=SWORE ("cursed", about) "Country" in this case is "countryside" rather than "nation". |
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| 23 | LYING |
Banking’s not concerned with spreading misleading information (5)
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(re)LYING ("banking", but not RE ("concerned with") |
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| 24 | RINGER |
Spitting image of Quasimodo? (6)
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Double definition: the first is more commonly a "dead ringer", and the second refers to Quasimodo's job in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. |
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| 25 | DISSENTS |
Consignment of aid is sent, sparking protests (8)
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Hidden in [consignment of] "aiD IS SENT Sparking" |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FAIRY GODMOTHER |
She acts benevolently in good faith with merry disposition (5,9)
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*(good faith merry) [anag:disposition] |
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| 2 | FAILED |
Unsuccessful US agent welcomes trouble (6)
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FED ("US agent") welcomes AIL ("trouble") |
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| 3 | FETCHING |
Fine art work is attractive (8)
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F (fine) + ETCHING ("art work") |
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| 4 | FRAGMENTATION |
Distress man got in after break-up (13)
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*(man got in after) [anag:distress] |
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| 5 | FILTER |
Screen part of secret lifestyle following revolution (6)
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Hidden backwards in [part of… following revolution] "secRET LIFestyle" |
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| 6 | FEVERISH |
Member of school admits always showing agitation (8)
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FISH ("member of school") admits EVER ("always") |
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| 9 | ANTHROPOLOGIST |
Man’s student, through sport, imbues article with meaning (14)
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THRO ("through") + POLO ("sport") imbues AN ("article") + GIST ("meaning") |
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| 10 | BOTTOMLESS PIT |
Inexhaustible resource that may be taken as constant (10,3)
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PIT, if BOTTOMLESS (i.e. missing it's bottom or last letter) would be PI ("constant" in maths) |
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| 16 | ABUNDANT |
Generous sailor and German soldier? (8)
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AB (able-bodied seaman, so "sailor") + UND ("and" in "German") + ANT ("soldier") |
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| 17 | NIHILIST |
Person lacking belief or insight is regularly ignored and put down systematically (8)
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(i)N(s)I(g)H(t) I(s) [regulary ignored] + LIST ("put down systematically") |
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| 19 | EYELET |
Key caught in opening of boot? (6)
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Homophone [caught] of ISLET ("key") |
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| 21 | CLIENT |
Lawyer acts for her legal right to appear in court (6)
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LIEN ("legal right") to appear in Ct. (court) |
I’d agree with loonapick – definitely a joy to solve – and like him, without noticing the Fs and Ts, I’d have taken a while to see 19d
Thanks to Basilisk for the fun and loonpick for the blog
It was indeed a pleasure. As it was Basilisk, I should have thought to look for a Nina which might have helped me land FEVERISH earlier and EYELET too, which was my LOI. As it is, I slogged through the alphabet for likely answers there and snagged the right one in the end.
I liked HEDGEROWS, RINGER and FAIRY GODMOTHER though as Loonapick states, each one was a gem.
Thanks to Basilisk and to our blogger on whom I relied to explain the workings of a fair few.
A great puzzle! Eyelet was my LOI too. I must confess I got 15A only by the sheer abundance of letters already filled in. Thanks to Basilisk and the blogger.
I enjoyed this, with quite a few smiles, but had to check a few here for parsing, such as EYELET & AMATEUR (I can’t get my head around Cockney rhyming slang).
After the first run through I thought this was going to be a DNF. Then, slowly, the penny dropped and then the nina became evident and I completed a very enjoyable puzzle. Thanks Basilisk and loonapick for explaining 12a 18a.
Great value, 6 FTs for the price of one! For me that makes three well clued and challenging Xwords in a row. In 15a I struggled to see Hip for Happening, though from the clue it had to mean that, are other solvers OK with that? I suppose Happening has a sense of Happening Now, Of The Moment, leading you towards Fashionable, Current, Cool, Hip, is that the drift?
Bob@6 it is a bit of old-fashioned 60s slang , like groovy.
Thanks for the blog, a great range of neat and clever clues here.
Many thanks to loonapick for the great blog, and to everyone who has been kind enough to take the time to comment.
Thanks Basilisk, it always brightens my day to see you as the setter. I liked TERRIER, OPULENT, HEDGEROWS, ABUNDANT, and EYELET (an unmistakeable homophone if there ever was one). Thanks loonapick for the blog — I didn’t take the time to parse 1d or 9d, I only guessed at GODLIKE, and was shamefully stymied by RINGER.
Thanks Basilisk and loonapick
Finished this one more quickly than is normal with this setter – so obviously on his wavelength from the start with it. Was one of those puzzles that could only snatch 5-10 minute sittings throughout a working day to do it and that they may have helped as well.
Completely missed the nina = which would have come in handy for the solve.
Some clever devices used throughout with none better than the one used with BOTTOMLESS PIT and did enjoy seeing the tricky definition and working out the word play for ANTHROPOLOGIST. That was my penultimate entry, followed by the good homophonic EYELET to complete the grid.
Late thanks loonapick as I too missed the FTs despite solving in “ink on pink”, also didn’t twig THRO even though I have seen THO similarly in books and clues and failed to extrapolate. Agree re the general excellence on display, thanks Basilisk.
Late thanks too to setter and blogger from us – we didn’t start this till today (over a pub lunch). We appreciated the T’s in the bottom unches as they helped us finish; ANTHROPOLOGIST and EYELET both went in unparsed from crossing letters and definition.