Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of June 4, 2022
I finished this puzzle rather quickly although the single long clue, 5, took some work. I have no particular favourites.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | EGGSHELL |
Some finish in agony after items cracked (8)
|
| EGGS (items cracked) + HELL (agony) | ||
| 6 | CALLOW |
Everything eaten by animal in field, green (6)
|
| ALL (everything) in (eaten by) COW (animal in field) | ||
| 9 | FILLET |
Cut report, providing sent back (6)
|
| TELL (report) + IF (providing) all backwards (sent back) | ||
| 10 | ON AND OFF |
Sometimes bread dipped into fancy food fine (2,3,3)
|
| NAN (bread) in (dipped into) anagram (fancy) of FOOD + F (fine) | ||
| 11 | FLAT |
Still off-key (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 12 | NEW ORLEANS |
Screening western, one learns about US city (3,7)
|
| W (western) in (screening) anagram (about) of ONE LEARNS | ||
| 14 | WATERLOO |
Current place to go, Battle (8)
|
| WATER (current) + LOO (place to go) | ||
| 16 | AXIS |
Alliance a big hit after revolution (4)
|
| A (a) + SIX (big hit, as in cricket) backwards (after revolution) | ||
| 18 | GOBI |
First of all, get off bus in desert (4)
|
| G[et] O[ff] B[us] I[n] | ||
| 19 | THIRTIES |
Decade hit badly, then tries to rebuild (8)
|
| Anagram (badly) of HIT + anagram (to rebuild) of TRIES | ||
| 21 | LONGFELLOW |
Chap stretched as a poet? (10)
|
| LONG FELLOW (chap stretched) | ||
| 22 | CAMP |
Scratching head, rogue affected (4)
|
| [s]CAMP (scratching head, rogue) | ||
| 24 | MISSOURI |
State is turned into Michigan (8)
|
| IS SOUR (is turned) in (into) MI (Michigan) | ||
| 26 | TUT-TUT |
Couple of loveless solicitors, deary me (3-3)
|
| T[o]UT T[o]UT (couple of loveless solicitors) | ||
| 27 | STRAIN |
Second line in piece of music (6)
|
| S (second) + TRAIN (line) | ||
| 28 | GRANDEES |
Noblemen, relative and children back to back (8)
|
| GRAN (relative) + SEED (children) backwards (back to back) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | GRILL |
Quiz cook (5)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 3 | SPLATTERING |
Splashing everywhere, bound to cover coffee (11)
|
| LATTE (coffee) in (to cover) SPRING (bound) | ||
| 4 | ENTANGLE |
Ten swimming fish get caught in net? (8)
|
| Anagram (swimming) of TEN + ANGLE (fish) | ||
| 5 | LOOK WHO’S TALKING |
Don’t tell me how gal with kilt on’s OK being blown about (4,4,7)
|
| Anagram (being blown about) of HOW GAL KILT ONS OK | ||
| 6 | CHAKRA |
Centre of the body where chest lifted after drink (6)
|
| CHA (drink) + ARK (chest) backwards (lifted) | ||
| 7 | LID |
Cover let in daylight, initially (3)
|
| L[et] I[n] D[aylight] | ||
| 8 | OFFENSIVE |
Nasty attack (9)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 13 | ELASTICATED |
Giving bully ideas, cattle! (11)
|
| Anagram (bully) of IDEAS CATTLE | ||
| 15 | APOLOGIST |
A sport with significance for defender? (9)
|
| A (a) + POLO (sport) + GIST (significance) | ||
| 17 | HIAWATHA |
More lofty by the sound of it, what a shocking poem by 21 (8)
|
| HIA (more lofty by the sound of it) + anagram (shocking) of WHAT A | ||
| 20 | SEQUIN |
Small horse detailed, flashy little thing (6)
|
| S (small) + EQUIN[e] (horse detailed) | ||
| 23 | MOUSE |
Timid type married runner (5)
|
| M (married) + OUSE (runner) | ||
| 25 | SEA |
Very much water in hose, actually (3)
|
| Hidden word (in) |
Needed two sessions for this grid in which GOBI was my first entry. ENTANGLE was my LOI because I wasn’t sure, at first, whether I should be using ‘ten’ or ‘net’ in the wordplay.
Completed with just some dubious parsing of ON AND OFF.
I liked AXIS, HIAWATHA and MISSOURI (with ‘state’ turning neatly into another one).
My favourite, though, was SEQUIN both for the ‘de-tailing’ and definition.
Thanks to Mudd and Pete.
Mudd in top form. Clues like THIRTIES, CAMP, MISSOURI, APOLOGIST, HIAWATHA, and SEQUIN made this crossword a real delight. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Thanks for the blog, very enjoyable if perhaps a little easier than usual , I think the grid itself is very friendly, it gives lots of first letters which are always the most useful.
Diane and Tony have mopped up the favourites , I will add 5D for a very nice long anagram.
The poem Hiawatha actually has a nice mechanics problem hidden inside it.
That’s interesting to know, Roz. I need to take some time to investigate…
Diane@4 “Swift of foot was Hiawatha ……. ” How swift of foot ? . Got to dash myself now .
Only a couple of things to add. I originally entered ROAST instead of GRILL, which set me back a little. I desperately wanted 25 to be SOX (for hose) and it took a long time to spot the real answer, carefully hidden away. If I am honest with myself, I got the long LOOK WHOS TALKING from the cross words, and deconstructed the clue afterwards. The apostrophe put me off the trail too.
I agree with Pete – no real favourites this week. If pressed, I would nominate OFFENSIVE for its great wording. But that is not to say I did not enjoy it. Quite the opposite.
Thanks Pete and Mudd
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Agree that this was on the softer side of Mudd’s difficulty chart with the time coming in under my FT average but with lots, as it has been said above, to be enjoyed along the way though.
CALLOW was the first in and answers were entered in a scattered pattern all over the grid thereafter. Did like the link between the poet and his best known poem and it was a good long anagram at 5d.
Finished in the SW corner with APOLOGIST, STRAIN and SEQUIN.