Financial Times 17,134 by ZAMORCA

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A typical Zamorca for today's FT crossword

As we have now come to expect from Zamorca, this was a pangram, which helped me to get ACQUAINT, as I was still looking for a Q. This in turn gave me LOI, which was IDIOT. Zamorca's clues are very well constructed, relying very little on anagrams. Over all, a very enjoyable experience.

Thanks Zamorca.

ACROSS
1 DRIVEN
Forced point following endless waffle (6)

N (north, so compass "point") following [endless] DRIVE(l) ("waffle")
4 ACQUAINT
Divulge, and indeed question, article about island (8)

In ACT ("deed"), QU (question) + AN ("article") about I (island)
10 VALIANT
Brave boxer put in against six-footer (7)

(Muhammad) ALI ("boxer") put in V (versus, so "against") + ANT ("six-footer")
11 CHEMIST
Boots maybe for man pursuing lead in cowboy film (7)

HE ("man") pursuing [lead in] C(owboy) + MIST ("film")

For non-UK solvers, Boots is a chain of high-street pharmacies (drugstores).
12 SIGN
Notice some training issues in review (4)

Hidden backwards in [some…in review] "trainiNG ISsues"
13 FEVER PITCH
High excitement always after kick-off in Fulham ground (5,5)

EVER ("always") after [kick-off in] F(ulham) + PITCH ("ground")
15 OCCUPY
Fill retired commanding officer’s mug with last of brandy (6)

[retired] <=CO (commanding officer) + CUP ("mug") with [last of] (brand)Y
16 REVOLTS
Offends boyfriend returning 40% of gifts (7)

<=LOVER ("boyfriend", returning) + [40% of] (gif)TS
20 PLANNED
Arranged for personal contents to be removed before old queen died (7)

P(ersona)L [contents to be removed] before ANNE ("old queen") + D (died)
21 JERKIN
Jog wearing gilet (6)

JERK ("jog") + IN ("wearing")
24 ALL THE RAGE
Everything about her, time and time again, is really fashionable (3,3,4)

ALL ("everything") + T (time) + AGE ("time" again) about HER
26 WARP
Distort sample from slow arpeggio (4)

[sample from] "sloW ARPeggio"
28 ELEVATE
Lift broken, leave note (7)

*(leave) [anag:broken] + TE (musical "note")
29 EPITAPH
Talk about life – what about mine with a prince? (7)

EH ("what") about PIT ("mine") with A + P (prince)
30 OBSERVED
Studied irregular verbs in reference work (8)

*(verbs) [anag:irregular] in OED (Oxford English Dictionary, so "reference work")
31 PECK AT
Rip packet and eat a little bit (4,2)

*(packet) [anag:rip]
DOWN
1 DIVISION
Difference of opinion in group (8)

Double definition
2 ILLOGICAL
Short story about soldier in pub’s nonsense (9)

[short] <=LI(e) ("story", about) + GI ("soldier") in LOCAL ("pub")
3 ELAN
Knock back beer and start on neat spirit (4)

[knock back] <=ALE ("beer") + [start on] N(eat)
5 COCKEREL
Spaniel fed heartily on large male bird (8)

COCKER (spaniel) + (f)E(d) [heartily] on L (large)
6 UNEXPLORED
In France, a former policeman’s taken over rape case not yet investigated (10)

UN ("in France, a") + EX ("former") + PLOD ("policeman") taking over R(ap)E [case]
7 IDIOT
Addition’s complicated and not for dunce (5)

*(ditio) [anag:complicated] where DITIO is (ad)DITIO(n) without the letters of AND (and not)
8 TETCHY
Grumpy having to engrave inside edges of trophy (6)

ETCH ("to engrave") inside [edges of] T(roph)Y
9 STEER
Tees off with middle of fairway drive (5)

*(tees) [anag:off] with [middle of] (fai)R(way)
14 UP IN THE AIR
Flying high above earth, awfully thin atmosphere (2,2,3,3)

UP ("high") + *(thin) [anag:awfully] above E (earth) + AIR
17 TAKE ABACK
Surprise stand by America on aid (4,5)

TAKE ("stand", as in "tolerate") by A (American) on BACK ("aid")
18 RETRIEVE
Rescue dog has missing tail (8)

RETRIEVE(r) ("dog") [has no tail i.e. last letter]
19 SNAPSHOT
Loses temper over sexy photo (8)

SNAPS ("loses temper") over HOT ("sexy")
22 GAZEBO
Look! Old book’s turned up in summerhouse (6)

GAZE ("look") + <=(O (old) + B (book)) [turned up]
23 OGRES
Trolls take on reserve after own goal (5)

RES (reserve) after OG (own goal, in football)
25 LEEKS
Vegetables and cooked eels contain potassium (5)

*(eels) [anag:cooked] contain K (chemical symbol for "potassium")
27 WISE
Intelligent questions on the radio? (4)

Homophone [on the radio] of WHYS ("questions") in some accents, at least

11 comments on “Financial Times 17,134 by ZAMORCA”

  1. Quite enjoyable. I wasn’t sure how “stand” was “take” in 17d, but fair enough.

  2. Another solid pangram puzzle, achieved at a steady clip over morning coffee.
    Some lovely cluing from Zamorca; my favourites were 18d for its cute surface, 21a and 13a, a phrase I can never read without conjuring Nick Hornby and a young Colin Firth as the surprising but very good choice as the lead actor in the film of the same name.
    Thanks for the fun, Zamorca, and Loonapick for the blog (needed for 10a and 14a).

  3. Pleasant puzzle, with the expected pangram helping me with ACQUAINT too. I was happy to remember ‘gilet’ for JERKIN and enjoyed the challenge of working out the parsing for UNEXPLORED.

    The ‘retired commanding officer’s mug’ at 15a prompted me to look up the difference between the CO and OC abbreviations which I wasn’t aware of before.

    Thanks to Zamorca and loonapick

  4. Like GDU I couldn’t work out why I wrote “take” in 17D but it was the only possible answer.

    Re 13A I had to use an internet search engine to understand Diane’s reference to Nick Hornby and Colin Firth. I was also convinced the “excitement” was “rave” being a headless and footless part of their home ground. (Congratulations, by the way, on the promotion to the Premier League).

    Re 11A I was born in England so I remember Boots but wasn’t this a clue a couple of days ago as a “drug dealer” being a kind of “footwear”?

    Being a pedant as I am, re 27A, I consider myself highly intelligent (blush) but not particularly wise. I guess they are close enough in meaning for a crossword puzzle.

    Thanks loonapick

  5. Looking for the anagram helped me with JERKIN which I still only put in with confidence from the parsing. I agree with loonapicks comments except that I counted six anagrams (20%).Thanks l and Z.

  6. Thanks Zamorca for a multitude of great clues. My top choices were VALIANT, ACQUAINT, OBSERVED, COCKEREL, IDIOT, SNAPSHOT, and ALL THE RAGE, the latter for its surface. I never did figure out JERKIN; it’s been in crosswords before and if I keep typing the word in my comments I just might remember it next time. Thanks loonapick for the blog.

  7. BOOTS a write-in for this overseas solver as that trademark was common here in the sixties and seventies. Thanks loonapick and Zamorca.

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