Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of June 25, 2022
My first-in was 1a and I quickly filled the top half. The bottom took me considerably longer and I ended with 18. My favourites are 8 (ELECTORATE), 9 (RAIN MAN) and 14 (DOSTOEVSKY).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | RECYCLABLE |
Empty route, fine for bikes, able to be used again (10)
|
| R[out]E + CYCLABLE (fine for bikes) | ||
| 6 | ACME |
Highest point obtained by pilot having covered miles (4)
|
| M (miles) in (having covered) ACE (pilot) | ||
| 9 | RAIN MAN |
Picture from camera in Manchester (4,3)
|
| Hidden word (from) | ||
| 10 | REHOUSE |
Chap back in stir is put in other lodgings (7)
|
| HE (chap) backwards (back) in (in) ROUSE (stir) | ||
| 12 | SATURNALIA |
Sozzled Australian in revelry in Rome (10)
|
| Anagram (sozzled) of AUSTRALIAN | ||
| 13 | POT |
Pocket shilling leaving job (3)
|
| PO[s]T (shilling leaving job) | ||
| 15 | ONEGIN |
A single alcoholic drink for Russian dandy (6)
|
| ONE (a single) + GIN (alcoholic drink) | ||
| 16 | TESTATOR |
Will producer try schedule the wrong way? (8)
|
| TEST (try) + ROTA (schedule) backwards (the wrong way) | ||
| 18 | THE RAVEN |
Gothic verse therefore contains babble (3,5)
|
| RAVE (babble) in (contains) THEN (therefore) with the definition referring to a poem by Edgar Allan Poe | ||
| 20 | PROUST |
French aesthete favouring the FT, given time (6)
|
| PRO (favouring) + US (the FT) + T (time) | ||
| 23 | ETA |
Rent day needing regular withdrawals for letter (3)
|
| [r]E[n]T [d]A[y] | ||
| 24 | INFORMANTS |
People who sing performing well, with deep breaths softly expelled (10)
|
| IN FORM (performing well) + [p]ANTS (deep breaths softly expelled) | ||
| 26 | SPINNER |
Conceivably a top Web creator? (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 27 | SLIMMER |
Cook gently welcomes large person counting calories (7)
|
| L (large) in (welcomes) SIMMER (cook gently) | ||
| 28 | YANK |
Tug, one coming from across the Atlantic (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 29 | BRIDEGROOM |
Partner’s request to fence off free space (10)
|
| RID (free) in (to fence off) BEG (request) + ROOM (space) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | RARE |
It’s bloody hard to get your hands on! (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 2 | COINAGE |
Tender criminal taking one in over a long time (7)
|
| I (one) in (taking) CON (criminal) + AGE (a long time) | ||
| 3 | COMMUNICATION |
Possibly speaking animal I put into service (13)
|
| CAT (animal) + I (I) together in COMMUNION (service) | ||
| 4 | AWNING |
Showing boredom, ditching cap or sunshade (6)
|
| [y]AWNING (showing boredom, ditching cap) | ||
| 5 | LORDLIER |
Terribly droll current ruler is more august (8)
|
| Anagram (terribly) of DROLL + I (current) + ER (ruler) | ||
| 7 | CRUMPET |
Mash etc without cut of beef for a snack (7)
|
| RUMP (cut of beef) in (without) anagram (mash) of ETC | ||
| 8 | ELECTORATE |
Attlee changing positions with core voters (10)
|
| Anagram (changing positions) of ATTLEE CORE | ||
| 11 | HEARTBREAKING |
Trying to protect time on holiday is emotionally draining (13)
|
| BREAK (holiday) in (to protect) T (time) in HEARING (trying) | ||
| 14 | DOSTOEVSKY |
Idiot writer does Sky TV works about love (10)
|
| O (love) in (about) anagram (works) of DOES SKY TV with a cryptic definition referring to Dostoevsky’s book “The Idiot” | ||
| 17 | SEAFARER |
Maybe Buccaneer is to char outside of food (8)
|
| FARE (food) in (outside of) SEAR (to char) | ||
| 19 | ELATION |
Member of family losing head in high spirits (7)
|
| [r]ELATION (member of family losing head) | ||
| 21 | UP-TEMPO |
Leading stand-in worker round with some pace (2-5)
|
| UP (leading) + TEMP (stand-in worker) + O (round) | ||
| 22 | ERASED |
Times journalist is wiped out (6)
|
| ERAS (times) + ED (journalist) | ||
| 25 | DRAM |
Tot hasn’t finished play (4)
|
| DRAM[a] (hasn’t finished play) |
Enjoyed the literary flavour of this. Found it to be more of a challenge than usual, especially parsing some like TESTATOR and INFORMANTS.
I guess that the ‘boozy Australian’ and the ‘Russian dandy’ have been seen before but I liked both, along with the definition for RAINMAN which took a while to occur to me. The surface for ELECTORATE was very good and so was the neat and simple reference to snooker in 13a.
Thanks to Buccaneer and Pete for reliably filling in those parsing gaps.
There seemed to be more clues involving deletions this week, which I always find difficult to spot. I often find myself on a different wavelength to Buccaneer, but I found a lot like in this weeks puzzle. I also took some time to finish, having got off to a great start with the across clues. I agree with most of the favourites mentioned already and add SEAFARER for its diversion tactics. It took me a long time to realise Buccaneer does not mean me, I or setter.
Thanks for explaining 24, Pete. I got it from the crosswords, but could not parse it until now.
Thanks Buccaneer for the enjoyable crossword and thanks Pete for the super explanation
Thanks Buccaneer for another gem. It’s difficult to pick favourite clues because there are so many top-notch ones but I ticked SATURNALIA (great anagram), THE RAVEN, AWNING, and HEARTBREAKING. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Thanks for the blog, seemed to be one of those grids where there was always lots of letters to help if you got stuck.
I agree with Tony @3. To his and Pete’s favourites I’ll add TESTATOR, for the surface and construction, RARE, because it amused me and COINAGE, for the definition. The difficulty is that it’s not just that there are so many ‘top-notch’ clues but there are simply no dud ones, which makes it invidious to highlight any!
Many thanks, as ever, to Buccaneer for a most enjoyable puzzle and to Pete for the blog.
James does it again with another masterpiece
I was completely beaten on THE RAVEN, and therefore SEAFARER, wanting it to be The Magus and wayfarer. The first one I thought fitted the wordplay (mag in thus), but now I see I had forgotten the e. The trouble is that there are so many Gothic verses. I knew wayfarer was wrong for both reasons, wrong definition and wordplay.
A mild criticism in an otherwise excellent crossword: what is the ‘of’ doing in 17dn? It’s just illiterate, because it doesn’t help the surface (such as it is — what does it mean?).