Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 13, 2022
Thank you, Buccaneer, for shaking things up around here! This was a fine puzzle with a dazzling star clue at 28 (TIGER SHARK). My other favourites are 16 (PILLAGER) and 26 (ALEC).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | ILL BE BOUND |
It’s certain Buccaneer will participate in bondage! (3,2,5)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 7 | DASH |
One of these – a small quantity but not a dot? (4)
|
| Triple definition with the third referring to Morse Code | ||
| 9 | APEX |
Before kiss, take off top (4)
|
| APE (take off) + X (kiss) | ||
| 10 | UNPOLISHED |
Rough-looking European in nude, cavorting (10)
|
| POLISH (European) in (in) anagram (cavorting) of NUDE | ||
| 11 | GNOMIC |
Cryptic or good reason singer can’t be heard? (6)
|
| G (good) + NO MIC (reason singer can’t be heard?) | ||
| 12 | ENORMITY |
Men admitted to hatred, a grave sin (8)
|
| OR (men, i.e. other ranks) in (admitted to) ENMITY (hatred) | ||
| 13 | MOSQUITO |
Sucker’s beastly remark about unimportant person (8)
|
| SQUIT (unimportant person) in (about) MOO (beastly remark) | ||
| 15 | ABED |
Right to leave art teacher having retired (4)
|
| A[rt] (right to leave art) + BED (teacher, i.e. Bachelor of Education) | ||
| 17 | SEMI |
What’s just before the final house (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | STICK OUT |
Staff on strike draw attention to themselves (5,3)
|
| STICK (staff) + OUT (on strike) | ||
| 22 | MISLEADS |
Clue grasped by girl is deceptive (8)
|
| LEAD (clue) in (grasped by) MISS (girl) | ||
| 23 | LEGACY |
Frilly coats for example a hand-me-down (6)
|
| EG (for example) in (coats) LACY (frilly) | ||
| 25 | MAINSPRING |
Motivation of old lady when many flowers bloom (10)
|
| MA (old lady) + IN SPRING (when many flowers bloom) | ||
| 26 | ALEC |
Drink cold Guinness? (4)
|
| ALE (drink) + C (cold) | ||
| 27 | WHYS |
What sounds like very sensible explanations (4)
|
| Homophone (what sounds like) of “wise” (very sensible) | ||
| 28 | TIGER SHARK |
Foremost of hunters, great risk at sea? (5,5)
|
| Anagram (at sea) of H[unters] GREAT RISK and &Lit. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | LEPANTO |
Stars holding breath in battle (7)
|
| PANT (breath) in (holding) LEO (stars). I am not big on history and do not recall ever hearing about this battle of 1571 in which Turkish sea power was destroyed by a league of Christian nations organized by the Pope | ||
| 3 | BUXOM |
After bus drops back, steer around motorway with curves (5)
|
| BU[s] + M (motorway) in OX (steer) backwards (around) | ||
| 4 | BLUE-CHIP |
Highly reliable low golf shot (4-4)
|
| BLUE (low) + CHIP (golf shot) | ||
| 5 | UNPREPOSSESSING |
A Parisian having to accept salesman is charmless (15)
|
| UN (a Parisian) + REP (salesman) in (to accept) POSSESSING (having) | ||
| 6 | DOLLOP |
Helping Liberals work to support party (6)
|
| DO (party) + LL (liberals) + OP (work) | ||
| 7 | DISEMBARK |
Racing around, biker’s mad to get off (9)
|
| Anagram (racing around) of BIKERS MAD | ||
| 8 | SHEATHE |
Woman concealing magazine cover (7)
|
| HEAT (magazine) in (concealing) SHE (woman). Heat is the name of a British fashion magazine. | ||
| 14 | QUISLINGS |
Traitors from Vichy who will need basic weapons (9)
|
| QUI (from Vichy who) + SLINGS (basic weapons) | ||
| 16 | PILLAGER |
Robber has beer after beer endlessly (8)
|
| PIL[s] (beer endlessly) + LAGER (beer) | ||
| 18 | EPITAPH |
Comment after passing on the app one’s devised (7)
|
| Anagram (‘s devised) of THE APP I | ||
| 20 | UNCLEAR |
Muddy knight extracted from, say, muddy river (7)
|
| UNCLEA[n] (knight extracted from, say, muddy) + R (river) | ||
| 21 | CARPET |
Pull up fabric covering (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | GRAPH |
Banging rap hit between nos. 6 and 12 in chart (5)
|
| Hidden word (between the 6th and 12th letters) |
Pete’s picks were also mine in another great puzzle signed Buccaneer.
I thought DASH and WHYS were cute. I also enjoyed DOLLOP, LEGACY and GNOMIC.
MAINSPRING was my LOI and once the penny had dropped, I admired this too.
I needed Pete’s help parsing MOSQUITO and I didn’t spot the ‘pull up’ sense of CARPET till now though I know the term.
Thanks Buccaneer – your puzzles are always eagerly awaited. And to our trusty blogger, Pete.
Thanks for the blog, wide range of clever clues, Diane has beaten me to the favourites.
I will mention MOSQUITO for the beastly remark and agree with Pete for the TIGER SHARK which is a perfect &Lit. Thanks for LEPANTO, I vaguely knew it was a battle but no idea who or when or even that it was at sea.
My only slight frown for EPITAPH for the indirect anagram.
The two standout clues for me here were the triple def DASH and &lit TIGER SHARK. I remembered hearing about the Battle of LEPANTO at school and have just looked it up on Wikipedia. Over 200 galleys on each side and huge numbers of casualties so it was a momentous event.
I initially had the same doubts as Diane @1 about ‘pull up’ for CARPET but then the relevant sense came to mind and so I was confident about it in the end. I thought EPITAPH was OK, as a partial anagram + I for ‘one(‘s)’.
Our piratical friend has set another good one in today’s Indy, which is worth a look.
Thanks to Buccaneer and Pete
[Thanks for the tip-off, Wordplodder re the Indy]
I didn’t know LEPANTO (my history lessons didn’t go so far, sadly) but I remembered it from the metro (in Rome) and that the names of battles are popular on the French metro too.
Thanks Buccaneer and Pete
3dn: I think this is just BU[s] + XO + M, with no inclusion indicated.
18dn: I agree with Roz that this is technically an indirect anagram, although I would put it at the benign end. The partial anagram suggested by WP@3 would need to be EPTAPH containing I, and I cannot see an inclusion indicator. I have generally given up on suggesting alternative wordings for clues, but I think here Buccaneer could have written “the app I devised” which would have dissolved the difficulty.
Agreed – another great puzzle from Buccaneer and I second WP’s recommendation for the Indy’s Rodriguez.
I never met the Battle of Lepanto in History lessons but we did read Chesterton’s poem
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47917/lepanto in English – great for reading aloud, for its rhythm and alliteration.
Apart from TIGER SHARK, my favourites were I’LL BE BOUND, ABED, LEGACY and QUISLINGS.
Many thanks, as ever, to Rodriguez for the fun and Pete for the blog.
Enjoyed this puzzle but struggled (and eventually gave up) on yesterday’s Picaroon.
Thanks Buccaneer for another gem. DASH, UNPOLISHED, TIGER SHARK, BUXOM, PILLAGER, and GRAPH were among the plethora of fine clues. Thanks Pete for the blog.