Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 3, 2022
My first-in was 2d (ESTONIAN) and I quickly finished the top-left and the bottom. The top-right I found a bit harder. My favourite is 17 (ON THE DOT) and I also like 15 (DRAM) and 22 (SKEWER).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | FRESCO |
Painting company behind return of worker with few rights (6)
|
| SERF (worker with few rights) backwards (return of) + CO (company) | ||
| 4 | FLAWLESS |
Perfect female, wild (8)
|
| F (female) + LAWLESS (wild) | ||
| 9 | RATING |
Sailor: a matelot ultimately saved by lifebelt say? (6)
|
| A (a) + [matelo]T together in (saved by) RING (lifebelt say) | ||
| 10 | LACROSSE |
Game over in league, stuffing knocked out (8)
|
| ACROSS (over) in (in) L[eagu]E | ||
| 12 | SINGULAR |
Extraordinary ruling, as monstrous (8)
|
| Anagram (monstrous) of RULING AS | ||
| 13 | FLIGHT |
Introduction to flamenco, easy steps (6)
|
| F[lamenco] + LIGHT (easy) | ||
| 15 | DRAM |
Short performance, shortened (4)
|
| DRAM[a] (performance shortened) | ||
| 16 | GOSLING |
Turn and throw for young winger (7)
|
| GO (turn) + SLING (throw) | ||
| 20 | INFERNO |
Fire in plant, out at first (7)
|
| IN (in) + FERN (plant) + O[ut] | ||
| 21 | PEAR |
Reportedly remove skin of fruit (4)
|
| Homophone (reportedly) of “pare” (remove skin of) | ||
| 25 | KNIGHT |
Looking back, reminisce about good man (6)
|
| G (good) in (about) THINK (reminisce) backwards (looking back) | ||
| 26 | RELATION |
Story in Latin or English, translated (8)
|
| Anagram (translated) of LATIN OR E (English) | ||
| 28 | WEAR DOWN |
Coin a new word for “Exhaust” (4,4)
|
| Anagram (coin) of A NEW WORD | ||
| 29 | ONE-OFF |
Figure out something unusual (3-3)
|
| ONE (figure) + OFF (out) | ||
| 30 | REDSTART |
Maoist symbol on back of leaflet, flier (8)
|
| RED (Maoist) + STAR (symbol) + [leafle]T | ||
| 31 | FREELY |
One fish eaten by another without constraint (6)
|
| EEL (one fish) in (eaten by) FRY (another) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FIRESIDE |
Cod is fried, ending on stove – warm place (8)
|
| Anagram (cod) of IS FRIED + [stov]E | ||
| 2 | ESTONIAN |
European saint, one converted (8)
|
| Anagram (converted) of SAINT ONE | ||
| 3 | CONCUR |
Villain and rogue tally (6)
|
| CON (villain) + CUR (rogue) | ||
| 5 | LOAF |
Intellect left idiot (4)
|
| L (left) + OAF (idiot) | ||
| 6 | WARPLANE |
Hurricane, for example, in twist over road (8)
|
| WARP (twist) + LANE (road) | ||
| 7 | ENSIGN |
Standard sending forms without delay, initially (6)
|
| Anagram (forms) of SEN[d]ING | ||
| 8 | SLEUTH |
Eye shut, half of lens damaged (6)
|
| Anagram (damaged) of SHUT LE[ns] | ||
| 11 | HANOVER |
House or haven, rebuilt (7)
|
| Anagram (rebuilt) of OR HAVEN | ||
| 14 | SLANTED |
Cultivated land set at an angle (7)
|
| Anagram (cultivated) of LAND SET | ||
| 17 | ON THE DOT |
Travelling to hen party, little time, according to schedule (2,3,3)
|
| Anagram (traveling) of TO HEN + DO (party) + T (little time) | ||
| 18 | SEMITONE |
Interval in theatre: no time, sadly, to get up (8)
|
| Reverse (to get up) hidden word (in) | ||
| 19 | CRANEFLY |
Bird knowing insect (8)
|
| CRANE (bird) + FLY (knowing). ‘Fly’ is British slang for smart or knowing. | ||
| 22 | SKEWER |
Run through gardens between son and queen (6)
|
| S (son) + KEW (gardens) + ER (queen) | ||
| 23 | WIZARD |
Wonderful master of trickery (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | WAGNER |
Punt looping over head of newbie, he scored (6)
|
| N[ewbie] in (over head of) WAGER (punt) | ||
| 27 | EWER |
Jug turning up in stoneware, Wedgwood (4)
|
| Reverse (turning up) hidden word (in) |
Made steady progress through this enjoyable weekend puzzle.
First in was EWER and last to fall, SEMITONE whose reversal I thought well hidden.
I liked the ‘knowing’ part of CRANEFLY, the wordplay for SLEUTH, the surface for FLIGHT and LOAF (as in ‘use your …’)
First time I’ve seen cod as an anagrind, a nice touch.
Thanks to Mudd and Pete.
Thanks Mudd, that was enjoyable. My top choices were KNIGHT, FREELY, and SKEWER. I needed an outside source for CRANEFLY. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Thanks for the blog , there seemed to be a lot of anagrams to help this along. Nice to see ESTONIAN without mention of the school. I will take SLEUTH from Diane and KNIGHT from Tony and add FLAWLESS just for the sentiment.
I always forget the details of solving these by the time a blog appears but I did write a big A+ to remind me how brilliant I thought this was.
As the prize crossword appears to have been abandoned by the FT, could we ask that our incredible talented, speedy, charming and skilful bloggers post the solutions quicker? Like on Sunday or Monday immediately after the puzzle appears. The dearth of responses to this very blog demonstrates that by the time it is posted, most of us have forgotten the puzzle.
Late posting doesn’t do justice to the splendid work of the blogger either.
Not much to add – a very enjoyable set of clues.
I do have a couple of questions that I am sure the fantastic brains here can easily answer.
* “to cod” is slang for “to joke” according to my dictionary. I do not remember ever hearing this – does anyone know where (or what period) this comes from?
* Where is WIZARD used to mean ‘wonderful”? UK?
* Finally, LOAF means head to me, not intellect. Are head and intellect synonymous in crossword land?
Thanks in advance all. And thanks as always to Mudd and Pete
Martyn@6, a few thoughts. I was thinking of COD int he sense of fake. A cOD-fax was abit of a thing in the 1990s using fake letterheads.
WIZARD is very quaint UK, probably used by Enid Blyton in the Famous Five or Mallory Towers stories.
LOAF can mean head or brains, – use your loaf – apply one’s intellect.
Totally agree with Moly@5
Thanks Roz @7. Learning every day!
Thanks for the blog Pete.
I have just noticed the latest one (17202) says “solution next Saturday”. That kind of lends more weight to the suggestion of an earlier blog, as long as it doesn’t upset your planning too much.