Financial Times 17,218 by JULIUS

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Julius provides some rainy-day entertainment.

What a fun puzzle this was – a bit of general knowledge (NERUDA, PTOLEMAIC eg), clever diversions ("Gulf state", eg), humorous clues (CHILLI CON CARNE, eg).

My first scan of the puzzle only yielded a handful of solutions, but I really enjoyed working everything out, and I hope my parsings do Julius justice.

Thanks, Julius.

ACROSS
1 SANDWICH
Wife tucking into Danish swirl (cold packaged snack) (8)

W (wife) tucking into and C (cold) packaged by *(danish) [anag:swirl]
5 EMBALM
Madame securing laboratory, about to prepare cadaver (6)

<=(Mme (madame) securing LAB (laboratory)) [about]
10 YUCATAN
By gum! Coal trains regularly left Gulf state (7)

(b)Y (g)U(m) C(o)A(l) T(r)A(i)N(s) [regularly left]

Yuvatan is a state of Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico, therefore a "Gulf state".
11 HANDBAG
On board, Turkish and BA grant one small item of luggage (7)

Hidden in [on board] "TurkisH AND BA Grant"
12 SPOOR
Out of time, soldiers reverse track (5)

[reverse] <=(t)ROOPS ("soldiers" out of T (time))
13 MALADROIT
Clumsy mother and boy run riot (9)

MA ("mother") and LAD ("boy") + *(riot) [anag:run]
14 CONTRIBUTION
Waste our bitcoin acquiring new Time subscription (12)

*(our bitcoin) [anag:waste] acquiring N (new) + T (time)
18 GREYLAG GOOSE
Grizzled convict goes crazy over stuffed bird (7,5)

GREY ("grizzled") + LAG ("convict") + O (over) stuffed into *(goes) [anag:crazy]
21 PTOLEMAIC
Instruction to reader left English grad in charge of 16 scientist (9)

PTO (please turn over, so "instruction to reader") + L (left) + E (English) + MA (Master of Arts, so "grad") + IC (in charge)

Ptolemy (c100-c170) was an Egyptian polymath, so the 16 in the clue refers to the solution to 16d (EGYPTIAN)
23 TROUT
Uranium found in red freshwater fish (5)

U (chemical symbol for "uranium") found in TROT (communist, so "red")
24 IMPEACH
What UK constituencies have to prosecute? (7)

"UK constituencies have" 1 MP EACH
25 RELAPSE
‘e’s looking more pasty having suffered a setback/deterioration (7)

<=(E'S PALER) ("e's looking more pasty", having suffered a setback)
26 NERUDA
S American poet Peru quietly expelled bound by gagging order (6)

(p)ERU with P (piano in music notation, so "quietly" expelled) bound by NDA (non-disclosure agreement, so "gagging order')
27 FEEDBACK
Further education journalist returned criticism (8)

FE (further education) + ed. (editor, so "journalist") + BACK ("returned")
DOWN
1 SLYEST
Most cunning second lieutenant definitely captured (6)

YES ("definitely") captured by S (second) + Lt. (lieutenant)
2 NACHOS
In Tijuana, chose an accompaniment for 9 (6)

Hidden [in] "tijuaNA CHOSe"

The 9 in the clue relates to CHILLI CON CARNE (the solution to 9dn)
3 WATERFOWL
Perhaps duck Buddhist temple flower arrangement (9)

WAT ("Buddhist temple") + *(flower) [anag:arrangement]
4 CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Art of Film-making” broadcast March 16 receiving Oscar (14)

*(march Egyptian) [anag:broadcast] receiving O (Oscar, in the NATO phonetic alphabet)

The 16 in the clue refers to 16dn (EGYPTIAN)
6 MINED
Object reportedly dug out of the ground (5)

Homophone [reportedly] of MIND ("object")
7 AMBROSIA
American boy band serving up first class delicious food (8)

Am. (American) + BROS (80s/90s "boy band") + [serving up] <=A1 ("first class")
8 MEGATONS
Measure of explosion’s size worrying to gasmen (8)

*(to gasmen) [anag:worrying]
9 CHILLI CON CARNE
I say; got a cold nose Mr Schwarzenegger? This’ll warm you up! (6,3,5)

Homophone [I say] of CHILLY CONK ARNIE ("a cold nose, Mr Schwarzenegger")
15 UNSETTLED
Poor student eating shell of langoustine hasn’t been paid (9)

*(student) [anag:poor] eating [shell of] L(angoustin)E
16 EGYPTIAN
African beginning to experience pain ain’t having surgery (8)

[beginning to] E(xperience) + GYP ("pain") + *(aint) [anag:having surgery]
17 BELOW PAR
Feeling rough, though apparently on course to deal with it OK! (5,3)

If you're BELOW PAR "on (a golf) course", you're apparently doing OK.
19 HOOP-LA
Spanish mag featuring topless policewoman is fair game (4-2)

HOLA (the Spanish equivalent of Hello magazine, so "Spanish mag") featuring [topless] (c)OP ("policewoman")
20 STREAK
Cut of meat infused with a dash of rum; a dash, barely (6)

STEAK ("cut of meat") infused with [a dash of] R(um)
22 ELAND
Breaking news from NZ: sounds like horned beast running wild (5)

Homophone [sounds like] of NEWS breaking from (new z) EALAND

19 comments on “Financial Times 17,218 by JULIUS”

  1. Another playful and thoroughly entertaining grid from Julius.
    Favourite bits included the ‘boy band’ of 7d (ah, the 80s!), the definition of 20d and that of 24a.
    Thanks for the treat, Julius, and Loonapick for the blog.

  2. Quite enjoyable, nothing too taxing. I needed Google to discover that Hola is a Spanish mag. Never heard of boys’ band Bros, nor Neruda, though I got them from the wordplay and a bit of guessing. I liked IMPEACH & ELAND.

    Thanks Julius & Loonapick.

  3. It is lovely and sunny here and a Julius crossword adds even more joy to the day

    Not too difficult and extremely enjoyable. My favourite was the brilliant 9d

    Thanks very much to Julius and Loonapick

  4. 18A was unknown to me so required a bit of cheating; as was Neruda: I’m pretty au fait with NDAs so it was a relatively easy solve with the other letters in place.

    My pedantic self takes a bit of an issue with the supposed homophone in 9A. Apart from the obvious speaking pause between “con” and “carne”. the pause is in “conk arnie”. Also “carne” is pronounced with an acute accent over the “e” whereas “arnie” is pronounced like “ar – nee”. I know that dodgy homophones is a pet peeve of mine: the worst culprit that I know is an Australian setter called David Astle. I love the man but he’s a real devil at not-quite-right homophones.

  5. Thanks Julius and Loonapick

    9dn: This homophone works perfectly for me, with a silent R in both “carne” and “Arnie”. Presumably other accents pronounce the R in both words, so it works for them as well. As to the final vowel in “chilli con carne”, this has been anglicised long enough that Chambers 2011 gives it as the vowel in “me”. Perhaps owners of older editions may have more to say on this.

  6. Thanks for the blog, dear loonapick, and thanks to those who have commented.
    This is my 100th puzzle published by the FT, so lashings of ginger beer etc.
    @Peter…I’ve posted before on these threads that using a dodgy homophone is not a bad way of generating a few comments below the line and I have undoubtedly used one or two in the past. I’m very much of the opinion that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this one though.
    Best wishes to all, Rob/Julius

  7. Very enjoyable puzzle to finish off the morning solving. Interesting to have ‘run’ as the anagram indicator and ‘riot’ as the fodder, rather than the reverse, at 13a. Big ticks for I MP EACH and CHILLI CON CARNE, which worked fine as a homophone for me.

    I was unaware of the ‘boy band’ at 7d and intend to keep it that way!

    Thanks and congrats on your ton to Julius and to loonapick

  8. Oh congrats on your century, Julius! Here’s to another…
    I think ‘carne’ and ‘Arnie’ are fine – as spoken in British English, anyway.

  9. Probably wise, Wordplodder. I hasten to add that I was more tickled to see Bros referenced than to be reminded of their breakout hit which is now wormily burrowing into my ears.

  10. I thought that was an absolute delight.

    Thanks and congratulations on your 100 Julius, and thanks Loonapick for the blog

  11. Re 17d: I wonder if ‘feeling rough’ is also a reference to golf. If you’re in the rough, but under par you’re on course to deal with it.
    Thanks Julius and loonapick.

  12. Thanks for your comments PB, Julius and WP. Australia has a lot of Italian migrants and that’s obviously why I have leaned the “car-nay”” version of the Italian word for “meat”. Growing up in England, the only spaghetti that we knew came in cans full of tomato sauce!

    WP, I wish that I could also drive the 7D “boy band” out of my mind! I had thought that I had banished “Take That” from my memory until Robbie Williams arrived on our shores a week or so ago.

    Julius, are you sure that you’re not David Astle in disguise? He loves “dodgy homophones” too. Anyway, thanks for the challenge and also for stopping by to comment.

  13. @Sourdough, 11… yes, I wanted to allude to the rough on the golf course, you have my intended parsing spot on

  15. 19d threw me a bit.
    with it saying “policewoman” in the clue i was trying to fit WPC into things :-/

  17. Thanks for the blog, a great puzzle number 100, I am happy with homophones as long as someone can say it that way and this one was spectacular.

  18. Congratulations, a lovely fun puzzle to celebrate your 100th, Julius. Particularly like Arnie’s chilly conk, also 24. One MP each is more than enough in some cases.

  19. Thanks Julius. I didn’t get around to this until today but I can’t let a Julius/Knut crossword slip by. I agree with all the aformentioned praise. Thanks loonapick for the blog.

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