Weekend puzzle from the FT of December 3, 2022
Zamorca, a.k.a. Wendy Law, has been setting for the FT since 2019 but this is her first puzzle in our Weekend spot. You can learn more about her here including the fact that she often produces pangrams (puzzles that include every letter from A to Z in the grid), for which this is a good example.
I found a slightly different flavour in this puzzle: several multi-word answers, some fine surface readings, and a couple of tricky bits of wordplay. My favourite clues are the fine &Lit. 3 (ORDER) and 9 (STEADY ON), I also like 15 (NEWSAGENT) and 26 (BRAZEN).
Welcome Zamorca and thanks. Hope to see more of you.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | THOROUGH |
Efficient by virtue of assuming nothing (8)
|
| O (nothing) in (assuming) THROUGH (by virtue of) | ||
| 5 | MARBLE |
Rock and roll band leaders with macho clothing (6)
|
| R[oll] B[and] in (clothing) MALE (macho) | ||
| 9 | STEADY ON |
Just a Minute’s still broadcasting (6,2)
|
| STEADY (still) + ON (broadcasting) | ||
| 10 | PLANET |
Mars perhaps has energy feeding living organism (6)
|
| E (energy) in (feeding) PLANT (living organism) | ||
| 12 | OTHER |
Worry boy’s ignored, being different (5)
|
| [b]OTHER (worry boy’s ignored) | ||
| 13 | BEHAVIOUR |
Conduct live audio-visual interviews, initially filling time (9)
|
| BE (live) + AV (audio-visual) + I[ntervals] in (filling) HOUR (time) | ||
| 14 | QUINCE |
Queen ordered nice fruit (6)
|
| QU (queen) + anagram (ordered) of NICE | ||
| 16 | ALABAMA |
American former President’s heading off, crossing Louisiana state (7)
|
| LA (Louisiana) in (crossing) A (American) + [o]BAMA (former President’s heading off) | ||
| 19 | DIE AWAY |
Idea to reform system in decline (3,4)
|
| Anagram (to reform) of IDEA + WAY (system) | ||
| 21 | MUESLI |
Mothers’ Union takes on lies concocted for healthy breakfast cereal (6)
|
| Anagram (concocted) of MU LIES | ||
| 23 | INGRAINED |
Fixed gin cocktail and threw it down (9)
|
| Anagram (cocktail) of GIN + RAINED (threw it down) | ||
| 25 | TASTE |
Test sample of barista’s tea (5)
|
| Hidden word (sample of) | ||
| 26 | BRAZEN |
Unabashed, zebra strays close to lion (6)
|
| Anagram (strays) of ZEBRA + [lio]N | ||
| 27 | DISTRESS |
Bandage is not ultimately stopping pain (8)
|
| IS (is) + [no]T together in (stopping) DRESS (bandage) | ||
| 28 | DEPUTY |
Second-in-command takes responsibility, keeping record (6)
|
| EP (record) in (keeping) DUTY (responsibility) | ||
| 29 | FELL FLAT |
Pitched apartment failed to impress (4,4)
|
| FELL (pitched) + FLAT (apartment) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | TV SHOW |
Programme with very wearing new host going ahead (2,4)
|
| V (very) in (wearing) anagram (new) of HOST + W (with) | ||
| 2 | OPEN HOUSE |
Start up hotel by river where everyone’s welcome, any time (4,5)
|
| OPEN (start up) + H (hotel) + OUSE (river) | ||
| 3 | ORDER |
Quiet in class! (5)
|
| Double definition &Lit. | ||
| 4 | GOODBYE |
Fine times echo for so long (7)
|
| GOOD (fine) + BYE (homophone of “by”) | ||
| 6 | ALLEVIATE |
Moderate a tale about tackling vile criminal (9)
|
| A (a) + anagram (criminal) of VILE in (tackling) anagram (about) of TALE | ||
| 7 | BANJO |
Instrument’s seize-up curtailed task (5)
|
| NAB (seize) backwards (up) + JO[b] (curtailed task) | ||
| 8 | EXTERNAL |
Next real trip is not in this country (8)
|
| Anagram (trip) of NEXT REAL | ||
| 11 | RHEA |
Last to try travelling north to see bird (4)
|
| HEAR (try) with the ‘R’ moved to the top (last to…travelling north) | ||
| 15 | NEWSAGENT |
Spy novels put at the front in WH Smith perhaps (9)
|
| NEWS (novels) + AGENT (spy) | ||
| 17 | ALL IS WELL |
When nursing bad back competently, everything’s OK (3,2,4)
|
| ILL (bad) backwards (back) in (nursing) AS (when) + WELL (competently) | ||
| 18 | AD-LIBBED |
Drunk lad, losing leader, lied and improvised (2-6)
|
| Anagram (drunk) of LAD + [f]IBBED (losing leader, lied) | ||
| 20 | YANK |
Jerk’s always turning up heartily zonked (4)
|
| AY (always) backwards (turning up) + [zo]NK[ed] | ||
| 21 | MIDWIFE |
Person who delivers morning’s first papers with mate (7)
|
| M[orning] + ID (papers) + WIFE (mate) | ||
| 22 | LEGS IT |
Runs away taking member’s computer stuff (4,2)
|
| LEGS (members) + IT (computer stuff) | ||
| 24 | GRASP |
Sharp intake of breath over king’s command (5)
|
| R (king) in (over) GASP (sharp intake of breath) | ||
| 25 | TOTAL |
Complete non-drinker’s getting in round with alcohol content removed (5)
|
| O (round) in (getting in) TT (non-drinker) + A[lcoho]L |
Comments are closed.