Financial Times 17,284 by Rosa Klebb

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My first Rosa Klebb blog?

Rosa Klebb makes a rare midweek appearance today. As I only solve FTs on a Thursday, I believe this is also the first time I have solved or blogged a Rosa Klebb puzzle. I was impressed by some of the clever definitions (e.g. in my favourite clue, that for SPAGHETTI).

 

Thanks, Rosa Klebb, and may I take this opportunity to wish you and all of the setters, bloggers, commenters and readers of this blog a very happy festive season.

ACROSS
1 PUB CRAWL
Back-up cop’s first to stop fight in tour of boozers (3,5)
[back] <=UP + C(op) [‘s first] to stop BRAWL (“fight”)
5 ASSAIL
Set off in boat after Anglo-Saxon attack (6)
SAIL (“set off in boat”) after AS (Anglo-Saxon)
9 SEAWOMAN
One swam dubiously around a mermaid (8)
*(one swam) [anag:dubiously] around A
10 NATION
Ultimately con one in a hundred people (6)
[ultimately] (co)N + I in A TON (“a hundred”)
12 TOKAY
Temperature satisfactory for wine (5)
T (temperature) + OKAY (“satisfactory”)
13 TOUCH BASE
Finger and foot briefly make contact (5,4)
TOUCH (“finger”) + BASE (“foot”)
14 SWEDEN
10 politicians we’d enjoy locking up (6)
Hidden in [locking up] “politicianS WE’D ENjoy”
16 OUTDONE
Defeated United 1-0 to move into first place (7)
Utd. (united) + ONE (1) with O (0) moved to first place (i.e to the front)
19 HONEYED
Flattering Henry, wealthy but not married (7)
H (Henry) + (m)ONEYED (“wealthy”, but not M (married))
21 RAIDER
One pillaging cases of Rioja imported by monarch (6)
[cases of] R(ioj)A and I(mporte)D by ER (Elizabeth Regina, so “monarch”)
23 LITTERBUG
Minor offender nibbled Cockney’s ear, says Spooner (9)
To Spooner, BIT ‘ER LUG (“nibbled” her “ear”) may have come out as LIT(t) ‘ER BUG
25 PERIL
Danger for every single Liberal (5)
PER (“for every”) + I (single) + L (Liberal)
26 CALLUS
Skin problem? Give us a ring! (6)
CALL US (“give us a ring”)
27 OTTOMANS
Seats intemperate old chap next to son (8)
OTT (over the top, so “intemperate”) + O (old) + MAN (“chap”) next to S (son)
28 SAYING
Adage remaining timeless (6)
S(t)AYING (“remaining”) without T (time), so timeless
29 BANDITRY
Bishop and setter have a go at brigand- age (8)
B (bishop) AND I (“setter”) + TRY (“have a go”)
DOWN
1 PESETA
Plebs regularly consumed revolting old Spanish bread (6)
P(l)E(b)S [regularly] + <=ATE (“consumed”, revolting (i.e. rising up))
2 BLACK SWAN
British pasty shortage’s rising, something quite unpredictable (5,4)
B (British) + LACK’S (“shortage’s”) + WAN (“pasty”)

The “rising” in the clue tells us that LACK’S is above WAN.
3 ROOMY
Voluminous jumper belonging to me (5)
(kanga)ROO (“jumper”) + MY (“belonging to me”)
4 WHARTON
US novelist who pens things creative and new (7)
WHO pens ART (“things creative”) and N (new)
6 SPAGHETTI
Scoff rudely at the pigs (9)
*(at the pigs) [anag:rudely]
7 AKITA
Adult and juvenile cat start to attack dog (5)
A (adult) + KIT (“juvenile cat”) + [start to] A(ttack)
8 LINGERED
I slipped out of underwear – duke was reluctant to leave (8)
I slipped out of LINGER(i)E (“underwear”) + D (duke)
11 LUDO
Origins of lacrosse, unpleasantly dangerous ball game (4)
[origins of] L(acrosse) U(npleasantly) D(angerous) + O (ball)
15 DAY RETURN
Chewed nut, dreary fare (3,6)
*(nut dreary) [anag:chewed]
17 OVERREACT
Respond too strongly with regard to damaged crate (9)
OVER (“with regard to”) + *(crate) [anag:damaged]
18 CHALICES
Drinking cups reach Alice Springs stores (8)
Hidden in [stores] “reaCH ALICE Springs”
20 DEBT
Leaving university, coming out in negative financial state (4)
U (university) [leaving] DEB(u)T (“coming out”)
21 REGATTA
Great eccentric cheers boat race (7)
*(great) [anag:eccentric] + TA (“cheers”)
22 SLUSHY
Sentimental drunk embraced by society’s outsiders (6)
LUSH (“drunk”) embraced by S(ociet)Y [‘s outsiders]
24 TALLY
Head of Tech and associate are in agreement (5)
[head of] T(ech) and ALLY (“associate”)
25 PROUD
Haughty professional nude discarding clothes (5)
PRO (professional) + (n)UD(e) [discarding clothes]

43 comments on “Financial Times 17,284 by Rosa Klebb”

  2. Smiled throughout the entirety of this puzzle with everything solved and parsed following a steady, satisfying jog through the clues.
    8, 14, 16, 22, 23, 27 and 29 were all worthy.
    My top picks, though, were the unexpected use of ‘scoff’ in 6d and likewise ‘fare’ in 15d.
    Thanks to Rosa Klebb and Loonapick for the blog.

  6. Thanks for the blog and many others this year and Merry Christmas.
    I will agree with KVa for LITTERBUG , a Spoonerism and Cockney.
    Diane @2 has a great list , I will add SEAWOMAN because I see Mermaids every morning. Many other great clues.
    Not totally convince by BLACK SWAN , rising is a bit loose.

  9. It seems to me that OUTDONE & BLACK SWAN both use a bit of an iffy device. UTDONEO with O moving to first place is really ‘United 1-0 0 moving to first place’ and B + WAN LACK’S with LACK’S rising is really ‘pasty shortage’s shortage’s rising’. Despite these criticisms, I enjoyed this.

  10. Roz, like Geoff, I couldn’t link “scoff” and “spaghetti”, and your explanation, although gratefully received didn’t help. I also don’t know what “scran” means.

    “Black Swan” was new to me: I had to cheat to confirm it. Although, on behalf of all males, let me thank Natalie Portman?

    Re 15D: a “day return” is a very English term. Here, in the land down under, we just buy tickets for whatever journey we need to take.

  11. What a treat for a Thursday!

    I must add 20dn DEBT to Diane’s list. Rosa’s surfaces are always great value (I really loved 14ac NATION) but this was a (sad) little gem.

    Many thanks to Rosa and loonapick.

  12. As Eileen said, an unexpected treat for a Thursday

    As usual with Rosa, there are too many favourites to list

    Many thanks to her (please come back again soon) and to Loonapick

  13. I picked a good day to restart doing the FT after many years away from it.

    Quite quiptic but very nicely clued with lots of smiles. Scoff is a perfect definition for spaghetti – a dish that’s virtually impossible to eat in a refined manner one can only ‘scoff’ it!

    Thoroughly enjoyable!

    Thanks Rosa and loonapick.

    Also thanks to Widdersbel for the pointer to the FT app.

  14. Thanks, Rosa – a virtuoso display of neat, precise, elegant clueing. Like Diane, I had a smile on my face throughout solving this. Not too tricky, just very enjoyable.

    Thanks for the blog, Loonapick, and a very merry Christmas to you too.

  16. Regional variations on words like ‘food’ are exactly what make these puzzles such fun. Roz mentions the delightful ‘scran’ which I read is vaguely Northern and, apparently, naval slang for ‘sultanas, currants, raisins and nuts’ for warding off scurvy.
    I like ‘bait’ as in the wonderfully redolent ‘clamming for me bait’.

  17. Not too much to add to the praises of others for this fun puzzle. A few random highlights were the misdirection of ‘fare’ at 15d and the LITTERBUG Spoonerism. Didn’t know the BLACK SWAN sense referred to; nothing too ‘unpredictable’ about them for me as they’re very common here.

    I knew ‘scoff’ as a noun from previous crosswords but “scran” as mentioned by Roz @8 is new; Dianne @16’s description sounds like good food for a day’s hiking.

    Thanks to Rosa Klebb and loonapick

  18. Nosh is another slang word for food. I suspect this is widely used though I’m often surprised when I find words I grew up with aren’t in common usage.

  20. Diane – etymologies based on acronyms are nearly always pure bunkum (see also: posh). The OED certainly doesn’t support that one – in fact, earliest citations have it spelt skran with a K.

    I would have guessed that scoff is a nounified verb, but the OED reckons the noun came first – it’s of South African (Dutch) origin, apparently.

  21. Apologies, reading failure on my part…

    Scoff as a noun is South African slang but scoff as a verb came to English directly from Dutch.

    I’ll shut up now.

  24. Thanks Rosa Klebb, it’s always a delight seeing you as the setter. As usual there were many good clues. SAYING, with its economical surface, is a reason why Rosa Klebb remains at the top of my list. I also ticked BANDITRY, DAY RETURN, CHALICES, and REGATTA. Thanks loonapick for the blog and explaining scoff. Why is SWEDEN 10? Happy holidays.

  26. Loved this one. Some marvellous clues and not too tough. Particularly enjoyed Outdone, Litterbug and Peseta (almost LOI).

    This was unlike yesterday’s monster, where I got nowhere near completing during a 1 1/2 hour train journey.

  27. Surprisingly gentle for a puzzle from Rosa Klebb, but none the less delightful. Thanks to setter and blogger. I echo loonapick’s good wishes to everyone, with special thanks to him for all the endeavours throughout the year.

  29. We do not use tucker but I have heard of it , nosh is quite old-fashioned.
    In comics in the 70s it was always grub.
    Food is like alcohol , many different terms for it.

  31. Thanks Loonapick, I can’t believe how dim I can be. By the way, it seems the Brits have a richer variety of words for food. In the US it’s grub, nosh, or chow.

  32. GDU – tucker has become better known in the UK in recent years thanks to the appalling “I’m a celebrity…” and its bush tucker trials, which involve getting Z-listers to eat the less palatable parts of animals. Apparently, this is entertaining.

  33. Geoff Down Under @28, I remember tucker from ‘Waltzing Matilda’, a song I loved as a child, for its ‘exotic’ words – billabong, etc

    ‘Down came a jumbuck to drink at the water hole
    Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him in glee
    And he said as he put him away in the tucker bag
    You’ll come a waltzing Matilda with me.’

  34. My first ever RK puzzle & what a gentle delight it was. LITTERBUG easily my favourite but countless other ticks. As Widdersbel says above neat, precise, elegant clueing indeed.
    Thanks all.

  35. Thanks Rosa Klebb and Loonapick. My first cryptic in some time, except for trying yesterday’s Io which completely threw me; finished this one with a little word wizard help. WHARTON, LITTERBUG and CALLUS. Thanks for explaining “spaghetti” and “scoff,” everyone; new to me also.

  39. Eileen, there’s another “exotic” word that appears to have been redacted from your quotation — the original I believe has “billabong” for “waterhole”.

  40. I just did this, having belatedly seen Roz’s recommendation in one of the Guardian blogs on this site.

    I echo the praise for the clueing. This was a lovely puzzle with many fine surfaces, such as the one for PROUD.

    Thanks RK (more please!) and loonapick.

  42. Wordplodder. You kind of make the point about why black swan is a good term. Most people tend to predict based on their experience. So eg in the UK all swans are white so you predict all swans are white and don’t provide for any other outcome, despite there being no reason at all to prevent swans being another colour. Can be a very dangerous assumption.

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