Weekend puzzle from the FT of December 31, 2022
I had a quick first-in with 9a (LIONESSES) and then a couple more in the top-left corner. But then it got tough and took me a couple of days and some assistance to complete the puzzle. There is one answer that is new to me, SWAGES at 21, and two clues that I think would be close to impossible to solve without some crossing letters: 13 (VIRGIN KNOT) and 15 (DONETS). Basilisk does good job of fitting a lot of names and events of 2022 into the grid.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1/10 | RISHI SUNAK |
Russia thinks taking sides damaged leader (5,5)
|
| Anagram (damaged) of RUSSIA [t]HINK[s] | ||
| 4 | GORBACHEV |
One who led series of Schoenberg or Bach events (9)
|
| Hidden word (series of) | ||
| 9 | LIONESSES |
Contributors to Pride who won a historic victory (9)
|
| Cryptic definition. These Lionesses are the British women’s football team who won 2022’s Euro competition (see 22a). | ||
| 10 |
See 1
|
|
| 11 | DOHA |
In the end, Argentina had to triumph around here (4)
|
| [Argentin]A [ha]D [t]O [triump]H with the ‘A’ moved to the end (around). This seems awkward. Do I have it right? | ||
| 12 |
See 26
|
|
| 14 | UKRAINE |
Shower here beginning to ease distressed state (7)
|
| UK (here) + RAIN (shower) + E[ase] | ||
| 15 | DONETS |
Cook catches fish here (6)
|
| DO (cook) + NETS (catches fish). The Donets is one of the major rivers in Ukraine. | ||
| 18 | FRIGHT |
Scare a Republican away from extremist position (6)
|
| F[ar] RIGHT | ||
| 20 |
See 25 Down
|
|
| 22 | WOMENS EURO |
Competition initially weakens currency following warning signs (6,4)
|
| W[eakens] + OMENS (warning signs) + EURO (currency) | ||
| 24 | ISNT |
What limits stagflation in current time has gone (4)
|
| I (current) + S[tagflatio]N + T (time) | ||
| 26/12 | GAVIN WILLIAMSON |
Politician resigned, having dropped ecstasy with wicked author’s child (5,10)
|
| GAV[e] IN (resigned, having dropped ecstasy) + W (with) + ILL (wicked) + IAM (author’s) + SON (child). I originally parsed the cluing of WILLIAM differently but am now satisfied that I was wrong. | ||
| 27 | ELIZABETH |
Character in The Crown’s opening line? (9)
|
| Double definition with the first referring to the Netflix series and the second to the new London Underground line | ||
| 28 | SANCTIONS |
Dictator’s dropped cuts and measures to curb aggression? (9)
|
| Homophone (dictator’s) of “sank” (dropped) and “shuns” (cuts) | ||
| 29 | TRUSS |
Support unpopular leader (5)
|
| Double definition with the second referring to Liz Truss | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | RULED OUT |
Excluded third of students were first to smash bottles (5,3)
|
| [st]U[dents] + LED (were first) together in (bottles) ROUT (smash) | ||
| 2 | SMOTHERER |
Cause of breathlessness affected rest home residents primarily (9)
|
| Anagram (affected) of REST HOME + R[esidents] | ||
| 3 | IKEA |
American former president leads retail empire (4)
|
| IKE (former president) + A (American) | ||
| 4 | GAS PIPE |
Discharge almost rips huge opening in Nord Stream 2? (3,4)
|
| SPI[t] (discharge almost) in (rips) GAPE (huge opening) | ||
| 5 | RUSTLED |
Took stock, determined to control south-east’s borders (7)
|
| S[outh-eas]T in (to control) RULED (determined) with a cryptic definition | ||
| 6 | ABSTAINING |
Not for or against advanced search engine suppressing result of leak? (10)
|
| A (advanced) + BING (search engine) in (suppressing) STAIN (result of leak) | ||
| 7 | HUNTS |
Pursues senior politician close to business (5)
|
| [Jeremy] HUNT (senior politician) + [busines]S | ||
| 8 | VIKING |
Hostile northerner snubbed somebody — somebody like Charles… (6)
|
| V (snubbed) + I (somebody) + KING (like Charles) -or- VI[p] (somebody snubbed) + KING (like Charles) | ||
| 13 | VIRGIN KNOT |
…torn asunder — that union unravelled (6,4)
|
| Anagram (asunder) of VIKING and TORN | ||
| 16 | TROUSSEAU |
USA sure to supply material goods for partnership (9)
|
| Anagram (supply material) of USA SURE TO | ||
| 17 | SKETCHES |
Broadcaster abruptly cuts elements of satirical show? (8)
|
| SK[y] + ETCHES (cuts) | ||
| 19 | THERETO |
Article about summit reduced to that (7)
|
| THE (article) + RE (about) + TO[p] | ||
| 20 | HARRIES |
Hospital sign conveying source of registrar’s worries (7)
|
| H (hospital) + R[egistrar’s] in ARIES (sign) | ||
| 21 | SWAGES |
Small salary for metal workers (6)
|
| S (small) + WAGES (salary) | ||
| 23 | MAVEN |
Expert’s piece about case for vaccine (5)
|
| V[accin]E in (about) MAN (piece) | ||
| 27/20A | MATT HANCOCK |
Politician’s dull party has wine box (4,7)
|
| MATT (dull) + ANC (party) in (has…box) HOCK (wine) |
DOHA:
Just took it as an anagram of ADOH (4 last letters …around).
If ‘around’ is used in the sense of ‘cycled’, I agree it is somewhat odd (& we will get used to this device soon).
WILLIAMS:
I took it as W(with) ILL(wicked) I’M (author’s) S(son)
Sorry I AM (author’s)
Ooops: I am sleepy.
WILLIAMSON:
W ILL IAM (I AM) SON 😀
Sorry. Several messages for one parsing.
Congratulations Pete for the blog. I gave this puzzle a miss and doubt that I would have finished it anyway. I agree with KVa@1, and have a couple of other suggestions.
29ac: This should be Liz Truss.
8dn: Perhaps the first “somebody” should be VIP, shortened (“snubbed”) to VI. I could only have thought of this after seeing the answer.
Great to see a setter managing to get outside UK, although he did set UK = here! I am afraid I still needed googling for several clues, though
I did manage to finish and parse the clues, but, like Pete, I found it a challenge and it took me a couple of days to sort out the parsing.
Despite Pete’s great explanation, I still do not understand a few things – why is “that union unravelled” VIRGIN KNOT, how does V = snubbed, and where is A = advanced used?
I had a slightly different parsing to Pete for WILLIAMSON (who I had never heard of, by the way). W (with) + ILL (wicked) + I AM (author’s) + SON (child). I also had a slightly different parsing for VIKING, but I have less confidence in that one so I will keep it to myself for now.
No favourites to speak of this week.
Thanks Pete and thanks Basilisk
Aha! KVa was quicker at typing, so excuse the repeat parsing of WILLIAMSON.
Similar to Pelham Barton, I had VI = VIP snubbed for 8dn (the parsing in which I had less confidence).
Thanks again!
Martyn @7,
A is ‘Advanced’ in ‘A’ Levels, qualifications in British schools and colleges.
I think you and Pelham have it right for the parsing of VIKING though I must say, Pete’s interpretation amused me.
VIKING:
I am with PB@6 on this, yet curious to know what Pete had in mind while considering V for ‘snubbed’.
Thanks Basilisk. As a non-Brit this was a challenge but I only failed with VIRGIN KNOT and DOHA and I couldn’t parse ELIZABETH and GAS PIPE. Everything else was within reach and I had many favourites including GORBACHEV, UKRAINE, RULED OUT, IKEA, VIKING, and THERETO. I looked for a nina but I guess the “review of the year” satisfied the meta beyond the crossword that I expect from Basilisk/Serpent. Thanks Pete for the blog.
The topical UK stuff made for slow going, but I could not parse GAS PIPE, of all things. I agree with the comments about VIKING and WILLIAMSON. The VIRGIN KNOT is the hymen, which is “unravelled” by consummation in the marital union.
PB@6, I wonder if Lynne Truss has thought of changing her name.
I kicked myself for missing the anagram in 1a RISHI SUNAK. I couldn’t work out which “sides” to take out – R and S seemed most likely. It was a nice clue.
I also failed on 15a DONETS, not seeing DO=cook.
Still, it was a fun puzzle, so thanks Basilisk, and thanks Pete for the much needed blog.
Thanks for a great blog, I am glad this was a Saturday puzzle giving time for some head scratching . I think Lyn(ne) TRUSS was just wishful thinking , she would surely have done a better job.
Good to see the linked clues at 8D and 13D actually linked for once , looking forward to seeing virgin neutron in a puzzle.
DONETS was new to me but the clue was very fair.
Tough? I gave up after two clues. If it is so hard that it takes Pete two days what hope for mere mortals? There is no enjoyment in an almost impossible puzzle.
I thought this was brilliant. Couldn’t parse GAS PIPE. I agree about VI(P) for snubbed somebody. I guess Eats, Shoots and Leaves more or less sums up our shortest-serving PM.
Thank you for setting me straight on the GAVIN WILLIAMSON clue. It is now very clear to me that my original idea does not work. As for the VIKING clue, I am not convinced either way. My mistake with TRUSS was just a typo, now corrected.
Pete, before I stumbled on the parsing of WILLIAMSON, I googled the author of Wicked 2 or 3 times.
And thanks for the guidance on A, Diane @9, and on VIRGIN KNOT, Cineraria @12. I am afraid I still do not get the latter – I just cannot equate breaking with unravelling. Even Shakespeare used “break”. Am I being too literal for crossword land?
Thanks Pete. This was a struggle.
Martyn@18 – you can unravel a legal case by breaking it open. Does that help?
Mystogre @19. I must admit I had not heard that before, and yes it does help. Many thanks.
A belated response to Diane from 26 December regarding printed versions. My son in Oz showed me how to download to the iPad and using the Apple pen. I can scribble, erase endlessly and occasionally insert an answer. Downloaded several back copies for my recent flights to and from New York, when WiFi is not available.
Ken
Even more belatedly, Ken – I see the advantage of doing that when on the move, as with a Kindle, but I’m afraid I remain stubbornly old school. As one who has been publishing and likes to draw, I guess I’m m just wedded to paper!