Financial Times 17,307 by SLORMGORM

17 comments on “Financial Times 17,307 by SLORMGORM”

1. Thanks, Slomgorm for the enjoyable puzzle, and Thanks, Cineraria for the nice blog.

   ASHTRAY:
   Had similar thoughts. People park their cig butts for a while during smoking and then for a while (longer…depending on when they choose to clear their ashtrays).
   LONG SHOTS:
   Liked the use of ‘around’ to mean ‘by’.
   Liked CHESTNUT.

2. An enjoyable exercise, thank you Slormgorm. I thought the definition for LAGER was a little odd. So it’s a lout’s drink, is it? Well aware of a high hat in a drum kit, but stovepipe hats are new to me. Chess/chest … are we getting into approximate homophones now? Where will it end? 🙁 I’m assured that otters live in holts or crouches, but I guess they’re just a specific version of the more generic “den”.

3. Pleasant puzzle after a few more difficult ones elsewhere today. Even so, I missed the ‘diamonds?’ baseball reference at 21a and have to admit ignorance of Marcus ‘Carlsen’, which meant 9d went in from the def. Never heard of MESSIDOR either, though was aware that there was a French revolutionary calendar and wordplay was helpful.

   GDU @2, for LAGER at 6d, the ‘one a lout might knock back’ def is a reference to the term “lager louts” which is more commonly used in the UK than it is in Aust. Thanks for your info about the abodes of otters – I’m sure it will come in useful one day in a crossword.

   Thanks to Slormgorm and Cineraria

4. Thank you, Wordplodder, for your enlightenment regarding lager louts. I don’t remember ever hearing it here. We don’t talk about lager much either, come to think of it. “Beer” covers all bases.

5. Holts or couches, not crouches. I’d hate to lead anyone astray.

6. From what all of you say, I understand that chess nut isn’t an exact homophone of chestnut.
   I do not understand why (My knowledge in this area is limited.).
   Could someone enlighten me?

7. Very enjoyable with some lovely surfaces, especially 14a. Also liked SHIFTLESS, MESSIDOR and HAT.
   I’ve come across those baseball diamonds here before so I was alert to that clue this time around.
   Thanks to Cineraria for explaining who Magnus Carlsen is – I got this from the definition. I have no problem with chess/chest homophone in this case because I think you would rarely hear someone clearly enunciate the first ‘t’ in chestnut.
   Like Geoff, I knew the otter- specific word ‘holt’ though I think the more generic ‘den’ here is fine.
   Thanks to Slormgorm and Cineraria.

8. KVa, perhaps I’m overly fussy, but I always pronounce the first “t” in “chestnut”.

   There, I’ve got it off my chess. 🙂

9. KVa@6: Now, that is interesting. Both Chambers and my standard US dictionary give as the only pronunciation [ches’ nut], which is an exact homophone. In my pronunciation, the first “t” is distinctly enunciated, and my whole life, I would have detected others’ pronunciation as at least fleetingly pronouncing the first “t.” Having now listened to several versions of “The Christmas Song,” however, I am not sure whether any of those singers is or is not enunciating the first “t.”

10. Diane, GUD and Cineraria-Thanks for clarifying on chestnut.

11. I am with the “ches-T-nut” brigade.

    Re 23A: does anyone really drive a manual car these days?

12. Very good, Geoff@ 8!

13. [Peter @11

    I’ve just run a quick search. In the UK 2020 was the first year that automatics outsold manuals by 55-45%. So well over 50% of cars currently on the road must be manual.]

14. Thanks for the blog, a lot of neat and clever clues here . Not seen ashtrays for a long time , I remember them on the table in meetings with grooves around the rim to rest the cigarette. Not sorry to see them go, people used to smoke in restaurants, imagine that.
    GLASS EYE my favourite for the socket set.

15. As the tongue is in the same place for /t/ and for /n/, it’s impossible to hear the t unless someone actually breaks chestnut into chest and nut and releases a breath between the t and the n, although it feels like you are pronouncing the t as the tongue is in the right place.

16. Thanks, Slormgorm & Cineraria. As Roz says, lots of neat and clever clues – agree on “socket set” being a highlight. The anagram for CROISSANT is also a nice find.

    On the pronunciation of CHESTNUT, Slormgorm neatly heads off the homophone police by writing the clue as “I’ve been told”. Who are we to tell him he’s wrong on that?

17. Thank you Slormgorm & Cineraria.

    Really enjoyed this one!

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