Weekend puzzle from the FT of April 16, 2023
I found this puzzle slow-going but rewarding with some stand-out clues, most notably 2 (WATERED DOWN), 10 (MITTENS) and 17 (DENSITY). I also liked 4 (BURSITIS) which might be deemed an &Lit. and 16 (ODDJOB).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | DIWALI |
Festival artist frames oddly taken views (6)
|
| [v]I[e]W[s] in (frames) DALI (artist). Diwali being the Indian festival of lights. I was once in India for Diwali. | ||
| 4 | BURSITIS |
Problem around joints? Ultimately that’s correct (8)
|
| RUB (problem, as in “there’s the rub”) backwards (around) + [joint]S + IT IS (that’s correct) | ||
| 10 | MITTENS |
Litter perhaps with another thousand clothing items (7)
|
| KITTENS (litter perhaps) with the ‘K’ replaced by ‘M’ (another thousand – actually the Roman numeral for thousand) | ||
| 11 | FLEMING |
Affair keeps European close to married writer (7)
|
| E (European) + M (married) together in (keeps) FLING (affair) | ||
| 12 | NORM |
A lack of empty space as standard (4)
|
| NO (a lack of) R[oo]M (empty space) | ||
| 13 | CLOSE SHAVE |
Different ways to contain quiet squeak (5,5)
|
| SH (quiet) in CLOSE AVE (different ways) | ||
| 16 | ODDJOB |
11 character not even associated with book (6)
|
| ODD (not even) + JOB (book – of the Bible that is). Oddjob is a character in Goldfinger – and a very memorable one! | ||
| 17 | DENSITY |
Mass divided by volume and put into refuse (7)
|
| SIT (put) in (into) DENY (refuse) | ||
| 20 | COLLUDE |
Rewrite old clue ‘Get their heads together’ (7)
|
| Anagram (rewrite) of OLD CLUE | ||
| 21 | LEAN-TO |
Slowly covering a structure fastened to wall (4-2)
|
| A (a) in (covering) LENTO (slowly) | ||
| 24 | PENICILLIN |
11’s drug one included in shortened drawing (10)
|
| I (one) in (included in) PENCILLIN[g] (shortened drawing) | ||
| 25 | HAIL |
Greeting what comes from the heavens (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 27 | CHIANTI |
Colourist hotshot is primarily opposed to red (7)
|
| C[olourist] H[otshot] I[s] + ANTI (opposed to) | ||
| 29 | HERETIC |
That girl’s reference about contrarian (7)
|
| HER (that girl’s) + CITE (reference) backwards (about) | ||
| 30 | DINGHIES |
Boats in Row G he is alternating (8)
|
| DIN (row) + anagram (alternating) of G HE IS | ||
| 31 | SPONGE |
Wasp on geranium hosts parasite (6)
|
| Hidden word (hosts) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | DOMINION |
Low ranking individual under party rule (8)
|
| DO (party) + MINION (low-ranking individual) | ||
| 2 | WATERED DOWN |
Novel Shipless blocked by editor is weakened (7,4)
|
| ED (editor) in (blocked by) WATER[ship] DOWN (novel shipless!) | ||
| 3 | LIES |
Centres of knowledge using new obesity statistics? (4)
|
| [know]L[edge] [us]I[ng] [n]E[w] [obe]S[ity] | ||
| 5 | UNFASTEN |
Notes in tune spoiled new release (8)
|
| FAS (notes, as in solfa) in (in) anagram (spoiled) of TUNE + N (new) | ||
| 6 | STEPSISTER |
Flight is finally thought safe for relative (10)
|
| STEPS (flight) + IS (is) + [though]T [saf]E [fo]R | ||
| 7 | TAI |
Country deporting sickly- looking national (3)
|
| TAI[wan] (country deporting sickly-looking). According to Collins, ‘Tai’ is an alternate spelling of ‘Thai’. | ||
| 8 | SIGNET |
Small seal young waterfowl overheard (6)
|
| Homophone (overheard) of “cygnet” (young waterfowl) | ||
| 9 | PSALM |
Song sailor briefly stops after midday (5)
|
| SAL[t] (sailor briefly) in (stops) PM (after midday) | ||
| 14 | ASTON MARTIN |
11 character given this 14lb tailless bird (5,6)
|
| A STON[e] (14lb tailless) + MARTIN (bird). I originally had the definition as “11 character” and Leonidas corrected me. | ||
| 15 | COELACANTH |
Catch one swimming across upper half of lake? (10)
|
| LA[ke] (upper half of lake) in (across) anagram (swimming) of CATCH ONE | ||
| 18 | ADELAIDE |
City area supported by key assistant (8)
|
| A (area) + DEL (key) + AIDE (assistant) | ||
| 19 | FOLLICLE |
Tiny cavity of ice left three times to reform (8)
|
| Anagram (to reform) of OF ICE LLL | ||
| 22 | SPICED |
Aromatic sauces served up outside of church (6)
|
| CE (church) in (outside of) DIPS (sauces) backwards (served up) | ||
| 23 | BIGHT |
Bay H (rather than h) essential to doctors (5)
|
| BIG H (H rather than h) + [doc]T[ores] (essential to doctors) | ||
| 26 | TRAP |
Chops section in rotation (4)
|
| PART (section) backwards (in rotation). The definition is in the sense of ‘mouth’. | ||
| 28 | INN |
Radio presenter ejected from spirit bar (3)
|
| [dj]INN (radio presenter ejected from spirit) |
I shared Pete’s favourites of MITTENS and WATERSHIP DOWN and savoured the 11-related answers
I failed on the fish but enjoyed the solve overall very much.
I read that Tai is indeed a variant spelling of ‘Thai’ though I don’t recall seeing it; it also refers to people/languages of a shared culture across South East Asia.
Thanks to Leonidas and Pete.
Liked MITTENS, CLOSE SHAVE, ASTON MARTIN and BIGHT.
Thanks, Leonidas and Pete Maclean!
I agree with you Pete that 4 (BURSITIS) is an &lit.
Thanks Leonidas for the challenge. I failed with DENSITY, PSALM, COELACANTH, and TRAP but still found this worthwhile due to clues like MITTENS, LEAN-TO, CHIANTI, DOMINION, LIES, and BIGHT. Thanks Pete for the blog and explaining BURSITIS.
Thanks for the blog, a great puzzle ,super clues all over the place , I share the views and favourites above.
I am very traditional for &LIt but BURSITIS does fit the bill , also COELACANTH . One would not be caught in a lake but does not matter for the clue. They are very deep water fish, seem prehistoric , and only a few specimens caught last century.
I must mention DENSITY for a correct scientific definition in the clue, and BIGHT for the BIG H and made me think of German Bight. I still listen to the Shipping Forecast every day and this was made famous in Kes.
Thanks to everyone for contributing and to Pete for the blog. Minor clarification: def. for 14D is ’11 character given this’
Roz@5 I think I first came across the COELACANTH in Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, although it may have been a different programme. Wiki tells me they can grow to 2m in length and weigh around 90kg, amazing. I should have used ‘upper third of lagoon’, not sure now why I didn’t think of that.
I was doing this on the tube with my daughter reading over my shoulder and she spotted DENSITY from the scientific definition. She’s an engineer.
I loved WATERED DOWN when I worked out how it worked.
Thank you to Leonidas and Pete Maclean
Me @1,
Oops, I meant WATERED DOWN.
Thanks for the clarification of 14d, Leonidas; like Pete, I had been thinking it was taking a liberty calling the car a character!
There are no extraneous elements in the BURSITIS clue, so indeed it is (see what I did there) &lit.
Lovely puzzle.
Thank you, Leonidas, for commenting and setting me straight on 14D.
Slow going but we got there in the end. We liked MITTENS and BIGHT.
Thanks, Leonidas and Pete.
Thanks for the blog Pete – great as always.
TAI is also in Chambers with the suggestion it might be T’ai.
Thanks for the fun Leonidas.