Financial Times 17,415 by MUDD

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MUDD begins the week…

A solid set of concise clues which I very much enjoyed solving.

Thanks MUDD!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Concerned with present line taken by newspaper that’s unofficial (3,3,6)
OFF THE RECORD

OF (concerned with) + (HERE (present) + CORD (line)) taken by FT (newspaper)

8. Match finished, appear happy (5,2)
LIGHT UP

LIGHT (match) + UP (finished)

9. Thinking it sad, men throwing a wobbly (7)
MINDSET

(IT S[a]D MEN (throwing A))* (*wobbly)

11. Drug – dope (7)
CHARLIE

Double definition

12. Plant the aforementioned trees, like elms for starters (7)
THISTLE

THIS (the aforementioned) + T[rees] L[ike] E[lms] (for starters)

13. Fit of temper seeing place flooded? (5)
PADDY

Double definition

14. Credit claimed by eminent maverick for amount raised (9)
INCREMENT

CR (credit) claimed by (EMINENT)* (*maverick)

16. Sort of clue, just perfect (9)
DOWNRIGHT

DOWN (sort of clue) + RIGHT (just)

19. Lead and cobalt finally found (5)
START

STAR (lead) and [cobal]T (finally)

21. Knock prize, first off (7)
INNINGS

[w]INNINGS (prize, first off)

23. Pile provided in English bones (7)
EDIFICE

IF (provided) in (E (English) + DICE (bones))

24. One looking down on others, giant knocked over primates (7)
GIBBONS

(SNOB (one looking down on others) + BIG (giant))< (<knocked over)

25. Torn stocking design for clothing (7)
RAIMENT

RENT (torn) stocking AIM (design)

26. Indicator roads relatively empty? (7,5)
TRAFFIC LIGHT

Double (cryptic) definition

DOWN
1. Dragon flying around you, ultimately aware of danger (2,5)
ON GUARD

(DRAGON)* (*flying) around [yo]U (ultimately)

2. Note put on record in very serious manner (7)
FATALLY

FA (note) put on TALLY (record)

3. In on (9)
HAPPENING

Double definition

4. Instructions given as watch wound up (5)
REMIT

(TIMER (watch))< (<wound up)

5. Lock up prisoner very well (7)
CONFINE

CON (prisoner) + FINE (very well)

6. Pattern of spinning pirouettes, ornate (7)
ROSETTE

([pirou]ETTES OR[nate])< (of, <spinning)

7. Promising squeezes don’t have enough pressure to make sausage (5,7)
BLACK PUDDING

BUDDING (promising) squeezes (LACK (don't have enough) + P (pressure))

10. Clear format for cricket? (6-6)
TWENTY-TWENTY

Double definition

15. Converted, the cardinal having left home for place of worship (9)
CATHEDRAL

(THE CARD[in]AL (having left IN (home))* (*converted)

17. Get dancing bear for drinking establishment (4,3)
WINE BAR

WIN (get) + (BEAR)* (*dancing)

18. Marriage over by the look of it, stop talking (4,3)
RING OFF

Double (cryptic) definition

19. Initially six below par in sport (7)
SAILING

S[ix] (initially) + AILING (below par)

20. Insect tucking away green food (7)
ALIMENT

ANT (insect) tucking away LIME (green)

22. Rice dish served in Ephesus, historically (5)
SUSHI

[ephe]SUS HI[storically] (in)

9 comments on “Financial Times 17,415 by MUDD”

  1. This was fleeting fun. Plaudits on this extreme brevity of 3D. Also liked BLACK PUDDING for its wordplay and the amusing RING OFF. I came here to confirm the suspected knucklebone origin of ‘dice’ in 23A and see Teacow’s explanation for START…now I get it.
    Thanks both.

  2. I usually enjoy Mudd’s, but steer clear of his more devious alter ego Paul in the Guardian. This one provided a fair smattering of smiles and not too many head scratches. Couldn’t parse 1a, and it took me a while to remember that a knock is an innings.

    I was doing this puzzle while watching an older episode of the British The Chase on daytime television, and who should pop up? None other than John Halpern, and his Welsh hedgehog. What are the chances?

  4. Thanks, Mudd and Teacow!
    Enjoyed the puzzle and the nicely written blog.

    Liked OFF THE RECORD, HAPPENING, BLACK PUDDING and RING OFF.
    Like Diane@1, I was also impressed by the exceptional brevity of 3D (HAPPENING).

    OFF THE RECORD
    When the setter says ‘A taken by BC’, we usually are led to ‘BAC’. In ‘OF HERECORD taken by FT’ this convention
    doesn’t work ((Teacow has considered ‘taken by’ as ‘positioned next to’, I feel. I have a slightly different take).

    take
    to wear a particular size of clothes or shoes (What size shoes do you take?)
    OF HERECORD not eaten by FT, but worn by FT.

    Maybe this device was employed earlier as well. I don’t immediately recall.

  8. Thanks Mudd for the Monday treat. This slipped in without much trouble with my top clues being RAIMENT, TRAFFIC LIGHT, and DOWNRIGHT. I couldn’t parse OFF THE RECORD and BLACK PUDDING and I just assumed INNINGS meant “knock” and TWENTY-TWENTY meant “cricket,” a game beyond my orbit. Thanks Teacow for explaining it all.

  9. I really enjoyed this – it all went in fairly quickly, but I kept thinking it was quite tricky and that if I hadn’t quite quickly spotted the answer to various clues I’d have taken ages (with no middle ground).

    I know enough about cricket to get INNINGS and TWENTY-TWENTY. Parsed OFF THE RECORD in the same way as Teacow. Lots of favourites, but the neat clue for the crossword staple RAIMENT deserves picking out.

    Thanks Mudd & Teacow.

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