Puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 5, 2023
Another delightful puzzle from Ms Klebb. My favourites are 1a (RUSHED), 8 (SAYING), 12 (TOES) and 19 (BARBADOS). Thank you, Rosa.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | RUSHED |
Bombed Rugby and Slough (6)
|
| RU (Rugby, as in Rugby Union) + SHED (slough, as a verb) | ||
| 4 | SMASHERS |
People pulverising peaches (8)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | BRAVERY |
Partygoer stopping by for bottle (7)
|
| RAVER (partygoer) in (stopping) BY (by) | ||
| 11 | SPINNEY |
Secret agent hiding in New England wood (7)
|
| IN (in) + N (new) + E (England) all together in (hiding) SPY (secret agent) | ||
| 12 | TOES |
Piggies rooting out half of spuds (4)
|
| [pota]TOES (rooting out half of spuds) | ||
| 13 | DEPOSITION |
Awful idiot opens testimony (10)
|
| Anagram (awful) of IDIOT OPENS | ||
| 15 | AT HOME |
Understood to go unclothed in own house (2,4)
|
| [f]ATHOME[d] (understood to go unclothed) | ||
| 16 | ROGUISH |
Cook is rough and rascally (7)
|
| Anagram (cook) of IS ROUGH | ||
| 20 | SPUTTER |
Gibber in front of strip club (7)
|
| S[trip] (front of strip) + PUTTER (club, as in golf) | ||
| 21 | AURORA |
Dawn air infused with gold (6)
|
| OR (gold) in (infused with) AURA (air) | ||
| 24 | MYSTERIOUS |
Enigmatic Tory muse is bonkers (10)
|
| Anagram (bonkers) of TORY MUSE IS | ||
| 26 | STAB |
Go crazy after retirement (4)
|
| BATS (crazy) backwards (after retirement) | ||
| 28 | TWO-TIME |
Cheat on male, breaking up couple after couple (3-4)
|
| M (male) in (breaking up) TWO (couple) + TIE (couple) | ||
| 29 | STILTED |
Chief of Staff inclined to be stiff (7)
|
| S[taff] + TILTED (inclined) | ||
| 30 | YOUNGISH |
Not in first flush, hitting on guy is hard (8)
|
| Anagram (hitting) of ON GUY IS + H (hard) | ||
| 31 | PAMPAS |
Retrospectively undermine plan for treeless areas (6)
|
| SAP (undermine) + MAP (plan) backwards (retrospectively) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | REBUTTAL |
Counterstatement about boy pinching bottom (8)
|
| RE (about) + BUTT (bottom) + AL (boy) | ||
| 2 | SPACESHIP |
Cheeky chappies touring south in flying machine (9)
|
| S (south) in (touring) anagram (cheeky) of CHAPPIES | ||
| 3 | EDEN |
Singular women leaving country garden (4)
|
| S (singular) and W (women) removed from (leaving) SWEDEN (country) | ||
| 5 | MASTODON |
Old tusker heartlessly trampled mum at top (8)
|
| MA (mum) + STO[o]D ON (heartlessly trampled) | ||
| 6 | SPIRITUOUS |
Alcoholic suitor and I sup rum (10)
|
| Anagram (rum) of SUITOR I SUP. ‘Spirituous’, a new word to me, describes something containing or of the nature of alcohol. | ||
| 7 | ENNUI |
Keen on music, regularly avoided boredom (5)
|
| [k]E[e]N [o]N [m]U[s]I[c] | ||
| 8 | SAYING |
Adage remaining timeless (6)
|
| S[t]AYING (remaining timeless) | ||
| 9 | HYPER |
Exceptionally active, twitchy personal guards (5)
|
| Hidden word (guards) | ||
| 14 | SMATTERING |
Modicum of importance following first of successes (10)
|
| S[uccesses] + MATTERING (of importance) | ||
| 17 | SHORTSTOP |
Baseball player in trousers and shirt? (9)
|
| SHORTS (trousers) + TOP (shirt) | ||
| 18 | DEWINESS |
Soft, fresh quality of well-made wine’s scent (8)
|
| Hidden word (of) | ||
| 19 | BARBADOS |
Obstruct naughty sailor in part of Caribbean (8)
|
| BAR (obstruct) + BAD (naughty) + OS (sailor, i.e. ordinary seaman) | ||
| 22 | SMUTTY |
Dirty dog in empty subway (6)
|
| MUTT (dog) in (in) S[ubwa]Y | ||
| 23 | GUEST |
Invitee’s outspoken thought (5)
|
| Homophone (outspoken) of “guessed” (thought) | ||
| 25 | SHOYU |
Scottish cyclist in America served up Japanese sauce (5)
|
| HOY (Scottish cyclist) in (in) US (America) backwards (served up). The Scottish cyclist is Olympic and world champion Sir Christopher Andrew Hoy. | ||
| 27 | RIGA |
Capital frying pan, oddly scratched (4)
|
| [f]R[y]I[n]G [p]A[n] |
Thanks Rosa for yet another stellar crossword. Even though I missed SPUTTER and SPIRITUOUS I thoroughly enjoyed this with ticks going to BRAVERY, TOES, TWO-TIME, SPACESHIP, SMATTERING, and SHORTSTOP. As usual, there were no “bad clues” in my opinion. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Lovely crossword from Rosa Klebb with smooth surfaces throughout. I agree with Tony, no bad clues.
I liked all the four-letter entries, particularly STAB, defined misleadingly by ‘go’ (needed 19D to get it though because, try as I might, I couldn’t get STUN to fit).
SMUTTY had a fine surface; RUSHED and AT HOME were clever too.
No quibbles, just delight all round.
Entertainment and blog both much appreciated.
As always, smooth as spun silk (!) from Arachne’s alter ego Rosa Klebb. (So glad to have been able to access this puzzle due to a referral on another crosssword blog.) Too many favourites to mention, but I found myself nodding in enthusiastic agreement at those cited in the blog and the previous comments. I was a bit chuffed as I even knew who Chris Hoy was for SHOYU at 25d! Warm thank yous to Rosa Klebb and Pete Maclean. (Thanks to Pete for explaining how 15a AT HOME worked – the only unparsed one for me – I got it but didn’t see that it was “unclothed” from FATHOMED – what a clever clue!)
Thanks Pete
I agree with most comments so far. Lovely surfaces from RK abound again. Always a delight.
I think SMUTTY was a crowd favourite, which I heartily endorse. In addition to those mentioned, I ticked SPIRITUOUS, ENNUI and HYPER.
I found bits of this slow going for a couple of reasons. There were lots of new words for me (I admire Pete who seemed to know everything but SPIRITUOUS). I am sure someone will show me what it says in Chambers, but I find it difficult to believe that trampled is the same as STOOD ON, and it takes a lot of imagination to equate “not in first flush” with YOUNGISH. Perhaps there is a joke in there that I fail to see. And how does bombed = RUSHED?
Anyway, minor things in a crossword with nice surfaces that provoked thought and provided several great answers.
Consistent excellence from both our setter RK and our blogger Pete. Thanks to you both.
Martyn @4,
Think, perhaps, of a car bombing (rushing) along.
Thanks Diane@5. New to me and always good to learn
Thanks for the blog, really enjoyable puzzle, I did not know SHOYU but the clue was fair and we have the World Cycling Championship at the moment in the Sir Chris Hoy arena. I share the praise for favourites mentioned above, especially AT HOME , so clever. DEWINESS is a lovely word and well hidden. BARBADOS surprised me, I had just done it in another puzzle on Sunday.
The letter S seemed to turn up a lot ?
Am really liking Rosa Klebb’s puzzles and look out for them. This one took me longer than last time but I really enjoyed it.
Favourites included: BRAVERY, AT HOME, TWO-TIME, SMUTTY, SHOYU
Loved the description of DEWINESS. Got it from the crosses – took me ages to see it was hidden.
Thanks Rosa and Pete MacLean
Martyn@4 a few thoughts , Diane @5 has a good example for bomb, I would say that I bomb through chores that I do not like.
My students are generally young and we would say in their first flush , some of the mature students are past this stage but still fairly young so could be youngish. I think the clue is wistful rather than a joke.
STOOD ON I tend to agree with you, I am sometimes stood on by horses , accidentally , when walking them in to stalls. Fortunately I have never been trampled.
Splendid crossword – thank you Rosa. There are many more clues I could nominate for favouritism but I’ll stick with4a and 12a
Thanks also to Pete MacLean
What crypticsue said. Delightful indeed. Thanks, Rosa and Pete.
Great puzzle. Agree with Fiona@8 that this is a setter I look forward to. I felt STOOD ON was fair, other setters seem to push the boundaries far more than that! YOUNGISH seems to be cropping up in crossword land, and applies to all age groups, as a state of mind as well as physical appearance.
All in all well happy.
Thanks Rosa n Pete MacLean for a nice clean blog.
What crypticsue and Widdersbel said.
Many thanks, both.
Thanks Rosa and Pete
5dn (MASTODON): I think that, when I was solving, I was prepared to trust Rosa that there would be a figurative or metaphorical sense in which “trampled” could be taken as equivalent to “stood on”. Taking up the challenge this morning, I cannot think of a convincing one. The nearest I can get at the moment is a committee member blocking an idea or proposal. Even then, I think I would say “trampled on” the idea, and I am not at all sure that I would say “stood on” it either.
What crypticsue, Widdersbel and Eileen said.
Absolutely glorious. Came to this late having not spotted it last weekend so only alerted by the blog. What a beauty. COTD to the two I didn’t see (- and HOW did I not see them???) – SPUTTER and DEWINESS. What a splendid hidden.
Thanks Rosa and Pete
BARBADOS was definitely the word of the weekend!
Great fun as always.
Thanks for the blog Pete – and RK for the puzzle.
“Spirituous Liquor” is a legal term I think. I remember seeing in the blurb on the plaque at the entrances of pubs describing what the licencee could sell.