Financial Times 17,493 by Mudd

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Puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 12, 2023

My first-in was 12 (QUESADILLA), I got 5 (THREE MEN IN A BOAT) very quickly, and finished up with the tricky 19 (INTERNAL).  My favourites are 1 (CRACKPOT) and 12 (QUESADILLA).

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1 CRACKPOT
Illegal drugs in fruitcake? (8)
CRACK POT (illegal drugs)
6 SIMIAN
Primate is back, one embraced by king, say (6)
IS (is) backwards (back) + I (one) in (embraced by) MAN (king, say — as in chess)
9 LIQUOR
By the sound of it, someone lapping up drink (6)
Homophone (by the sound of it) of “licker” (someone lapping up)
10 RAG TRADE
Winding road great, having left roundabout, where gear gets shifted? (3,5)
Anagram (winding) of R[o]AD GREAT with a slightly cryptic definition. I do not recall seeing ’roundabout’ used to clue ‘O’ before.
11 NEWT
Fresh meat ultimately for animal (4)
NEW (fresh) + [mea]T
12 QUESADILLA
Squid and ale in a stew, note, for Mexican dish (10)
Anagram (in a stew) of SQUID ALE + LA (note)
14 SCARFACE
Gangster, warmer one (8)
SCARF (warmer) + ACE (one)
16 CASE
Specimen sealed in plastic, as evidence (4)
Hidden word (sealed in)
18 DADA
Old man joining a movement of the European avant-garde (4)
DAD (old man) + A (a)
19 INTERNAL
Winger in last cup match, having missed header, coming to the centre? (8)
TERN (winger) in [f]INAL (last cup match having missed header). I am unsure about the definition here. Is it “coming to the centre” or simply “the centre”? Either way I do not find it convincing.
21 OFF THE WALL
Far out, where art thief may have taken painting? (3,3,4)
Double definition
22 ALSO
Too brutal, some grips (4)
Hidden word (grips)
24 ANTIHERO
Novel’s villain, a bad boy of ancient Rome inspiring revolutionary best-seller (8)
A (a) + HIT (best-seller) backwards (revolutionary) in (inspiring) NERO (bad boy of ancient Rome)
26 ICICLE
A drippy hanger-on? (6)
Cryptic definition
27 OH DEAR
My broadcast heard on radio, finally (2,4)
[radi]O + anagram (broadcast) of HEARD
28 TENON SAW
Tool wasn’t one for building (5,3)
Anagram (for building) of WASNT ONE
DOWN
2 RAISE
Intensify some light for the audience? (5)
Homophone (for the audience) of “rays” (some light)
3 COUNTERPART
Scorer with role for match (11)
COUNTER (scorer) + PART (role)
4 PARAQUAT
Poison water within region (8)
AQUA (water) in (within) PART (region). Paraquat is a trademark name of a powerful weedkiller.
5 THREE MEN IN A BOAT
24 across: bet name changed in book (5,3,2,1,4)
Anagram (changed) of ANTIHERO (24 across) BET NAME
6 SIGNAL
Going to pot, aligns cue (6)
Anagram (going to pot) of ALIGNS
7 MAR
Damage horse, docking tail (3)
MAR[e] (horse, docking tail)
8 ANDALUSIA
Asian lad abroad touring classy Spanish territory (9)
U (classy) in (touring) anagram (abroad) of ASIAN LAD
13 INCARNATION
Avatar wearing shade of pink (11)
IN (wearing) + CARNATION (shade of pink)
15 CHAFFINCH
Refuse measure for bird (9)
CHAFF (refuse) + INCH (measure)
17 STALLION
Part of stable, one working for horse (8)
STALL (part of stable) + I (one) + ON (working)
20 METEOR
Alien transported by more mysterious object streaking across the sky (6)
ET (alien) in (transported by) anagram (mysterious) of MORE
23 SALSA
Artistic movement, saucy stuff (5)
Double definition
25 IRE
Fury when flag doesn’t open (3)
[t]IRE (when flag does not open). My first idea was [salt]IRE but that implies something more than just not opening.

16 comments on “Financial Times 17,493 by Mudd”

  1. Very enjoyable from Mudd. Like Pete, the Jerome K.Jerome book was one of my first and a big helping hand. Long time since I read it! Also enjoyed the connected ANTIHERO and TENON SAW.
    If the idea isn’t (salt)IRE, I’ll be interested to hear other thoughts and I thought ‘centre” for INTERNAL but with a shrug.
    The unknown PARAQUAT was a lucky guess.
    Thanks both.

  2. Thanks Pete

    Not much to add – you even raised the question I had about INTERNAL and Diane mentioned my unknown word PARAQUAT. Favourites overlapped, with the addition from me of SCARFACE for its surface.

    Thanks again to Pete, and of course thanks to Mudd. It is nice to see you back in the weekend slot.

  3. Thanks, Mudd and Pete!

    INTERNAL
    I share the question all of you have raised.

    IRE
    Pete eventually considered ‘(to) flag=(to) tire’. Or have I misread your comment?

  5. Enjoyed this and also got THREE MEN IN A BOAT early which was helpful

    Favurites were: CHAFFINCH, CRACKPOT, RAGTRADE, INCARNATION

    Thanks Mudd and Pete MacLean

  6. No, KVa, you didn’t misread my comment, I misread (or rather read too hastily) Pete’s comment! Of course, it would be T(ire). I had the wrong ‘flag’.

  7. Thanks Mudd. This hit the sweet spot for me. I liked many clues including CRACKPOT, RAG TRADE, SCARFACE, ANTIHERO, and METEOR. Thanks Pete for the blog.

  8. Not quite sure if QUESADILLA, a word that’s surely going to be new to a fair few people, should be allowed as an anagram. I’d never heard of it let alone eaten any.

    This is a fine puzzle however, by one of the masters.

  9. INTERNAL – “coming to the centre” – both of these work:
    ‘1.1 (pharmacology) Applied or intended for application through the stomach by being swallowed. – an internal remedy’
    ‘4 (Britain, education, of a student) Attending a university as well as taking its examinations.’

  14. A pleasant Saturday afternoon diversion. We had to work backwards, though, from THREE MEN IN A BOAT to get ANTIHERO. And we liked OFF THE WALL once we twigged it was where the painting was taken from, not to.
    Thanks, Mudd and Pete.

  15. Hey, Pete, on 12 Across the “note” should be LA, not just A–otherwise you’d be one L short for QUESADILLA.

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