Financial Times 17,525 by ARTEXLEN

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ARTEXLEN provides this morning's puzzle…

A good solid puzzle that was challenging enough to provide a satisfying solve.

Thanks ARTEXLEN!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Believed hype of French rock band making comeback (8)
PRESUMED

PR (hype) + (DE (of, French) + MUSE (rock band))< (<making comeback)

6. Attendant left on ship? I’m not sure (6)
PORTER

PORT (left on ship) + ER (I'm not sure)

9. Against crossing road over barrier (6)
CORDON

CON (against) crossing (RD (road) + O (over))

10. Woe of a learner driver before noon stuck in metropolis (8)
CALAMITY

(A + L (learner driver) + AM (before noon)) stuck in CITY (metropolis)

11. Pronounced part of fork in river (4)
TYNE

"tine" (part of fork, "pronounced")

12. Regularly seen three fellows party with American great (10)
TREMENDOUS

T[h]R[e]E (regularly seen) + MEN (fellows) + DO (party) with US (American)

14. Liking second post with number following back (8)
FONDNESS

(S (second) + SEND (post) with NO (number) + F (following))< (<back)

16. Cry from bird biting rook’s throat (4)
CRAW

CAW (cry from bird) biting R (rook)

18. Alien in South Africa is Greek character (4)
ZETA

ET (alien) in ZA (South Africa)

19. Fuddy-duddy not totally better, bit old, ultimately (8)
OUTDATED

OUTD[o] (better, not totally) + ATE (bit) + [ol]D (ultimately)

21. Large structures of castle hard to renovate (10)
CATHEDRALS

(CASTLE HARD)* (*renovate)

22. Fit wires cut at both ends (4)
ABLE

[c]ABLE[s] (wires, cut at both ends)

24. Dance buff daughter taking over lead in dance (8)
FANDANGO

FAN (buff) + D (daughter) taking over lead in [t]ANGO (dance)

26. Horrible having unused wings, dodo bit lousy (6)
ODIOUS

[d]OD[o] [b]I[t] [l]OUS[y] (having unused wings)

27. Contacts core of group within range (6)
ANODES

[gr]O[up] (core of) within ANDES (range)

28. Spooner’s alcohol support for piano- maker (8)
STEINWAY

"wine stay" (alcohol support, "Spoonerism")

DOWN
2. Capacious jumper belonging to me (5)
ROOMY

ROO (jumper) + MY (belonging to me)

3. Unexpected loss in stage of competition (6,5)
SUDDEN DEATH

SUDDEN (unexpected) + DEATH (loss)

4. Creatures that swim from island advanced on river (8)
MANATEES

MAN (island) + A (advanced) + TEES (river)

5. Abroad, used to eating game casserole, a French dish (7,8)
DUCHESS POTATOES

(USED TO)* (*abroad) eating (CHESS (game) + POT (casserole) + A)

6. Exercise class on grass lifting small ball (6)
PELLET

PE (exercise class) on (TELL)< (grass, <lifting)

7. Drive down slope without parking (3)
RAM

RAM[p] (slope, without P (parking))

8. Associates in hospital ward as old as us (9)
ENTOURAGE

ENT (hospital ward) + OUR AGE (as old as us)

13. Reinvented a certain old profession (11)
DECLARATION

(A CERTAIN OLD)* (*reinvented)

15. Once more showing a profit after deliveries (4,5)
OVER AGAIN

(A + GAIN (profit)) after OVER (deliveries, cricket)

17. Viewing device in photos cop enlarged (8)
OTOSCOPE

[ph]OTOS COP E[nlarged] (in)

20. Mythological figure’s bust on dais (6)
ADONIS

(ON DAIS)* (*bust)

23. Woman last to be brought up in concerning hearing (5)
LAURA

AURAL (concerning hearing, the last letter being brought up to the top)

25. Exhausted running up and down (3)
DID

"running up and down" suggesting a palindrome

13 comments on “Financial Times 17,525 by ARTEXLEN”

  1. Good start to the week . OTOSCOPE is a new word for me and I did not know that ZA is the abbreviation for South Africa. All fairly clued.
    Thanks Artexlen and Teacow.

  2. Like SM, I did not know that ZA means South Africa but I see that it is part of its domain extension.

    Re 25D: despite explanation, I am not sure that I get it. Does “did” really mean “exhausted”? And does “did” really mean “running”?

    Re 11A: I was born south of this river – in Saltwell Park.

    Thanks to Teacow and setter.

  3. I also struggled to equate ‘exhausted’ and ‘did’. Wondered if ‘dud’ was a better fit, but couldn’t see that also. My Chambers only has the spelling DUCHESSE POTATOES.

  4. Thanks Artexlen and Teacow

    25dn: Definitions of do vt in Chambers 2014 begin “to accomplish, complete; to finish; to exhaust”, and go on for quite a while after that. Presumably other dictionaries are similar. The word “running” is part of the indication that the answer is a palindrome, a device that is used from time to time but I could easily live without.

  5. My copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking has pommes duchesse but it is an English puzzle so we should use the English version.

  6. I think you could say “He did his knees skiing” meaning he wore them out. I enjoyed this. Couldn’t understand the parsing of MANOTEES until I realised I’d mis-spelt it. Liked FANDANGO. LOI ANODES.

  8. Agree with Nick at 6 about DID and DUD. I also went for DID, given the “DID in” phrase.

    Good puzzle, that challenged me in parts. Indeed, I finished unable to parse PRESUMED (is there a rock band called MUSE, or is the setter being classical?) and FONDNESS – so thank you Teacow. Never heard the English version of DUCHESS POTATOES – which meant the clue took some time even after I had POTATOES. No real favourites today.

    I must confess, I am beginning to realise I enjoy the weekend much more given I have time. I need to fit weekday puzzles into the evening, which removes some of the enjoyment for me.

    Thanks Artexelen for a nice puzzle, and thanks Teacow for the excellent blog.

  9. I had Dud.

    Suspect the answer is Did.

    Obviously contemplated both and with no confidence plumped for Dud.

    I could see some sort of loose connection between something being a failure (a Dud) and something being exhausted. I couldn’t really see any connection with Did, but recognise there are some good examples above.

    We excavated the old mine searching for gold but it was a Dud

    We excavated the old mind searching for gold, but it was Exhausted.

    Hmmmm. Not convinced :).

    My last one in was Anodes, and I too did not know ZA

  10. Thanks for the blog, good set of neat clues.
    He went to the casino and did all his stake money in 20 minutes.
    I wonder if it is London usage, sort of thing I have heard Delboy or Boycie say.

  11. From Chambers:

    do’ /doo or dal
    transitive verb (2nd sing (archaic) do’est or dost /dust/, 3rd sing does /duzl, also (archaic) do’ eth or doth /duth/; pat did; prp do ‘ing; pap done /dun/; in Spenser, infinitive don, done, and donne, 3rd pl pat doen)
    1. To accomplish, complete
    2. To finish
    3. To exhaust
    …

  13. We had DUD – we usually refer to exhausted batteries as being dud. Did anyone solve online or do we have to wait for tomorrow to check?
    Plenty to enjoy, though. We liked OUTDATED and FANDANGO.
    Thanks, Artlexen and Teacow.

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