Slormgorm is today's FT setter.
This was all over too quickly for me. Not a complaint, just an observation, as the clues were fun, but in some cases the anagrams were a little too obvious, which provided a large number of crossers for the more obscure answers, and I had the whole thing, parsing included, done in about half an hour. Maybe I solved it because the crossword appealed to my puerile sense of humour. There were a lot of references to sex in the puzzle (NOOKY, PANTI(l)ES, ASSIGNATION and STARKERS in the answers, and "sex', "rubbers", "member", "knickers", "it", "topless" and "the sex industry" in the clues). Americans who believe in the crossowrd "breakfast test" may have choked on their cornflakes, but I smiled at some of these.
Thanks Slormgorm
| ACROSS | ||
| BRASSICA |
Military officers I see texting a Swede? (8)
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BRASS ("military officers") + IC (I see in textspeak, so "texting") + A |
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| MURMUR |
From the other side, spirits talk softly (6)
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[from the other side] <=(RUM + RUM) ("spirits") |
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| DESIRER |
One who wants teacher to break buck? (7)
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SIR ("teacher") to break DEER ("duck") |
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| KNIGHTS |
Those likely to be up evenings, I’m told (7)
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Homophone [I'm told] of NIGHTS ("evenings") "Up" in the clue refers to "on a horse". |
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| ARGENTINA |
A tiger nan duffed up is a state (9)
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*(a tiger nan) [anag:duffed up] |
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| NOOKY |
Sex in the City screening took no time (5)
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NY (New York, so "city") screening (t)OOK with no T (time) |
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| ERASE |
What one buying pack of rubbers wants to do? (5)
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(Not very) cryptic definition |
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| SHORT LEG |
Member follows brief to get Lord’s position (5,3)
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LEG ("member") follows SHORT ("brief") Short leg is a cricket fielding position, so the Lord's in the clue refers to the London cricket ground. |
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| WISTERIA |
I write as Dicky Vine (8)
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*(i write as) [anag:dicky] |
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| EXACT |
Old flame a heartless clot? Absolutely correct! (5)
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EX ("old flame") + A + [heartless] C(lo)T |
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| PINCH |
Arrest quiet creep (5)
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P (quiet) + INCH ("creep") |
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| KITSCHIER |
Is thicker criminal more insincerely emotional? (9)
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*(is thicker) [anag:criminal] |
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| ASPIRIN |
Hopeful, having taken last painkiller (7)
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ASPIRIN(g) ("hopeful", having taken last (letter)) |
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| TRAINEE |
Drugs found on coach in The Apprentice (7)
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E + E (ecstasy, so "drugs") found on TRAIN ("coach") |
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| HARMED |
Husband in possession of a gun gets hurt (6)
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H (husband) + ARMED ("in possession of a gun") |
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| PANTILES |
Large-cut knickers which are stuck on roof? (8)
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L (large) cut PANTIES ("knickers") |
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| DOWN | ||
| BEDMAKER |
Plot with God one wants to sort out the pit? (8)
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BED ("plot") + MAKER ("god") |
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| ASSIGNATION |
IT meeting is not a gas in Barking (11)
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*(is not a gas in) [anag:barking] I assume the IT in the question refers to "it", an informal word for "sex". |
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| STRINGENT |
Rigorous series on NHS unit (9)
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STRING ("series") on ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat, so "NHS unit") |
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| CORGI |
Canine my sweetheart half knocked out (5)
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COR ("my!") + GI(rl) ("sweetheart", half knocked out) |
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| UNION |
Joint complaint sees leader leave alliance (5)
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(b)UNION ("joint complaint") sees leader leave |
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| MEH |
I’m bored of short guys on heroin (3)
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[short] ME(n) on H (heroin) |
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| RISKY |
Jumping with gaiety when topless is perilous (5)
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(f)RISKY ("jumping with gaiety", when topless) |
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| OKLAHOMA |
A holm oak, after treatment, will be OK (8)
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*(a holm oak) [anag:after treatment] OK is an abbreviation for Oklahoma. |
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| OPERATIONAL |
Working in a top role awful, ace admitted (11)
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A (ace) admitted to *(in a top role) [anag:awful] |
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| STRIKING |
Delivering smack could be attracting attention (8)
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Double definition |
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| TRENCHANT |
Keen soldier seen below defensive ditch (9)
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ANT ("soldier") seen below TRENCH ("defensive ditch") |
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| STARKERS |
Hard-looking folk will nick grand out of habit (8)
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STARERS ("hard-looking folk") will nick K (1000, so "grand") |
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| PEACH |
Power for every person is a beautiful thing (5)
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P (power) + EACH ("for every person") |
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| HORDE |
Mob reportedly operated in the sex industry (5)
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Homophone [reportedly] of WHORED ("operated in the sex industry") |
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| TETRA |
Not all rate traditional swimmer (5)
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Hidden in [not all] "raTE TRAditional" |
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| PER |
A Queen record put on a turn table (3)
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<=(R (regina, so "queen") + EP (extended play "record")) [put on a turn table] |
Yes, Loonapick, it was indeed a saucy grid from Slormgorm today!
I, however, was a little slow getting started but KITSCHIER soon got the ball rolling nicely.
Those I enjoyed included BRASSICA, MURMUR, WISTERIA, TRENCHANT and ASSIGNATION but
PANTILES was the standout for its ‘large-cut knickers’.
Nice that NY in NOOKY’s wordplay refers to the city where the TV series was filmed.
Thanks for the smirks, Slormgorm and Loonapick.
Thanks Loonapick for explaining ASSIGNATION. I am familiar with it meaning sex, but I failed to get it, coming at the beginning. If it’s not too revealing, why is BEDMAKER sorting out the pit? Garden bed? Or the pit of a teenager’s bedroom, or something else that my ears may not have heard?
MEH was funny, and clever, definitely not MEH. Liked CORGI. MURMUR fave.
paddymelon@2
BEDMAKER
It seems ‘pit’ is slang for ‘bed’. A bedmaker is a person who makes a bed tidy after it has been slept in (one wants to sort out the pit).
I think Slormgorm was having a bit of fun with ERASE. Down here we call those things that ERASE pencil and ink rubbers, but I was aware when I was travelling and teaching English as a Foreign Language in the 70s that there were different words for prophylactics in Oz, the UK and the USA.
Ah, thanks KVa@3.
Oh good. I’ve learnt another word for sex. Oh and the ERASE innuendo went over my head. And I don’t get the clue for ASSIGNATION. I lead a sheltered life.
Pinch/arrest was a head scratcher. “A beautiful thing” is an adequate definition for PEACH? And girl/sweetheart? I don’t get the definition for BEDMAKER either. Pit?
I took longer than Loonapick but greatly enjoyed the puzzle and learned that TETRA is a type of fish.
“Hit the pit” is slang for go to bed.
Thanks to both for lifting the gloom today.
Thanks for the blog, good set of clues and a bit like a Cyclops puzzle but without the politics.
I thought that too, Roz.
I agree with loonapick that there are many rather risqué clues and answers, but that seems to be a trend in most of this week’s crosswords.
Re 22D – “reportedly” could have referred to the first word or the last phrase. That is why this was my last one in.
A gentle criticism: there were no numbers to the clues on the blog.
Pamela @10 et Al
Sorry for the lack of numbers – I was in a bit of a rush this morning!
[loonapick – typo – I think autocorrect has helpfully introduced another cricket reference to your parse of DESIRER – “duck”]
FrankieG @11 – thanks for your attempt at absolving me, but I fear that was a genuine typo rather than an autocorrect glitch.