Financial Times 17,565 by PHSSTHPOK

27 comments on “Financial Times 17,565 by PHSSTHPOK”

1. Didn’t take too long, and mostly enjoyable, thanks Phssthpok. It took me a while to work out how SASHAYED (which I got from the wordplay) could mean “minced”. F for fighter plane? And I thought sushi were little rolls of mostly rice that could contain fish (often raw), but I didn’t think it meant fish. I didn’t get ESTER, and I’d forgotten about the Royal Artillery. I too thought SPINNING TOP should have been (8,3). And I thought less/barely were fairly approximate synonyms.

   Thanks for the blog, Turbolegs.

2. Thanks for the blog , good puzzle.
   Geoff@1 , I am no expert but I think fighter planes from the USA are called F-15s and other models.

3. Felt this needed some editor input. Just because others mix up sashimi and sushi is no excuse and GDU is correct. Also the incorrect enumeration (or possibly very unusual) in 21a.

4. I’m pretty sure that I have seen a version of 9A before, but it’s a very clever clue.

   Thanks, Roz, for your explanation of why “F” means “fighter planes”.

   Like GDU, I have never seen “spinning top” as one word. I did a quick Internet search and could not see any showing it as a single word. I didn’t waste too much time scrolling through multiple pages because, like Terri Clark, I had “better things to do”!

5. Thanks, Phssthpok and Turbolegs!
   MAKE HAY
   Maybe we can categorise it as one def ((to) profit) and one cryptic def (what to do with grass).
   Maybe the setter intended it as a DD.
   Liked ODIN and INNATE.

6. I really struggled to finish this and as a consequence did not really enjoy it. I cannot identify anything specifically objectionable–just not on the setter’s wavelength today. The enumeration for 21A threw me for a while.

7. Yes, the odd hiccup but an enjoyable puzzle and pretty accessible. Roz is, of course, correct about the fighter planes abbreviation which is listed in Chambers but not one I can actually recall having seen used. The sushi/sashimi confusion is one I have seen before, as is the pun in PHILANDER – I wonder if this is one of those puzzles that was submitted quite some time ago, before the passing of the late queen? SUBTRACTION, ANNEALS, ESTER, SPASMS, INTRANET and GRAPHICS were my favourites; PREFERMENT, ODIN and WASABI were neat but, again, I believe I’ve encountered them in other puzzles.

   Thanks PHSSTHPOK and Turbolegs

8. The top half went in quite quickly then slowed down on the bottom half. But at least I could do this one – puzzles in the FT and Guardian so far in November have been really tough I think.

   Favourites included: PHILANDER, ANNEALS, CHEAPSKATE, BANANA SKIN, SASHAYED

   Thanks PHSSTHPOK and Turbolegs

9. I agree with Geoff’s comments re 21A and SUSHI. Hovis goes further and he’s right though it’s nice to see SUSHI and WASABI share a grid.
   Thanks to Roz for explaning F for ‘fighter planes’.
   Like Cineraria, I was slow getting started but managed to persevere.
   I enjoyed INNATE, EIGHT, ANNEALS and CHEAPSKATE.
   Thanks to Phssthpok and Turbolegs.

10. Thanks Phssthpok and Turbolegs

    9ac: Following the train of thought from PostMark@7, I suppose “Duke of Edinburgh” can refer to a previous holder of this title: the present duke is called Edward. However, I think “the Queen” currently only means Camilla unless explicit context suggests otherwise.

    12ac: Chambers 2016 gives us F directly for “fighter plane”. Collins 2023 and ODE 2010 give the abbreviation as “fighter”, but both allow fighter to mean a military aircraft.

    21ac: All three dictionaries mentioned under 12ac give us spinning top as two words.

11. For 27ac, I had RAKE OFF which caused no end of trouble in the SE till I saw the M for Maiden in 27dn.

12. 27ac (MAKE HAY): I would describe this as “two meanings, one literal and one figurative”. As here, this is often a very effective way of cluing a phrase.

    While I am back in, I should have given a nod to Roz@2 in my earlier comment on 12ac.

13. Agree with Pelham Barton @10. Phil was DofE for very many years, and is no longer. So “briefly” means a short way of his name, suggesting this was submitted very many months ago and wasn’t checked before use. Could have said “brief DofE formerly” or similar.
    Agree re spinning top.
    Liked 25ac.

14. Re 16D, the woman who is mean or a shrew is Katherine=Kate.

15. Not much to add. I started in NE corner and went anti-clockwise. I was in the setter’s wavelength and enjoyed many clues, all mentioned above

    Thanks to setter and blogger

16. No real problems apart from not reading the anagram fodder carefully enough in 14ac and initially entering ‘abstraction’ – fortunately we realised our error when 3dn could only be JAM SESSION. We’d also agree that 21ac ought to be enumerated (8,3) and we weren’t too happy with ‘up’ as the reversal indicator in 19ac although it would be fine in a down clue.
    A pleasant enough solve, though. Thanks Phsstpok and Turbolegs.

17. James (also) in the FT slot today

18. 10ac: I initially read this as a seriously indirect anagram (of THE GI) requiring us to take an abbreviation for a phrase defined by a clue word, with “cut up” as a valid anagram lead. When I saw the parsing from Turbolegs, it was a relief to see that the indirect anagram was not necessary, and it could work as a reversal, so I did not pay much attention to the choice of reversal indicator. I agree with Allan@16 that “up” is only appropriate in a down clue.

19. I agree with Pelham Barton @10.
    I also think that “prefer men” is a very poor definition of misogyny, which my dictionary defines as “a person who hates, dislikes, or mistrusts women.
    a person whose views are shaped by ingrained and institutionalized prejudice against women; a sexist:”
    and why is T an acceptable abbreviation for Tesla?

20. Re: 15dn: A banana skin isn’t a trap, it is a hazard. A trap is deliberately set. A banana skin is a random risk.

21. 10ac The Royal Artillery is a regiment. It isn’t an army.

22. Tracey@19: Tesla in the clue for 5dn uses a false capital, which is generally accepted although it is quite illogical that it is only accepted that way round. Without the capital, tesla (symbol T) is the SI unit of magnetic flux density, given in all three of the dictionaries I cited in comment 10.

23. Incredible that Martyn (and maybe James) didn’t have more to say on this one.

24. Kenneth @20 when I used to read comics a banana skin was often set deliberately as a hazard.
    Like Pelham Barton @ 22 I do not like the convention on capital letters . A fake capital should always be hidden at the front really. . I also do not see why the fake capital is “allowed” but the fake non-capital seems to never be used.

25. Tackle this on Saturday morning and enjoyed it. Lots of ticks, in particular, philander, jam session, cheapskate, and innate.

    Thank you for explaining Again

26. I took Tesla to be the car, whose symbol is a stylised T.

    Meant to say the same thing about banana skin – not a trap in my view

27. We thought this witty and amusing and can’t really understand the complaints!
    Straightforward but with nice underlying humour. We are a bit behind with the FT so probably this won’t get read, but we’d like to make the comment anyhow ?

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