Financial Times 17,567 by BOBCAT

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BOBCAT provides this morning's challenge…

More of a struggle than usual for a Monday I thought, and definitely easier to solve than parse… 1d and 26a in particular (I apologise if my explanations are a bit lame).

I'd not some across RUCHE before.

Thanks BOBCAT!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Ongoing dispute affected disgruntled seamen lacking form of ID (7,8)
ENDLESS ARGUMENT

([di]SGRUNTLED SEAMEN (lacking form of ID))* (*affected)

9. Seemingly more aristocratic in the past (7)
EARLIER

Double (cryptic) definition

More like an Earl

10. Theatrical assistant is one used to display (7)
DRESSER

Double definition

11. Current in hooter giving rise to interference (5)
NOISE

I (current) in NOSE (hooter)

12. Willing directors first capitalised monopoly? (5,4)
BOARD GAME

GAME (willing), BOARD (directors) first

13. Primarily, I’ve helped stop plight at sea (9)
LIGHTSHIP

(I[ve] H[elped] S[top] (primarily) PLIGHT)* (*at sea) &lit

15. Animals apparently half horse and half seal (5)
GEESE

GEE [gee] (horse, half) + SE[al] (half)

16. Man follows dog going back to border? (5)
RUCHE

HE (man) follows (CUR)< (dog, <going back)

18. Fragrant stuff to rip up or combine in a mix (9)
POTPOURRI

(TO RIP UP OR)* (*combine in a mix)

20. Replace last of clues in puzzle with leads to balancing act (like tightrope walking) (9)
ACROBATIC

ACRO[s]TIC (puzzle, with [clue]S (last of) being replaced by B[alancing] A[ct] (leads to))

23. Cinders in thrall to It Girl? (5)
SASHA

ASH (cinders) in thrall to SA (it)

24. Reorganisation of NT group creates opening on board (7)
GUNPORT

(NT GROUP)* (*reorganisation of)

25. Sort of out-of-body process beginning around six (2,5)
IN VITRO

INTRO (beginning) around VI (six)

26. Cannibalistic suggestion that’s impossible to decline? (3,4,5,3)
EAT ONES HEART OUT

Double (cryptic) definition

DOWN
1. Relationship that’s not Platonic could be Euclidean (7,8)
ETERNAL TRIANGLE

A triangle being something defined in Euclidean geometry

2. Perhaps Grace’s century’s not recognised in Northern town (7)
DARLING

DARLING[ton] (Northern town, TON (century) not recognised)

3. Hub of activity could indicate onset of pandemonium (9)
EPICENTRE

P[andemonium] (onset of) being at the centre of EPI

4. Abandon vineyard in southern Belgium (5)
SCRUB

CRU (vineyard) in (S (southern) + B (Belgium))

5. Reprimand from communist for VIP’s treatment (3,6)
RED CARPET

RED (communist) + CARPET (reprimand)

6. Turn over and finish in reverse order (5)
UPEND

END UP (finish, in reverse order)

7. Directions to Carroll’s quarry almost lead to early capture (7)
ENSNARE

E N (directions) + SNAR[k] (Carroll's quarry, The Hunting of the Snark, almost) + E[arly] (lead to)

8. Construct a new home in better area to get classic view of the Thames (5,3,2,1,4)
THREE MEN IN A BOAT

(A N (new) HOME IN BETTER A (area))* (*construct)

Classic novel by Jerome K. Jerome

14. Condition of organ pipe that is losing power when blown (9)
HEPATITIS

(PI[p]E THAT IS (losing P (power)))* (*blown)

15. Cover up defeat admitted by 50% of government (5,4)
GLOSS OVER

LOSS (defeat) admitted by GOVER[nment] (50% of)

17. Rising tenor occasionally delivers a piece that goes over one’s head (7)
CORONET

(TENOR OC[casionally] (delivers))< (<rising)

19. Hamburger, perhaps topped with a bit of relish, is a tasty dish (7)
RISOTTO

OTTO (Hamburger, perhaps) topped with (R[elish] (a bit of) + IS)

21. Admit supporting British Queen and Premier once (5)
BROWN

OWN (admit) supporting (B (British) + R (queen))

Gordon Brown

22. Fancy ignoring a god in the Ring! (5)
CHIME

CHIME[ra] (fancy, ignoring RA (a god))

33 comments on “Financial Times 17,567 by BOBCAT”

  1. The only Grace Darling I could find was a lighthouse keeper. The right one? Had no idea of Darlington or where it is.

    Likewise couldn’t parse LIGHTSHIP, ENSNARE or THREE MEN IN A BOAT, although I guessed them after getting intersecting clues.

  2. Thanks Teacow.

    I am with you – this puzzle required quite a few guesses that I later parsed (or failed to parse) and I did not find it very enjoyable as a result .

    RUCHE was not my only unknown. DARLING and Darlington, Carroll’s quarry, THREE MEN IN A BOAT, and ETERNAL TRIANGLE for me. I would never imagine a DRESSER would be used to display things, and never thought of the Chimera as a god. Mystery upon mystery!

    There were not any clues that really took my fancy today.

    Thanks Bobcat and Teacow

  3. RUCHE was also new to me and my last one in after getting the cross letters.

    26A was written in easily as “EAT YOUR HEART OUT’. As it was a “suggestion” it should have been addressed to someone, not made as an aside.

    23A: should we get a prize for every time that “SA” appears as a synonym for “It”? This is the third or fourth time in the past two weeks. I wonder if Pamela is still lurking around…

    Martyn, re 22D: “chimera” is not a god but means a “fancy”. The god is “RA” which when removed from “chimera” gives “chime” meaning “ring” as in what a bell does.

  4. … and I know that I have said this before, but I really do not like clues like 23A where the definition is “girl” and the solution is a girl’s name. There are thousands of girl’s names. Also the only Sasha that I can think of is Sasha Distel and he was mentioned in “Where do you go to, my lovely” – as a man.

  5. Peter @4 There is a question mark immediately after “girl” in 23A – that indicates that the name is not necessarily restricted to females.

  6. Wow, Peter, you remembered my name! I have committed to my tiny brain why “IT” and “SA” mean the same. I shall continue to lurk here although I rarely manage to complete a crossword. I do love your reference to “Where do you go to”. It is one of my all-time favourite songs.

  8. Thanks Peter for putting me straight on 22D. But it leads to a question: how does chimera mean fancy? Is it mythical = fanciful = fancy?

  9. Martyn@8
    In addition to the sense that you have indicated in your post, chimera carries this meaning too:
    A chimera is an unrealistic idea that you have about something or a hope that you have that is unlikely to be fulfilled.
    (Collins)
    Any idle or wild fancy.
    (Chambers)

    Thanks, Bobcat for a beautiful puzzle and Teacow for an excellent blog.
    My faves: LIGHTSHIP, EPICENTRE and UPEND.

  10. This was hard to get started on, and I was definitely doing a lot of guess-then-parse, and even then, for a few, I wound up thinking “I guess???” I could not adequately parse EPICENTRE or DARLING.

  11. Sasha – Russian diminutive form of Alexander and Alexandra. eg Alexandre “Sacha” Distel – his father was born in Odes(s)a.
    Other Russian diminutives are available – eg Masha for Maria. And there’s one for Gorbachev, too.

  12. Took a while to get properly going, but then solved steadily with Chime as LOI.

    My sense was similar to that which has already been expressed; occasionally perhaps slightly too wordy cluing, and a few which were obvious but difficult to parse.

    Thank you all

  13. Thanks Bobcat. I had the same parsing problems as others so my guessing skills once again got put to the test. I did like a good bit of this including BOARD GAME, IN VITRO, RISOTTO, and CHIME. Thanks Teacow for the blog. [BTW, I know Monday is “easy day” in the Guardian but does the FT follow that convention?]

  15. Super puzzle with no problems in solving or parsing – but then, we’re old hands and UK based (he says, smugly).
    We liked BOARD GAME, POT-POURRI and ACROBATIC, as well as the four perimeter answers.
    Regarding Russian diminutives, there’s one lurking in today’s Indy puzzle.
    Thanks, Bobcat and Teacow

  16. The weird thing is the moment I read Grace, I thought Darling. And I have no idea why. Maybe I’ve seen the conjunction before in crossword land? But I have definitely heard of Grace Darling.

    A mystery.

    But I still don’t understand why “ perhaps Grace” is the definition for Darling, other than via this famous lighthouse keeper.

    Help please.

  17. Thanks got the blog , totally agree with allan@15 , the UK knowledge very fortunate for me today. Very neat clues , I will just praise BOARD GAME for “capialised monopoly ” , very precise , the game is Monopoly.

  21. I found this OK, but I must object to IT = SA. It really is an invention contrived by cryptic setters unrecognised by most English speakers.

  22. The blog puts the break in 26a after cannabalistic suggestion: should it not be cannabalistic suggestion that’s impossible//to decline? since decline/pine away is what EAT ONE’S HEART OUT means.

  24. Thanks Roz @18

    what you explain is exactly how I interpreted the clue when I answered it.

    I was wondering whether there was any other interpretation.

    It appears not.

    Grace Darling seems so obscure. But I’ve heard of her, so maybe she isn’t

    Thanks.

  25. Thanks KVa @9 for supplying the explanation of chimera = fancy. It is a usage I did not know and much better than my contrivance.

    I agree with Moly @24 and therefore Ron @18. Grace DARLING made sense once I had most of the crossers, researched my guess on Wikipedia and determined there is a Northern town called Darlington (all of which was new to me).

    Thanks again all

  26. Frederica @ 21 IT = SA was a standard UK euphemism in the 50s & 60s, so hasn’t been “contrived by cryptic setters” at all.

  27. Frederica @21, Simon @26: The mere idea that cryptic setters would contrive anything is unthinkable!

  30. I must say that in all my 76 years, I’ve never seen or heard ‘SA’ used to as an abbreviation for sex appeal. It does look suspiciously like a crossword compilers’ convenient contrivance to me!

  31. Piers, you can’t mean that in all your 76 years you’ve never checked Chambers or Collins to see whether or not SA really is a compilerly contrivance? OMG!

    FG @ 29 😀

  33. Roz @ 17 – I do agree that “capitalised” is a delightful part of the definition for BOARD GAME; it is niceties such as this which can make a clue sparkle and bring a smile to the solver. I would have thought that the blogger highlighting this would be an important part of 15²’s purpose – and certainly not to be overlooked or ignored

    I thoroughly enjoyed much of this puzzle (and can think of few, if any, Graces better known than Grace Darling!) …. many thanks for the fun, BOBCAT and to TEACOW for an otherwise super blog

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