Another dose of geographically themed cryptic fun. Available on the FT website to download and print or solve online, or via the smartphone app.
“A cryptic puzzle themed on one particular country. The name of the country should be inserted at 23 across. Work out the name of the country by solving the *asterisked clues, all undefined – their solutions have some relevance to the country, such as its places, famous people, culture, language”
I was surprised that this appeared on the FT app today – the World puzzle usually comes out on the first Sunday of the month – but was happy to see it none the less. An enjoyable solve and while the lack of precise definitions in the themed clues adds to the challenge, it wasn’t the most taxing way to start a Sunday morning, thankfully! I particularly liked the long anagram at 24/26.
Thanks, Peto!
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | TSARINA |
* Nerve agent ingested by volunteers (7)
|
| SARIN (nerve agent) “ingested by” TA (volunteers)
A female ruler of Russia or wife of a tsar. |
||
| 10 | SAMOVAR |
* Head of variety into country rock primarily (7)
|
| First letter (head) of Variety inserted in (into) SAMOA (country) + first letter (primarily) of Rock
A large vessel traditionally used in Russia for making tea. |
||
| 11 | PIROG |
* Animal eating fish eggs for the most part (5)
|
| PIG (animal) “eating” ROe (fish eggs, for the most part)
A type of stuffed dumpling popular in Russia. |
||
| 12 | PASTERNAK |
* Oddly neglected mark on part of horse’s foot (9)
|
| PASTERN (part of a horse’s lower leg between the top of the hoof and the fetlock) + even letters (oddly neglected) of mArK
Boris Pasternak, 1890-1960, Russian writer and composer, most famous for his novel Doctor Zhivago. |
||
| 13 | ANDROPOV |
* Decline within a month (8)
|
| DROP (decline) within A NOV (November, month)
Yuri Andropov, leader of the Soviet Union between 1982 and 1984. |
||
| 14 | NEVSKY |
* Let off steam largely about TV company (6)
|
| Reversal (about) all but the last letter (largely) of VENt (let off steam) + SKY (TV company)
Alexander Nevsky, 1221-1263, Russian prince, military leader and saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. Nevsky Prospekt, named after the Nevsky monastery, is the main street in St Petersburg. |
||
| 16 | DUMA |
* Slander retracted with first of apologies (4)
|
| MUD (slander) reversed (retracted) + first letter of Apologies
The Russian legislative assembly. |
||
| 18 | LENIN |
* Left a number to be sent back (5)
|
| L (left) + NINE (a number) reversed (to be sent back)
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, 1870-1924, Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. |
||
| 19 | BEAR |
* Live with artist in retreat (4)
|
| BE (live) + RA (member of the Royal Academy, artist) reversed (in retreat)
The animal most commonly used to symbolically personify Russia since the 16th century. |
||
| 23 | RUSSIA |
[See Notes] (6)
|
| The country that all asterisked clues refer to. | ||
| 24/26 | ST BASIL’S CATHEDRAL |
* Tallish actress with bad review (2,6,9)
|
| Anagram (review) of TALLISH ACTRESS BAD
Cathedral in Red Square, Moscow, built 1555-1561, headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church until it was secularised in 1929. |
||
| 26 |
See 24
|
|
| 28 | TATAR |
* Right after repeated thanks (5)
|
| TA TA (repeated thanks) + R (right)
The Tatars are an ethnic group of Eastern Europe and Asia, the largest group of which are the Russian Volga Tatars. |
||
| 29 | USTINOV |
* Displayed during August in Overton-on-Dee (7)
|
| Hidden in (displayed during) augUST IN OVerton-on-dee
Peter Ustinov, 1921-2004, Russian-born British actor, film-maker and writer. |
||
| 30 | SOROKIN |
* Wrong to pinch gold? Certainly (7)
|
| SIN (wrong) containing (to pinch) OR (gold) + OK (certainly)
I expect Peto is thinking of Vladimir Sorokin, Russian postmodern novelist and dramatist, but there’s also Anna Sorokin, Russian-born New York socialite and fraudster. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | STOPPARD |
Leading performer accepting work on earliest of plays by Dutch dramatist (8)
|
| STAR (leading performer) containing (accepting) OP (work) + first letter (earliest) of Plays
Tom Stoppard, British playwright, author of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, among many other fine works. |
||
| 2 | SACRED |
Deplorable to embrace most of gang as worthy of reverence (6)
|
| SAD (deplorable) containing (to embrace) most of CREw (gang) | ||
| 3 | KINGDOM |
Piece by party member originally from Spain say (7)
|
| KING (piece in chess) + DO (party) + first letter (originally) of Member | ||
| 4 | LAMPOONER |
Satirist’s funny poem on stopping the French Revolution at the start (9)
|
| Anagram (funny) of POEM ON inserted in (stopping) LA (the in French) + first letter (at the start) of Revolution | ||
| 5 | USES |
Regularly takes exercise with son (4)
|
| USE (exercise) + S (son) | ||
| 6 | IMPEDED |
Thwarted wicked spirit stopped knight leaving (7)
|
| IMP (wicked spirit) + EnDED (stopped) less N (knight in chess notation) | ||
| 7 | EVANESCE |
Vanish with girl before the last chaotic seance (8)
|
| All but the last letter of EVe (girl) + anagram (chaotic) of SEANCE | ||
| 8 | CRIKEY |
The king close to fury after president’s expression of surprise (6)
|
| CR (abbreviation of Carolus Rex, King Charles in Latin) + IKE (nickname of US president Dwight Eisenhower) + last letter of (close to) furY | ||
| 15 | MIRTHLESS |
Unhappy with dress from behind — Henry not so much (9)
|
| TRIM (dress) reversed (from behind) + H (abbreviation for Henry, SI unit of inductance) + LESS (not so much) | ||
| 17 | MISSTATE |
Assert wrongly as sea mist disperses over time (8)
|
| Anagram (disperses) of SEA MIST containing (over) T (time) | ||
| 20 | RESTRUNG |
What Viola became after a break? (8)
|
| Cryptic definition
I spent far too long trying to find a solution involving CESARIO, the alias adopted by the disguised Viola in Twelfth Night. |
||
| 21 | FIRE ANT |
Worker with burning sensation caused by stinging insect (4,3)
|
| FIRE (burning sensation) + ANT (worker) | ||
| 22 | PASTURE |
Grazing land beyond river (7)
|
| PAST (beyond) + URE (a river in North Yorkshire) | ||
| 23 | RECOUP |
Make good soldiers join rebellion (6)
|
| RE (Royal Engineers, soldiers) + COUP (rebellion) | ||
| 25 | INTAKE |
Cool and appropriate for a body of pupils new to a school (6)
|
| IN (cool) + TAKE (appropriate) | ||
| 27 | RAVE |
Enthusiastic praise for Hardy? Not at first (4)
|
| bRAVE (hardy) less the first letter |
Thanks, Peto and Widdersbel!
I was pleasantly surprised to see this puzzle today just like you.
As usual a very enjoyable puzzle and a superb blog.
RESTRUNG
Kept looking at REST+RUNG as a break +’something…’ (Viola got rung???).
Finally settled for CD.
I struggled towards the end of this, with some of the Russian GK unknown to me (NEVSKY, PIROG, SOROKIN) & the combo of the only-vaguely-known PASTERNAK and ‘pastern’, which I thought might have had an ‘o’ in it to indicate posteriority. But some sensible parses and a good guess got me there.
Favourites were MIRTHLESS, LAMPOONER, and TSARINA.
Thanks Peto and Widdersbel.
What a pleasant surprise to find this puzzle today. Good fun and a blog to match.
Peter Ustinov was born in Belsize Park and his antecedents were as exotic as one might expect from such a multi-talented man. His Wikipedia entry is fascinating . An Ethiopian princess contributed to his gene pool alongside many other unusual characters .
Many thanks to Peto and Widdersbel
Tough. Gave up after solving several down clues. At least I figured out the country! Thanks P and W
I really enjoyed this, thanks Peto and Widdersbel.
USTINOV my favourite reference: Logan’s Run, anyone?
My daughter and I enjoyed this on the tube today and found it chewy enough to keep us occupied for all of the journey in, but our ignorance of things Russian, it did feel a bit like dig around the brain for links to see if we could tie them into the vague clues at moments.
Thank you to Peto and Widdersbel.
SM @3 – Ah, I thought he was Russian by birth but didn’t check that detail. I knew his ancestors were Russian aristocracy but not about the Ethiopian princess. Fascinating character!