Financial Times 17,632 GUY

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A typical Guy puzzle today.

Apologies for the late blog, but I couldn't get connected to WiFi in the train this morning, nor in the office, so have had to wait until I could get to a cafe at lunchtime.

To the puzzle – a pangram with some really good clues and misdirections. I struggled with a couple of parsings, but think I got ther in the end.

Thanks, Guy.

ACROSS
1 SOBER UP
Very saintly bishop returned to detox (5,2)

SO ("very") + <=(PURE ("saintly") + B (bishop, in chess), returned)
5 HANDBAG
Weight on women’s shoulders (7)

Cryptic definition
9 REALM
Concrete mall’s opening in the country (5)

REAL ("concrete") + M(ail) ['s opening]
10 REVICTUAL
Lucrative trading so get more supplies in (9)

*(lucrative) [anag:trading]
11/12 FANTASTIC MR FOX
Story about animal that loses its tail, reworking of first Manx cat? (9,2,3)

*(of first manx cat) [anag:reworking]

Refers to the Roald Dahl book.
13 HADJ
Annual trip to Saudi enjoyed by Jack (4)

HAD ("enjoyed by") + J (Jack, in cards)
15 COPIED IN
PC that is crashing sent superfluous emails (6,2)

COP ("PC") + i.e. (id est, so "that is") + DIN ("crashing")
18 WHISTLER
Mother’s painter organised tilers after coat of whitewash (8)

*(tilers) [anag:organised] after [coat of] W(hitewas)H
19 TEAK
Leaves back on oak tree (4)

TEA ("leaves") + [back on] (oa)K
22/24 CROSS COUNTRIES
Mad aristocrat and defrocked priest running races (5,9)

CROSS ("mad") + COUNT ("aristocrat") and [defrocked] (p)RIES(t)
26 UP THE ANTE
Demand more chips immediately (2,3,4)

Cryptic definition (I think?)
27 AMAZE
In the morning mist, ash’s last leaves blow away (5)

AM (ante meridiem, so "in the morning") + (h)AZE ("mist" with (as)H ['s last] leaving)
28 TROTTED
Communist troublemaker in the 50s jogged (7)

TROT ("communist") + TED ("troublemaker in the 50s")
29 YEAR-END
Day of reckoning sees vote for split (4-3)

YEA ("vote for") + REND ("split")
DOWN
1 STRIFE
Trouble in street spread widely (6)

St. (street) + RIFE ("spread widely")
2 BRAINWASH
Give thought to dirty underwear? (9)

BRA IN WASH could be "dirty underwear"
3 RUMBA
Strange pub closes early for dance (5)

RUM ("strange") + BA(r) ("pub", closed early)
4 PIRATICAL
Illicitly tail Capri like hijackers (9)

*(tail capri) [anag:illicitly]
5 HAVOC
Children boxing eggs up creates chaos (5)

<=(Ch. (children) boxing OVA ("eggs"), up)
6 NO COMMENT
Blank statement not implicating mademoiselle in fraud (2,7)

NOT implicating Mme. (mademoiselle) in CON ("fraud")
7 BLUFF
Bank’s ploy to conceal weakness (5)

Double definition
8 GALAXY
Stars party with unknowns (6)

GALA ("party") with X + Y ("unknowns" in mathematics)
14 JESUS WEPT
In the boulangerie I used a broom, bagging us crumbs! (5,4)

JE ("in the boulangerie, I") + SWEPT ("used a broom"), bagging US
16 PERFUMERY
Cook mere fry-up creating nice smells (9)

*(mere fry up) [anag:cook]
17 INANIMATE
Lifeless two sandwiches granny put before friend (9)

II (two) sandwiches NAN put before MATE ("friend")
20 ACQUIT
Clear account somewhat curtailed (6)

Ac. (account) + QUIT(e) ("somewhat", curtailed)
21 ASCEND
Dicky dances to get high (6)

*(dances) [anag:dicky]
23 OUTDO
Trump barred by party (5)

OUT ("barred") by DO ("party")
24 CANID
World in Action brought back, featuring relative of 12? (5)

Hidden backwards [brought back…featuring] in "worlD IN ACtion"
25 TIARA
Jewellery initially affects River Island’s turnover (5)

[initially] A(ffects) R(iver) + <=AIT ("island", turned over)

18 comments on “Financial Times 17,632 GUY”

  1. Thanks Guy and Loonapick

    6dn: I think Guy may have made a mistake here. Chambers, Collins, ODE, and SOED all give Mme for “madame” only, and Mlle for “mademoiselle”.

  2. 5d: Funny thing is it could have been DAVOS (except for the crossing letters): D[aughter] and S[on] boxing OVA 🙂 Might not be chaos but perfectly capable of creating some…

    Thanks Guy and Loonapick

  3. 13a HADJ – HAD (“enjoyed”) next to (“by”) J (Jack, in cards)
    25d TIARA – ([initially] A(ffects) R(iver) + AIT (“island”)) <= – all turned over
    1d "Trouble" & STRIFE… (CRS)
    23d OUTDO – “Trump barred by party” – if only…
    Thanks G&l

  4. UP THE ANTE to demand more – and to increase the number of chips, so double definition?

    I didn’t like HANDBAG as those suspended from shoulders are shoulder bags, and handbags are what the late Queen carried.

    Thank you to loonapick and Guy.

  5. I agree with PB about 6dn and can’t see where “immediately” fits in for UP THE ANTE. Nice puzzle, though.

  6. I felt this offering had too many iffy clues. As has been mentioned, HANDBAGs tend to be carried by hand (the clue is in the name); Mme doesn’t work; what is the purpose of ‘immediately’ in 26; and, additionally, I can’t see how “din” (a noun) can equate to “crashing” (not a noun).

  7. Hovis@6: crashing as in “the crashing of the waves on the rocks”, perhaps? Or the crashing of crockery as it hits the floor?

  8. Thanks Guy, that was enjoyable with the very clever anagram in FANTASTIC MR FOX being my top pick. Other favourites included SOBER UP, AMAZE, BRAINWASH, HAVOC, and NO COMMENT. I didn’t understand “crumbs” for JESUS WEPT — is it because it’s the shortest Biblical verse? I also don’t know why “Ted” is a 50’s troublemaker. Thanks loonapick for the blog.

  9. PB@1 – you’re right of course – I should have noticed that, given that I have a degree in French, but it was not a good morning for me…

  10. Tony@8 Crumbs and Jesus wept are both mild expletives. Teddy boys or Teds were members of a youth culture sporting allegedly Edwardian clothing and the subject of many a dire warning from my parents.

  11. Thanks for the blog, a few glitches but very good overall . I will defend HANDBAG, all my handbags have shoulder straps, I would never carry one in my hand.

  12. Thank you for rushing down to the cafe at lunchtime

    I enjoyed, this as there were some great surfaces that read naturally and led to interesting answers – the sort of clues that I enjoy most. Pity about the editing issues. I had similar favourites to Tony @8 and add CROSS COUNTRIES for the mental image of the two characters in the clue, plus it mislead me into looking for an anagram of aristocrat.

    I was puzzled by the remoteness of several cryptic definitions. I am almost at peace with BRAINWASH and UP THE ANTE now, but I still cannot equate COPIED IN with sent more emails. Would someone please explain?

    A breath of fresh air after the last couple of days

    Thanks Guy, and thanks loonapick

  13. Martyn@12 I should be the last person to answer but here goes. Before I was banned from the system I would be COPIED IN to various emails, totally superfluous because I would never read them.

  14. Thanks Perplexus & Roz for helping to clear up some of my misgivings. I did also have some doubts, at first, for the definition of BRAINWASH but can see it as being somewhat cryptic (in a cryptic crossword – heaven forfend).

  18. First-rate puzzle. “Bra in wash” is a bit of a chestnut as that 50-year-old Azed slip testifies but it was nicely clued here with a cleverly deceptive but perfectly accurate definition. Great stuff, thanks, Guy and loonapick.

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