Puzzle from The Weekend FT of January 27, 2024
Just a week before this puzzle was published I was noting with a friend that we had not had a Goliath puzzle in our Weekend space for a long time. In fact it had been over a year. And now he is back. With a most impressive piece of work.
My first-in was 7 (ESPLANADE) and it proved to be a fairly fast solve. My favourite clue has to be 16 (INITIATE) which I think must have one of the smoothest surfaces ever. I also applaud 5 (OVINE) for its nice surface, 14 (TEA BREAK) and 17 (TAKEOFF) as brilliant reverse clues, the daring 12/20 (FLAPJACK) and the clever definitions of 11 (APOSTROPHE) and 13d (BANGALORE).
Thank you Goliath. Please come again soon.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1/4 | CHAISE LONGUE |
After pursuit overwhelms one, lounge around here? (6,6)
|
| I (one) in (overwhelms) CHASE (pursuit) + anagram (around) of LOUNGE | ||
| 8 | LAPTOPS |
Catch sight of mate returning IT equipment (7)
|
| SPOT (catch sight of) + PAL (mate) all backwards (returning) | ||
| 9 | PILE-UPS |
Constant irregular pulse causing major accidents (4-3)
|
| PI (constant) + anagram (irregular) of PULSE | ||
| 11 | APOSTROPHE |
A forlorn hope to restrain fit of pique that’s often misplaced (10)
|
| A (a) + STROP (fit of pique) in (to restrain) in anagram (forlorn) of HOPE with a definition referring presumably to the grocer’s apostrophe | ||
| 12/20 | FLAPJACK |
Criticism from Asia for Spooner’s cake (8)
|
| Spoonerism of JAP FLAK (criticism from Asia) | ||
| 13 | BINGO |
Discard attempt for this game (5)
|
| BIN (discard) + GO (attempt) | ||
| 14 | TEA BREAK |
Time to have a drink and eat? (3,5)
|
| Double/reverse definition. “Tea break” could clue EAT | ||
| 16 | INITIATE |
Start by telling us, in your own words, why you were in the restaurant? (8)
|
| “In it I ate” | ||
| 18 |
See 6 Down
|
|
| 20 |
See 12
|
|
| 21 | GLITTERATI |
Notable people with funny gait having kittens? (10)
|
| LITTER (kittens) in (having) anagram (funny) of GAIT | ||
| 23 | COLONEL |
Pass around unaccompanied officer (7)
|
| LONE (unaccompanied) in (around) COL (pass) | ||
| 24 | EARMARK |
Evidence of piercing could be set aside (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | ELFISH |
The Spanish angle is mischievous (6)
|
| EL (the Spanish) + FISH (angle) | ||
| 26 | SEANCE |
Can see unfamiliar spirits here (6)
|
| Anagram (unfamiliar) of CAN SEE | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CHAMP |
Hero male embraced by another (5)
|
| M (male) in (embraced by) CHAP (another [male]) | ||
| 2 | ARTISAN |
Partial non-starter for one with craft (7)
|
| [p]ARTISAN (partial non-starter) | ||
| 3 | SUPERNOVA |
Stewed prunes and eggs causing explosion (9)
|
| Anagram (stewed) of PRUNES + OVA (eggs) | ||
| 5 | OVINE |
I’ve no problem being sheepish (5)
|
| Anagram (problem) of IVE NO | ||
| 6/18 | GOES FOR BROKE |
Takes risks as ego’s bruised, of upset broker last to be promoted (4,3,5)
|
| Anagram (bruised) of EGOS + OF (of) backwards (upset) + R BROKE (broker last to be promoted) | ||
| 7 | ESPLANADE |
In Cannes, plan a delightful walk by the sea (9)
|
| Hidden word (in) | ||
| 10 | APATHETIC |
Indifferent dad turned over what’s up in loft (9)
|
| PA (dad) backwards (turned over) + EH (what) reversed (‘s up) in (in) ATTIC | ||
| 13 | BANGALORE |
City of much prohibition (9)
|
| BAN GALORE (much prohibition)
On my one and only visit to Bangalore (now Bengaluru), I stayed at a hotel that was still partly under construction. That meant there was a lot of noise much of the time. Shoulda been banned! |
||
| 15 | ARBITRAGE |
Right data unit in a frenzy of buying and selling (9)
|
| R (right) + BIT (data unit) in A (A) + RAGE (frenzy) | ||
| 17 | TAKEOFF |
Kate’s departure? (7)
|
| Reverse clue (“take off” could clue KATE) | ||
| 19 | OARSMEN |
A sermon specially made for boat people (7)
|
| Anagram (specially made) of A SERMON with a slightly cryptic definition | ||
| 21 | GUESS |
Divine having grown up eating smoked salmon starters (5)
|
| G[rown] U[p] E[ating] S[moked] S[almon] | ||
| 22 | TERSE |
Laconic origin of true language (5)
|
| T[rue] + ERSE (language) with Erse being another name for Irish Gaelic |
This was fun with a good mix of clues.
Favourites included GLITTERATI, ARBITRAGE, APOSTROPHE, SUPERNOVA, APATHETIC
Thanks Goliath and Pete Maclean
Thanks, Goliath and Pete Maclean!
Top faves: FLAPJACK, TEA BREAK, INITIATE, OVINE and TAKEOFF (so minimalistic!).
APOSTROPHE
Recently, we had an APOSTROPHE-themed Brendan elsewhere.
(It’s often inserted in error…)
SEANCE
A clue-as-def (or an extended def)?
I echo Pete in wishing we saw Goliath more often in any slot. Worth waiting for, definitely.
Very enjoyable and some really humorous wordplay like BANGALORE, notwithstanding the dodgy 12/20.
Favourites included TAKE OFF, APOSTROPHE, ESPLANADE and my last two, EARMARK and SEANCE.
Thanks Goliath and Pete.
Thanks Goliath for a masterful crossword but I expected no less. I found this on the challenging side and I’m grateful I had all week to solve it bit by bit. I missed EARMARK but all else fell into place. My top picks included LAPTOPS, GLITTERATI, SEANCE, CHAMP, SUPERNOVA, TEA BREAK and TAKEOFF (nice reverse anagrams). I was surprised at “Jap” in 12/20 since the term is considered an offensive ethnic slur on both sides of the pond. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Tony@4
This may explain the coy ellipsis in the blog.
Thanks for the blog, a great puzzle with many interesting words and a lot of variety in clever, neat clues. The “angle” for ELFISH is very nice .
FLAPJACK is something I do not wish to see, even Chambers93 has the term as derogatory .
The Editor should have stopped this. The FT is owned by a Japanese company.
I was amused to see Goliath in the FT and Matilda in the Guardian Saturday slots, particularly as I really enjoy their setting style.
I enjoyed this and smooth surfaces of the clues, although I winced at FLAPJACK. It took a penny drop moment to equate angle with fish in ELFISH.
Thank you to Goliath and Pete Maclean.
Didn’t know ARBITRAGE and took ages to spot the leading-letters for GUESS. INITIATE made me smile and I enjoyed CHAISE LONGUE, APOSTROPHE and BANGALORE.
I had the opposite experience. I found this overly wordy which meant it was anything but fast. I had no ticks this week
Thanks Goliath and Pete
As Shanne notes, what a treat to have Goliath and Matilda on the same day. I echo the praise for 16a INITIATE – a great surface.
Setters often have to sacrifice the surface in order to construct a well-hidden inclusion. Not here, as the surface of 7d ESPLANADE was smooth and perfectly fit the solution.
I like to think that Goliath wrote “thats’” in 11a, and the editor mistakenly un-misplaced the apostrophe.
Thanks Goliath for the good-humoured fun, and Pete for the typically excellent blog.