Puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 17, 2024
This puzzle, a pangram as usual for Zamorca, has a few clues with complex wordplay. My first-in was 10 (MOVIE STARS) and I filled the top half fairly quickly in spite of not understanding the wordplay of of 13 (THIRTEEN) at all. Then the bottom half proved a challenge with 25 (QUICK TO ACT) especially difficult. And it was worth the effort. In addition to 13, I do not fully understand the wordplay of 27 (USER).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PAGE-TURNER |
Thriller has Maigret regularly chasing priest with revolver (4-6)
|
| P (priest) + [m]A[i]G[r]E[t] + TURNER (revolver) | ||
| 7 | EYES |
Examines key agreement (4)
|
| E (key) + YES (agreement) | ||
| 9 | WOOD |
Courtyard at the back has trees (4)
|
| WOO (court) + [yar]D | ||
| 10 | MOVIE STARS |
Initially Mary Astor perhaps struggles to be included with screen legends (5,5)
|
| M[ary] + VIES (struggles) in (to be included) anagram (perhaps) of ASTOR | ||
| 11 | MIRROR |
Follow motorway slip heading off (6)
|
| MI (motorway) + [e]RROR (slip heading off) | ||
| 12 | RE-EDITED |
Engineers computers, indeed malfunctioning, tweaked once more (2-6)
|
| RE (engineers, i.e. Royal Engineers) + IT (computers) in (in) anagram (malfunctioning) of DEED | ||
| 13 | THIRTEEN |
This clue’s next, comprising anagram of tree (8)
|
| I was completely stumped by this wordplay. Commenters have suggested how it might work but I am not convinced. | ||
| 15 | ANTI |
Not in favour of AI penning books (4)
|
| NT (books, i.e. New Testament) in (penning) AI (AI) | ||
| 17 | SPEC |
Design with pronounced flaw (4)
|
| Homophone (with pronounced) of “speck” (flaw) | ||
| 19 | ICEBERGS |
Chief Engineer’s to live among mobile rigs which float in cold seas (8)
|
| CE (chief engineer) + BE (to live) all in anagram (mobile) of RIGS | ||
| 22 | JAUNTING |
Jack’s good squeezing relative in and going for a spin (8)
|
| J (Jack) + AUNT (relative) + IN (in) + G (good) | ||
| 23 | BLAZER |
Brother has adopted lounge jacket (6)
|
| LAZE (lounge) in (has adopted) BR (brother) | ||
| 25 | QUICK TO ACT |
Shrewd diplomacy admitting nothing decisive (5,2,3)
|
| QUICK (shrewd) + O (nothing) in (admitting) TACT (diplomacy) | ||
| 26 | AFAR |
Armistice for aggressive Russian leaders is a long way away (4)
|
| A[emistice] F[or] A[ggressive] R[ussian] | ||
| 27 | USER |
Employer requires uniform, on contracts ending, to be returned (4)
|
| U (uniform) + RE (on) + [contract]S backwards (to be returned). I was originally unable to parse this fully and thank commenters for setting me straight. | ||
| 28 | LIKE-MINDED |
Of the same opinion as journalist about intelligence (4-6)
|
| LIKE (as) + MIND (intelligence) + ED (journalist) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | ABOLISH |
Sailor’s fishy oils hard to get rid of (7)
|
| AB (sailor) + anagram (fishy) of OILS + H (hard) | ||
| 3 | ELDER |
Central characters in Daniel Deronda are more mature (5)
|
| Hidden word (central characters in) | ||
| 4 | UP-MARKET |
University degree received by blue-eyed boy’s unaffordable to most people (2-6)
|
| U (university) + MARK (degree) in (received by) PET (blue-eyed boy) | ||
| 5 | NEVER-ENDING TASK |
Demand support for running trendy evening, not unknown to be a non-stop mission (5-6,4)
|
| Anagram (running) of TREND[y] EVENING + ASK (demand) | ||
| 6 | REEKED |
Aagh! Wine brought round smelt disgusting (6)
|
| EEK (aagh) in (brought round) RED (wine) | ||
| 7 | EXTRICATE |
Rescue old fraud briefly put away (9)
|
| EX (old) + TRIC[k] (fraud briefly) + ATE (put away) | ||
| 8 | EARNEST |
Keen to make way without drug (7)
|
| EARN (to make) + E (drug) + ST (way) | ||
| 14 | RACING CAR |
Circuit’s consuming a conservative half of carbon that’s used in F1 (6,3)
|
| A (a) + C (conservative) in (consuming) RING (circuit) + CAR[bon] | ||
| 16 | VERBATIM |
Reproduced brave review of US college word for word (8)
|
| Anagram (reproduced) of BRAVE + MIT (US college) backwards (review of) | ||
| 18 | PEANUTS |
Paltry amount of snacks (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 20 | GRENADE |
Weapon’s prepared off ‘en garde!’ (7)
|
| Anagram (prepare off) of EN GARDE | ||
| 21 | LINTEL |
Allow new girl, ignoring the odds, to mount beam (6)
|
| LET (allow) + N (new) + [g]I[r]L all backwards (to mount) | ||
| 24 | AGAIN |
Addiction support group’s welcoming girl in one more time (5)
|
| G (girl) in (welcoming) AA (addiction support group) + IN (in) |
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