Puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 23, 2024
My first-in was 7 (CHELSEA) and I munched through most of the puzzle fairly easily. But near the end, things got tough and I needed assistance with several clues (like 14 and 17). My stand-out favourite is 16 (ARMY BASE) and I also like 5 (ALEC GUINNESS), 15 (ORGAN LOFT) and 27 (STRAFE). Even after nearly a week of cogitation about the clue, I was unable to fully understand the wordplay of 20 (CRAVAT) and thank Pelham Barton for his help (see comments). Thanks also to BC for his help.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SIGNAL |
Communicate non-verbally a Liberal message (6)
|
| SIGN (communicate non-verbally) + A (a) + L (Liberal) | ||
| 4 | CAPSICUM |
Pepper spray campus surrounding International College (8)
|
| I (international) + C (college) in (surrounding) anagram (spray) CAMPUS | ||
| 9 | ULLAGE |
Visiting Hull — a generally accepted colloquial synonym for ‘dregs’ (6)
|
| Hidden word (visiting) | ||
| 10 | FEARLESS |
Daring, fine aristocrat English son succeeded (8)
|
| F (fine) + EARL (aristocrat) + E (English) + S (son) + S (succeeded) | ||
| 12 | HEARTHRUG |
Former PM downs the last bit of ginger syrup, a winter warmer (9)
|
| [ginge]R in HEATH (former PM) + RUG (syrup). Collins tells me that ‘syrup’ is a British slang term for a wig. News to me! | ||
| 13 | NASAL |
Space agency finally model section of protective helmet (5)
|
| NASA (space agency) + [mode]L | ||
| 14 | A SHROPSHIRE LAD |
Poetry in motion as Sophie Dahl runs right in (1,10,3)
|
| RR (runs) in (in) anagram (in motion) of AS SOPHIE DAH:L. Sophie Dahl is an English author and former fashion model.
|
||
| 17 | LONG JOHN SILVER |
Thermal undies I’ve left in back of bar, being somewhat legless (4,4,6)
|
| LONG JOHNS (thermal undies) + L (left) in (in) IVE + [ba]R | ||
| 21 | RHEIN |
River navy transporting Ambassador to India (5)
|
| HE (ambassador, i.e. His/Her Excellency) I (India) in (transporting) RN (navy). ‘Rhein’ is the original name of what we call the Rhine. | ||
| 22 | HUSBANDRY |
American group getting regularly shirty around thrift (9)
|
| U.S. BAND (American group) in (around) [s]H[i]R[t]Y. While wasting my time going in a wrong direction, I discovered that there is an American music group named Husbandry. | ||
| 24 | VISCOUNT |
Noble daughter leaving cut for Victor (8)
|
| DISCOUNT (cut) with ‘V’ (Victor) taking the place of ‘D’ (daughter) | ||
| 25 | HERNIA |
Hospital casualty department, one in North America, is showing the strain (6)
|
| H (hospital) + ER (casualty department) + I (one) in (in) NA (North America) | ||
| 26 | TREATISE |
Serious work of a setter I fancy (8)
|
| Anagram (fancy) of A SETTER I | ||
| 27 | STRAFE |
Shoot up street next to air force base (6)
|
| ST (street) + RAF (air force) + E (base, of natural logarithms that is) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SOUTHPAW |
Left-hander screws up … so what? (8)
|
| Anagram (screws) of UP SO WHAT | ||
| 2 | GOLIATH |
Giant pig, including tail, served up (7)
|
| TAIL in (including) HOG (pig) all backwards (served up) | ||
| 3 | ANGST |
Worry starts to affect nurse given shock therapy (5)
|
| A[ffect] N[urse] G[iven] S[hock] T[herapy] | ||
| 5 | ALEC GUINNESS |
Actor Charlie getting stuck into beer (stout) (4,8)
|
| C (Charlie) in (getting stuck into) ALE (beer) + GUINNESS (stout) | ||
| 6 | SERENGETI |
G&T I mixed in tranquil area of outstanding natural beauty (9)
|
| Anagram (mixed in) of GT I in SERENE (tranquil) | ||
| 7 | CHELSEA |
Type of boot heels flogged in C&A? (7)
|
| Anagram (flogged) of HEELS in C and A | ||
| 8 | MOSTLY |
By and large, doctors tense — literally exhausted (6)
|
| MOS (doctors) + T (tense) + L[iterall]Y | ||
| 11 | ARISTOPHANES |
He was famous for writing comedy personas — a hit all over the place (12)
|
| Anagram (all over the place) of PERSONAS A HIT | ||
| 15 | ORGAN LOFT |
Where a musician gets high in church? (5,4)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 16 | ARMY BASE |
Julius’s degree in bottom place at Aldershot? (4,4)
|
| MY (Julius’s) + BA (degree) together in ARSE (bottom) | ||
| 18 | OVERSEE |
Catch sight of topless lovers on empty esplanade (7)
|
| [l]OVERS + E[splanad]E | ||
| 19 | VEDANTA |
Hindu philosophy of love Dan taught (7)
|
| Hidden word (of) | ||
| 20 | CRAVAT |
Clubs upset video ref attending tie (6)
|
| C (clubs) + VAR (video ref, i.e. Video Assistant Referee) backwards (upset) + AT (attending). I cannot figure out how RAV is produced here.
I was originally unaware of this VAR reference and unable to see how the RAV was produced. |
||
| 23 | AVERT |
Turn aside commercial junking Democrat (5)[
|
| A[d]VERT (commercial junking ‘D’ for Democrat) |
Thanks Julius and Pete
20dn: VAR is short for Video Assistant Referee in soccer, upset in a down clue.
12ac: syrup is rhyming slang “syrup of fig(s)” = “wig”.
Thank you Pelham. Thanks very much.
Top fave: LONG JOHN SILVER.
ULLAGE
Should the WP extend till the accepted? Not sure why the def is so long.
SERENGETI
G TI in SERENE…I am missing something. G is in SERENE+TI.
HEARTHRUG
‘Syrup’, aka ‘Syrup of Figs’ is Cockney Rhyming Slang for a wig (What do I know about Cockney? I just Bow to Google!)
Edit: Pelham@2 has said that already.
Thanks Julius and Pete (lovely puzzle. Great blog)!
I agree with PB@1 about RAV. And thanks to PB@2. I had never heard of syrup = wig , and you know how much I love rhyming slang.
It is difficult to not enjoy a Julius puzzle, with approachable clues, a sense of humour and great surfaces. So many ticks this week. I shared Pete’s liking of ARMY BASE. Also GOLIATH, nicely hidden ULLAGE, and SOUTHPAW & LONG JOHN SILVER for their great surfaces, among others. I agree with Pete in finding some of the clues on the difficult side.
Aside from syrup, I had to look up Julius’s use of NASAL, I wonder whether ‘catch sight of’ really means OVERSEE (waiting for the Chambers quote), and, with apologies to Pete, after a week I still do not think ORGAN LOFT really works.
Thanks Julius and Pete
ULLAGE
accepted colloquial synonym=slang. Right?
I was wondering why the def was this long. 🙂
Sorry Pete.
Martyn@5
OVERSEE
Catch sight of=OVERSEE possibly in the sense of 1. catch a glimpse of (could be unintentional) or 2. observe secretly
ORGAN LOFT
Why doesn’t it work? Looks like a good Crptic Def.
a raised area in a church or concert hall where the organ is and the organist (= organ player) sits
It’s high in a church and the musicians get there to do whatever they have to do.
11dn: I wonder if the use of “persona” is a deliberate reference to the fact that actors in Greek drama at the time of Aristophanes wore masks. The Latin word persona (“through sound”) originally meant that type of mask.
15dn: For oversee, we have
“Observe or catch sight of (a person) without being detected.” (SOED 2007);
Also “to watch secretly or accidentally” (Collins 2023).
[typo PM – 18d OVERSEE – definition “Catch sight of topless“?]
Freudian Slip?
ORGAN LOFT and what they have to do is “get high” to produce their best work…
Thanks PB@8 for OVERSEE, and not Chambers as I predicted.
KVa@7: I think what makes me pause with ORGAN LOFT is the lack of ‘a’ before church. To me ‘in church’ relates more to the service and seems strange when describing a thing in the church, whereas ‘in a church’ would work perfectly well.
Martyn@12
OVERSEE
Both senses I mentioned @7 are found in Collins (didn’t quote the dictionary verbatim, just for a change). Chambers doesn’t give me an exact equivalence between catch sight of and OVERSEE.
ORGAN LOFT
Missing articles are not reported here. Wrong number!
Seriously, setters leave articles out to achieve better surfaces. This happens often.
What FrankieG@11 says adds significant value to the crypticity index.
LONG JOHN SILVER was my FOI (made me smile) and I worked steadily thorough this.
Lots to enjoy including LJS, A SHROPSHIRE LAD, STRAFE, ALEC GUINNESS, CRAVAT
Also didn’t know syrup = wig
Thanks Julius and Pete Maclean
Thanks for the blog, very enjoyable puzzle, all my points have been covered, I try to ignore football but my students always arguing about VAR so I did know that one.
VEDANTA is new to me, a very fair hidden clue, perhaps just a tricky spot in the grid, often occurs in the bottom right corner.
Julius could’ve had VIDENDA (Latin plural of videndum) – “Things to be seen”, “sights”
oed.com says: ‘rare. 1765– With plural agreement. Things worth seeing or which ought to be seen.’
latest citation: ‘1964 Windows averted from plausible videnda but admitting a light one could mend a watch by. W. H. Auden in Listener 1 October’
Fiona, Roz et al!
HEARTHRUG
Are Cockney rhyming slang terms used in day-to-day conversations?
VEDANTA
I think I have seen VEDAS in Azed a couple of times. This is VEDA+ANTA i.e., the last part of the Vedas.
I am agnostic but I read this philosophy now and then and find it fascinating.
In 14a, I have R (runs) & R (right).
Syrup for wig is one of those Cockney rhyming slang bits I’ve heard used, unlike some of the stuff that turns up in crosswords. I’ve worked in London factories, the East End and in Harlow, which is one of the places CRS hung on for longer, as a new town that housed those bombed out of the East End post WWII.
I agreed with the parsing of CRAVAT.
I didn’t find this too challenging.
Thank you to Pete Maclean and Julius.
KVa, I’ve heard Cockney Rhyming Slang used, living and working in London, but it’s mostly gone now, replaced by Multicultural London English (MLE), think London rappers.
KVa I am no expert and some terms have disputed origin but a few terms are certainly used.
Butchers (hook) = look , let’s have a butchers is common.
Loaf (of bread) = head , use your loaf .
Syrup=wig I know from Del-boy in OFAH.
Ruby ( Murray ) = curry , let’s go for a ruby.
Brown bread = dead , half-inch =pinch , pork pies =lies (porkies) .
Crossword favourite – China (plate) = mate ( often pal ) .
Thanks Shanne and Roz!
The other day we had ‘wife’ for ‘trouble’ (trouble and strife?).
And I know Brahms and Liszt (dunno if it is CRS).
I love this stuff.
London rappers: No. I can’t think. No knowledge. Once Roz said
‘my knowledge is sub-zero in this area’ or something similar. 🙂
I can use that expression here.
I’ve also heard/used:
Barnet – Barnet fair – hair
Berk – comes from Berkeley Hunt
Plates – plates of meat – feet
Wife – yes, trouble gets used
Lots for drunk but not sure I’ve heard Brahms and Listz used.
Lots for money but not necessarily CRS but part of the same argot.
Nicker £1 Pony £25, bullseye £50, ton/bill £100, monkey £500, grand £1,000.
Many new ones for me in the lists posted by Roz and Shanne! Thanks.
It’s made two composers get drunk in the East End (7,5) Anto
A very enjoyable breezy puzzle from Julius. ULLAGE, A SHROPSHIRE LAD and LONG JOHN SILVER all made me smile. SOUTHPAW, GOLIATH and ARMY BASE my other faves. No probs with ORGAN LOFT’ whilst I appreciate Martyn’s observation and agree with the interpretation were this to be ‘normal language’, this is a crossword and – although this is a purely cryptic clue with no WP – stray ‘A’s can be misleading. (Though I don’t object to an article as part of the def.) Thanks to all who have contributed Cockneyisms: I’d just add mince pies for eyes.
Thanks Julius and Pete
“aris” is a good one (see Chambers for derivation and definition), but probably crossword fodder only for Cyclops. “boracic” (lint = skint) turned up in a recent Sunday Times puzzle. “Dolly Varden” for garden is in fairly common use, but doesn’t appear in the main dictionaries.
[My parents used to send me up the apples and pears to Bedfordshire, and I vaguely remember boat race for face in an old sexist song “nice ….. shame about the boat race”, but I doubt if either expression is still used.] I liked CRAVAT and ARISTOPHANES and the puzzle as a whole.
Thanks for the blog, dear Pete, and thanks to those who have left a comment.
Although I’m a Sheffielder, I have a fondness for Cockney rhyming slang going back to my time working in a London bank’s dealing room in the 1980s and 90. I claim to be the person who coined Ayrton [Senna] = tenner in about 1987.
A colleague of mine from Scotland had a somewhat tongue-in-cheek book of Glaswegian rhyming slang which included the unforgettable winners [& losers] = troozers.
They just don’t write them like that any more.
Best wishes to all, Rob/Julius
Julius! Thanks for dropping by. I know you always do. Great indeed.
Don’t mind me asking this:
Does SERENGETI work like an indirect anagram? Though the direction
was clear I couldn’t get the cryptic reading right in my head.
6dn: I took “mixed in” as simply representing an overlap between SERENE and GTI. I did not think of it as an anagram at all.
I see that the rhyming slang issue has had a good airing. As has been noted, not all rhyming slang is Cockney in origin, which is why I tend to use the more general term. Incidentally, KVa, I assume that the capital B in Bow in comment 4 was deliberate.
Hi KVa (and Pete).
Insofar as I understand it – and I only compile blocked puzzles – indirect anagrams are very much a no-no in the main dailies.
The intended parsing of SERENGETI was G & T (I used this because I think the ampersand allows for the letters G and T to be used separately) “mixed (in with)” SERENE + I. Obviously I used “mixed” for surface-enhancing cosmetic reasons but I think it just about works (he would say that etc)
SERENGETI
Thanks Julius for your prompt response.
Thanks Pelham@30 for your views as well.
Pelham! I saw GTI coming in the same order and also noticed that
TI outside SERENE (me@4). I was not sure how to make the mix.
All is well that ends with a nice cocktail!
HEARTHRUG
Yes. I was showing off that I knew the Bow-Cockney connection! 🙂
Thanks Julius for an expectedly good crossword with CAPSICUM, SOUTHPAW, ANGST, MOSTLY, and ARISTOPHANES being favourites. Great surfaces throughout. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Thanks Pete and Julius, I have heard your coinage in use. Rhyming slang lives on and develops like any other dialect. I left London a while back but back then it was not uncommon for people to head out for several Nelsons, maybe on a Leo. Really enjoyed the puzzle.
@Gazzh….yep, I myself used to enjoy a few Wackfords – even the odd pint of Winona
These days I get elephant’s / Schindler’s on a couple of Britneys. What The Aylesbury!
AR(R)ISTOPHANES – …totle – bottle – …and glass – arse. [Double CRS encryption, but you end up with something almost the same as what you’re encoding.]