Financial Times 17,707 by Buccaneer

14 comments on “Financial Times 17,707 by Buccaneer”

1. Thanks Buccaneer and Pete!
   A fine puzzle and a neat blog!

   Liked ACCUSATIVE, IN GOOD NICK and IMPLORE.

   ACID DROP
   I think ‘DROP ACID’ is one single expression meaning ‘to take drug’

2. IN GOOD NICK
   Could be read as one def and one CD
   def 1:Fit
   def 2/CD: happy prisoner here?

3. I agree that this was far from easy.

   I did not have any favourites this week – not necessarily because I did not enjoy it, but possibly because my brain was labouring so hard that it did not have the energy required to assign ticks.

   Pete, I had a different parsing of INDEFINITE. In my version, the definition is “Like some articles”, and the parsing is DE (from French) bores INFINITE (going on for ever).

   My notes say that IN GOOD NICK does not work, but reading it again I think it is OK as I saw the parsing suggested by KVa@2. As to GITE – as you wrote it is a French word, and I wonder whether we should have expected an indicator to that effect? I know someone will quote Chambers at me, but I can only find reference to CLIP as being an article cut out of a paper or magazine, not an item put in one. And I had the same parsing as you, Pete, for 3. But I have no idea how “In store appropriate” defines SHOPLIFT.

   A few new words for me, including GITE, TOPE to mean heavy drink, MUGWORT (I imagine some exotic-looking plant deep in an English oak forest) and ACID DROP.

   Thanks to Buccaneer for a tough but ultimately enjoyable puzzle, and thanks to Pete for a great blog.

4. Martyn @3 – appropriate can also mean steal or take, so stealing in store is shoplifting.

   I read the “say” in the GARY Player clue as indicating a definition by example – so he is a golfer, but one of many, say. And IN GOOD NICK as a double definition – a happy prisoner is in a good nick, and something fit and well ditto, as does KVa at 2

   Thank you to Pete Maclean and Buccaneer.

5. INDEFINITE
   Martyn@3
   Parsed it as you did.

   SHOPLIFT
   I see that Shanne has explained it already.

6. Of course, appropriate can mean steal! What a dope I am for missing that. Thanks Shanne@4.

7. Thanks for a great blog, a super puzzle with high quality throughout, clever and neat wordplay.
   GARY – I agree that say is not really needed bacause it is a specific Player ( as name ) unless there have been other golfers named Player? Very clever hiding of the capital P for this clue.
   I took INDEFINITE the same way as Martyn@3 , CLIP and magazine refer to a gun in this usage.

8. MUGWORT – Weed is a bit harsh , although I would not want it in my garden , the name is used for many types of Artemesia and with many uses. Can be eaten , medical uses and even absinthe.

9. GARY – Player of golf, say – Other GARYs playing other sports are available – Lineker of football, say.

10. I’m another who parsed INDEFINITE as per Martyn @3. However, Martyn, with regard to MUGWORT and (I imagine some exotic-looking plant deep in an English oak forest), we don’t tend to do that much in the way of exotic-looking over here – and we have fewer oak forests than we used to. It’s actually of rather bland appearance but Roz is right, it has been used in many ways including to make beer. Apart from those highlighted by others, GLOCKENSPIEL made me laugh.

    Thanks Buccaneer and Pete M

11. Well I finished this after some effort; my first completed for a while. I didn’t understand all the answers until reading Pete’s blog, but if Pete found it hard I’m well chuffed anyway to have done so.

12. Lovely puzzle.

    My favourites were GARY, ANTIPODE, SHOPLIFT (always love that use of ‘appropriate’), ACCUSATIVE (a great example of a cryptic definition), IN GOOD NICK, where I’m with KVa and Shanne and – with PostMark -GLOCKENSPIEL.

    Many thanks to Buccaneer and Pete.

13. A bit chewy in places but we finished in one session without help so wouldn’t say it was particularly difficult, although it took a while for the penny to drop for 1ac. Also, we found 24ac ambiguous until confirmed by crossing letters.
    Thanks, Buccaneer and Pete

14. Very nice puzzle. I blundered with acid trip as if the cycling preferred to being on a trip, never quite getting why it was sweet.

    Pete,

    I think you left out the “a” in 9D with “way to open account” being the separate indicator.

    Thanks to all involved.

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