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Puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 7, 2024
I take it that this puzzle includes many answers relating to the FT’s Weekend Festival of last week but I solved it without drawing on associations from that event.
By some quirk of computering 8d (RHETORIC) does not fully appear in the grid. There was one word I did not know, 2 (ALEXIA). Good for Buccaneer for getting a prompt inclusion of Kamala Harris (1).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | HARRIS |
Pesters cutting English lady seeking the top job (6)
|
| HARRI[e]S (pesters cutting ‘E’) | ||
| 5 | NUGATORY |
To Raygun, dancing is futile (8)
|
| Anagram (dancing) of TO RAYGUN | ||
| 9 | NEWSROOM |
Where stories are written in novel, writing about entertaining AA Milne character (8)
|
| NEW (novel) + ROO (AA Milne character) in SM (writing, i.e. MS for manuscript, backwards) | ||
| 10 | SLAYED |
On the radio, 70s rock band was impressive for Gen Z (6)
|
| Homophone (on the radio) of “slade” (70s rock band) | ||
| 11 | WITH IT |
Comedian has big success following current trends (4,2)
|
| WIT (comedian) + HIT (big success) | ||
| 12 | BOOKSHOP |
Caution and quiet work where you may find 14 or Robert 1 works (8)
|
| BOOK (caution, as in football) + SH (quiet) + OP (work) | ||
| 14 | MICHAEL PALIN |
Travel writer moving around Chile, man touring China and island (7,5)
|
| PAL (china) + I (island) together (touring) in anagram (moving around) of CHILE MAN | ||
| 18 | WES STREETING |
FT contributors blab about cryptic setter and top politician (3,9)
|
| WE (FT contributors) + anagram (cryptic) of SETTER in (about) SING (blab). Wes Streeting serves as the UK’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. | ||
| 22 | STEWARDS |
Worries overwhelming tough cockney match officials (8)
|
| ARD (tough cockney, i.e. ‘ard) in (overwhelming) STEWS (worries) | ||
| 25 | MIMICS |
Puccini part Callas heartlessly mocks (6)
|
| MIMI (Puccini part) + C[alla]s. My thanks to BC for bringing my attention to Mimi in La Bohème. | ||
| 26 | IVANKA |
Trump — a terrible ruler? Okay if avoiding extremes? (6)
|
| IVAN (a terrible ruler – as in The Terrible) + [o]KA[y] | ||
| 27 | ROTUNDAS |
Glum eccentric and old Republican turning round buildings (8)
|
| R (Republican) + NUT (eccentric) in (turning) SAD (glum) | ||
| 28 | CLEANSES |
Purifies 100 illegal drugs, following tips (8)
|
| C (100) + :LEANS (tips) + ES (illegal drugs, i.e. ecstasy) | ||
| 29 | FISCAL |
Khalaf is calling banks about certain revenue (6)
|
| Hidden word (banks) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | ALEXIA |
Online assistant admits current problem with reading (6)
|
| I (current) in (admits) ALEXA (online assistant) | ||
| 3 | REST HOMES |
They care for the old roses, playing with them (4,5)
|
| Anagram (playing) of ROSES THEM | ||
| 4 | SPORTS CAR |
Mark grabbing strong wines and a fast ride (6,3)
|
| PORTS (strong wines) in (grabbing) SCAR (mark) | ||
| 5 | NAMIBIA |
Land revolutionary computer tech article, casing IBM developed (7)
|
| Anagram (developed) of IBM in AI (revolutionary) + AN (article) with AI (computer tech) backwards (revolutionary) | ||
| 6 | GUSTO |
Blow on starter of onion relish (5)
|
| GUST (blown) + O[nion] | ||
| 7 | TRANS |
Schools ignoring one gender identity (5)
|
| TRA[i]NS (schools ignoring ‘I’) | ||
| 8 | RHETORIC |
Tips from raffish, eloquent orator, iconic in verbal art (8)
|
| R[affish]H E[loquen]T O[rato]R I[coni]C | ||
| 13 | KIP |
Prance topless and have a doze (3)
|
| [s]KIP (prance topless) | ||
| 15 | LEITMOTIF |
Allowed to pen one French word, providing common phrase (9)
|
| I (one) in (to pen) LET (allowed) + MOTIF (French word) | ||
| 16 | ARGUMENTS |
A king, with courage, hosting fellows in spats (9)
|
| A (a) + R (king) + MEN (fellows) in (hosting) GUTS (courage) | ||
| 17 | FESTIVAL |
FT’s involved with a live, fun event (8)
|
| Anagram (involved) of FTS A LIVE | ||
| 19 | TEA |
What’s kept warm in cosy coat for teenage American (3)
|
| T[eenag]E + A (American) | ||
| 20 | ENSURES |
Guarantees sense after rewriting lines you are texting (7)
|
| Anagram (after rewriting) of SENSE + U R (lines “you are” texting) | ||
| 21 | SCHAMA |
Contemporary historian caught interrupting fake answer (6)
|
| C (caught) in (interrupting) SHAM (fake) + A (answer) | ||
| 23 | WONKA |
Political obsessive with a role for Timothée Chalamet (5)
|
| WONK (political obsessive) + A (a) | ||
| 24 | ROAMS |
Horny males ringing old phones when abroad, perhaps (5)
|
| O (old) in (ringing) RAMS (horny males) |
Thanks Buccaneer and Pete
9ac: SM is MS (manuscript = writing) reversed
21dn: The parsing is missing the final A (answer).
2dn is I in ALEXA.
I had two ticks this week – IVANKA and WITH IT.
I almost did not do this. My first solves were peoples names, and I did not expect a puzzle listing the speakers at a conference would be much fun. Happily, I had another look on Sunday, and realized peoples’ names were actually few are far between.
I had the same parsing as PB@1 for NEWSROOM. ALEXEI was new to me too, and you have a typo in the blog for 2dn, Pete. I vaguely remembered Slade, but I cannot say I remember their music. I was glad to see I got BOOK right in 12ac. And what sports has matches and calls its officials STEWARDS? The only sports I can think of (horse, car & bike racing and rowing at Henley) do not hold matches. I am sure someone will have the answer.
Thanks Buccaneer and Pete
I did check to see the links to the FT festival and MICHAEL PALIN, WES STREETING and SIMON SCHAMA were all speaking there, as answers to clues, as was ROBERT HARRIS (part of one of the clues).
Thank you to Buccaneer and Pete Maclean
Thanks Buccaneer and Pete.
5d NAMIBIA
Read it as revolutionary (AI+AN) casing IBM*
In all probability, the blogger wanted to say the same thing.
Thanks for the blog , good set of clues and IVANKA was outstanding.
I have learnt that Alexa is one of those things that people have at home to spy on them .
I did manage to keep (and find) my copy of the puzzle this week. – another lovely one from Buccaneer.
My favourites were HARRIS (congrats for being quick on the ball, Buccaneer), MICHAEL PALIN (he is a favourite of mine!), WES STREETING (again for the topicality, ALEXIA, REST HOMES, ARGUMENTS (for the construction and the spats ) and FESTIVAL, for the surface and statement of the theme.
Many thanks to Buccaneer and to Pete.
Thanks Buccaneer and PM
Martyn @ 3 There are stewards at cricket matches, and possibly rugby too.
For 11a WITH IT, the definition should be “following current trends” — a very ’60s expression, and not very “with it” these days. Oed.com dates it as ‘1931–‘,
and here’s a typical quote: ‘1960 The new Time and Tide, to borrow the language of the teen-ager, is ‘with it’. Guardian 9 December 13′
… Oed.com also has WITH-IT, hypenated, as an adjective: ‘slang. 1962– Fashionable, up-to-date.
1962 Curtain designs for the really with-it ‘contemporary home’. Listener 29 November 909′
Remembered Mudd set the equivalent puzzle last year. Checked the cast list and was disappointed Kamala wasn’t there (just Robert).
No IVANKA, either, but ‘IVA GumNishKA, Founder of Humans in the Loop’ was close but no cigar.
This guy was there though.
Interesting point Simon@8. In cricket, one normally thinks of officials as being umpires, scorers, and (in top level cricket) the match referee. However, SOED 2007 p 1988 gives us official noun 3 “A person holding public office; a person having official duties”, with the illustrative quote “Officials … sat at a table examining tickets.” (ellipsis in the dictionary) That definition would appear to fit stewards.
PB @ 12 Yes, that’s where I was coming from – officials don’t just have to be involved in running the game.
And I’ve just checked with my wife, who is a rider. Officials at (horse) racecourses are also called stewards.
I very much like the idea of ‘with it’ being out of date.
I agree with Martyn , the clue says ” match officials ” which has a very specific meaning , referees , umpires and various third/fourth etc using technology . None of these are stewards .
In horse racing the stewards are very important for discipline but horse racing is not a match .
Roz@15: I accept that the phrase match officials can take a very specific meaning, but it can also take any meaning that can be made up sensibly from the individual words. Perhaps a good analogy would be German shepherd, which is defined in the usual dictionaries as an Alsatian dog, but can also mean a shepherd who is of German nationality.
Nice puzzle. Enjoyed 24d
In 10A how does “impressive for Gen Z” fit in? – the only one I didn’t finish.
Collins dictionary tells me that “slayed” is a slang term meaning to impress or amuse greatly.
Well, thanks Pete!