Financial Times 17,847 by GAFF

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A real head scratcher from GAFF.

FF:9 DD:10

I don't know what the anniversary refers to.

ACROSS
1 ANDROMEDA
Mythical princess saved along with city lawyer (9)

AND ( along with ) ROME ( city ) DA ( lawyer )
6 MUSIC
Maybe played character as written (5)

MU ( character ) SIC ( character as written )
9 PLANETS
Aircraft including third-rate bodies (7)

PLANES ( aircraft ) containing T ( raTe, third of )
10 PERFECT
Partly tense is ideal (7)

cryptic def; TENSe ( partly, referring to gymnastics )
11 CELEBRATOR
Party member controversially discarded dismal Liberal Democrats (10)

[ liBERAL dEmOCRaTs ( without letters of DISMAL ) ]*
12 FOOL
Sweet sucker (4)

double def
14 DISGUST
Repel rampaging GIs with veneer of grit (7)

[ GIS ]* in DUST ( grit )
15 AVIATES
Way in crammed with small flies (7)

[ VIA ( way ) in ATE ( crammed ) ] S ( small )
17 MENTHOL
Payment holiday provides means to create breathing space (7)

hidden in "payMENT HOLiday.."
19 ST PAULS
Without charge, pulsations wrecked cathedral (2,5)

[ PULSATionS ]*
20 SASH
Band’s millions from hit (4)

SmASH ( hit, without M – millions )
22 EMBOUCHURE
Trembly hearts cry at river mouth (10)

EMB ( trEMBly , heart of ) OUCH ( cry ) URE ( river ) – didn't know the word and had to get help to solve
25 URINALS
By which men stand inconvenience (7)

cryptic def; CONVENIENCE means a lav

26 TEMPEST
Try to keep politician slightly electable in furore (7)

TEST ( try ) containing [ MP ( politician ) E ( Electable, slightly ) ]
27 BLEAK
Desolate at large content of bill (5)

L ( large ) in BEAK ( bill )
28 MIDWINTER
Clue to National Trusts’s low season (9)

reverse clue; mid of wiNTer = NT ( National Trust )
DOWN
1 ASPIC
Was pictured holding jelly (5)

hidden in " wAS PICtured.."
2 DEADLY SIN
Lady dines struggling with greed, maybe (6,3)

[ LADY DINES ]*
3 OVERBOUGHT
Clear about branch that purchased too much (10)

OVERT ( clear ) around BOUGH ( branch )
4 ENSUANT
Bare foot and suffering sun tan as a result (7)

E [ SUN TAN ]*
5 AMPHORA
Take second pace with door half ajar (7)

definition is only JAR but unable to select that alone on my phone; A ( tAke, second letter ) MPH ( pace ) OR ( doOR, half of ) A ( from Ajar )
6 MARS
Bar one of nine (4)

double def
7 STENO
Shorthand typist extremely nervous of capitals (5)

starting letters of "Shorthand Typist Extremely Nervous Of.."
8 CATALYSTS
Salty Crackers among musical influences (9)

[ SALTY ]* in CATS ( musical )
13 HIPPOCAMPI
Creature affected by second sight areas of the brain (10)

HIPPO ( creature ) CAMP ( affected ) I ( sIght, second letter )
14 DAMP SQUIB
Confused characters in public masquerade are clueless disappointment (4,5)

[ PuBlIc MASQUeraDe ( without letters of "ARE CLUE" ) ]*
16 TRUCULENT
Lorry reader rented sounded harsh (9)

sounds like TRUCK ( lorry ) U ( you, reader ) LENT ( rented )
18 LUMP SUM
Single payment left doubts about empty promises (4,3)

L ( left ) [ UM UM ( doubt ) around PS ( PromiseS, empty ) ]
19 SPOTTED
Slightly rusted saw (7)

double def
21 SUITE
Pieces of furniture (5)

cryptic def?
23 ENTER
Key element of dysentery (5)

hidden in "dysENTERy"
24 HACK
Break in old horse (4)

double def

21 comments on “Financial Times 17,847 by GAFF”

  3. I googled to discover that it is birth of Gustav Holst. There are many references to his works: ADREOMEDA, the PLANETS,PERECT FOOL, SUITE, BLEAKMIDWINTER. He taught MUSIC at ST.PAULS.
    I’m sure I have missed others.

    Thanks to Gaff for a fun puzzle and to Turbolegs for heroically doing the blog without knowing the theme.

  4. Thanks Gaff and Turbolegs

    I saw a different parsing of 10: ‘partly tense’ as pluPERFECT.

    I’m not sure that either is entirely satisfactory.

  5. I am another in the “pluperfect” camp for PERFECT, but I like the TENSe parsing better, I think

    Difficult in spots, with my favourites TRUCULENT, MIDWINTER, BLEAK, and DEADLY SIN

    There were a few unconventional clues that made the puzzle much more difficult which, on balance, I did not really like. I also wonder how many times the word HIPPOCAMPI has been used in real life.

    Am I imagining it, or does Gaff specialise in this sort of commemorative puzzle? Regardless, it as a nice celebration of a fine composer.

    Thanks Gaff and Turbolegs

  7. Holst (1874-1934), CELEBRAT[or]ing a 150th (Sesquicentennial) anniversary… …tomorrow). [In that case, why not run the puzzle tomorrow?]
    Wrote his The PLANETS SUITE between 1914 and 1917, when Pluto (1930-2006) hadn’t been discovered or demoted, and Earth isn’t included.
    So there are only seven, like the DEADLY SINs. (The MARS “bar” clued as “one of nine” is still including Pluto.)
    He was head of music at ST PAUL’S Girls’ School, Hammersmith, and is responsible for the version of In The BLEAK MIDWINTER that I’m familiar with,
    though choirs prefer Darke’s version (nho), apparently.

  8. [Frankie@7: Harold Darke was the examiner when I obtained distinctions in Grade III piano and Grade I violin just over fifty years ago. I sang the tenor solo from his setting of In the Bleak Midwinter in a Christmas concert with Birmingham Festival Choral Society just under twenty years ago.]

  11. Pelham Barton @8 – what a lovely connection!

    I’ve loved Holst’s ‘In the bleak midwinter’ ever since I was a child and only learned Darke’s relatively recently (which is still a fairly long time ago!). I think my choir do prefer it but they’re both lovely.
    Here it is, FrankieG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfqHoX5ycTc

    I enjoyed the puzzle. Many thanks to Gaff and Turbolegs.

  12. [typos: 6a MUSIC – “(sic)” is just “as written”; 22a EMBOUCHURE – the def is just “mouth”.]
    25a URINALS was my FOi, spotting the “tedious” Playtex of “inconvenience”. 21d SUITE was my LOi, spotting the thematic DD (as Petert@2). Liked both.
    4d ENSUANT could have been another Playtex, with “Barefoot”, as 5d AMPHORA is, with “ajar”.
    The L&Ses are good, too: 9a PLANETS “third-rate”; 13d HIPPOCAMPI “second sight”
    Thanks G&T (& Eileen@11)

  16. FrankieG@7 – I expected you to mention the missing planet appearing @6.

    I will go and listen to Bleak Midwinter now

  17. Thanks for the blog, tricky puzzle with many neat and clever clues.
    The ANDROMEDA galaxy will reach peak visibility in November . The furthest object you can see with the naked eye. When the light left Andromeda there were no humans or even Homo Habilis

  18. As soon as we saw the rubric we guessed the anniversary was Holst’s, but it took us a while to spot some of the themed entries, and we struggled with this, needing e-help. And there were several we couldn’t parse. So thanks, Gaff, but thid didn’t float our boat. And thanks, of course, to Turbolegs.

  19. This was to esoteric for me though I did spot some planetary theme without any real understanding. And thank you Turbolegs for what was a very necessary guide for me on the parsing!

  20. While the connection with St Paul’s (where Holst taught) was noted, no one mentioned 19a/21s the ST PAUL’S SUITE, a favourite of string orchestras, and which he wrote for his student orchestra.

    I’m too lazy to look it up, but I thought Pluto was restored as a planet after children the world over complained bitterly.

    Thanks Gaff and Turbolegs for the excellent puzzle and blog.

  21. For a change got the theme which helped complete it… Thought whole crossword was great! Many earworms
    Thank you gaff and TL

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