Financial Times 17,861 by SLORMGORM

by

SLORMGORM kicks off the week…

Apologies for the lateness of this blog…

A very neat and satisfactory puzzle, as one expects from this setter, and with a clear theme! 9d made me chuckle.

Thanks SLORMGORM!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
7. A shade of trumpery ultimately seen in US jail (4)
CYAN

[trumper]Y (ultimately) seen in CAN (US jail)

8. Doctor subtotals around lunchtime for Trump, perhaps (10)
ABSOLUTIST

(SUBTOTALS)* (*doctor) around I (lunchtime, 1 o'clock)

10. Like ‘most’ ballot boxes marine left by news chief (6)
SEALED

SEA (marine) + L (left) by ED (news chief)

11. The Spanish notice blunders in political event (8)
ELECTION

EL (the, Spanish) + (NOTICE)* (*blunders)

12. Breaking up can be brilliant (8)
SMASHING

Double definition

13. Taking the mickey when Trump loses lead is comforting (6)
EASING

[t]EASING (taking the mickey, when T[rump] (lead) loses)

15. Protest familiar Republican getting into office (13)
DEMONSTRATION

DEMON (familiar) + (R (republican) getting into STATION (office))

18. Conflict with South coming to a Western capital (6)
WARSAW

WAR (conflict) with S (south) coming to A + W (western)

20. Fed up with vacuous Trump’s flipping work? No further comment! (4,4)
FULL STOP

FULL (fed up) with (T[rump]S (vacuous))< (<flipping) + OP (work)

22. She lost race? Bit of anxiety in capital of Georgia (8)
ATALANTA

A[nxiety] (bit of) in ATLANTA (capital of Georgia)

24. Former First Family makes you head to Antifa marches (6)
TRAMPS

TRUMPS (former First Family, makes U (you), A[ntifa] (head to))

25. Old fellow with weapon could cause World War Three? (10)
ARMAGEDDON

(AGED (old) + DON (fellow)) with ARM (weapon)

26. Foolish type in conservative group (4)
CLOT

C (conservative) + LOT (group)

DOWN
1. Software in my iPad here gets hacked (10)
HYPERMEDIA

(MY IPAD HERE)* (*gets hacked)

2. Mostly not certain about a southern male in US government (5,3)
UNCLE SAM

(UNCLEA[r] (not certain, mostly) about S (southern)) + M (male)

3. Old spiritual leader good with Harris incensed leaders (6)
GANDHI

G (good) + AND (with) + H[arris] I[ncensed] (leaders)

4. Mix or leave a juice (4,4)
ALOE VERA

(OR LEAVE A)* (*mix)

5. In the end, riots will follow panic in American regions (6)
STATES

[riot]S (in the end) will follow STATE (panic)

6. A stink about Stone’s first court decree (4)
ASBO

(A + BO (stink)) about S[tone] (first)

9. In hearing, as is Donald Trump’s trickery? (7,2,4)
SLEIGHT OF HAND

"slight of hand" = SLEIGHT OF HAND (as is Donald Trump, "in hearing")

14. Idiot close to politician in race loves pressure (10)
NINCOMPOOP

[politicia]N (close to) + IN + COMP (race, as in competition) + OO (loves) + P (pressure)

16. Contrary Don, not Dem, got in? Ruddy upset, of course! (2,6)
NO WONDER

([d]ON (not D (Dem)))< (<contrary) + WON (got in) + (RED)< (ruddy, <upset)

17. Position taken by one close to falsification case (8)
INSTANCE

STANCE (position) taken by (I (one) + [falsificatio]N (close to))

19. Muslim leader left America, returning to meet Brown (6)
SULTAN

(L (left) + US (America))< (<returning) to meet TAN (brown)

21. Fast to welcome a Democrat (finally!) with hidden potential (6)
LATENT

LENT (fast) to welcome (A + [democra]T (finally))

23. A despicable type in the ascendant? I’m outta here! (2-2)
TA-RA

(A + RAT (despicable type))< (<in the ascendant)

15 comments on “Financial Times 17,861 by SLORMGORM”

  1. Thanks Teacow and Slormgorm.
    9D made me smile too!
    Please US voters, don’t do anything stupid again…!

  2. A good start to the week with a variety of clever clues, although the theme was less attractive .
    I refreshed my memory of ATALANTA and her race with Hippomenes. You always learn something from these puzzles.

    Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow.

  3. Can’t think of a worse topic for a theme or a more undeserving candidate than the Orangeman. And it wasn’t a ghost theme that could be missed like Coldplay.
    Had to content myself with refreshing my memory about 22a ATALANTA and her Calydonian boar hunt.
    (It was misspelt twice as Caledonian, but someone has just now helpfully fixed that.)
    [Edit: SM@2 – Great minds, eh?]

  5. A nicely crafted puzzle with plenty of digs at the boorish oaf across the pond. Won’t it be nice when, one day, he sinks from relevance.

    Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow

  6. As Teacow wrote, a nicely constructed puzzle. SLEIGHT OF HAND made me smile too. What also made me smile is we are supposed to know ATALANTA, yet apparently need a US indicator for “can”. Our setters need to get out a bit more

    Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow

  7. Thanks Slormgorm. Theme aside, this was pleasant with ELECTION, ATALANTA, ARMAGEDDON, and NO WONDER being favourites. Thanks Teacow for the blog.
    [TripleJumper @1: No matter how Americans vote this time the result will be ‘stupid again’.]

  8. 2d UNCLE SAM – “Mostly not certain about a southern male in US government (5,3)”
    If the parse is UNCLE(S)A[r]+M, then I find the “a” in the clue egregious and annoying (like Trump).
    Maybe it’s UNCLE[ar] = “Mostly not certain”; AS< = "about a southern"; M (male).
    PostMark@5 – One can but hope.
    Thanks S&T

  9. I felt the same about 2d, FrankieG but you can read ‘a southern’ as ‘one S’, so ‘unclea’ about a single S. Nevertheless the ‘a’ is not necessary for the surface so I’m ‘unclear’ why Slormgorm put it in. Not sure that 13a works either but nobody else has commented.

  10. EASING
    Hovis@9
    Agree.
    UNCLE SAM
    I just ignored the ‘a’ and parsed as the blogger did. Mostly—>remove the last letter. If the setter wants us to remove more letters, that’s unconventional. Of course, there is no hard and fast rule.
    LATENT
    The def should include the ‘with’, I think.

  11. LATENT
    An alternative parse: Hidden and Potential could be considered as two defs (both adj).
    Maybe better than ‘with hidden potential’, which is more like LATENTly.

  12. TripleJumper: I’m with you! Harris for President! I loved the way this puzzle made fun of the orange Man.

  13. Agree on 13A. As someone on the other side of the pond I fear that one can ever underestimate the intelligence of the American electorate. The problem for Harris is that the Vice President over here does nothing. Unless the President can no longer serve the VP is just a glorified errand boy. As such, despite her statements otherwise, she has no accomplishments to point to and the election comes down to a referendum on Trump. Half the country likes him and half doesn’t and this election could go either way. The saddest part is that in a country of almost 350 million people these are the best two candidates we could come up with.

  14. Fantastic puzzle. I’m American and the topic of this dangerous boor lying his way into the presidency makes me wince outwardly. But at least the puzzle gave a few smiles while we sit and see and pray.

  15. Thanks Slormgorm and Teacow. Seeing the theme, I solved this in record time except for ASBO which I didn’t know. Jay@13, agree. (VP also can’t stake out independent positions on issues while working under the President.) SLEIGHT OF HAND is most apt and a clever clue. I knew ATALANTA from long ago – Francis Bacon recounted the story in “Of the Wisdom of the Ancients.”

Comments are closed.