Puzzle from the Weekend FT of December 7, 2024
Here we go with the first edition of this blog to be published at Sunday midnight. I found Rosa’s puzzle to be on the difficult end of the spectrum so got a little stressed about getting it done on time. My favourites are 13 (PROSTHESIS), 19 (CHASSEUR) and 27 (SAINTLY)
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | TIDDLY |
Tight pocket (6)
|
| Double definition with the second referring to ‘pocket’ as an adjective meaning small (as in a pocketbook) | ||
| 4 | ECHOLESS |
Unresponsive bureaucrats in Brussels, miserable place with empty suits (8)
|
| EC (bureaucrats in Brussels) + HOLE (miserable place) + S[uit]S | ||
| 10 | UNSCREW |
Open University’s accepting new group (7)
|
| N (new) in U (university) + S (‘s) + CREW (group) | ||
| 11 | CAFFEIN |
Murderer tackling blind partner about stimulant (7)
|
| EFF (blind partner) backwards (about) in (tackling) CAIN (murderer) with the partners being the phrase “eff and blind”.meaning to use obscene language).. I am used to this stimulant being spelled ‘caffeine’ but the dictionary confirms that CAFFEIN is a proper alternative. | ||
| 12 | CURB |
Vicious dog with black muzzle (4)
|
| CUR (vicious dog) + B (black) | ||
| 13 | PROSTHESIS |
Sister hops, breaking wooden leg? (10)
|
| Anagram (breaking) of SISTER HOPS | ||
| 16 | TUNDRA |
Flipping tough Cockney in Arctic region (6)
|
| ‘ARD NUT (tough Cockney) backwards (flipping) | ||
| 17 | DRAWERS |
Red-raw bum, sore at first in pants (7)
|
| Anagram (bum) of RED RAW + S[ore] | ||
| 20 | BLIGHTY |
Disease unknown in England (7)
|
| BLIGHT (disease) + Y (unknown) | ||
| 21 | ELVISH |
Mischievous celebrity often impersonated husband (6)
|
| ELVIS (celebrity often impersonated) + H (husband) | ||
| 24 | REDUNDANCY |
Dismissal of communist united careless cadre in French city (10)
|
| RED (communist) + U (united) + D (careless cadre) in NANCY (French city) | ||
| 25 | WHYS |
Auditor’s sensible explanations (4)
|
| Homophone (auditors) of “wise” (sensible) | ||
| 27 | SAINTLY |
Foxy nurses aren’t commonly angelic (7)
|
| AINT (aren’t commonly) in (nurses) SLY (foxy) | ||
| 29 | RESTORE |
Give back part of forest — or else! (7)
|
| Hidden word (part of) | ||
| 30 | SWEARING |
Finally confesses, in bad language (8)
|
| [confesse]S + WEARING (in) | ||
| 31 | PRATER |
Wally regularly hears gossip (6)
|
| PRAT (wally) + [h]E[a]R[s] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | TRUNCATE |
Cut short King Canute, rambling after time (8)
|
| T (time) + anagram (rambling) of R (king) CANUTE | ||
| 2 | DISGRUNTLED |
Unhappy policemen managed to put on gruff expression (11)
|
| DIS (policemen) + GRUNT (gruff expression) + LED (managed) | ||
| 3 | LORY |
Student oddly ignored poorly parrot (4)
|
| L (student, i.e. learner) + [p]O[o]R[l]Y | ||
| 5 | COCKSURE |
Swaggering Spooner’s hair restorative (8)
|
| Spoonerism of “shock cure” (hair restorative) | ||
| 6 | OFF THE WALL |
Eccentric aristo first to back hack completely (3,3,4)
|
| TOFF (aristo) with the ‘T’ (first) moved to the back + HEW (hack) + ALL (completely) | ||
| 7 | EYE |
Observe butts of fine Malmsey here (3)
|
| [fin]E [malmse]Y [her]E | ||
| 8 | SANEST |
Most sensible Christian soldiers retreat (6)
|
| SA (Christian soldiers, i.e. Salvation Army) + NEST (retreat) | ||
| 9 | DWARF |
Small factor in hybrid warfare (5)
|
| Hidden word (factor in) | ||
| 14 | STRAIGHT-OUT |
Frank caught lost hawk (8-3)
|
| Homophone (caught) of “stray tout” (lost hawk). My thanks to BC for helping me parse this one. | ||
| 15 | PROGENITOR |
Harry on ego trip, beginning to repudiate parent (10)
|
| Anagram (harry) of ON EGO TRIP + R[epudiate] | ||
| 18 | STEADY ON |
Keep calm about supporting regular boyfriend? (6,2)
|
| STEADY (regular boyfriend) + ON (about) | ||
| 19 | CHASSEUR |
Charles regrets mounting hunter (8)
|
| CHAS (Charles) + RUES (regrets) backwards (mounting) | ||
| 22 | CRISES |
Carbon increases emergencies (6)
|
| C (carbon) + RISES (increases) | ||
| 23 | SCURF |
Sons almost eliminate fine dandruff (5)
|
| S (sons) + CUR[e] (almost eliminate) + F (fine) | ||
| 26 | USER |
One enjoying American beer, half-cut (4)
|
| US (American) + [be]ER | ||
| 28 | IRE |
Boundless alarm and anger (3)
|
| [s]IRE{n] (boundless alarm) |
Favourites included UNSCREW, BLIGHTY, WHYS, RESTORE, EYE, and DWARF.
DNK pocket to mean small, eff’n blind or CAFFEIN spelling, aristo, and did not parse STRAIGHT OUT. So thanks Pete for the assist.
Rosa Klebb puzzles are always great, this one included. Excellent blog too. Thanks RK and Pete.
[10a UNSCREW: University’s = U’S; accepting new = U(N)S… — 2d DISGRUNTLED: …managed = LED]
Liked PROSTHESIS, OFF THE WALL and STRAIGHT-OUT.
DISGRUNTLED
DIS LED puts on GRUNT—>A wears B inside rather than outside. We have seen such clues
recently elsewhere. Curious to know how this device works.
DWARF
I thought…
def: small
factor-hidden indicator
Thanks Rosa Klebb and Pete.
For 2d DISGRUNTLED took “managed to put on gruff expression” as “managed with gruff expression put on top of it”
I’m with KVa for DWARF.
New word for me SCURF but guessed correctly. Be careful to not get any scurf on yur scarf
Thanks Rosa, that was a delight with ECHOLESS, PROSTHESIS, ELVISH, REDUNDANCY (liked careless cadre), SAINTLY, OFF THE WALL, and STRAIGHT-OUT being my top picks. I guessed TIDDLY, not knowing either definition as well as PRATER, not knowing wally = prat. Thanks Pete for explaining.
Having happily learned of the new blog time for Saturday’s puzzle. I promptly forgot all about it! Anyway, thanks for the blog, Pete. Much appreciated.
I agreed with Frankie@2 and KVa re DWARF.
A number of those I liked are already mentioned so I’ll just add CHASSEUR and COCKSURE for being a great Spoonerism.
Lovely puzzle from Rosa Klebb as always and especially good to have it to solve on a very wet and miserable Saturday.
I got all but two on that morning and finally got USER and PRATER (lovely word) on Sunday morning when I returned to it.
My favourites included: CHASSEUR, BLIGHTY, REDUNDANCY, TRUNCATE, COCKSURE
Thanks Rosa Klebb and Pete Maclean
Surprised to catch sight of a blog this morning when I thought I had all week to do the puzzle! Was the change in timing announced last week, when I was fully occupied all weekend with our Christmas Tree Festival – and missed the Julius blog?
Anyway, I’ve just finished this one now and enjoyed it just as much as ever. I’ll go along with Tony Santucci’s favourites, with Diane’s additions, plus one of my own, TRUNCATE, for the nod to Julius. 😉
Many thanks to Rosa and Pete.
@9
First paragraph of last week’s Saturday FT indicated the change.
I was going to add a separate announcement but 26 hours without electricity kinda scuppered my plans.
No Rushin’ through this one, and no shoe-in, either.
A superb array of clues, so good that I’ve printed a second copy, to tackle again in a few months, when I will have forgotten everything. ( These days, a week will probably suffice ).
Villain of the piece was the best clue on the board…ELVISH.
I slapped in ELFISH and failed to re-visit it. Doh.
Brilliant job, Ms. Klebb. + thanks to Mr. Maclean
Thanks Ken @10. No wonder I missed it. Sorry you’ve been having a hard time!
Nice puzzle. OFF THE WALL was my favourite.
So this did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. Thank you for the corrections. Just a typo in the case of DISGRUNTLED but real flaws in the case of DWARF and UNSCREW.
I haven’t seen a Rosa Klebb puzzle for ages (fortunately Arachne appeared recently in the Grauniad) so I was more than pleased to see this one. Another cracking puzzle from one of my favourite compilers.
Excellent!