Puzzle from the Weekend FT of January 15, 2025
Here we have another fine crossword from Ms Klebb. My first-in was 13 (POLITESSE) and I finished quickly with 27 (PALLIATE) my last entry. There are two words that are new to me: MEPHITIC and CASCARA. My favourites are 10 (TANNIN), 15 (QUAGMIRES) and 21a (CLEVER). Thank you, Rosa.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MADHOUSE |
Spooner’s kept rodent in state of confusion (8)
|
| Spoonerism of “had mouse” (kept rodent) | ||
| 5 | CHAT UP |
Try to seduce male in field after tea (4,2)
|
| CHA (tea) + TUP (male in field) | ||
| 9 | MEPHITIC |
Noxious international politician in charge following success (8)
|
| MEP (international politician) + HIT (success) + IC (in charge) | ||
| 10 | TANNIN |
Element of wine, striking but lacking finish (6)
|
| TANNIN[g] (striking but lacking finish) | ||
| 12 | LOOSE |
Unattached ladies perhaps seen half-cut (5)
|
| LOO (ladies perhaps) + SE[en] | ||
| 13 | POLITESSE |
Chivalry of old captured in rambling epistles (9)
|
| O (old) in anagram (rambling) of EPISTLES | ||
| 14 | MANQUE |
Some German queens with unfulfilled potential (6)
|
| Hidden word (some) | ||
| 16 | EXCITED |
Conservative dons left in high spirits (7)
|
| C (conservatve) in (dons) EXITED (left) | ||
| 19 | PAYSAGE |
Talk about green landscape (7)
|
| YAP (talk) backwards (about) + SAGE (green). ‘Paysage’ is the French word for landscape and it also appears in English dictionaries. | ||
| 21 | CLEVER |
Extremely cool, always smart (6)
|
| C[oo]L + EVER (always) | ||
| 23 | CHARMLESS |
Companion without weapon is unappealing (9)
|
| CH (companion, i.e. of honour) + ARMLESS (without weapon) | ||
| 25 | GECKO |
Lizard and parrot caught following tip from gardener (5)
|
| G[ardener] + homophone (caught) of “echo” (parrot) | ||
| 26 | ORDURE |
Initially censor word, pure filth (6)
|
| [w]ORD + [p]URE | ||
| 27 | PALLIATE |
Dull mate selling online boomerangs (8)
|
| PAL (mate) + E-TAIL (selling online) backwards (boomerangs) | ||
| 28 | SOREST |
Most painful resolution kept by drunkard (6)
|
| RES (resolution) in (kept by) SOT (drunkard) | ||
| 29 | DAUGHTER |
Exercise hurt aged relative (8)
|
| Anagram (exercise) of HURT AGED | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MUMBLE |
Mutter of medic bitten by quadruped (6)
|
| MB (medic) in (bitten by) MULE (quadruped) | ||
| 2 | DIPLOMACY |
Sensitivity of unusually myopic lad (9)
|
| Anagram (unusually) of MYOPIC LAD | ||
| 3 | ON ICE |
Nothing pleasant pending (2,3)
|
| O (nothing + NICE (pleasant) | ||
| 4 | STIPPLE |
Small drink for Dot (7)
|
| S (small) + TIPPLE (drink) | ||
| 6 | HEARTACHE |
Anguish of judge with facial hair (9)
|
| HEAR (judge) + TACHE (facial hair) | ||
| 7 | TONGS |
Grasping instrument, start to tackle song cycles (5)
|
| T[ackle] + ONGS (song cycles) | ||
| 8 | PINHEADS |
Idiots hand pies out (8)
|
| Anagram (out) of HAND PIES | ||
| 11 | BLUE |
Sad bachelor, regularly ill-used (4)
|
| B (bachelor) + [i]LL[l]U[s]E[d] | ||
| 15 | QUAGMIRES |
Meeting to probe paper jams (9)
|
| AGM (meeting) in (to probe) QUIRES (paper) | ||
| 17 | TRENCHANT |
Pointed at first to rear entrance (9)
|
| T[o] R[ear] + ENCHANT (entrance) | ||
| 18 | SPECIOUS |
Copies crazy American, plausible but wrong (8)
|
| Anagram (crazy) of COPIES + US (American) | ||
| 20 | EVEN |
Square divisible by two (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | CASCARA |
Help with stool in Erica’s caravan (7)
|
| Hidden word (in). Cascara is a laxative. | ||
| 22 | NO FEAR |
Certainly not changing forename without me! (2,4)
|
| Anagram (changing) of FORENA[me] | ||
| 24 | ALDER |
Channel Island’s five leaders birch relative (5)
|
| ALDER[ney] | ||
| 25 | GULAG |
Prison uniform left covered in crack (5)
|
| U (uniform) + L (left) together in GAG (crack) |
I found this relatively straightforward with nicely crafted clues. My only tick this week was ON ICE.
I am obviously not as knowledgeable as Pete. For me there were far too many unknown words.
Thanks Rosa Klebb and Pete
Lovely puzzle from Rosa, as always. Lots of French words here today – grist for my mill, at least! I do feel everything was fairly clued, anyhow, including the unknown (and amusing) CASCARA. And plenty of smooth surfaces which we’ve come to associate with this setter.
I liked ON ICE – as did Martyn – PAYSAGE, TANNIN, STIPPLE and QUAGMIRES.
Thanks to Rosa and Pete.
I enjoyed this, despite my NHO list approaching the legal limit … POLITESSE, MEPHITIC, CASCARA, PALLIATE, PAYSAGE, ORDURE. Had to look up the Channel Islands.
Thanks Rosa for a superb crossword. Having this puzzle coincide with an Arachne prize on the same day in the Guardian is a true harmonic convergence. My list of ticks includes MADHOUSE, TANNIN, MANQUE, EXCITED, ORDURE, DAUGHTER, DIPLOMACY, and TONGS. I revealed the nho PAYSAGE and I couldn’t parse TRENCHANT but neither of these stumbles ruined the joy. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Lovely puzzle – great surfaces as usual and finished on Saturday morning (unlike the Arachne prize in the Guardian – but will persevere)
Favourites included: GECKO, TONGS, EXCITED, PALLIATE, QUAGMIRES
Not heard of MEPHITIC, MANQUE or PAYSAGE but got them from the wordplay. DId not parse TRENCHANT.
Thanks Rosa Klebb and Pete Maclean
Thanks for the blog, so many neat and clever clues , I will not add to the lists above .
Maybe CHARMLESS could have referenced certain decay modes of b-baryons .
We did indeed have a lovely double treat on Saturday.
My favourites here were MADHOUSE, POLITESSE, ORDURE, DAUGHTER, SPECIOUS and CASCARA ( I don’t know how I knew this but I loved the surface of the clue!).
Many thanks to Rosa and Pete.
I knew CASCARA too, when I checked just now, I knew that it’s gentler than senna, so I must have read up on it before. POLITESSE, PAYSAGE and MEPHITIC I’ve read, realised PALLIATE was the verb connected with palliative care, so wasn’t too thrown by the vocabulary.
Lovely to see Rosa Klebb and Arachne setting on the same day.
Thank you to Rosa Klebb and Pete.
I don’t suppose that they make a bumper sticker with “I love Rosa Klebb” on it, but I would buy one.
The customary faultless clue construction, and entertaining surfaces.
Unusually, though, quite a few entries on my WHY LIST, including MEPHITIC/MANQUE/PAYSAGE/CASCARA et al.
A tribute to the setting that I found them.
Cheers, Ms K & Mr Maclean
Roz@6: not being familiar with the habits of b-baryons, I’m afraid that CHARMLESS for me brought memories of Norman Stanley Fletcher dissing some other inmate of Slade Prison.
HEARTACHE took a while until I realised that in this clue ACHE did not equal anguish. I don’t really need to say I enjoyed it, do I?
Gladys @10 it was Mr Mackay who was a “charmless Celtic nerk” .
Decay modes of the B-Baryons , missing out the Charm quarks , are the probable reason for the imbalance between matter and anti-matter .
Top notch stuff from Sarah! In James’s absence it was good to see two crosswords from her.
Four across words were NHO for me and I got them all from the clues (great work Rosa!)