Financial Times Sunday 83 – World by Sleuth

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The regular geographically themed puzzle. Find it to solve online or download and print at ft.com/crossword or via the FT smartphone app.

The usual preamble:

A cryptic puzzle themed on one particular place in the world. Its name should be inserted at 29 across. Work out the place by solving the * asterisked clues, all undefined. Their solutions have some relevance to the place, such as famous people, locations and culture

I surprised myself by deducing the theme country early, thanks to Baroness Orczy, though I have to admit that several other theme solutions were a real test of my knowledge of Hungary. Several of the non-thematic clues also required a broad general knowledge, as is commonly the case with this setter, but it all made for an enjoyable Sunday morning mental workout.

Thanks, Sleuth!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
9 OPALINE
Work with a narrow band in whitish glass (7)
OP (work) + A + LINE (narrowish band)
10 CSARDAS
* Majority of money to acquire semi-precious stone (7)
Majority of CAS[h] (money) “to acquire” SARD (a reddish brown semi-precious stone)

A csárdás (or czárdás) is a Hungarian folk dance.
11 ORBAN
* River dividing Scottish town (5)
R (river) “dividing” OBAN (Scottish town)

Viktor Orbán has been prime minister of Hungary since 2010.
12 EMMA ORCZY
* Review crazy memo (4,5)
Anagram (review) of CRAZY MEMO

Baroness Orczy, 1865-1947, Hungarian–born novelist most famous for writing The Scarlet Pimpernel.
13 DEBRECEN
* Study about British park close to castle (8)
DEN (study) “about” B (British) + REC (recreation ground = park) + last letter of (close to) castlE

The second-largest city in Hungary.
14 BARTOK
* Save stunning trinket originally from the East (6)
BAR (save) + reversal (from the East) of KO (knockout = stunning) + first letter (originally) of Trinket

Béla Bartók, 1881-1945, Hungarian composer.
16 ROBE
Republican award winner in gown (4)
R (Republican) + OBE (award winner)
18 TOKAY
* Tesla given approval (5)
T (Tesla, derived SI unit of magnetic flux density) + OKAY (approval)

Tokay, more usually spelt Tokaji these days, is a dessert wine from the Hungarian region of the same name.
19 ORFF
Music maker on holiday around end of September (4)
OFF (on holiday) around the last letter of septembeR
23 FORINT
* Supportive purpose? Not half (6)
FOR (supportive) + INT[ent] (purpose, not half)

The currency of Hungary since 1946.
24 IMRE NAGY
* Unconventional gamer in yard (4,4)
Anagram (unconventional) of GAMER IN Y (yard)

Imre Nagy, 1896-1958, Hungarian politician, leader of the 1956 revolution, for which he was sentenced to death two years later.
26 ERNO RUBIK
* Problem with first person in exchange of krone (4,5)
RUB (problem) + I (first person) in an anagram (exchange) of KRONE

Ernő Rubik, Hungarian inventor, most famous for creating Rubik’s Cube.
28 LISZT
* Last character shown in register (5)
Z (last character) in LIST (register)

Franz Liszt, 1811-1886, Hungarian composer and pianist.
29 HUNGARY
[See Notes] (7)
The country to which all asterisk clues refer.
30 REMENYI
* Engineers facing US city institute (7)
REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, maintenance arm of the British Army) + NY (New York = US city) + I (institute)

Ede Reményi, 1828-1898, Hungarian violinist and composer.
DOWN
1 KOMONDOR
* King has award regarding Surrey town (ignoring monarch) (8)
K (king) + OM (order of merit = award) + ON (regarding) + DOR[king] (Surrey town, “ignoring” the monarch)

Breed of large dog, also known as the Hungarian sheepdog.
2 EARBOB
A bore possibly beginning to buy piece of jewellery (6)
Anagram (possibly) of A BORE + first letter of (beginning to) Buy
3 PIONEER
Individual occupying seaside feature is trailblazing figure (7)
ONE (individual) “occupying” PIER (seaside feature)
4 REDEVELOP
Construct new buildings in ground peer loved (9)
Anagram (ground) of PEER LOVED
5 SCAM
Dishonest scheme in politician’s campaign (4)
Hidden in politicianS CAMpaign
6 MAYORAL
Practical lesson about a yen concerning a local politician (7)
MORAL (practical lesson) “about” A + Y (Yen)
7 EDUCATOR
Person in classroom, say, trained our cadet (8)
Anagram (trained) of OUR CADET
8 OSTYAK
East German with prolonged talk in Siberian language (6)
OST (German for east) + YAK (prolonged talk)

This was a jorum for me.
15 CARMAKERS
Mark cares about those furnishing estates etc? (9)
Anagram (about) of MARK CARES
17 BORGNINE
Tennis player in front of square is US actor (8)
BORG (tennis player) + NINE (square [number])
20 FLY STRIP
First ploy, nothing less, to alter adhesive trap (3,5)
Anagram (to alter) of FIRST PLOY less O (nothing)
21 ENTREAT
Implore conservationists to probe a tree in a poor state (7)
NT (National Trust = conservationists) “to probe” an anagram (in a poor state) of A TREE
22 BEDLAMP
Confusion over soft thing useful for nighttime reading (7)
BEDLAM (confusion) + P (piano = instruction to play softly)
23 FLESHY
Portly fighter left with little energy and lacking boldness (6)
F (designation for fighter planes) + L (left) + first letter (little) of Energy + SHY (lacking boldness)
25 ABSENT
A soprano, cracking natural talent, not in attendance (6)
A + S (soprano) “cracking” BENT (natural talent)
27 BAYS
Green material picked up in inlets (4)
Sounds like (picked up) BAIZE (material used to cover snooker tables, which are usually green)

4 comments on “Financial Times Sunday 83 – World by Sleuth”

  1. ORBAN and EMMA ORCZY came to mind very early so HUNGARY was easy. Other Hungarian clues stretched my knowledge almost to breaking point. Still I found the puzzle easier to solve than the dreaded cube.8d was also a jorum for me.
    Thanks to Widdersbel and Sleuth

  3. Great puzzle, had to look up some of the Hungarian ones onces I’d worked them out. Also had to look up earbob which I’d never heard of – and ostyak.

    Can someone please tell me what is meant by “a jorum for me”.
    Thanks

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