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Puzzle from the Weekend FT of April 5, 2025
Ah, a sleek crossword from the ever professional Mudd. My first-in and top favourite is the clever &Lit. at 1a (BORAGE). I note the proximation of SPANKING and BACKSIDE.. My other favourites are 2 (REDACTION), 7 (BREAD), 21 (TERRACE) and 28 (MEDUSA). Thank you, Mudd.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BORAGE |
Some herb or a geranium? The former (6)
|
| Hidden word (some) &LIt. | ||
| 4 | SPACE BAR |
Key in room on counter (5,3)
|
| SPACE (room) + BAR (counter) | ||
| 9 | UNDIES |
Underwear lives again, might one say? (6)
|
| UN-DIES (lives again, one might say) | ||
| 10 | DISCREET |
Diplomatic papers returned, secret out (8)
|
| ID (papers) backwards (returned) + anagram (out) of SECRET | ||
| 12 | BACKSIDE |
Behind, get behind team (8)
|
| BACK (get behind) + SIDE (team) | ||
| 13 | STODGE |
God set to change, is that hard to stomach? (6)
|
| Anagram (to change) of GOD SET | ||
| 15 | NAIL |
Spike scalping slow mover (4)
|
| [s]NAIL (scalping slow mover) | ||
| 16 | TOURNIQUET |
Medical device, unique or otherwise in case of toxicologist (10)
|
| Anagram (otherwise) of UNIQUE OR in (in) T[oxicoligis]T | ||
| 19 | CONSPIRACY |
Criminal’s plagiarism — is that intriguing? (10)
|
| CONS (criminal’s) + PIRACY (plagiarism) | ||
| 20 | PSST |
Infiltrating twerps, stupid attention-seeker? (4)
|
| Hidden word (infiltrating) | ||
| 23 | BITING |
Can eaten by giant, raw (6)
|
| TIN (can) in (eaten by) BIG (giant) | ||
| 25 | REVOLVER |
Spinner’s arm (8)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 27 | RETAINER |
Fee: earner upset with it (8)
|
| Anagram (upset) of EARNER IT | ||
| 28 | MEDUSA |
Country after sea monster (6)
|
| MED (sea) + USA (country) | ||
| 29 | TELEGRAM |
Message carrier holding short poem (8)
|
| ELEG[y] (short poem) in (holding) TRAM (carrier) | ||
| 30 | GROYNE |
Barrier in lap, we hear? (6)
|
| Homophone (we hear) of GROIN (lap) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BOURBON |
Royal line in the drink? (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 2 | REDACTION |
Rare battle in editing process (9)
|
| RED (rare) + ACTION (battle) | ||
| 3 | GREASY |
Slippery lips of gaoler on a piece of cake (6)
|
| G[aole]R + EASY (a piece of cake) | ||
| 5 | PAIN |
Secretary in agony (4)
|
| PA (secretary, i.e. Personal Assistant) + IN (In) | ||
| 6 | COCKTAIL |
Tip last bit in drink (8)
|
| TIP (COCK) + TAIL (last bit) | ||
| 7 | BREAD |
Money the 5 down of Dumas? (5)
|
| Dumas’ bread would be the French word pain | ||
| 8 | RETREAT |
Again, deal with withdrawal (7)
|
| RE (again) + TREAT (deal with) | ||
| 11 | ADJOURN |
Entering Baghdad, journalist put off (7)
|
| Hidden word (entering) | ||
| 14 | CRACKER |
Firework, brilliant thing (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 17 | UNSAVOURY |
Distasteful — sugary then? (9)
|
| Double/cryptic definition | ||
| 18 | SPANKING |
Punishment delivered by hand — absolutely (8)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | CABARET |
Show taxi rank rate (7)
|
| CAB (taxi) + anagram (rank) of RATE | ||
| 21 | TERRACE |
Platform set up in Le Carre trilogy (7)
|
| Reverse (set up) hidden word (in) | ||
| 22 | POSEUR |
Show-off rose up after revolution (6)
|
| Anagram (after revolution) of ROSE UP | ||
| 24 | TOTAL |
Perfect summation (5)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | BETA |
Princess welcoming leader in Thessaloniki, Greek character (4)
|
| T[hesaloniki] in (welcoming) BEA (princess) |
Think this was a bit easier than Mudd’s usual puzzles.
Liked: GROYNE, UNDIES, CONSPIRACY, BOURBON, REDACTION, CABARET, UNSAVOURY
Thanks Mudd and Pete Maclean
And of course the other proximation of CONSPIRACY and PSST.
I have little to add to Pete’s introduction. A few too many double definitions perhaps, but still fun with the Mudd sense of humour. I add TOURNIQUET to Pete’s list of favourites
GROYNE was clearly the word to finish the grid. Thanks for the steer on parsing TELEGRAM. Would someone please explain how tip=cock in 6dn?
Thanks Mudd and Pete
As a so-so-solver, Mudd’s puzzles are usually the right level of difficulty for me, this one is no exception.
Like others, I seemed to see some “linked” couplets….BOURBON COCKTAIL/ BREAD PAIN/ GREASY UNSAVOURY…..but I may be making it up.
The LE CARRE hidden/reversal in 21(d) is joyful.
Entertaining stuff, Mudd & Pete
Thanks for the blog , TOURNIQUET my favourite as well , lots of neat and concise clues . I think UNDIES could have had a different definition , it is essentially the same word .
TIP = TILT = COCK .
Martyn@3 I had to scratch my head, too, for TIP=COCK, but rationalised it from “to cock one’s head”, is to tip it to one side.
I seemed to recognise a few of these clues from quite recently? or am i imagining it?
Mark A @7 Well, quite a few of the solutions are regulars, our new phonetic friend GROYNE (again), RETAINER a few times of late, and the secretary who is in PAIN. The spike that’s a NAIL, too.
The advantage of getting old, like me, is that I could try this puzzle again, next week, and not recognise it.
There may be some common solutions, but I don’t think that setters ever knowingly “copy” the clue formats, themselves.
For example, I set a minimal double-def clue,
TOP GUN (8), recently, i.e. REVOLVER. I would still use it, despite Mudd’s, “spinner’s arm”, which is better, albeit similar.
I haven’t done enough FTs to be familiar with Mudd, but I enjoyed this. It filled a weekend gap after the Guardian Prize was relatively straightforward. I wasted a lot of time on the terrace and was even trying to force “Karla” (a Le Carré trilogy) into the limited space available at one point. Thank you Mudd and Pete.