As usual, the first Sunday of the month brings us the FT’s geographically themed puzzle. Find it to solve online or download and print at ft.com/crossword
The puzzle opens with the usual preamble:
A cryptic puzzle themed on one particular place in the world. Its name should be inserted at 23 across. Work out the place by solving the * asterisked clues. Their solutions have some relevance to the place, such as famous people, locations and culture
This month, we’re visiting Sweden, which was revealed to me when I solved 14 across, VANERN. Deducing that helped with the rest of the puzzle and I surprised myself with my ability to recall Swedish people and places. Sleuth always provides a good test of one’s general knowledge – and not just of the theme material. There were a few new terms for me but all fairly clued, making them enjoyable to winkle out.
Super puzzle, thanks, Sleuth!
Definitions are underlined in the clues. Themed clues, marked by an asterisk, have no definition.
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | LJUSNAN |
* Length almost only obtained by Indian side (7)
|
| L (length) + JUS[t] (almost only) + NAN (Indian side)
A river in Sweden |
||
| 10 | BERGMAN |
* Head round river with sports car from the East (7)
|
| BEAN (head) round R (river) + MG (sports car) reversed (from the east)
There are a number of famous people called Bergman but probably the most famous is the actor Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982), star of films including Casablanca, Gaslight and Anastasia |
||
| 11 | PALME |
* Drink knocked back by writer (5)
|
| LAP (drink) reversed (knocked back) + ME (writer)
Olof Palme (1927-1986), Prime Minister of Sweden who was assassinated during his second term in office |
||
| 12 | SODERLING |
* European banker dividing support (9)
|
| ODER (European river = banker) dividing SLING (support)
Robin Söderling, Swedish tennis player, perhaps best known for being the first person to defeat Rafa Nadal at the French Open |
||
| 13 | LINDELOF |
* Opera singer, mischievous type taking lead in Otello (8)
|
| LIND (Jenny Lind, Swedish opera singer) + ELF (mischievous type) taking the first letter (lead) in Otello
Swedish footballer Victor Lindelöf who currently plays for Aston Villa, having recently left Manchester United |
||
| 14 | VANERN |
* Leading group fronting English service (6)
|
| VAN (leading group) + E (English) + RN (Royal Navy = service)
Vänern is the largest lake in Sweden and the EU |
||
| 16 | PEEL |
Some hope eliminating skin from a fruit (4)
|
| Some of hoPE ELiminating | ||
| 18 | RELAY |
Transmit // team athletics event (5)
|
| Two definitions | ||
| 19 | STUD |
Boss has time in the south of France (4)
|
| T (time) in SUD (French for south) | ||
| 23 | SWEDEN |
* [See Notes] (6)
|
| The country to which all asterisked clues are connected | ||
| 24 | LINNAEUS |
* Row including North America, leading funder of Nato (8)
|
| LINE (row) containing N (north) A (America) + US (leading funder of Nato)
Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), Swedish biologist, most famous for his binomial system of taxonomy |
||
| 26 | ACE OF BASE |
* Expert fellow with graduate in ordinary Kent area (3,2,4)
|
| ACE (expert) + F (fellow) + BA (graduate) inserted in O (ordinary) + SE (Kent area)
Swedish pop group from the 1990s whose biggest hit was All That She Wants |
||
| 28 | MALMO |
* Chairman pocketing Latin money (5)
|
| MAO (chairman) containing (pocketing) L (Latin) + M (money)
The third-largest city in Sweden |
||
| 29 | RIKSDAG |
* Ground is dark close to evening (7)
|
| Anagram (ground) of IS DARK + last letter of (close to) eveninG
The Swedish parliament |
||
| 30 | MANKELL |
* Staff snubbed US dancer (7)
|
| MAN (staff) + KELL[y] (Gene Kelly, US dancer, snubbed)
Henning Mankell (1948-2015), Swedish author probably best known for his Wallander crime fiction series |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FLIP-FLOP |
Glib female cut beach footwear? (4-4)
|
| FLIP (glib) + F (female) + LOP (cut) | ||
| 2 | MUSLIN |
Lightweight cloth manufactured in slum (6)
|
| Anagram (manufactured) of IN SLUM | ||
| 3 | SNEERED |
Was contemptuous about Democrat after notice around end of election (7)
|
| RE (about) + D (Democrat) after SEE (notice) around the last letter (end) of electioN | ||
| 4 | INKSTONES |
Colour put in varied sinks for traditional Chinese stationery (9)
|
| TONE (colour) put in an anagram (varied) of SINKS | ||
| 5 | OBED |
Award with diamonds for Ruth’s son (4)
|
| OBE (award) + D (diamonds) | ||
| 6 | ORARIAN |
Hold up broadcast in Algerian city for coastal dweller (7)
|
| Reverse (hold up) AIR (broadcast) in ORAN (Algerian city) | ||
| 7 | IMMINENT |
Small measure in part of hospital about to happen (8)
|
| IMM (1mm = small measure) + IN + ENT (hospital department) | ||
| 8 | ONEGIN |
Russian hero is individual with spirit (6)
|
| ONE (individual) + GIN (spirit) | ||
| 15 | TAXIDERMY |
Loosely Max tried unknown way to exhibit animals? (9)
|
| Anagram (loosely) of MAX TRIED + Y (unknown) | ||
| 17 | EWE-NECKS |
Weeks roaming around site in Birmingham for poorly horses? (3-5)
|
| Anagram (roaming) of WEEKS around NEC (NEC exhibition centre = site in Birmingham)
Horses with a condition in which their neck is misshapen |
||
| 20 | DESPOILS |
Plunders especially commodity in Germany and Sweden (8)
|
| ESP (especially) + OIL (commodity) in D + S (Germany + Sweden, IVR codes) | ||
| 21 | PERFIDY |
Engineer fired in case of petty disloyalty (7)
|
| Anagram (engineer) of FIRED in first and last letters (case) of PettY | ||
| 22 | ANEMONE |
Maureen enters a river in eastern England to get small plant (7)
|
| MO (Maureen) enters A + NENE (river in eastern England) | ||
| 23 | STAIRS |
Speaker’s goggles for flight? (6)
|
| Sounds like (speaker’s) “STARES” (goggles) | ||
| 25 | EILEEN |
Woman, one in Berlin covering shelter (6)
|
| EIN (one in Berlin) covering LEE (shelter) | ||
| 27 | ALGA |
Simple plant found in formal garden (4)
|
| Found in formAL GArden |
I found that more an exercise in what I didn’t know about Sweden, so definitely my ignorance being shown up. I also hadn’t come across things like ORARIAN or EWE-NECKS before (but that’s probably because I make encouraging noises but don’t listen properly when someone starts talking about horses).
Thank you to Sleuth and Widdersbel
Thanks Sleuth and Widdersbel.
As usual, a great combo treat of a wonderful puzzle and an enlightening blog.
For BERGMAN I thought Ingmar, not Ingrid.
My way into the theme was MALMO. For most of the rest of the Swedish items, it was a matter of arranging the letters as instructed (with help from crossing letters) and then Google-checking to see if it was a thing. (Of the people, only Soderling, Linnaeus, and Bergman were familiar to me. Oh, and Ace of Base. “I saw the sign, it opened up my mind…”) I also hadn’t heard of either EWE-NECKS or NEC in Birmingham, making that clue rather unfair for me, so I had to reveal that one.
PALME was my way in. After that I was limited by my ignorance of Swedish geography. I liked the double Swedish in LINDELOF.
LINNAEUS was my way in to a fair and fun puzzle. I managed to solve most of the thematic clues unaided. However, I did need help from Google for some clues. I was pleased to work out EWE-NECKS despite not knowing the term.
Ingmar or Ingrid are equally valid and great Swedes.
Thanks Sleuth and Widdersbel.
PS Nice to see Eileen get a mention.
What Mrpenny@3 said
Thanks Sleuth and Widdersbel
Of the Swedish answers I only managed Sweden itself and Riksdag. I simply couldn’t find my way in to Sleuth’s thinking, and gave in around 12.30 today (September 11).