Financial Times 18,246 by BOBCAT

BOBCAT kicks off the week…

A bit trickier than usual for a Monday, but very enjoyable, and including a feline Nina.

Thanks BOBCAT!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS

1. Carelessly executed student operation controlled by secret agent (6)

SLOPPY

(L (student) + OP (operation)) controlled by SPY (secret agent)

4. Incendiary stuff from Heather? After a fashion (8)

KINDLING

LING (heather) after KIND (fashion)

10. Devilish fellow, Independent Nationalist, say, about to strike (7)

IMPINGE

IMP (devilish fellow) + I (independent) + N (nationalist) + (EG)< (say, <about)

11. Ancient city grandeur Medici regularly displayed (7)

POMPEII

POMP (grandeur) + [m]E[d]I[c]I (regularly displayed

12. Desire without starting to acquire (4)

EARN

[y]EARN (desire, without starting)

13. How Observer and Spectator proceed with joint guide to the Times? (10)

WRISTWATCH

WATCH (how observer and spectator proceed) with WRIST (joint)

15. Work hard in attempt to obtain prize (6)

TROPHY

(OP (work) + H (hard)) in TRY (attempt)

16. Torrid Romeo’s barred from local (7)

TOPICAL

T[r]OPICAL (torrid, R (Romeo) barred)

20. I may have been pressed about vintage computer stuff (7)

RECRUIT

RE (about) + CRU (vintage) + IT (computer stuff)

21. Consider hosting African group session to raise the spirits (6)

SEANCE

SEE (consider) hosting ANC (African group)

24. Vibes twice produced by some app involved with Mother Theresa (10)

ATMOSPHERE

(SOME APP involved with MOTHER THERESA)* (*produced) makes ATMOSPHERE twice

26. Sound pleased, backing up bishop (4)

PURR

(UP)< (<backing) + RR (bishop)

28. One delivering various changes (7)

SAVIOUR

(VARIOUS)* (*changes)

29. Fly back to hospital department function (7)

TANGENT

(GNAT)< (fly, <back) to ENT (hospital department)

30. Numbers from East and West enthralling New York lyricist (8)

TENNYSON

TEN (number, on the West) + (NOS)< (numbers, <from the East) enthralling NY (New York)

31. Element of chemical analysis shed light on problem in recall (6)

LITMUS

LIT (shed light on) + (SUM)< (problem, <in recall)

DOWN

1. Outrageous old priest lying about supporting case for secret weapon (8)

STILETTO

(OTT (outrageous) + ELI (old priest))< (<lying about) supporting S[ecre]T (case for)

2. US writer, going short, taps working funds deliberately (2,7)

ON PURPOSE

PO[e] (US writer, going short) taps (ON (working) + PURSE (funds))

3. Inferior wordplay oppresses king (4)

PUNK

PUN (wordplay) oppresses K (king)

5. Setter’s job, ultimately, to deliver deceptive type? (8)

IMPOSTOR

IM (setter’s) + POST (job) + [t]O [delive]R (ultimately)

6. Agency possibly elevating courses at Labour’s expense? (4,6)

DUMB WAITER

Cryptic definition

7. Exhausted editor (international) keeps still (5)

INERT

E[dito]R (exhausted), INT (international) keeps

8. Entertaining girl, Georgia, bedding European roughly (6)

GEISHA

GA (Georgia) bedding (E (European) + ISH (roughly))

9. Measure included in maritime treaty (5)

METRE

[mariti]ME TRE[aty] (included in)

14. Politician against alcohol… not a novel thing to write (5,5)

SHORT STORY

TORY (politician) against SHORTS (alcohol)

17. Amanda and Sue lit up again and again (2,7)

AD NAUSEAM

(AMANDA and SUE)* (*lit up)

18. What’s previously affected that woman as well (briefly)? (8)

HITHERTO

HIT (affected) + HER (that woman) + TO[o] (as well, briefly)

19. Debris distributed randomly, not intentionally buried deep at first (8)

DETRITUS

(DISTRIBUTED)* (*randomly) not I[ntentionally] B[uried] D[eep] (at first)

22. Bring down the energy of meanest hound (6)

BASSET

BASEST (meanest, bring down the E (energy))

23. Make a fuss: base disposed of old plane (5)

CRATE

CR[e]ATE (make a fuss, E (base) disposed of)

25. Trump’s expert general snatching victory (5)

MAVIN

MAIN (general) snatching V (victory)

27. Hostile soldier leading unit (4)

ANTI

ANT (soldier) leading I (unit)

12 comments on “Financial Times 18,246 by BOBCAT”

Diane

#1 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 12:24

A lovely start to the week from Bobcat with his trademark nina to go along with 26a.
Favourites today included the neat SAVIOUR, TROPHY and AD NAUSEAM.
Thanks Bobcat and Teacow.

James P

#2 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 13:58

A bit of a battle I found. Liked detritus.

Steve

#3 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 14:03

There’s much I don’t understand here.

Why is mavin “Trump’s expert”, rather than just “expert”?

Why is create “make a fuss” rather than just “make”?

And the description of a dumb waiter as an “agency” seems odd.

Thanks for the solution!

Teacow

#4 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 14:08

Steve@3… so MAVIN is American slang I think. CREATE is in Chambers as “make a fuss”

Steve

#5 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 14:11

Ah OK thanks, I didn’t know this convention of [President’s] meaning [American word for]

James P

#6 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 15:30

Btw I thought the word was Maven, never heard of Mavin before. I assume it is in chambers etc as both spellings.

Tony Santucci

#7 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 15:40

Thanks Bobcat for a top-notch crossword as expected. Favourites included RECRUIT, SAVIOUR, TANGENT, TENNYSON, & IMPOSTOR as well as the Nina which help me solve KINDLING. My only stumble was TOPICAL. Thanks Teacow for the blog.

Pelham Barton

#8 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 18:36

25dn further to earlier comments: Collins 2023 p 1214 has “maven or mavin“; Chambers 2016 p 944 has them as “mavin or maven“. Both dictionaries mark the word as US, so a geographical indicator is required. Possibilities include the name of a real person or some sort of stereotypical nickname for the relevant area, or naming some location within that area. One that is definitely worth looking out for is a clue starting “Nice”, which could be hiding the capital N in the name of the French city. The indicator “Trump’s” chosen here is probably best thought of as a specific example of a much more general principle rather than a convention in its own right.

mrpenney

#9 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 19:09

I have never, even once, seen MAVEN spelled with an I until today. I was also unaware it was an Americanism. Now I’m curious about the etymology, which I’ll go look up once I’m done typing this. (Edit to add: I looked it up, and of course it’s Yiddish, a source of so much specifically American English.)

The Nina helped this time; I saw the kitten poking his little pink nose out in time for him to help me get some letters in the southwest. I would never have parsed ATMOSPHERE in a month of Sundays, so thanks for that.

Humbug

#10 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 19:11

I found 24a outstanding – I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a double solution like that before
In 30a I didn’t like NOS being plural numbers but TEN being singular. One way or the other, the S isn’t properly accounted for.
A minor issue with 8d, geishas are normally girls now, but were originally men.

Simon S

#11 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 20:23

Thanks Bobcat and Teacow

My only quibble with this otherwise excellent puzzle is that the saint referred to in 24 was MOTHER TERESA.

Jethro Tull

#12 - Mon 12th Jan 26, 03:30

A lovely puzzle. My only quibble is the same as Simon’s @11.

Diane

#1 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 12:24

A lovely start to the week from Bobcat with his trademark nina to go along with 26a.
Favourites today included the neat SAVIOUR, TROPHY and AD NAUSEAM.
Thanks Bobcat and Teacow.
James P

#2 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 13:58

A bit of a battle I found. Liked detritus.
Steve

#3 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 14:03

There’s much I don’t understand here.

Why is mavin “Trump’s expert”, rather than just “expert”?

Why is create “make a fuss” rather than just “make”?

And the description of a dumb waiter as an “agency” seems odd.

Thanks for the solution!
Teacow

#4 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 14:08

Steve@3… so MAVIN is American slang I think. CREATE is in Chambers as “make a fuss”
Steve

#5 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 14:11

Ah OK thanks, I didn’t know this convention of [President’s] meaning [American word for]
James P

#6 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 15:30

Btw I thought the word was Maven, never heard of Mavin before. I assume it is in chambers etc as both spellings.
Tony Santucci

#7 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 15:40

Thanks Bobcat for a top-notch crossword as expected. Favourites included RECRUIT, SAVIOUR, TANGENT, TENNYSON, & IMPOSTOR as well as the Nina which help me solve KINDLING. My only stumble was TOPICAL. Thanks Teacow for the blog.
Pelham Barton

#8 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 18:36

25dn further to earlier comments: Collins 2023 p 1214 has “maven or mavin“; Chambers 2016 p 944 has them as “mavin or maven“. Both dictionaries mark the word as US, so a geographical indicator is required. Possibilities include the name of a real person or some sort of stereotypical nickname for the relevant area, or naming some location within that area. One that is definitely worth looking out for is a clue starting “Nice”, which could be hiding the capital N in the name of the French city. The indicator “Trump’s” chosen here is probably best thought of as a specific example of a much more general principle rather than a convention in its own right.
mrpenney

#9 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 19:09

I have never, even once, seen MAVEN spelled with an I until today. I was also unaware it was an Americanism. Now I’m curious about the etymology, which I’ll go look up once I’m done typing this. (Edit to add: I looked it up, and of course it’s Yiddish, a source of so much specifically American English.)

The Nina helped this time; I saw the kitten poking his little pink nose out in time for him to help me get some letters in the southwest. I would never have parsed ATMOSPHERE in a month of Sundays, so thanks for that.
Humbug

#10 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 19:11

I found 24a outstanding – I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a double solution like that before
In 30a I didn’t like NOS being plural numbers but TEN being singular. One way or the other, the S isn’t properly accounted for.
A minor issue with 8d, geishas are normally girls now, but were originally men.
Simon S

#11 - Mon 22nd Dec 25, 20:23

Thanks Bobcat and Teacow

My only quibble with this otherwise excellent puzzle is that the saint referred to in 24 was MOTHER TERESA.
Jethro Tull

#12 - Mon 12th Jan 26, 03:30

A lovely puzzle. My only quibble is the same as Simon’s @11.

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12 comments on “Financial Times 18,246 by BOBCAT”

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