Financial Times 18,259 by PETO

PETO kicks off the week…

Sorry for the lateness of this blog… had a bit of a late night yesterday, and I think I've got man-flu. Anyway, a very enjoyable puzzle with a few bits I needed to check in Chambers.

Thanks PETO!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS

1. Scotsman’s side upset supporter (9)

JOCKSTRAP

JOCKS (Scotsman's) + (PART)< (side, <upset)

6. Support for international singer overwhelming (5)

BASIS

I (international), BASS (singer) overwhelming

9. Grandma of northern girl whichever way you look at it (5)

NANNA

N (northern) + ANNA (girl, whichever way you look at it)

10. Coming together to utter obscenities over working at company (9)

CONCOURSE

CURSE (to utter obscenities) over (ON (working) at CO (company))

11. Immense novel so romantic (10)

ASTRONOMIC

(SO ROMANTIC)* (*novel)

12. Dance in clogs endlessly (4)

BALL

BALL[s] (clogs, endlessly)

14. Old attempt to bury sad story (7)

TRAGEDY

AGED (old), TRY (attempt) to bury

15. Managed to be sold around Louisiana as breakfast food (7)

GRANOLA

(RAN (managed), GO (to be sold) around) + LA (Louisiana)

17. Meeting shrink without resistance (7)

CONTACT

CONT[r]ACT (shrink, without R (resistance))

19. Recorded in history when Blues’ back moved up front and scored at the end (7)

STORIED

TORIES (Blues, back moved up front) and [score]D (in the end)

20. Not liable to run quickly (4)

FAST

Double definition

22. Flashy head of Biology seen with Heather repeatedly (5-5)

BLING-BLING

B[iology] (head of) seen with LING (heather), repeatedly

25. Detestable mole angrily framing Athos in error (9)

LOATHSOME

(MOLE)* (*angrily) framing (ATHOS)* (*in error)

26. Make less from what a cricketer needs at end of game (5)

ABATE

A BAT (what a cricketer needs) at [gam]E (end of)

27. Why mention president’s expression of alarm? (5)

YIKES

"why" = Y ("mention") + IKES (president's)

28. Pressure on me to find a piece of terrycloth good for stuffing (9)

FORCEMEAT

FORCE (pressure) on ME to find A + T[errycloth] (piece of)

DOWN

1. Almost a month engaged in setting up military government (5)

JUNTA

JUN[e] (a month, almost) + (AT)< (engaged in, <setting up)

2. Against taking sieve by force (9)

CONSTRAIN

CON (against) taking STRAIN (sieve)

3. Cleaner getting work over time on sets primarily of shows like Corrie (4,6)

SOAP OPERAS

SOAP (cleaner) getting OP (work) over ERA (time) on S[ets] (primarily)

4. Fellow on Ecstasy thrown out of dining room in clergyman’s residence (7)

RECTORY

RE[fe]CTORY (dining room, F (fellow) on E (ecstasy) thrown out)

5. Penny finding the last part not yet finished (7)

PENDING

P (penny) finding ENDING (the last part)

6. King after an expression of dissatisfaction shows reserve (4)

BOOK

K (king) after BOO (expression of dissatisfaction)

7. Country songs about embracing end of journey (5)

SYRIA

(AIRS)< (songs, <about) embracing [journe]Y (end of)

8. Music producer’s staying power seen at Dutch bar earlier (5,4)

STEEL BAND

STEEL (staying power) seen at (D (Dutch), BAN (bar) earlier)

13. Shaving aid found in blazer Rod lost touring Austria (5,5)

RAZOR BLADE

(BLAZER ROD)* (*lost) touring A (Austria)

14. Time to behave in all respects with diplomacy (9)

TACTFULLY

T (time) + ACT (to behave) + FULLY (in all respects)

16. Begin harangue about hairpiece wife mislaid at home (9)

ORIGINATE

ORATE (harangue) about ([w]IG (hairpiece, W (wife) mislaid) + IN (at home))

18. Out of sorts after count’s reprimand (4,3)

TELL OFF

OFF (out of sorts) after TELL (count)

19. Reproduction of a Rubens showing consumer of honey and insects (3,4)

SUN BEAR

(A RUBENS)* (*reproduction of)

21. Stern of extremely swift boat (5)

STARK

S[wif]T (extremely) + ARK (boat)

23. Large jar by the sound of it (5)

GREAT

"grate" = GREAT (jar, "by the sound of it")

24. So enthusiastic? Not entirely (4)

THUS

[en]THUS[iastic] (not entirely)

16 comments on “Financial Times 18,259 by PETO”

Big Al

#1 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 15:55

We did quite well with about 80% of this and ere then stuck, mainly on 15ac having entered an incorrect ‘instigate’ for 16dn. Plenty to like, though, including ASTRONOMIC and SUN BEAR.
Thanks, Peto and Teacow.

Hovis

#2 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 16:01

FORCEMEAT appeared on Countdown recently. I’d never met it before then. Apparently, it was originally FARCEMEAT (which is still used) from the French for ‘stuff’. A farce was originally a miniplay ‘stuffed’ between acts of a main play.

Martyn

#3 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 16:36

Liked THUS, and ASTRONOMIC. “Which ever way you look at it” was a nice help for NANNA.

Cannot parse GRANOLA. A few new meanings (maybe UKisms?) in BALL, Corrie and FAST. Thanks for the overview of FORCEMEAT, Hovis@2. Peto clearly painted himself into a corner at that stage.

Would someone please explain how “working at company” becomes CON_O in 10? I would get it if it were CO ON or ON CO.

Thanks Peto and Teacow

Martyn

#4 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 16:39

Oh, the corrections function did appear when I posted. I meant to write “Could not parse GRANOLA” rather than “cannot”, as I can parse it now thanks to our blogger.

Perplexus

#5 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 16:55

Martyn@3: it is ON CO in curse, so no problem, surely?

Tony Santucci

#6 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 16:56

Thanks Peto for a very good crossword with my favourites being CONTACT, FAST (great DD), YIKES, BOOK, ORIGINATE, & THUS. Thanks Teacow for the blog.

Bracoman

#7 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 16:56

Thanks both.
I don’t get the parsing of BALL.
Could you please expand on your answer.

Tony Santucci

#8 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 17:07

Bracoman @7: Ball & clog can both be obstructions. If you’ve ever had a cat, a hairball can certainly be seen as an obstruction. Chambers lists ‘clog’ as a synonym of ‘ball’.

Pelham Barton

#9 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 17:12

Thanks Peto and Teacow

12ac further to Tony@8: Chambers 2016 p 116 has:
ball² n a (usu formal) gathering for dancing.
ball¹ “vt to form into a ball; to clog; to entangle” and “vi to gather into a ball; to clog”. This meaning (trans or intrans) can also be found in SOED 2007 p 178.
This fits my favourite type of double definition clue, where the two meanings are words of different origin which have converged in spelling.

Bracoman

#10 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 17:19

Thanks both. I see now.

Martyn

#11 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 17:21

Thanks Bracoman@5 – an obvious miss on my part and a helpful correction by you.

Bracoman

#12 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 17:33

Martyn
It was Perplexus @5 who provided the help.

Babbler

#13 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 18:09

I too had a blank moment parsing BALL, but then I think I’ve heard riders use the term “balled” for when a horse’s hoof gets clogged with snow or ice, and on the strength of that I decided it must be right. (It was my last one in). Can any equestrians out there confirm whether I’m right or whether I’ve simply made it up?

Pelham Barton

#14 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 18:23

Babbler@13: I cannot comment on equestrian usage, but the relevant definition in SOED (2007, p 178) for ball as an intransitive verb is “Become clogged or blocked, esp. with snow”. It seems particularly apt given current UK weather.

Martyn

#15 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 18:34

Bracoman@12 Oh dear, I am clearly going mad! (well, posting in a rush and not checking). Let me start again – thank you for correction Perplexus@5 and apologies to everyone else for so many unnecessary posts

James P

#16 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 19:40

Good puzzle but required a revisit to fill the NE corner in my case. Liked astronomic. Thanks both.

Big Al

#1 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 15:55

We did quite well with about 80% of this and ere then stuck, mainly on 15ac having entered an incorrect ‘instigate’ for 16dn. Plenty to like, though, including ASTRONOMIC and SUN BEAR.
Thanks, Peto and Teacow.
Hovis

#2 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 16:01

FORCEMEAT appeared on Countdown recently. I’d never met it before then. Apparently, it was originally FARCEMEAT (which is still used) from the French for ‘stuff’. A farce was originally a miniplay ‘stuffed’ between acts of a main play.
Martyn

#3 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 16:36

Liked THUS, and ASTRONOMIC. “Which ever way you look at it” was a nice help for NANNA.

Cannot parse GRANOLA. A few new meanings (maybe UKisms?) in BALL, Corrie and FAST. Thanks for the overview of FORCEMEAT, Hovis@2. Peto clearly painted himself into a corner at that stage.

Would someone please explain how “working at company” becomes CON_O in 10? I would get it if it were CO ON or ON CO.

Thanks Peto and Teacow
Martyn

#4 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 16:39

Oh, the corrections function did appear when I posted. I meant to write “Could not parse GRANOLA” rather than “cannot”, as I can parse it now thanks to our blogger.
Perplexus

#5 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 16:55

Martyn@3: it is ON CO in curse, so no problem, surely?
Tony Santucci

#6 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 16:56

Thanks Peto for a very good crossword with my favourites being CONTACT, FAST (great DD), YIKES, BOOK, ORIGINATE, & THUS. Thanks Teacow for the blog.
Bracoman

#7 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 16:56

Thanks both.
I don’t get the parsing of BALL.
Could you please expand on your answer.
Tony Santucci

#8 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 17:07

Bracoman @7: Ball & clog can both be obstructions. If you’ve ever had a cat, a hairball can certainly be seen as an obstruction. Chambers lists ‘clog’ as a synonym of ‘ball’.
Pelham Barton

#9 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 17:12

Thanks Peto and Teacow

12ac further to Tony@8: Chambers 2016 p 116 has:
ball² n a (usu formal) gathering for dancing.
ball¹ “vt to form into a ball; to clog; to entangle” and “vi to gather into a ball; to clog”. This meaning (trans or intrans) can also be found in SOED 2007 p 178.
This fits my favourite type of double definition clue, where the two meanings are words of different origin which have converged in spelling.
Bracoman

#10 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 17:19

Thanks both. I see now.
Martyn

#11 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 17:21

Thanks Bracoman@5 – an obvious miss on my part and a helpful correction by you.
Bracoman

#12 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 17:33

Martyn
It was Perplexus @5 who provided the help.
Babbler

#13 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 18:09

I too had a blank moment parsing BALL, but then I think I’ve heard riders use the term “balled” for when a horse’s hoof gets clogged with snow or ice, and on the strength of that I decided it must be right. (It was my last one in). Can any equestrians out there confirm whether I’m right or whether I’ve simply made it up?
Pelham Barton

#14 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 18:23

Babbler@13: I cannot comment on equestrian usage, but the relevant definition in SOED (2007, p 178) for ball as an intransitive verb is “Become clogged or blocked, esp. with snow”. It seems particularly apt given current UK weather.
Martyn

#15 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 18:34

Bracoman@12 Oh dear, I am clearly going mad! (well, posting in a rush and not checking). Let me start again – thank you for correction Perplexus@5 and apologies to everyone else for so many unnecessary posts
James P

#16 - Mon 5th Jan 26, 19:40

Good puzzle but required a revisit to fill the NE corner in my case. Liked astronomic. Thanks both.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

16 comments on “Financial Times 18,259 by PETO”

Leave a comment