The scheduled blogger can’t make it today so I’ve volunteered to step in
I don’t often do the FT but I was glad to find that this MUDD puzzle was fairly gentle.
My last one in was 24 across, I had all the crossing letters P _ N _ S but my mind could only see one word for ages – what a prick!
Anyway, I hope everything’s clear below but I’m sure someone will let me know if it’s not. Thanks to MUDD for a nice gentle start to the day.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BREAKTHROUGH |
Important discovery when holiday over? (12)
|
| BREAK (holiday)+OVER (through) | ||
| 10 | INFLECT |
Change tone when female seen in new client (7)
|
| CLIENT (anag: new) around Female | ||
| 11 | CAPTURE |
Grab remedy, suitable for injection (7)
|
| CURE (remedy) around APT (suitable) | ||
| 12 | LLAMA |
Inhabiting shell, a marine animal (5)
|
| sheLL A MArine (hidden: inhabiting) | ||
| 13 | ESURIENT |
Retinues extraordinarily hungry (8)
|
| RETINUES (anag: extraordinarily) | ||
| 15 | MONTEVIDEO |
Day before temple cleared out, film in capital city (10)
|
| MONday (day)+T[empl]E (cleared out)+VIDEO (film) | ||
| 16 | TREE |
The rottweilers evidently excited, firstly — one of those barked? (4)
|
| T[he] R[ottweilers] E[vidently] E[xcited] (first letters) | ||
| 18 | TOWN |
One has quit to win settlement (4)
|
| TO W[i]N (missing I) | ||
| 20 | HANDCUFFED |
Worker slapped and restrained (10)
|
| HAND (worker)+CUFFED (slapped) | ||
| 22 | CHIP SHOT |
Approach food often served with fish, spicy (4,4)
|
| CHIPS (served with fish)+HOT (spicy) | ||
| 24 | PANTS |
Wretched garment (5)
|
| (double def) | ||
| 26 | AUSTRIA |
Country truncating a legal process in America? (7)
|
| A US TRIA[l] (a legal process in America: a US trial) | ||
| 27 | ASININE |
While doubly popular, choice ultimately daft (7)
|
| AS (while)+IN (popular)+IN (popular)+[choic]E (ultimately) | ||
| 28 | NEW HAMPSHIRE |
Jittery hen whimpers, a state (3,9)
|
| HEN WHIMPERS A (anag: jittery) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | REFRAIN |
Stop whistle blower, wet (7)
|
| REF (whistle blower)+RAIN (wet) | ||
| 3 | AVERAGED |
As mean came top rayer and got angry (8)
|
| AVE (prayer)+RAGED( got angry) | ||
| 4 | TATA |
Rubbish preceding a good night (2-2)
|
| TAT (rubbish)+A | ||
| 5 | ROCKSTEADY |
Unshakeable Tory sacked, shaken! (4-6)
|
| TORY SACKED (anag: shaken) | ||
| 6 | UPPER |
Top meal, mouth wiped (5)
|
| [s]UPPER (meal) minus first letter | ||
| 7 | HAUTEUR |
Upper-class consumed by loathing and fury essentially — it’s arrogance (7)
|
| U (upper class) inside HATE (loathing)+[f]UR[y] (essentially) | ||
| 8 | DIPLOMATIC BAG |
I’m bad, Capitol violated: good, I can’t be investigated! (10,3)
|
| I’M BAD CAPITOL (anag: violated)+Good | ||
| 9 | FEATHER DUSTER |
Cleaner, pack of beef say in suet, after tidied up (7,6)
|
| HERD (pack of beef) inside SUET AFTER (anag: tidied up) | ||
| 14 | PIÑA COLADA |
Constant love surrounding drink, cocktail (4,6)
|
| PI (constant)+COLA (drink)+NADA (love) | ||
| 17 | PURPLISH |
Coverage of really posh lady’s interview initially by press — plummy is it? (8)
|
| PUSH (press) around R[eally] P[osh] L[ady’s] I[nterview) (initially) | ||
| 19 | WHITSUN |
Holy day, bit warmer? (7)
|
| WHIT (a bit)+SUN (warmer) | ||
| 21 | FANCIER |
Lover, more showy (7)
|
| (double def) | ||
| 23 | STRAW |
Imperfections arising, might one be in the drink? (5)
|
| WARTS (imperfections) rev: arising | ||
| 25 | CARP |
Bellyache — it’s fish! (4)
|
| (double def) |
Thanks kenmac for stepping up to the plate. Nothing too controversial from Mudd today. For 3d ‘to’ may also be part of the definition and in 17d you have inadvertently left out R(eally).
I had to reveal PURPLISH. No other problems. And thanks to Monty Python’s cheese shop sketch for long ago introducing me to ESURIENT. I knew it would come in useful one day.
Didn’t see the cocktail until the very end, and trying all possible fillers-in, even then had to consult the blog to parse… as Geoff Down Under #2, Monty Python was educational as well as hilarious, “… I were hungry, like…”
Nice puzzle..
Thanks Mudd and kenmac
Entertaining puzzle from Mudd; some helpful anagrams mixed in with a few that took some noggin-scratching. Like Kenmac, for instance, I was a little slow to spot PANTS at first.
WHITSUN and DIPLOMATIC BAG were my favourites today.
Thanks both.
#2 i had PU_PLISH for the longest time
Ernie @1
All fixed now, hopefully
I usually find MUDD to be one of the manageable FT setters and so it proved today. All enjoyable and fairly straightforward although ESURIENT was a new one for me
Having written the other day that I know nothing about cocktails, I surprised myself by knowing PINA COLADA. The clue that defeated me today was FEATHER DUSTER, even with all the across letters. I don’t do much cleaning.