Better late than never??
Apologies for the tardiness of this blog. I have no excuse other than my burgeoning senility, and it was only as I was driving home from work in the sun that I suddenly remembered that it was Thursday and thus my day to blog the FT puzzle.
I would like to say that the puzzle was worth waiting for, but this was a little disappointing. Despite a handful of excellent clues, my favourites being 4ac and 30ac, there were too many not so brilliant clues for this to be ultimately enjoyable.
I’ve commented below where I think some of the weaknesses lie (25ac in paritcular), but the word “regularly” was used twice to indicate the removal of alternative letters, which is sloppy, and I’m not convinced that there’s enough wordplay going on in 28ac and 29ac. I also have a question mark over 14dn.
So, apologies for the delay, thanks to Orense, and I’d be interested to see if my comments ring true with other solvers.
| Across | ||
| 1 | DEFILE | Corrupt dossier on the lower socio-economic groups (6) |
| FILE on D & E | ||
| 4 | STICKLER | Baton Rouge’s first to welcome the French martinet (8) |
| STICK (“baton”) + R(ouge) “to welcome” LE | ||
| 10 | PERFORATE | Run through each deserter captured by the enemy (9) |
| PER (“each”) + RAT “captured by” FOE | ||
| 11 | NABOB | Rich man and posh chap pocketing a source of billions (5) |
| NOB “pocketing” A B(illions) | ||
| 12 | TWIG | Cotton on a small branch (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 13 | BOTTLE BANK | Reserves of courage needed here for recycling (6,4) |
| Double definition, the first mildly cryptic | ||
| 15 | SHUT-EYE | Sleep in small shed with view (4-3) |
| S + HUT + EYE | ||
| 16 | ERSATZ | Fake reporting of school tests by heads of English and religion (6) |
| E(nglish) + R(eligion) + homophone of SATS (“school tests”) | ||
| 19 | BEARDS | Bristles from challenges (6) |
| Double definitions | ||
| 21 | DOORMAT | One on the threshold of being taken advantage of? (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | MAIN COURSE | Seafood platter? (4,6) |
| Cryptic definition
Sea = “main” |
||
| 25 | ASIA | Regularly says Iran must be a major part of the world (4) |
| “regularly” “sAyS” and then “IrAn”
Doesn’t work as the I and A of Iran should be the second and fourth letters for the “regularly” to be valid for both “says” and “Iran” (SINAI may have worked better, for example) |
||
| 27 | LYCRA | Material worn by early craftsmen (5) |
| Hidden in “earLY CRAftsmen” (indicated by “worn by”) | ||
| 28 | PLAINSONG | The air on the prairie is music to the ears (9) |
| PLAIN + SONG | ||
| 29 | MISLEADS | Wrongly advises young lady about conduct (8) |
| MISS “around” LEAD | ||
| 30 | COVERT | Insurance agent’s final secret (6) |
| COVER + (agen)T | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | DEPUTISE | Stand in place one’s found in river (8) |
| PUT 1’S “found in” DEE | ||
| 2 | FURNITURE | Time to come round Royal Navy Institute for fittings (9) |
| RNI in FUTURE | ||
| 3 | LOOP | Closed circuit look at work (4) |
| LO + OP | ||
| 5 | THEATRE | Construct heat-resistant cover for the boards (7) |
| Hidden in “heaT HEAT-REsistant” (indicated by “cover”) | ||
| 6 | CONVERSION | Account supporting prisoner’s transformation (10) |
| VERSION “supporting” CON | ||
| 7 | LIBRA | Left one supporter’s sign (5) |
| L + 1 + BRA | ||
| 8 | REBUKE | Rap on the knuckles for nation absorbed by brewing beer (6) |
| UK “absorbed by” *(beer) | ||
| 9 | PAROLE | Function allocated to father in limited release (6) |
| ROLE “allocted to” PA | ||
| 14 | DEPRECIATE | Deplore welcoming Independent’s fall in value (10) |
| DEPRECATE “welcoming” I(ndependent)
Is I for Independent ever used as a standalone, rather than in complex abbreviations or acronyms, such as ISBN? |
||
| 17 | TOMBSTONE | Monumental output of Arizona film location? (9) |
| Double definition
Tombstone was a 1993 western, featuring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer, set in Tombstone, Arizona. |
||
| 18 | STRAIGHT | On the level and at rights, possibly (8) |
| *(at rights) | ||
| 20 | STUMPED | Puzzled batsman out thus (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | DISMAL | Some oddly stuffing face must be miserable (6) |
| SoMe “stuffing” DIAL | ||
| 22 | EMBLEM | Discovered national stadium needs millions for logo (6) |
| (w)EMBLE(y) + M(illions)
The setter uses “discovered” to mean “without covers” here. |
||
| 24 | INCUS | Bone idle new carer under supervision initially (5) |
| initial letters of Idle New Carer Under Supervision | ||
| 26 | INTO | Interested in ignition regularly missing (4) |
| “regularly” IgNiTiOn | ||
*anagram
Thanks Orense and loonapick
In general I agree with your comments, but in 2D I think you are being unduly harsh. FURNITURE is “time to come” (FUTURE) ’round’ RNI, not simply “time”. Well, I think so…
Simon
Of course, you’re right. Did do this in a bit of a rush, so missed it. I’ll edit.
Two points on this: I cannot speak for the setter obviously but perhaps in ASIA the “regularly” can be taken as operating separately in the two words ie even letters in the first and odd letters in the second. Secondly, re 14D, Chambers dict has i = independent in its list of abbreviations. Thanks for blog.
Nmsindy
Thanks for the I reference. I don’t agree on the split words thing for ASIA, though.
Thanks Loonapick. I share your complaint about ASIA.
For a topical context in which “independent” is abbreviated “i,” you probably know that American politicians in the two major parties are designated “R” and “D” and may have seen Senator Bernie Sanders designated in the press as “Sanders (I-VT)” (Independent, Vermont).
Thanks Orense and loonapick.
I agree with you on ASIA.
I also marked 27ac as wrongly clued. “Worn by” surely indicates that the answer envelops rather than is enveloped by “early craftsmen”.
On the plus side, I did rather like “discovered” to indicate removal of the first and last letters in 22dn.
Beards meaning challenges was a new definition for me and “Incus” meaning the anvil bone in the ear was also new.
Ref your comment at 14dn, I thought that the I in ISBN stood for International. Maybe Orense should have chosen something more current – see what I did there?
Overall OK and certainly not a displeasure.
Hamish
Of course you’re right on ISBN – was in s bit of a rush to get the blog written and chose a poor example. Sorry!
Thanks Orense and loonapick
Was certainly in no rush to do it – some 16-17 months on (will get to the end of this mini backlog one day).
Like others, I had a bit of a sit-up moment when I saw the use of ‘regular’ to get ASIA – but settled on the same logic as nmsindy@3 and sat right back down again. Agree with the sentiment with regard to the other couple of clues mentioned.
Didn’t know this particular meaning of BEARD which was my last in.