Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 3, 2016
Goliath brings us another puzzle with some unusual bits and pieces. My clue of the week is 20a (FOOTSIE) and I also like 1d (DEMIJOHN).
| Across | ||
| 1, 4 | DECREE ABSOLUTE | Brave to enter duel, as to be shot in legal break-up (6,8) |
| CREE (brave) in anagram of DUEL AS TO BE | ||
| 9 | MEAGRE | In the meantime, agree it’s inadequate (6) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 10 | MULTIPLE | They say think over drink if more than one (8) |
| Homophone (“mull tipple”) | ||
| 12 | JALOPIES | Bangers and pie in just a little onion sauce for starters (8) |
| PIE (pie) in J[ust] A L[ittle] O[nion] S[auce] | ||
| 13 | See 5 | |
| 15 | See 16 | |
| 16, 15, 21 | LET ONES HAIR DOWN | Drop bun party (3,4,4,4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 20 | FOOTSIE | Our index of flirtation? (7) |
| Double/cryptic definition with the first referring to the Financial Times Share Index. | ||
| 21 | See 16 | |
| 25 | EGRETS | Fliers sent back from the Postmaster General (6) |
| Reverse hidden word | ||
| 26 | BUDAPEST | A nuisance having to chase American friend in European capital (8) |
| BUD (American friend) + A (a) + PEST (nuisance) | ||
| 28, 29 | ROBINSON CRUSOE | Steal from connoisseur’s restoration novel (8,6) |
| ROB (steal from) + anagram (restoration) of CONNOISSEUR | ||
| 30 | THEREMIN | Instrument here, Max? (8) |
| “Here max” suggests “there min”. | ||
| 31 | GOTCHA | I understand you had tea (6) |
| GOT (had) + CHA (tea) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | DEMIJOHN | Drew odd characters on motorway toilet for 13 (8) |
| D[r]E[w] + MI (motorway, i.e. M1) + JOHN (toilet). The definition is “bottle” from 13a. | ||
| 2 | CHAPLAIN | Minister’s man reclined (8) |
| CHAP (man) + LAIN (reclined) | ||
| 3 | EUROPE | Some amateur operation that the UK wants to abandon (6) |
| Hidden word &lit. | ||
| 5, 13 | BLUEBOTTLE | Fly down with courage (10) |
| BLUE (down) + BOTTLE (courage) | ||
| 6 | OUTMODED | Unfashionable slut, not half doomed to fail outside (8) |
| [sl]UT in anagram of DOOMED | ||
| 7 | UPPITY | Arrogant to raise compassion (6) |
| UP (to raise) + PITY (compassion) | ||
| 8 | ELEVEN | Side location for memento (6) |
| Double definition, the second referring to 11 down (in a fashion worthy of Cinephile). | ||
| 11, 27 | MEMENTO MORI | Monitor unusual element of behaviour first or you will die (7,4) |
| MEME (element of behaviour) + anagram of MONITOR. I am doubtful about the definition here. As best I understand, memento mori does not mean “you will die”; rather, it refers to a reminder that you will die. | ||
| 14 | MODICUM | Shred of dignity in crisis at first welcomed by mother (7) |
| O[f] D[ignity] I[n] C[risis] in MUM (mother) | ||
| 17 | CONTINUE | Carry on being cute in order to carry on (8) |
| ON (on) in anagram (in order) of CUTE IN | ||
| 18 | FORENSIC | Legal note: both poles covered in endless fog and ice (8) |
| FO[g] + RE (note) + NS (both poles) + IC[e] | ||
| 19 | ANATHEMA | Start to meddle in articles of abomination (8) |
| M[eddle] in A AN THE A (articles) | ||
| 22 | BEIRUT | That’s coming up in dry city (6) |
| IE (that’s) backwards in BRUT (dry) | ||
| 23 | ARABLE | On vacation, Lebanese follow their kind to be productive (6) |
| ARAB (their kind) + L[ebanes]E (on vacation) | ||
| 24 | HAIRDO | Bob for one hospital radio broadcast (6) |
| H (hospital) + anagram of RADIO | ||
| 27 | See 11 | |
Thanks Pete for blogging a Goliath that was rather ‘conservative’, in my opinion.
And enjoyable too.
You made a typo in 23d: ARAN should be ARAB.
Some setters and solvers (including me) think that the use of ‘follow’ is not an example of good cryptic grammar.
For them (including me) Goliath should have written ‘must follow’, ‘should follow’ or the like.
Others don’t care about cryptic grammar, so let’s not start a discussion on this (again).
I think you underlined the wrong ‘carry on’ in 17d.
And in 30ac you forgot the explanation (here max, then: there min).
Many thanks to Goliath.
A compiler whose first language cannot possibly be English. Too lenient, Sil!
Sil, Thank you for pointing out my mistakes in 17d and 23d, now corrected.
I am totally with you on the ‘follow’ issue but guess I have become so used to it that I neglect to mention it.
My omitting the explanation in 30ac stemmed more from not being sure quite how to put it than from forgetting.
Close but defeated by 10a, 30a, 7d,8d, 11d/27d
Thanks Goliath and Pete
Enjoyed doing this oldie which took a couple of sessions to get out. The only one that I didn’t parse was the tricky THEREMIN (a word that I didn’t know) that was more typical of a Mudd / Paul type clue.
Thought that FOOTSIE was excellent and clearly the best of the day. Do also enjoy the long combination clues – 1-6, 28-29, 16-15-27, 5-13 and 11-27.
Finished all over the place with MULTIPLE (clever homophone), ELEVEN (more waiting for the penny to drop with the reference to 11d) and that THEREMIN.