Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of December 3, 2016
I enjoyed this puzzle which, I think, has three stand-out clues: 5d (CHEMIST), 26d (LEFT) and the rather daring 29a (NORTHERN). I also like 10a (RANDOMISE).
| Across | ||
| 1 | HOPPER | One-legged agricultural machine? (6) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 4 | SCAFFOLD | Raised platform where nag carries a couple of females (8) |
| A (a) + FF (couple of females) together in SCOLD (nag) | ||
| 10 | RANDOMISE | Is modern dancing without a shuffle? (9) |
| A (a) in anagram (dancing) of IS MODERN | ||
| 11 | LEAST | Smallest passage of tale, as told (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 12 | EVIL | Wicked – potentially shocking, on reflection (4) |
| LIVE (potentiall shocking, as in wire) backwards (on reflection) | ||
| 13 | STRIPTEASE | Exciting show – it repeats, unfortunately, after last in series (10) |
| [serie]S + anagram (unfortunately) of IT REPEATS | ||
| 15 | LOO ROLL | Lounge around chamber not entirely laid back, as cleaning sheets (3,4) |
| ROO[m] (chamber not entirely) backwards (laid back) in LOLL (lounge) | ||
| 16 | TOP HAT | Old film perfectly encapsulating pub (3,3) |
| PH (pub, i.e. Public House) in TO A T (perfectly). One of my favourite old films! | ||
| 19 | METEOR | With nothing to hide, one indicating a streaker? (6) |
| O (nothing) in METER (one indicating) | ||
| 21 | MAESTRO | Some art forms for some artist! (7) |
| Anagram (forms) of SOME ART | ||
| 23 | NAIL-BITING | Catch cold, as anxious (4-6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | SHIN | Religion cutting to the bone (4) |
| SHIN[to] (religion cutting to) | ||
| 27 | INCAN | Old Peruvian baked beans thus preserved? (5) |
| IN CAN (baked beans thus preserved?) | ||
| 28 | TITLE ROLE | Main part of a story to tell, I re- developed? (5,4) |
| Anagram (developed) of TO TELL I RE | ||
| 29 | NORTHERN | Black line, or the navy alongside green, ultimately? (8) |
| [gree]N + OR (or) + THE (the) + RN (navy). The London Underground’s Northern Line is the one always drawn on tube maps in black. | ||
| 30 | STREAM | Current group of schoolchildren (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | HORSEFLY | Whistler capturing sanctimonious leader in religious sucker (8) |
| S[anctimonious) in REF (whistler) in HOLY (religious) | ||
| 2 | PANTIHOSE | Underwear in teashop all over the place (9) |
| Anagram (all over the place) of IN TEASHOP | ||
| 3 | EROS | Archer offended in lift (4) |
| SORE (offended) backwards (in lift) | ||
| 5 | CHEMIST | Revolutionary film showing drug dealer (7) |
| CHE (revolutionary) + MIST (film) | ||
| 6 | FELT-TIP PEN | Colourful writer sensed the end with prison (4-3,3) |
| FELT (sensed) + TIP (the end) + PEN (prison) | ||
| 7 | OSAKA | Mighty growth around Shanghai originally, a city of the Far East (5) |
| S[hanghai] in OAK (mighty growth) + A (a) | ||
| 8 | DITHER | Article covered in filth when bottom scrubbed in lather (6) |
| THE (article) in DIR[t] (filth when bottom scrubbed) | ||
| 9 | PISTOL | Very much to drink up, a potential killer? (6) |
| LOT (very much) + SIP (drink) all backwards (up) | ||
| 14 | HONEYBUNCH | Darling has something sweet with some bananas (10) |
| HONEY (something sweet) + BUNCH (bananas) | ||
| 17 | AITCHBONE | Cut of meat, the bacon I suspect (9) |
| Anagram (suspect) of THE BACON I. Aitchbone is a cut of meat that includes the H-shaped rump bone. | ||
| 18 | MOONBEAM | Flash getting bright primarily during the time beyond midnight? (8) |
| MO (flash) + B[right] in ONE AM (time beyond midnight) &Lit. | ||
| 20 | ROTATOR | Muscle that may twist either way? (7) |
| Palindrome &Lit. | ||
| 21 | MINUTE | Barely perceptible amount of time (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 22 | ENSIGN | Flag flying is nearly half way up? (6) |
| Reverse hidden word | ||
| 24 | INCUR | Scoundrel has elected to lead – then suffer (5) |
| IN (elected) + CUR (scoundrel) | ||
| 26 | LEFT | Socialist, notre journal? (4) |
| LE FT (notre journal) | ||
Thanks Paul and Pete
Nice puzzle with his trademark wit and smooth clueing that was completed across three shortish sessions. I was going to write that I particularly liked the cryptic-ish MOONBEAM (and now that I see that there is a tricky real parsing of it – I like it even better!) I also liked the cryptic-ish LEFT and the humorous HOPPER.
Finished down at the bottom with that LEFT, NORTHERN (which I had to discover is the London Underground line that is marked in ‘black’ on the Tube map) and the tricky METEOR as the last one in.
I had trouble parsing the MOONBEAM clue too. And I know others found METEOR tricky although that one was fairly easy for me.