Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 11, 2017
According to WordPress, the software that operates Fifteensquared, this is my 500th blog entry. Which means that I have been doing this for close to 10 years and have solved around 15,000 clues in the process. In the early days I relied on a print copy of the Weekend FT and sometimes had to go out of my way to find one; now, as has been the case for several years, I get the puzzle from the FT webpage and only occasionally treat myself to a salmon-coloured broadsheet. I have actually been doing this weekly puzzle for about 30 years and have only rarely tackled other crosswords during this span.
I was very happy to have a Rosa for this notable occasion. I managed to solve it fairly quickly despite several meanings that I was unfamiliar with such as ‘demoiselle’ naming a type of crane (as opposed to a kind of dragonfly) and ‘trump’ meaning the sound of a trumpet. My clue of the week is 15d (DOGSITTER) and I also applaud 3d (WINDSHEAR) and 21a (NITPICKERS).
Thank you, Rosa.
| Across | ||
| 1 | PAPAWS | Dad mauls fruit (6) |
| PA (dad) + PAWS (mauls). ‘Papaw’ is a variant of ‘pawpaw’ which is the name used in some parts of the world for what to Brits and Americans is more usually called papaya. I learned ‘pawpaw’ as a boy but did not know this variant. | ||
| 4 | LITANY | Set fire to outskirts of Naseby after a dull recital (6) |
| LIT (set fire to) + A (a) + N[aseb]Y | ||
| 8 | CURRENT | Dog tore apart present (7) |
| CUR (dog) + RENT (tore apart) | ||
| 9 | IN UTERO | Minute rodents biting before birth (2,5) |
| Hidden words | ||
| 11 | DEMOISELLE | Crane vendor runs off after March 1 (10) |
| DEMO (march) + I (1) + SELLE[r] (vendor runs off). Demoiselle as used here is a small Old World crane with a black head and breast and white ear tufts, breeding in SE Europe and central Asia. | ||
| 12 | SUSS | Three sisters holding what sounds like yew twig (4) |
| U (what sounds like yew) in SSS (three sisters) | ||
| 13 | TRACE | Mark reviewing online shopping trolley (5) |
| E-CART (online shopping trolley) backwards (reviewing) | ||
| 14 | PEDANTIC | Italian poet back to front in photo, like 21 (8) |
| DANTE (Italian poet) with ‘E’ moved to the front in PIC (photo) | ||
| 16 | BACTERIA | Tailless camel eating earth and germs (8) |
| E (earth) in BACTRIA[n] (tailless camel) | ||
| 18 | GUISE | Appearance of chaps on the radio (5) |
| Homophone (on the radio) of “guys” (chaps) | ||
| 20 | OSLO | For sale: oddly neglected old capital (4) |
| [f]O[r] S[a]L[e] + O (old) | ||
| 21 | NITPICKERS | They criticise miners’ underwear, according to Spooner (10) |
| Spoonerism of “pit nickers” | ||
| 23 | KNITTED | Used needles and ink around head of tattooed lad (7) |
| INK (ink) backwards (around) + T[attooed] + TED (lad) | ||
| 24 | STATELY | Imposing vacuous lunacy on country (7) |
| STATE (country) + L[unac]Y | ||
| 25 | OSPREY | Bird in huge quarry (6) |
| OS (huge, i.e. outsized) + PREY (quarry) | ||
| 26 | CRIKEY | Heavens weep over American president (6) |
| IKE (American president) in (over) CRY (weep) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | PRUNE | Cut back old plum (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 2 | PERGOLA | Wood salesman put up ace structure in garden (7) |
| LOG (wood) + REP (salesman) together backwards (put up) + A (ace) | ||
| 3 | WINDSHEAR | Catch snakes, rising threat to aviation (9) |
| HEAR (catch) + WINDS (snakes) interchanged (rising) | ||
| 5 | INNIE | Asses leaving skin and fluff here? (5) |
| [h]INNIE[s]. ‘Innie’ is an informal term for a concave belly button; I have an idea that it is more common in American usage than in British. ‘Hinny’ is another word for an ass. | ||
| 6 | ARTISAN | Craft producer of Arabian herb tea closing early (7) |
| AR (Arabian) + TISAN[e] (herb tea closing early) | ||
| 7 | YORKSHIRE | Rosy hiker rambling in northern county (9) |
| Anagram (rambling) of ROSY HIKER. I have rambled in Yorkshire myself. | ||
| 10 | ELEPHANTS | Trump sources regularly tell me husband wears trousers (9) |
| [t]E[l]L [m]E + H (husband) in (wears) PANTS (trousers) | ||
| 13 | TEARS INTO | Stationer smashed slates (5,4) |
| Anagram (smashed) of STATIONER. The definition is slates in the sense of criticises severely. | ||
| 15 | DOGSITTER | Grid set-to irritated setter’s carer, perhaps (9) |
| Anagram (irritated) of GRID SET TO | ||
| 17 | TWO-STEP | Finally tempt tame pig to get up and dance (3-4) |
| [temp]T + (PET (tame) + SOW (pig)) backwards (to get up) | ||
| 19 | IRKUTSK | Annoy guards stuck without cent over in Siberian city (7) |
| STU[c]K backwards (over) in (guards) IRK (annoy) | ||
| 21 | NIECE | Relative starts to notice if errant child escapes (5) |
| N[otice] I[f] E[rrant] C[hild] E[scapes] | ||
| 22 | RILEY | Puerile yelping about chap with luxurious life (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
Thanks Pete Maclean.
Congratulations on 500th blog..that’s quite a commitment.
Appreciate the site and all of you that make it possible.
Didn’t get 5d and 9a. Otherwise enjoyable. Thanks Rosa Klebb.
Thanks Rosa Klebb and Pete
First of all – congratulations Pete – that’s awesome that you have been providing the Saturday Prize service for so long.
This was a classy puzzle in which I was successfully twisted inside out numerous times to find the right definition – notable examples were 2d, 3d, and 10d. The surfaces were as silky smooth as we have all come to know and appreciate.
The DEMOISELLE crane was a new bird for me and I’d forgotten about the two humped camel being called a BACTRIAN.
I think that INNIE and PERGOLA were my favourites and WINDSHEAR was the last one in.
Nice one, Pete, and a great puzzle to bring up the milestone
Congratulations, Pete – and lucky you for the lovely coincidence!
I have nothing to add to the praise for Rosa – except gratitude for such a witty alternative Trump reference.
I loved the ‘rosy hiker’, too: I’ve been one, many times – there!
Many thanks, Pete, for the blog – top-notch as always – and huge congratulations on your awe-inspiring milestone!