Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 23, 2017
I think this is one of the cleverest puzzles we have had in this space of late. Redshank gives us a bundle of sly definitions and wickedly good surfaces. My clue of the week is 13ac (VERMOUTH) with 23ac (ERRAND) runner-up. Other stand-outs are 11ac (HOWDAH), 22ac (TEASPOON) and 24dn (RUMBA). Thank you, Redshank.
| Across | ||
| 1 | GREENFINCH | Naive fellow in Switzerland gets the bird (10) |
| GREEN (naive) + F (fellow) + IN (in) + CH (Switzerland) | ||
| 7 | CEDE | Once defeated, reserves surrender (4) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 9 | SPAR | Small standard box (4) |
| S (small) + PAR (standard) | ||
| 10 | INTERWEAVE | Awful winter across east, hail and wind together (10) |
| Anagram (awful) of WINTER + E (east) + AVE (hail, as in Hail Caesar!) | ||
| 11 | HOWDAH | Seat on jumbo for VIP who had hiccups (6) |
| Anagram (hiccups) of WHO HAD | ||
| 12 | IRRIGATE | Current price includes apparatus for water (8) |
| I (current) + RIG (apparatus) in (includes) RATE (price) | ||
| 13 | VERMOUTH | Wine very nearly reaches its destination (8) |
| VER[y] + MOUTH (its destination) | ||
| 15 | MEEK | Almost run into front of Kate Humble (4) |
| MEE[t] (almost run into) + K[ate]. Kate Humble is a television presenter working mainly for the BBC. | ||
| 17 | GOBI | Love visiting big wild desert (4) |
| O (love) in anagram (wild) of BIG | ||
| 19 | TENANTRY | Occupants go to nurse French child female abandoned (8) |
| EN[f]ANT (French child female abandoned) in (to nurse) TRY (go) | ||
| 22 | TEASPOON | Stir caused by this European snake in Scottish town (8) |
| E (European) + ASP (snake) together in TOON (Scottish town) | ||
| 23 | ERRAND | Former president scrapping Romney’s mission (6) |
| [mit]ERRAND (former president scrapping Romney, i.e. Mit) | ||
| 25 | UNDERSKIRT | Slip below bypass (10) |
| UNDER (below) + SKIRT (bypass) | ||
| 26 | MEAD | Bats employ echo to find something to drink (4) |
| E (echo, as in the phonetic alphabet) in (employ) MAD (bats). Do we have a minor issue here in that the cryptic reading should properly be “Bats employs…”? | ||
| 27 | DART | Shoot and leave without record (4) |
| D[ep]ART (leave without record). An EP (for Extended Play) was a 45rpm vinyl record with, typically, four tracks. | ||
| 28 | PIGGY BANKS | Flowers cover baggy pants? There’s money in them (5,5) |
| Anagram (pants) of BAGGY in PINKS (flowers) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | REPROVE | Carpet salesman finished right at the front (7) |
| REP (salesman) + OVER (finished) with the ‘R’ moved to the front | ||
| 3 | EARED | Sporting listeners dreaded missing start of football (5) |
| [f]EARED (dreaded missing start of football) with a cryptic definition | ||
| 4 | FAITHFUL | Not playing away, half fit, ragged, stuffed by United (8) |
| U (united) in anagram (ragged) of HALF FIT with a cryptic definition | ||
| 5 | NOTWITHSTANDING | Heavyweight’s up on his feet and punching still (15) |
| TON (heavyweight) backwards (up) + WITH (and) + STANDING (on his feet) | ||
| 6 | HARARE | Race round Arab capital in Africa (6) |
| AR (Arab?) in HARE (race). ‘Ar’ is a common abbreviation for Arabic but not, as far as I can determine, for Arab. | ||
| 7 | CLERGYMAN | Priest runs fitness centre during fair (9) |
| R (runs) + GYM (fitness centre) together in CLEAN (fair) | ||
| 8 | DEVOTEE | County docked place for driving enthusiast (7) |
| DEVO[n] (county docked) + TEE (place for driving) | ||
| 14 | MAINSHEET | Seamen struggle with it, circling harbour? (9) |
| H (harbour) in (circling) anagram (struggle) of SEAMEN IT | ||
| 16 | ANCESTRY | Experts attempt to save Arden’s last tree perhaps (8) |
| [arde]N in ACES (experts) + TRY (attempt) | ||
| 18 | OCEANIA | Each province cuts tuberous plant for main region (7) |
| EA (each) + NI (province, i.e. Northern Ireland) in OCA (tuberous plant). Oca is a South American edible tuber. | ||
| 20 | RANSACK | Managed to fire rifle (7) |
| RAN (managed) + SACK (fire) | ||
| 21 | GOSSIP | Rumours East German admitted to doctor (6) |
| OSSI (East German) in GP (doctor). ‘Ossi’ is an informal and derogatory term for a former East German — a term I had not known before. | ||
| 24 | RUMBA | Male participates in Polish- American dance (5) |
| M (male) in (participates in) RUB (polish) + A (American) | ||
I think this is one of the cleverest puzzles we have had in this space of late?
Indeed, because Redshank is one of the cleverest setters around.
But true, here he was on top form.
A gem of a crossword.
As ever, Redshank tried to include some kind of &lit – this time in 14d.
Thanks Pete for the blog and as to your queries:
To me ‘bats’ is the plural of ‘bat’ (that nocturnal creature) and so it should be ’employ’, shouldn’t it?
AR is in Chambers meaning ‘Arab’, however not in Collins (that sticks to ‘Arabia(n)’ and ‘Arabic’).
I saw 14dn as a possible semi-&lit but did not mention it since the term seems to be disputed.
Thanks for the other clarifications. I sometimes find it hard to properly parse matters like the “bats” thing here.
Terribly late in the day. I enjoyed this very much indeed. But I don’t think I ever understand this @lit stuff. 14d looks like a clue where someone forgot the definition, to me at least. (Also: h=harbour? Really?)
But not to fuss because it was a most enjoyable puzzle.
Yes, H = harbour, really. This is not an abbreviation I see often in crosswords but it is in dictionaries along with height, hour and husband.
Pete @ 4
Not to forget Henry (physics), Hard (pencils), Hydrogen (chemistry), Hearts (cards), Hungary (IVR), Hospital (traffic signs) and Heroin (slang).
Ra was an Egyptian god, so could be regarded as an Arab. So 6 down could be parsed as RA (Arab) in HARE (race).
That’s a nice find, psmith.
But ‘Ra’ is clearly an example of an ‘Arab’ then.
And therefore the clue would need some indication, at least a question mark.
That said, not sure whether Ra was its heyday seen as ‘Arab’.
I’m pretty certain Redshank’s Arab is AR.
Thanks Redshank and Pete
Absorbing puzzle that I started on a train ride home during a week after publication with HOWDAH being the first one in. An interesting variety of clue devices as per normal from him – had marked down MITTERAND, PIGGY BANKS and TENANTRY as the best of them.
Finished with that TENANTRY and DEVOTEE as the last couple in.