Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 17, 2018
I finished the right half of this puzzle quickly then found some challenges completing the left. My clue of the week is the brilliant 1dn (ROCKFALL) and I also especially like 12ac (EPISTLE), 17ac (SHEEPDOG) and 20dn (BUMBAG).
| Across | ||
| 1 | ROCOCO | Flipping precious stuff, Chanel in florid style (6) |
| OR (precious stuff, i.e. gold) backwards (flipping) + COCO (Chanel) | ||
| 4 | WHOPPING | Wife going up and down like an elephant, possibly? (8) |
| W (wife) + HOPPING (going up and down) | ||
| 9 | CLEFT | Conservative and socialist split (5) |
| C (Conservative) + LEFT (socialist) | ||
| 10 | FORTNIGHT | Period when was jousting, reportedly? (9) |
| Homophone (reportedly) of “fought knight”??? | ||
| 11 | FORFEIT | Qualified to catch fish? Give up (7) |
| ORFE (fish) in (to catch) FIT (qualified). An orfe, I learned, is a silvery freshwater fish of the carp family, which is fished commercially in eastern Europe. | ||
| 12 | EPISTLE | Letter is inept, might you say? Literally embarrassing for starters (7) |
| IS (is) in (in…) …EPT + L[iterally embarrasing] | ||
| 13 | LIEU | Place like industrial estate unsafe, all kicking off? (4) |
| L[ike] I[ndustrial] E[state] U[nsafe] | ||
| 14 | CROTCHET | Note assailant finally boarding craft (8) |
| [assailan]T in (boarding) CROCHET (craft) | ||
| 17 | SHEEPDOG | Farm animal going through hedge so clumsily, beginning to panic (8) |
| P[anic] in anagram (clumsily) of HEDGE SO | ||
| 19 | DIVA | High-maintenance performer keen to be laid back (4) |
| AVID (keen) backwards (to be laid back) | ||
| 22 | UNCLEAR | Relative area not half in doubt (7) |
| UNCLE (relative) + AR[ea] | ||
| 24 | VOYAGER | Yoga very briefly going wrong – one tripping? (7) |
| Anagram (going wrong) of YOGA VER[y] | ||
| 25 | BALLADEER | Party animal getting behind a singer (9) |
| BALL (party) + A (a) + DEER (animal) | ||
| 26 | TAMED | After end of tempest, a sea now calm? (5) |
| [tempes]T + A (a) + MED (sea) | ||
| 27 | GRAPHITE | Writing hard stuff, Athenian letter put in jar (8) |
| PHI (Athenian letter) in (put in) GRATE (jar) | ||
| 28 | CRAYON | Line rejected by that colourful writer (6) |
| ARC (line) backwards (rejected) + YON (that) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | ROCKFALL | Rolling Stones fan initially occupying tiny British island (8) |
| F[an] in ROCKALL (tiny British island) | ||
| 2 | CHEERLESS | Bleak, ever dismal conclusion in game of strategy (9) |
| EER (ever) + [disma]L together in CHESS (game of strategy) | ||
| 3 | CUTTER | Craft knife (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 5 | HERBERT HOOVER | US president – he beat brother again (7,6) |
| HE (he) + anagram (beat) of BROTHER + OVER (again) | ||
| 6 | PINKISH | Expression of annoyance about writing stuff that’s quite shocking? (7) |
| INK (writing stuff) in (about) PISH (expression of annoyance) with a nice definition referring to shocking pink | ||
| 7 | INGOT | Metal block obscuring other houses (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 8 | GUTTER | Finally reaching, say, the lowest point to reach? (6) |
| [reachin]G + UTTER (say) | ||
| 10 | FUTURE PERFECT | Tense in effect, rupture proving troublesome (6,7) |
| Anagram (proving troublesome) of EFFECT RUPTURE | ||
| 15 | THINGUMMY | Door fastener almost entering stomach, handle I can’t retrieve? (9) |
| HING[e] (door fastener almost) in (entering) TUMMY (stomach) | ||
| 16 | HARRIDAN | Tough to maintain romance at first, one with an ogress (8) |
| R[omance] + I (one) together in HARD (tough) + AN (an) | ||
| 18 | EYEWASH | Emollient primarily put on two types of wood, cleansing lotion (7) |
| E[mollient] + YEW (one type of wood) + ASH (a second type of wood) | ||
| 20 | BUMBAG | Illness consuming doctor, a carrier (6) |
| MB (doctor) + A (a) together in BUG (illness) | ||
| 21 | OYSTER | With some regrets, you hauled up shellfish (6) |
| Reverse hidden word | ||
| 23 | CILIA | Tiny hairs more ridiculous, we hear? (5) |
| Homophone (we hear) of “sillier” (more ridiculous) | ||
Thanks Pete and Mudd.
Didn’t get, even with crossers:
ROCKFALL
FORFEIT
BUMBAG
Well…
Odd really. I cleaned up the left half and struggled with the right!
My April Fool comment got wiped, pity.
Peter Mork @ 3
Your deleted comment may have been interpreted as advocating the use of sugar for speed, contrary to Government policy. Better luck next year!
Well, at least one person got to see it.
Crosswords are no laughing matter – message received.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Did this one a couple of weeks ago that occupied a few short sittings and found it quite entertaining. No real standouts just the typical fare from this prolific setter.
Ended up in the SW corner with GRAPHITE, BUMBAG and BALLADEER the last few in.
Not that it really matters at this stage, but just for completeness, you have left off the E for embarrassing in 12a.