Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of April 14, 2018
I do think I am getting used to Goliath but I found this one tricky! My clue of the week is 10ac (ASTONISH) and I also especially like 13ac (ASIDES) and 16-27 (VILLAGE FETE).
| Across | ||
| 1, 4 | NUMBER CRUNCHER | Sensing less credit around, manage with revolutionary accountant (6,8) |
| NUMBER (sensing less!!) + (RUN (manage) + CHE (revolutionary)) in CR (credit) | ||
| 9 | GENOME | DNA sequence profile finally spotted in creature of legend (6) |
| [profil]E in (in) GNOME (creature of legend) | ||
| 10 | ASTONISH | Like part of Birmingham? Surprise! (8) |
| ASTON-ISH (like part of Birmingham!). Aston is a ward of Central Birmingham and, of course, the home of Aston Villa. Barry Cryer would like this clue! | ||
| 12 | TEST TUBE | Underground river first experimental site (4,4) |
| TEST (river) + TUBE (underground) | ||
| 13 | ASIDES | More popular songs and whispers (6) |
| A-SIDES (more popular [than B-sides] song) | ||
| 15, 21 | VERA LYNN | Forces sweetheart into empty van – nearly insane (4,4) |
| Anagram (insane) of NEARLY in V[a]N. Is the definition a little unfair for not having an apostrophe? | ||
| 16, 27 | VILLAGE FETE | Give leaflet out for jam and cake here (7,4) |
| Anagram (out) of GIVE LEAFLET | ||
| 20 | BARGAIN | Good deal excluding profit (7) |
| BAR (excluding) + GAIN (profit) | ||
| 21 | See 15 | |
| 25 | QUARRY | Hunted for stones here (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | ISTANBUL | Afghanistan bullies besieging city (8) |
| Hidden word. And one of my favourite cities. | ||
| 28 | ISLANDER | Goliath defames Lesbian for one (8) |
| I SLANDER (Goliath defames) | ||
| 29 | PSALMS | Note charity book (6) |
| PS (note) + ALMS (charity) | ||
| 30 | YODELLED | Gave voice and cried about party being put back (8) |
| DO (party) backwards (put back) in YELLED (cried) | ||
| 31 | CROCUS | Flower occurs in the wild (6) |
| Anagram (in the wild) of OCCURS | ||
| Down | ||
| 1, 22 | NEGATIVE EQUITY | No union with borrowing greater than assets (8,6) |
| NO (negative) + EQUITY (union) | ||
| 2 | MINISTRY | Skirts go in government department (8) |
| MINIS (skirts) + TRY (go) | ||
| 3 | ENMITY | Act arising out of extreme wickedness or out of antagonism (6) |
| EN[or]MITY (or out of antagonism) | ||
| 5, 19 | RISK ANALYSIS | Evaluating danger is obsessive in broadcaster taken hostage by right terrorists (4,8) |
| R (right) + (ANAL (obsessive) in SKY (broadcaster)) in ISIS (terrorists) | ||
| 6 | NEON SIGN | Gas mark or electric display (4,4) |
| NEON (gas) + SIGN (mark) | ||
| 7 | HAIRDO | Bob may be in the chair downstairs (6) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 8 | REHASH | What’s in reckless representation of old work (6) |
| EH (what’s) in (in) RASH (reckless) | ||
| 11 | ABRIDGE | Cut short a game (7) |
| A (a) + BRIDGE (game) | ||
| 14 | ELLIPSE | A shape across the channel she hides in plain sight at first (7) |
| I[n] P[lain] S[ight] in ELLE (across the channel she) | ||
| 17 | PATRONAL | Saintly father, endlessly strong and calm (8) |
| PA (father) + [s]TRON[g] [c]AL[m] | ||
| 18 | SYMBOLIC | So amicably disposed but not as representative (8) |
| Anagram (disposed) of SO [a]MIC[a]BLY | ||
| 19 | See 5 | |
| 22 | See 1 down | |
| 23 | BALLAD | Song is wicked about everybody (6) |
| ALL (everybody) in (about) BAD (wicked) | ||
| 24 | CAESAR | “Arrest that woman!” said the leader (6) |
| Homophone (said) of “seize ‘er” | ||
| 27 | See 16 | |
Thanks Goliath and Pete
Found this enjoyable and that I had to work pretty hard to get most clues out. There was a lot of variety in the wordplay in the clues with some quite complex ones amongst them. Wasn’t able to properly parse ASTONISH – not a close English football follower so didn’t twig to Birmingham being the home to Aston Villa, let alone know about the ward of Aston.
Finished in the SE corner with VERA LYNN (finally falling when the Force’s sweetheart penny dropped), CROCUS and finally seeing that it was CAESAR (and not my unparsed KAISER) at 24d.