Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of June 23, 2018
My thanks to Gaufrid for covering for me last week while I was traveling in remote parts.
I found this Mudd to be a bit tricky and it took me some time to complete the right half. My clue of the week is 12ac (TRAFFIC JAM) and I also especially like 5dn (FORWARD-THINKING).
| Across | ||
| 1 | HOT STUFF | Popular curry, say? (3,5) |
| Double definition. Possibly even a triple definition considering the entire clue as one. | ||
| 6 | BEREFT | Lacking hat, fedora initially brought in (6) |
| F[edora] in BERET (hat) | ||
| 9 | TAURUS | I appreciate that planet doesn’t need an earth sign (6) |
| TA (I appreciate that) + UR[an]US (planet doesn’t need an) | ||
| 10 | REINVENT | Check opening for coin again? (8) |
| REIN (check) + VENT (opening) | ||
| 11 | KILN | Oven, one left in empty kitchen (4) |
| I (one) + L (left) together in K[itche]N | ||
| 12 | TRAFFIC JAM | The preserve of the frustrated driver? (7,3) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 14 | SCHOOLED | Vagrant so cold, he being taught a lesson (8) |
| Anagram (vagrant) of SO COLD HE | ||
| 16 | MOTH | Insect in trap having lost focus? (4) |
| MO[u]TH (trap having lost focus). I originally interpreted this wordplay in a different manner that I am now satisfied was wrong. | ||
| 18 | ANTI | Not for any novice, terrifying initiation starts (4) |
| A[ny] N[ovice] T[errifying] I[nitiation] | ||
| 19 | HIERARCH | Religious leader in church after greeting special revolutionary (8) |
| HI (greeting) + RARE (special) backwards (revolutionary) + CH (church) | ||
| 21 | STONEHENGE | Old monument then goes with new, not entirely surprisingly (10) |
| Anagram (surprisingly) of THEN GOES NE[w] | ||
| 22 | ARMY | Host stupid to snub introduction (4) |
| [b]ARMY (stupid to snub introduction) | ||
| 24 | ABU DHABI | Middle Eastern capital where one follows early growth in biblical king (3,5) |
| BUD (early growth) in AHAB (biblical king) + I (I) | ||
| 26 | DRIPPY | Sentimental – daft about romance, primarily (6) |
| R[omance] in DIPPY (daft) | ||
| 27 | PEANUT | Possible allergen I removed from pie, fish sent back (6) |
| P[i]E + TUNA (fish) backwards | ||
| 28 | GARDENER | Heart not in it, due to collect blankets – one tidying bed, say? (8) |
| D[u]E in (blankets) GARNER (collect) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | OMANI | Asian soon for promotion? (5) |
| IN A MO (soon) backwards (for promotion) | ||
| 3 | SPRING ONION | Vegetable: bound to get on repeatedly planting one (6,5) |
| SPRING (bound) + I (one) in ON ON | ||
| 4 | UNSETTLE | Lunettes cracked – bother! (8) |
| Anagram (cracked) of LUNETTES | ||
| 5 | FORWARD-THINKING | Progressive, hard-working FT management hiding at home (7-8) |
| IN (at home) in anagram (management) of HARD WORKING FT | ||
| 6 | BRIEFS | Cheese and fish oddly in underwear (6) |
| BRIE (cheese) + F[i]S[h] | ||
| 7 | REV | Turn on leader in vain (3) |
| RE (on) + V[ain] | ||
| 8 | FANTASTIC | Awesome worker taking drink in Liverpool, say? (9) |
| ANT (worker) + ASTI (drink) together in FC (Liverpool, say) | ||
| 13 | COMPARATIVE | Inhabiting shelter, a tramp I gathered getting better perhaps? (11) |
| Anagram (gathered) of A TRAMP I in (inhabiting) COVE (shelter) | ||
| 15 | CONSTABLE | Copper racket sound (9) |
| CON (racket) + STABLE (sound) | ||
| 17 | DEFENDER | Back freed after wiggling around bottom (8) |
| END (bottom) in anagram (wiggling) of FREED | ||
| 20 | THWART | Foil in edges of teeth, horrible lump (6) |
| T[eet]H + WART (horrble lump) | ||
| 23 | MAPLE | Producer of seed around top of pine tree (5) |
| P[ine] in (around) MALE (producer of seed) | ||
| 25 | DAN | European briefly achieving a degree of proficiency in judo, say? (3) |
| DAN[e] (European briefly). Grades of proficiency in judo are called dans and kyus. | ||
*anagram
Thanks Pete
I parsed 16ac as MO[u]TH with the ‘having lost focus’ indicating the removal of the middle letter.
For 16a, read it as MO(U)TH (trap) losing focus (central letter).
Thanks to Mudd and Pete.
Gaufrid and Hovis, Well, no wonder I was not totally happy with my interpretation! It never occurred to me that ‘focus’ could refer to the central letter although that seems rather obvious now you point it out. Thank you.
Thanks Peter.
I also saw “Not for” as the answer for ‘anti in 18A.
Also, I think you meant ‘I’m, not ‘one in the passing of 7D.
Thank you all again.
Hugh, Thank you. I have corrected both things.
Thank you, Pete, but it looks like my own email auto-corrected ‘on’ to ‘I’m’ and made no sense. It did it again on this email but I saw it this time and re-correcred it.
Hugh
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Nice puzzle that took a couple of sittings to get through it.
What stood out to me with this one, and very unusual for Mudd, was the plethora of single letters in the wordplay of many clues – 6a, 18a, 22a, 26a, 27a, 28a, 6d, 7d, 20d, and 23d. Having said that, I did like both ARMY and DIPPY.
Finished in the right hand side as well with COMPARATIVE and MOTH (which took me ages to finally work out the word play of it) as the last couple in.
Hi Bruce, Glad to hear I was not the only who had trouble with MOTH!