Financial Times 16,231 by ARMONIE

by

Thanks to Armonie for the Monday morning workout.

Both GOOD REPAIR and MEERSCHAUM were quite impressive anagrams. Admittedly, MEERSCHAUM is a new one for us. Mostly quite a straightforward puzzle this morning with quite a few easy write-ins. Some of the more challenging clues include HILARITY, BILLPOSTER, KNEE DEEP, VENDETTA and STEVEDORE. Thanks again Armonie!

completed grid

Across

1 Arrange a poor dirge for one not kept in this (4,6)
GOOD REPAIR
(A POOR DIRGE)* (*arrange) &lit

7 Splinter dead wood (4)
DASH
D (dead) + ASH (wood)

9 Star found in an active galaxy (4)
VEGA
[act]VE GA[laxy] (found in)

10 Publicist gets boy appointment with the queen (10)
BILLPOSTER
BILL (boy) + POST (appointment) with ER (the queen)

11 Scholar keeps a place in the country (6)
PANAMA
PA (scholar, Physician Assistant) keeps A + ‘NAM (a place)

12 Veteran reservists brought about about conclusion of feud (8)
VENDETTA
VET (veteran) + TA (reservists) brought about about END (conclusion)

13 Staff curse clothing (8)
MENSWEAR
MEN (staff) + SWEAR (curse)

15 Container holds rare wine (4)
PORT
POT (container) holds R (rare)

17 Kreisler holds the key (4)
ISLE
[kre]ISLE[r] (holds)

19 A girl eats it for amusement (8)
HILARITY
HILARY (a girl) eats IT

22 Require to be in castle when very involved (4-4)
KNEE DEEP
NEED (require) to be in KEEP (castle)

23 Use drug money with trick (6)
EMPLOY
E (drug) + M (money) with PLOY (trick)

25 Angry about many a fashion being over the top (10)
IMMODERATE
IRATE (angry) about M (many) + MODE (fashion)

26 Some poker tournament put back to March (4)
TREK
[po]KER T[ournament] (some, <put back)

27 Queen removed cross from extension (4)
ANNE
ANNE[x] (extension, removed cross (X))

28 Pipe disintegrates each summer (10)
MEERSCHAUM
(EACH SUMMER)* (*disintegrates)

Down

2 Ring TV detective with energy to frighten (7)
OVERAWE
O (ring) + VERA (TV detective) + W (with) + E (energy)

3 Shot a scene (5)
DRAMA
Double definition

4 One clasping English maiden needs a stiff drink (8)
EMBRACER
E (English) + M (maiden) needs BRACER (a stiff drink)

5 Finished article on location in disarray (3,4,3,5)
ALL OVER THE PLACE
ALL OVER (finished) + THE (article) + PLACE (location)

6 Engineers imprisoned feel remorse (6)
REPENT
RE (engineers) + PENT (imprisoned)

7 Pluto’s mood causing complaint (9)
DISTEMPER
DIS (pluto’s) + TEMPER (mood)

8 Queen supports fish processing works (7)
SMELTER
ER (queen) supports SMELT (fish)

14 Workman’s first wife died in shop (9)
STEVEDORE
EVE (first wife) + D (died) in STORE (shop)

16 Kippers on the railway (8)
SLEEPERS
Double definition

18 He induces sleep with morphine, initially in the sanatorium (7)
SANDMAN
AND (with) + M[orphine] (initially) in the SAN (sanatorium)

20 Foreign god of thunder gets water for US writer (7)
THOREAU
THOR (foreign god) gets EAU (water)

21 Sappers consider rescue (6)
REDEEM
RE (sappers) + DEEM (consider)

24 The way to capture Conservative area (5)
PATCH
PATH (the way) to capture C (Conservative)

12 comments on “Financial Times 16,231 by ARMONIE”

  1. Steven
    #1 - Mon 29th Jul 19, 07:29

    For 11ac I had MALAYA ie. ma (scholar) around a lay (a place).

    Thansks setter and blogger.

  2. Teacow
    #2 - Mon 29th Jul 19, 08:55

    Steven @1: Yes, I think your parsing is probably what the setter had intended. Of course “Malaya” has not existed as a country since 1963, but in comparison my version is probably a bit of a stretch.

  3. copmus
    #3 - Mon 29th Jul 19, 09:37

    I too had MALAYA.

  4. john
    #4 - Mon 29th Jul 19, 11:37

    Thanks both.  I parsed 3d as DRAM+A = scene. I could not parse 7d as I do not get Di’s = Pluto”s; please enlighten me!

  5. Teacow
    #5 - Mon 29th Jul 19, 11:58

    John @4. Yes, that works for 3d! The apostrophe was a typo, sorry. DIS is the Roman god of the underworld also called DIS PATER. Pluto being an equivalent.

  6. john
    #6 - Mon 29th Jul 19, 12:12

    Thanks Teacow.

  7. Moly
    #7 - Mon 29th Jul 19, 13:22

    Re 11a: Canada? Panama? Malaya? Bahama?

    I guessed Bahama.Couldn’t really see why any were correct but thought Ham was an old name for village and a common suffix.

  8. Ong'ara of Kenya
    #8 - Mon 29th Jul 19, 15:13

    FOI SLEEPERS, LOI SMELTER. Quite easy this one with no GK or obscurities.

  9. Tony Welsh
    #9 - Mon 29th Jul 19, 19:22

    Surely must be Malaya.  Clue should perhaps say “… country once.”

  10. psmith
    #10 - Mon 29th Jul 19, 22:23

    Thanks Armonie & Teacow.

    Why is about repeated in 12 across?

  11. brucew@aus
    #11 - Tue 30th Jul 19, 02:53

    Thanks Armonie and Teacow
    A quick solve and was another with MALAYA and DRAM A. Don’t know if I was all that convinced with 20d – thought it would be more like ‘god of thunder gets foreign water’.
    Nothing else of note … and finished with EMBRACER (and a term for a drink that I hadn’t seen before) and that MALAYA as the last one in, with an eye half-cocked!

  12. Torridd
    #12 - Tue 30th Jul 19, 13:34

    I thought DISTEMPER was derived that Pluto is a Disney dog and therefore the double definition of bad temper with a dog’s disease.

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