Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 24, 2019
I would have finished this in one quick sitting but for messing myself up by misspelling 8dn! My favourite clues in the puzzle are 6dn (BACKSWING) and 18dn (BAREFOOT). I also especially like 27ac (CARDIGAN) and 29ac (WESLEYAN).
| Across | ||
| 1 | BASEBALL | Despicable party game (8) |
| BASE (despicable) + BALL (party) | ||
| 5 | ABACUS | Earliest characters, you and I adopting a primitive calculator (6) |
| A (a) in (adopting) ABC (earliest characters) + US (you and I) | ||
| 9 | DERISION | Number I fathered brought about ridicule (8) |
| NO (numbered) + I (I) + SIRED (fathered) all backwards (brought about) | ||
| 10 | ECLAIR | Gut etc, hole for cake (6) |
| E[t]C + LAIR (hole) | ||
| 12 | IMPLY | Suggest thickness of one metre? (5) |
| I (one) + M (meter) + PLY (thickness) | ||
| 13 | IMPASSIVE | I head for pantaloons, enormous trousers cool! (9) |
| I (I) + P[antaloons] in (trousers) MASSIVE (enormous) | ||
| 14 | GLOWER | Black look, piece of coal on fire perhaps? (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | MOISTEN | So I’m swimming, all toes probably wet (7) |
| Anagram (swimming) of SOIM + TEN (all toes probably) | ||
| 19 | ARBITER | Judge observing a right tooth, say? (7) |
| A (a) + R (right) + BITER (tooth, say) | ||
| 21 | REGGAE | Flipping keen about dancing ultimately, this music’s syncopated (6) |
| [dancin]G in (about) EAGER (keen) all backwards (flipping) | ||
| 23 | ETRUSCANS | Old people cast runes all over the place (9) |
| Anagram (all over the place) of CAST RUNES | ||
| 25 | MAINE | State number one, we hear? (5) |
| Homophone (we hear) of “main” (number one) | ||
| 26 | OLDHAM | Somewhere in Greater Manchester meat past its sell-by date? (6) |
| OLD HAM (meat past its sell-by date?) | ||
| 27 | CARDIGAN | Top Welsh location (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 28 | TIRADE | Strong words reporting attack on Bangkok, perhaps? (6) |
| Homophone (reporting) of “Thai raid” (attack on Bangkok perhaps) | ||
| 29 | WESLEYAN | Methodist seen way off, round back of cathedral (8) |
| [cathedra]L in (found) anagram (off) of SEEN WAY. The Methodist Church was founded by a John Wesley so Methodists are also sometimes known as Wesleyans. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BUDGIE | Move to accommodate one bird (6) |
| I (one) in (to accommodate) BUDGE (move) | ||
| 2 | STRIP CLUB | Bit of a comic set in sleazy venue (5,4) |
| STRIP (bit of a comic) + CLUB (set) | ||
| 3 | BUSTY | Public transporter totally empty, big up top? (5) |
| BUS (public transporter) + T[otall]Y | ||
| 4 | LOOPIER | Small room on seaside structure more absurd (7) |
| LOO (small room) + PIER (seaside structure) | ||
| 6 | BACKSWING | Sporting approach putting defenders before attacking player (9) |
| BACKS (defenders) + WING (attacking player) with the definition referring to something like the first part of the swing of a golf club. | ||
| 7 | COATI | Found in Mexico, a tigerish raccoon-like mammal (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 8 | SERGEANT | Nearest rank encapsulating good officer (8) |
| G (good) in (encapsulating) anagram (rank) of NEAREST | ||
| 11 | SPAM | Diet of war charts served up (4) |
| MAPS (charts) backwards (served up) | ||
| 15 | WITHSTAND | Brave accompanying bear (9) |
| WITH (accompanying) + STAND (bear) | ||
| 17 | TEASINGLY | Drink one at a time in irritating manner (9) |
| TEA (drink) + SINGLY (one at a time) | ||
| 18 | BAREFOOT | A judge wearing shoe – or not? (8) |
| A (a) + REF (judge) together in (wearing) BOOT (shoe) | ||
| 20 | REAR | Tend back (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | RESTATE | Report again gets the others worried (7) |
| REST (the others) + ATE (worried) | ||
| 22 | PENNON | Ivy League university, one briefly showing flag (6) |
| PENN (Ivy League university) + ON[e]. ‘Penn’ is a nickname for the University of Pennsylvania. | ||
| 24 | RIDER | Something further to say as cavalryman, possibly? (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | MODEL | Sitter partially fumbled, ominously knocked the wrong way (5) |
| Reverse hidden word | ||
Thanks Mudd and Pete
A pretty vanilla Mudd that was abled to be polished off over lunch. No real standouts along the way.
From what I could read, Pennsylvannia University is labelled one of the “public Ivies”, which I took to mean a second tier of sorts.
Enjoyed the wordplay for ECLAIR, ABACUS, BUSTY, and TIRADE. Thanks Mudd for another satisfying crossword and Pete for the blog.
This puzzle prompted me to learn a bit about the Ivy League. This included the fact that the league originated as a grouping for sporting purposes rather than academic ones. Most of what I have read on the subject is from Wikipedia and, according to it, Penn is not one of the “Public Ivies” and is not considered second-tier in any way that I can find.
Mmmm, eclairs…
Hi Pete
Bad me … I’d got the wrong uni – had somehow landed on the Pennsylvania State University – known as Penn State. Too lazy to actually look up Ivy League where of course the University of Pennsylvannia, aka the Penn, is definitely one of those elite eight.
Thanks Pete. I had unparsed LOONIER for 4d, and couldn’t see it any other way.
I liked your likes, too.
Mudd is my preferred weekend companion, and he didn’t let me down today. Thanks, Mudd and Pete.
Ah, yes, I see how someone could get stuck thinking 4d had to be LOONIER.