Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of June 13, 2020
I had a scare when I first went to download this puzzle from the FT’s website. It informed me that its crosswords were available only to subscribers and offered me the option of several pricey subscription options. I was worried that this was the result of a policy change and that I might no longer be able to enjoy the FT Weekend puzzle as I have been doing for over 30 years, never mind no longer be able to blog it. It turned out however that this was a mistake and, fortunately, a mistake that was promptly rectified. There is one lingering side-effect which is that my blog this week has a slightly different format from usual.
I enjoyed this puzzle from Alberich and was seriously impressed with it given its two &Lits and several other brilliant clues. The &Lits are 12ac (AMNESIAC) and 24dn (ARENA). Another gem is 14ac (EUGENE ONEGIN) and I also applaud 5ac (SANDWICH), 27ac (MANAGE), 17dn (FAIR GAME) and 21dn (LECHER).
Thank you, Alberich.
ACROSS
1 Babywear is refunded when returned (6)
DIAPER – REPAID (refunded) backwards (returned)
5 It could be submarine port (8)
SANDWICH – double definition. The first definition refers to the kind of sandwich one would get at, say, a Subway. (Subway is an international fast-food chain that specializes in sandwiches made in very long rolls called submarines or simply subs. See subway.com) The second refers to the town of Sandwich in southeast England which is not only an historic port but one of the famous Cinque Ports.
9 Save stretchers for military quarters (8)
BARRACKS – BAR (save) + RACKS (stretchers)
10 Italian city associated with German mathematician (6)
TURING – TURIN (Italian city) + G (German)
11 Laugh out loud at one backward-looking novel (6)
LOLITA – LOL (laugh out loud) + ATI (at one) backwards (backward-looking)
12 I’m a case struggling to retain recollection, ultimately (8)
AMNESIAC – [recollectio]N in (to retain) anagram (struggling) of IM A CASE
14 One entertained by e.g. genuine comic opera (6,6)
EUGENE ONEGIN – ONE (one) in (entertained by) anagram (comic) of EG GENUINE
18 What could make tablet an area of contention? (12)
BATTLEGROUND – reverse clue: “Battle ground” could clue TABLET
22 Intrusion requires lock to protect resort (8)
TRESPASS – SPA (resort) in (to protect) TRESS (lock)
25 Protector of crown prince nameless? Not entirely (6)
ENAMEL – hidden word (not entirely). I originally identified ‘protector’ as the definition here; it seemed easily sufficient to me. However one commenter suggests that the definition is ‘protector of crown’ which, I now realize, must be correct with ‘crown’ intended in the dental sense.
26 Get on? Staff get on (6)
MANAGE – MAN (staff) + AGE (get on)
27 Unmitigated thug involved with riot (8)
OUTRIGHT – anagram (involved) of THUG RIOT
28 Agent needs key – she’s close by entrance (8)
DELEGATE – DEL (key) + [sh]E + GATE (entrance)
29 Go back into tent for food (6)
YOGURT – GO (go) backwards (back) in (into) YURT (tent)
DOWN
2 One gets slim, half-heartedly running (2,1,3)
IN A ROW – I (one) + NA[r]ROW (slim, half-heartedly)
3 This writer’s abandoning fresh material (9)
PERTINENT – IMPERTINENT (fresh) with ‘IM’ (this writer’s) removed (abandoning)
4 Sunken ship uncovered by seaweed is this shape (9)
RECTANGLE – [w]REC[k] (sunken ship uncovered) + TANGLE (seaweed). If you are not used to ‘tangle’ meaning seaweed, I would refer you to a wonderful traditional Scots song, The Road to the Isles (as heard here).
5 Mark traps American bear (7)
SUSTAIN – US (American) in (traps) STAIN (mark)
6 Not acceptable, whichever way you look at it (3,2)
NOT ON – palindrome (whichever way you look at it). I believe there are some people who would object to one word of the answer appearing openly in the clue as we see here. While probably something that should not be encouraged, I have never seen why this should be a problem. However in this case, it seems the whole issue could easily have been avoided by making the definition unacceptable.
It also came to my attention that this informal usage, “not on”, meaning unacceptable or improper is apparently mainly British. It seems such an everyday phrase to me that I would have guessed it had to be universal but apparently Americans, at least, are generally unfamiliar with it.
7 Dispute created by weapon beginning to end (5)
WORDS – SWORD (weapon) with the ‘S’ moved to the end
8 Tin basin wrongly presented as pot (8)
CANNABIS – CAN (tin) + anagram (wrongly presented) of BASIN
13 Heroine periodically reveals age (3)
EON – [h]E[r]O[i]N[e]
15 Lavishly dressed up on telly (9)
OPULENTLY – anagram (dressed) of UP ON TELLY
16 Winning goal standing, initially disallowed (9)
ENDEARING – END (goal) + [b]EARING (standing, initially disallowed)
17 Aunt Sally perhaps is a legitimate target (4,4)
FAIR GAME – double definition. The first definition refers to a traditional English game usually played in pub gardens and fairgrounds, in which players throw sticks or battens at a model of an old woman’s head.
19 Hit bar son, and drink! (3)
LAP – [s]LAP (hit, bar son)
20 Repair or put back in warehouse? (7)
RESTORE – RE-STORE (put back in warehouse)
21 Look lasciviously around church? He might (6)
LECHER – CH (church) in (around) LEER (look lasciviously)
23 Extinguish, needing small then large amount of water (5)
SLAKE – S (small) + LAKE (large amount of water)
24 Region in which action ultimately takes place? (5)
ARENA – [actio]N in AREA (region)
Thanks Alberich & Pete.
I wrote in Sandwich (the port) from the crossers and a vague idea that sand could be submarine, but still do not understand first definition in 5 across.
In 25 across I think that “of crown” is part of the definition.
Thanks Alberich and Pete
Typically entertaining crossword that I only got to earlier this week in a number of short sessions grabbed whilst working from home in this new way of doing one’s job. LOLITA was first in, with its giveaway first three letters.
Lots of interesting clues with a clever use of the ‘lesser used’ or ‘disguised by the surface’ definitions of words – save / BAR, fresh / IMPERTINENT, crown / tooth, etc. Gave the simple LAP my clue of the day – easy enough with the crossers to get the definition but took a while to see the word play, notwithstanding having come across this use of ‘bar’ in the earlier 9a.
Finished with the well disguised hidden ENAMEL, helped along by its misleading ‘crown prince’ and PERTINENT (with a tricky to find definition and a trickier to find way of getting to it).
Thanks for extending the explanation of the first definition in 5 across, Pete. My (correct) solution now seems even more of a lucky guess — there is no wordplay for the second definition if you don’t know the first.
Looking over my copy of this crossword, I saw that I ticked DIAPER, AMNESIAC, MANAGE, YOGURT, and ENDEARING as favorites and that I failed on IN A ROW (could not parse) and NOT ON. (I wrote in NOT ON but erased it because of NOT in the clue.) Thanks Pete for parsing and to Alberich for the enjoyment.