Orense provides this morning's FT puzzle.
Although there were some good clues in here (such as 14ac and 22dn), I was ultimately disappointed with this puzzle. I think it could have done with a bit of editing. Several of the clues had superfluous words in them which could have been removed without making any difference to the surface reading or the cryptic indications (examples include "evidence of" in 11ac, "must" in 2dn, "such" in 13dn and "person who's a" in 16dn). Also, W was indicated by "women" in two clues, and 17dn is barely an anagram.
I'm not sure if the puzzle was test-solved, but I would have expected an editor to suggest a few changes and to have taken a red pencil to some of the clues to make them tighter.
Thanks, Orense.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SWIFT | Women beset by strain is able to move quickly (5) |
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W (women) beset by SIFT ("strain") |
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| 4 | DOWNTURNS | Individual opportunities will come after Germany declines (9) |
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OWN ("individual") + TURNS ("opportunities") will come after D (IVR code for "Germany") |
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| 9 | TANTRUM | Tense worker’s strange pet (7) |
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T (tense) + ANT ("worker") + RUM ("strange") |
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| 10 | PERSONA | Rapper so naturally keeping in character (7) |
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Hidden in [keeping in] "rapPER SO NAturally" |
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| 11 | REINCARNATION | Check flower for evidence of new life (13) |
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REIN ("check") + CARNATION ("flower") |
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| 14 | CAMP | Theatrical area covered by Conservative politician (4) |
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A (area) covered by C (Conservative) + MP (Member of Parliament, so "politician") |
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| 15 | AT THE MOST | No more new homes in the outskirts of Thanet after a time (2,3,4) |
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*(homes) [anag:new] in [the outskirts of] T(hane)T after A T (time) |
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| 18 | ARSONISTS | Criminals needing skills to employ lad wise at heart (9) |
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ARTS ("skills") to employ SON ("lad") + (w)IS(e) [at heart] |
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| 19 | AFRO | Shock obtained from reversing extractor fans (4) |
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Hidden backwards in [obtained from reversing] "extractOR FAns" |
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| 21 | MISCONCEPTION | Plan in heartless undertaking is a delusion (13) |
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CONCEPT ("plan") in [hearltess] MIS(s)ION |
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| 24 | THERMAL | Short story about Channel island current (7) |
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[short] TAL(e) ("story") about HERM ("Channel Island") |
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| 26 | LADDISH | West coast beauty will welcome date like (7) |
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L.A. DISH (a "beauty" form the "West coast" will welcome D (date)) The definition here is actually "like a lager lout" linked to 27ac. |
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| 27 | . . . . (7) | |
| 27 | LAGER LOUT | . . . . rogue, all excited with time for such a youth (5,4) |
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*(rogue all) [anag:excited] with T (time) |
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| 28 | SUEDE | Take court action and defence’s case becomes material (5) |
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SUE ("take court action") + D(efenc}E ['s case] |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SITE | Locate quote in audition (4) |
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Homophone [in audition] of CITE ("quote") |
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| 2 | IGNORAMUSES | People knowing nothing may find inspiration in topless ladies from Italy (11) |
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MUSE ("inspiration") in (s)IGNORINAS (topless "ladies from Italy") |
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| 3 | TURBID | Murky offer to support raised channel (6) |
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BID ("offer") to support [raised] <=RUT ("channel") |
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| 4 | DEMOCRATS | Oddly dream Castro trained such politicians! (9) |
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[oddly] D(r)E(a)M + *(castro) [anag;trained] |
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| 5 | WIPER | Women should have one for each type of blade (5) |
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W (women) should have I (one) + PER ("for each") |
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| 6 | THREATEN | Put the screws on X after change of heart (8) |
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TEN (X) after *(heart) [anag:change of] |
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| 7 | ROO | Aussie jumper ducks under bottom of bar (3) |
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OO ("ducks", in cricket) under [bottom of] (ba)R |
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| 8 | STAGNATION | Party people showing a lack of activity (10) |
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STAG ("party") + NATION ("people") |
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| 12 | INOFFENSIVE | Venison, if stewed is full of iron – and bland (11) |
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*(venison if) [anag:stewed] is full of Fe (chemical symbol for "iron") |
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| 13 | SCRAP METAL | Arc lamp set off such reclaimed material (5,5) |
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*(arc lamp set) [anag:off] |
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| 16 | TEST PILOT | International scheme employing one person who’s a flyer (4,5) |
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TEST ("international", as in rugby or cricket) + PLOT ("scheme") employing I (one) |
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| 17 | INFORMER | On firmer ground there’s grass (8) |
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*(on firmer) [anag:ground] This is barely an anagram, with only two letters out of place in the fodder. |
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| 20 | DIODES | Declines to stock empty old semi- conductors (6) |
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DIES ("declines") to stock [empty] O(l)D |
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| 22 | CELLO | Love must underpin chamber music supplied by this (5) |
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O ("love" in tennis) must underpin CELL ("chamber") |
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| 23 | GHEE | Butter could be good present, with no end of beer (4) |
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G (good) + HE(r)E ("present" with no end of (bee)R) |
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| 25 | ERG | River in, say, part of the Sahara (3) |
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R (river) in E.G. ("say") An erg is a kind of sand dune. |
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First time I’ve done an Orense puzzle which was straight-forward for the most part. I share some of Loonapick’s misgivings but I still enjoyed working on this.
I liked INOFFENSIVE, TANTRUM and ARSONISTS best, along with LAGER LOUT and LADDISH though it took a long time to find the connection.
For 19a, I initially had ‘stun’ reversing ‘nuts’ (fans) – don’t think I would have arrived at AFRO for ‘shock’ of hair without a cheat. And while I guessed ERG, my LOI, I didn’t know this defintion.
Thanks to setter and blogger both.
I was so relieved to have this not so difficult puzzle after struggling with yesterday’s “botanical” Gozo just before tackling this one that I wasn’t inclined to be in too critical a frame of mind. What I noticed was the generous use of ‘Aussie’ for the 3-lettered ‘jumper’ at 7d, though I suppose it does help the surface. However pride cometh before a fall as I then spent a few minutes trying to fit in ‘goat’ as a crossword ‘Butter’ at 23d.
Just a few very minor points, but I think you meant (s)IGNORAS for 2d and the def for 26a is ‘like 27….’ (I don’t think the ‘….’ is meant to be separate).
Thanks to Orense and loonapick
Yes, WP@2
You’re right on both counts. No excuse for the first error, the second was down to the blogging software adding in an extra line for some reason. Will edit when next at a PC.
Thanks to Orense and loonapick. Lots of items new to me (e.g. GHEE, ERG), but thanks to Google, this puzzle represents one of the few times I managed to solve and parse everything.
A pleasant enough solve, and pretty quick, but we concur with some of the blogger’s comments that a spot of editing wouldn’t have come amiss. And although ‘women’ is used twice to indicate T, in 1ac it should have been ‘woman’ or maybe (since neither Chambers nor Collins gives ‘woman’ for W) ‘wife’ to agree with the singular verb.
Lots to like, though, including IGNORAMUSES and TEST PILOT.
Thanks, Orense and loonapick.
I am not sure I have done an Orense puzzle before and I did enjoy it. Thanks for that as, again, I needed some relief after the Guardian slog. I found most of it reasonably straightforward with a good smile at LADDISH. I did think some of the clueing was a little loose but where the setter was aiming was obvious. Thanks for the blog Loonapick.
We were most confused by 2dn – signoras component as of course the plural for signora is signore. Perhaps confused with the Spanish senora(s).
Thoroughly enjoyed turbid and erg. Confess that pet / tantrum synonym was new.
Many thanks to both setter and parser.
Thanks Orense and loonapick
Looks like it has been over a year since this setter has been seen in the FT. Has always been on the easier end of the difficulty spectrum for the FT … and so it was this puzzle that I was able to get through in a couple of short sessions. Agree with the comments on the looseness of several of the clues, but overall it was still an enjoyable solve.
Had the second ‘women’ as WI (Women’s Institute) and PER as ‘one for each’ – but that is not technically correct I guess. Was unaware of the desert-based ERG and don’t think that I’ve seen the term LAGER LOUT before. Finished with those two before seeing the INFORMER meaning of ‘grass’ as the last one in.