Financial Times 16,768 by Mudd

Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of April 24, 2021

I raced through most of this puzzle then got stumped for a while finishing the bottom-right corner with 21 (JERSEY) my last-in.  My favourites are 3 (AUNTIE) and 22 (CUTTER).

ACROSS
1 SUNBATHE
Tan then, but briefly, as perilous? (8)
Anagram (perilous) of THEN BU[t] AS
5 FLATUS
Wind from America behind plane (6)
FLAT (plane) + US (America)
9 COMING UP
Dynasty stopping putsch in a few moments (6,2)
MING (dynasty) in (stopping) COUP (putsch)
10 PAELLA
Old man meeting girl, Spanish dish (6)
PA (old man) + ELLA (girl)
11 EYELINER
Cosmetic overhaul of English river in Sussex town (8)
E (English) + NILE (river) together in RYE (Sussex town) all backwards (overhaul of)
12 CHORAL
Hot pink clothes for singers (6)
H (hot) in (clothes) CORAL (pink)
14 WASHINGTON
Weight put behind domestic chore in US state (10)
WASHING (domestic chore) + TON (weight)
18 TINSELTOWN
Unfortunate case of thespian, lowest in Hollywood (10)
Anagram (unfortunate) of T[hespia]N LOWEST IN
22 CUTTER
Clydebank’s first complete ship (6)
C[lydebank] + UTTER (complete)

Clydebank, a town a little west of Glasgow, was the center of Scotland’s great shipbuilding industry.  My paternal grandfather worked as a pilot on the river Clyde during its glory days.

23 FUSELAGE
Join end of queue after delay – some flier! (8)
FUSE (join) + LAG (delay) + [queu]E
24 PRETTY
Decidedly bewitching (6)
Double definition
25 SPOTLESS
Cleanunlike Dalmatian? (8)
Double definition
26 TURKEY
Country that may be stuffed (6)
Double definition

If this clue seems strangely familiar, it is probably because an essentially identical clue appeared in Mudd’s last FT Weekend puzzle just two weeks ago, FT 16,756. Perhaps the editor should have caught this?

27 PROPERLY
Work around cable, getting last of water for well (8)
ROPE (cable) + [wate]R together in PLY (work)
DOWN
1 SACRED
Holy scriptures are commonly read every day, first of all (6)
S[criptures] A[re] C[ommonly] R[ead] E[very] D[ay]
2 NUMBER
Song more insensitive? (6)
Double definition
3 AUNTIE
A loose woman in the family (6)
A (a) + UNTIE (loose)
4 HOUSE PARTY
Do in wicked youth with spear (5,5)
Anagram (wicked) of YOUTH SPEAR with a cryptic definition
6 LOATHING
Seen in diary, a slight feeling of revulsion (8)
A (a) + THIN (slight) together in (seen in) LOG (diary)
7 TOLERATE
Churning later observed in part of body – stomach (8)
Anagram (churning) of LATE in (observed in) TOE (part of body)
8 STARLING
Winger Jack embraced by supporter (8)
TAR (jack) in (embraced by) SLING (supporter)
13 SHOWJUMPER
Programme on top horse (10)
SHOW (programme) + JUMPER (top)
15 STOCKPOT
Over sink, store kitchen vessel (8)
STOCK (store) + POT (sink — as in snooker)
16 KNITWEAR
Coloured fluid upset, water ruined fleece perhaps? (8)
INK (coloured fluid) backwards (upset) + anagram (ruined) of WATER
17 RESETTLE
Repair lets tree put down roots again (8)
Anagram (repair) of LETS TREE
19 REDTOP
Torpedo almost exploding daily (6)
Anagram (exploding) of TORPED(o). The word ‘redtop’, which refers to a tabloid newspaper, may be unknown to non-Brits. I believe the term came from many tabloids having a red masthead in the past.
20 CAREER
Nanny claiming third in wheelbarrow race (6)
[wh]E[elbarrow] in (claiming) CARER (nanny)
21 JERSEY
Warmer island off southern England (6)
Double definition

9 comments on “Financial Times 16,768 by Mudd”

  1. I seem to remember CAREER and FUSELAGE causing me problems; not so TURKEY and for the reason Pete mentions. Liked the misdirection for TOLERATE and the surface of RESETTLE while FLATUS, SPOTLESS and AUNTIE raised a smile. KNITWEAR reminded me of the old ice lolly stick joke: ‘woolly jumper’ (what you get when crossing a kangaroo with a sheep). Good fun overall though not my best effort.
    Thanks Mudd and Pete for the blog – interesting to learn of your grandfather’s fine work.

  2. Thanks Mudd & Pete.
    I though this was very fairly clued although a fair bit of interpretation was required. I had to check on FLATUS as I am not sure I have come across it before. I knew I had seen TURKEY just like that recently but was unsure when. JERSEY raised a smile. All good fun.
    Pete, my paternal grandfather was at the other end of the process – he was an iron moulder in the shipyards.

  3. Not to be too nit-picky, but isn’t the definition of 4d just “do” rather than “do in”? Otherwise a very good puzzle and very helpful blog, especially “REDTOP” which I knew from the crossing letters and surface had to be right. Thanks to Mudd and Pete.

  4. I agree with everything written so far

    I started with FLATUS, and what better than to start with a fart joke? I got the SW corner out, then made great progress clockwise until the fourth corner slowed me down. It took a while to get JERSEY, CAREER and REDTOP. Pete is correct – this non-Brit had certainly not come across REDTOP before.

    I do not understand how PRETTY can mean decidedly. I assume Mudd is thinking of “pretty big” and “decidedly big”, which mean very different things to me. Is there another use of the word I am not seeing? And, while TURKEY was a repeat, I was happy to see Mudd did not try to call a JERSEY cow “beef” again.

    All-in-all it was an enjoyable puzzle for me, with a lot of likeable clues – too many to name.

    Thanks Mudd and thanks Pete

  5. Ed@3. The “do” gives the party and the “in” gives the location – the home.
    Martyn@4, I think he is meaning something like “pretty good” which means decidedly good but, I agree, it is a bit of a stretch.

  6. I was unsure about the definition in 4d, whether it was “do” or “do in”. The latter of course most commonly means to kill someone but, at a stretch, could be understood as an indoor party. Shall we just say the matter is debatable?

    I was also unsure about 24a (PRETTY) being clued by ‘decidedly’. After consulting a couple of dictionaries I am left thinking it is marginally okay but, as Mystogre says, a bit of a stretch.

    And good to know about your grandfather, Mystogre. Thanks.

  7. Thanks Mudd for the usual fun. Liked SACRED, NUMBER, AUNTIE, STARLING, and CAREER, needed help to get FUSELAGE, PROPERLY, and SHOW JUMPER. Thanks Pete for the blog.
    In 4d I saw “do” as the definition with “in” as a connecting word to make the surface work but I’m now leaning towards Mystogre’s explanation of “in” being the location of the “do.”

  8. Thanks Mudd and Pete
    Took a few sittings to get this one out – a good mix of charades and double definitions. No real standouts but a good enjoyable puzzle that stretched out over the whole day.
    Finished in the SE corner with REDTOP (that took longer than it should have), PROPERLY (tricky definition) and FUSELAGE the last one in.

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