Financial Times 16,860 by GURNEY

14 comments on “Financial Times 16,860 by GURNEY”

1. An enjoyable solve over breakfast from Gurney. Plenty of twisty parsing to exercise the brain like 3, 15 and 17 ( though a couple needing confirmation here like 10).
   My favourite was the reference to 9’s jazz great. Also liked 20 and 26 as it conjured Bertie Wooster’s Aunt Agatha.
   Thanks to Gurney and Grant.

2. I parsed 10a almost as Grant did, but with MAN (guy).
   Didn’t think of ‘grange’ for ‘farm’ (4d) but the answer couldn’t be anything else. Thanks GB.

3. Not too difficult, but as pointed out, the parsing for several like MAURETANIA and SKIRMISH wasn’t immediately obvious. No unfamiliar words, but I didn’t know GANDER as ‘silly’ and this therefore had to go in from the first def. Particularly enjoyed the ‘Satchmo’ related clue.

   I think your parsing of COMMANDMENT is correct Diane @2, as Grant’s M AND D version contains an extra M and D. I think (says he confidently!) the parsing should be COM.MENT (‘gossip’) around MAN[‘male’] and D[‘daughter’].

   Thanks to Gurney and Grant

4. I didn’t know GANDER as ‘silly’ either, Wordplodder, but the old-fashioned ‘silly goose’ popped into my head after I considered the ‘look’ half of the equation. A neat double definition.

5. Thanks for the blog, a nice set of clues, I agree with comments above.
   I also thought of ” silly goose ” so only fair it applies to gander as well.

6. 9a first in and my favourite, too, in a straightforward but enjoyable puzzle.

7. Thanks to Gurney and Grant. Great fun. I started with Mauritania which did not parse and needed Google to confirm MAURETANIA and especially enjoyed Satchmo STRONG-ARM.

8. I agree with Diane@2 and WordPlodder@3 about how to parse COMMANDMENT. I will note, however, that Grant’s solution has the right number (3) of “M”s, although the period should be between the two Ms in COMMENT, not after them. Grant does indeed have an extra D, though. [COM. M AND d MENT]

   Otherwise, both an enjoyable puzzle and a very good blog.

9. What Diane@1 said.

10. Proof that good doesn’t have to be difficult — thanks Gurney. FOI, STRONG-ARM was my favourite. Thanks Grant for the blog.

11. Thanks Gurney. This was a far more enjoyable exercise than the Brummie.
    It took me a while to see MAURETANIA but it could not be anything else, so thanks for untangling it Grant.

12. Thanks Gurney and Grant
    I usually like my Gurney served a little more spicier, but this was entertaining all the same. Most has been said, including the parsing of COMMANDMENT and the clever STRONG-ARM.
    Finished in the SW corner with three down clues – MAURETANIA (that I hadn’t seen before), CANNON and SKIRMISH.

13. Many thanks, Grant, for the excellent blog and thanks also to all who commented. Confirming that COMMANDMENT was COMMENT around MAN+D..

14. Thanks to Gurney & all posters. My parsing of COMMANDMENT was very clearly a more-haste-less-speed bit of carelessness.

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