Financial Times 17,012 by FLIMSY

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Not too challenging but enjoyable.

Some very good surfaces in a mostly straightforward puzzle (as one would expect for a Monday). My only quibble is the use of “more than one” in 13a. There may be a typo, as it seems to call for a plural answer, but otherwise just leaving that out of the clue works just as well. Not to distract though from a very enjoyable solve, so thanks to Flimsy!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Typical bear saw red on a regular basis (8)
STANDARD

STAND (bear) + [s]A[w] R[e]D (on a regular basis)

5. Endlessly talk about athletics event (6)
DISCUS

DISCUS[s] (talk about, endlessly)

9. Opening grip (8)
ENTRANCE

Double definition

10. A fine and honest business (6)
AFFAIR

A + F (fine) and FAIR (honest)

12. Worries about rescue? Not half! (5)
CARES

CA (about) + RES[cue] (not half)

13. More than one copper coin pal exchanged with me (9)
POLICEMAN

(COIN PAL ME)* (*exchanged)

14. Cars finally get stuck in boggy areas (6)
MOTORS

[ge]T (finally) stuck in MOORS (boggy areas)

16. Notice good politicians taken in by cock and bull story (7)
GLIMPSE

G + MPS (politicians) taken in by LIE (cock and bull story)

19. University teachers protecting important animals (7)
DONKEYS

DONS (university teachers) protecting KEY (important)

21. Haphazard behaviour, and ominous to an extent (6)
RANDOM

[behaviou]R AND OM[inous] (to an extent)

23. The same United Nations money that might be given back by Germany (9)
UNCHANGED

UN (United Nations) + CHANGE (money that might be given back) by D (Germany)

25. Fast writer (5)
SWIFT

Double definition

Referring to writer Jonathan Swift

26. Terrible time with smoke returning (6)
TRAGIC

T (time) with CIGAR< (smoke, <returning)

27. Delegate – one with precise manner of speaking (8)
DELIVERY

DEL (delegate) + I (one) with VERY (precise)

28. Editor reflected about American magazine’s cost (6)
DAMAGE

ED< (editor, <reflected) about A (American) + MAG (magazine)

29. Remote island, possibly oldest around area (8)
ISOLATED

I (island) + (OLDEST)* (*possibly) around A (area)

DOWN
1. Pong from small fish (6)
STENCH

S (small) + TENCH (fish)

2. PM following nobody except Carrie, ultimately (9)
AFTERNOON

AFTER (following) + NO-ON[e] (nobody, except [Carri]E (ultimately))

3. 500 pounds for little drinks (5)
DRAMS

D (500) + RAMS (pounds)

4. Precise cooks use these? (7)
RECIPES

(PRECISE)* (*cooks) &lit

6. Pants fit nice – no complaint (9)
INFECTION

(FIT NICE NO)* (*pants)

7. Hold large object under cape (5)
CLAIM

L (large) + AIM (object) under C (cape)

8. Alien starts to slide towards Ripley with fury (8)
STRANGER

S[lide] T[owards] R[ipley] (starts to) + ANGER (fury)

11. Jack Nicklaus’s target? (4)
FLAG

Double definition

[Jack] Nicklaus being a professional golfer

15. Making a speech about exercises working (9)
OPERATING

ORATING (making a speech) about PE (exercises)

17. Striking ball in net, unfortunately (9)
PROMINENT

PROM (ball) + IN + (NET)* (*unfortunately)

18. Modified US jet dad’s flying (8)
ADJUSTED

(US JET DAD)* (*flying)

20. Upsetting talk by eastern philosopher (4)
SAGE

GAS< (talk, <upsetting) by E (eastern)

21. Right European clothing? Right (7)
REDRESS

R (right) + E (European) + DRESS (clothing)

22. Remained sober by the sound of it (6)
STAYED

“STAID” (“by the sound of it”)

24. Tea room’s empty appeal (5)
CHARM

CHA (tea) + R[oo]M (empty)

25. Spades dig all the same (5)
STILL

S (spades) + TILL (dig)

14 comments on “Financial Times 17,012 by FLIMSY”

  1. Thanks Flimsy and Teacow

    Must admit that for 13 I just bunged ‘policemen’ in from the definition and a quick look at the grist, not bothering to check whether it worked.

    I wonder if it’s an error?

  2. I hope 13a was a typo because, this aside, it was the perfect Monday entertainment.
    Lots of neat clues requiring the addition/subtraction of a single letter, pithy double definitions (9a, 11d, 25d) and clean surfaces (22a, 4d, 6d).
    Also liked the wordplay for ADJUSTED and PROMINENT.
    Thanks, Flimsy, for an enjoyable warm-up exercise and to Teacow.

  3. Same story as Simon S re 13a. I’m not entirely happy with very/precise in 27a. Otherwise a most enjoyable Goldilocks puzzle — not too easy, not too hard.

  4. Exactly the same comments about the anagram fodder for 13a and the VERY = ‘precise’ at 27a, which was my last in. STILL some good ones to get the brain into gear, such as GLIMPSE and REDRESS. Favourite was the double def / non-cryptic def FLAG.

    Thanks to Teacow and Flimsy

  5. Thanks Flimsy and Teacow

    13ac: I was another who went with the plural definition, although it does not fit the wordplay.

    27ac: Chambers 2014 gives:
    very adj used for emphasis, eg with the force of ‘absolute’ (the very top), precise, ‘actual’ (this very minute, her very words), …
    I think there is enough there to justify VERY = precise.

  6. Further to comment 5, I should also have quoted “very, identical” among the meanings given for precise adj.

  7. I’d agree with Pelham re very/precise and the examples he gives inc. ‘this very minute’ so it didn’t trouble me.

  8. Thanks to Flimsy and Teacow. Enjoyable. I did get POLICEMAN but had trouble with STRANGER because I originally read my faint printout as allen, not alien.

  9. Thanks for the blog, agree for 13A , maybe a late change somewhere, definition gives men and word play man. A lot of neat clues , I liked FLAG for the misleading Jack and STRANGER for the Ripley reference.
    Not sure if MOORS are boggy areas, they tend to dry out and catch fire easily, I suppose they may have peat bogs.

  12. We too bunged in 13ac without checking the anagram fodder too carefully.
    Roz@9: In the latest National Trust magazine (we received ours today) there’s a photograph and short article about an area of moorland where thousands of peat bunds and accompanying hollows have been created to trap rainwater and prevent the area drying out – effectively making it boggy.
    Thanks to Flimsy and Teacow.

  13. Thanks Flimsy and Teacow
    Found this one of the most straightforward puzzles for quite a while – over in about half the normal time. Still enjoyable enough while it lasted.
    Was another who plugged for POLICEMEN without really checking the anagram fodder – curiously that is the correct answer as per the solution in today’s paper !!
    Thought that FLAG was by far and away the pick of the clues.
    Basically went from top to bottom in the solve and ended up with DELIVERY for which I needed all of the crossers.

  14. On ‘policeman’, the only possible way I could get there was by treating ‘police’ as one copper and ‘man’ as another copper as in ‘the man’ sometimes used in the US to mean ‘cop’. 2 coppers.

    Still I put in policemen also.

    Thanks to Flimsy and Teacow.

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