Financial Times 17,155 by STEERPIKE

by

A witty challenge from Steerpike – very enjoyable and well worth the perseverance.

There were a few clues that kept me on my toes, and thankfully the solutions fell into place with “aha!” moments. Great fun, thank you Steerpike.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Modification in style (10)
REFINEMENT

Double definition

6. Discovered vast island by a major landmass (4)
ASIA

[v]AS[t] (discovered) + I (island) + A

9. Monk briefly bared all in bawdy-house (7)
BROTHEL

BROTHER[r] (monk, briefly) + [a]L[l] (bared)

10. Unwillingly leave board of women’s group with sulky look, say (4,3)
WIPE OUT

WI (board of women’s group) + “POUT” (sulky look, “say”)

12. Dead weightlifter? (10)
PALLBEARER

Cryptic definition

13, 23. Rugby fanatic defending O’Mahony’s initial lapse (3,3)
RUN OUT

RU (rugby, i.e Rugby Union) + NUT (fan) defending O[‘Mahoney] (initial)

15. Poem by idiot about port (6)
ODESSA

ODE (poem) by ASS< (idiot, <about)

16. Sailing equipment moved below in middle of hailstorm (8)
BOWLINES

(BELOW IN)* (*moved) + [hail]S[torm] (middle of)

18. Advice from soldier about posh knees- up (8)
GUIDANCE

GI (soldier) about U (posh) + DANCE (knees-up)

20. Trim Christmas tree (6)
SPRUCE

Double definition

23. See 13
24. Tyrannical lunatic is perverse (10)
REPRESSIVE

(IS PERVERSE)* (*lunatic)

26. Sweet, virtuous type meets obnoxious Liberal (7)
STRUDEL

ST (virtuous type) meets RUDE (obnoxious) + L (liberal)

27. Obsequious European is given heroin (7)
SLAVISH

SLAV (European) + IS + H (heroin)

28. Brought back some delicious Mayan root crops (4)
YAMS

[deliciou]S MAY[an]< (some, <brought back)

29. Put locks on for keeps! (10)
FORTRESSES

Put TRESSES (locks) on FOR

DOWN
1. Rip off Earl’s gown (4)
ROBE

ROB (rip off) + E (earl)

2. Images of enemy holding old gun up (7)
FOOTAGE

FOE (enemy) holding O (old) + GAT< (gun, <up)

3. Brando horsed around, pinching Duvall’s bottom? Anything goes! (2-5- 6)
NO-HOLDS-BARRED

(BRANDO HORSED) *(*around) pinching [Duval]L (bottom)

4. Placid sheep picked up fungal infection (6)
MILDEW

MILD (placid) + EW (sheep, “picked up”, i.e. sounds like EWE)

5. No worse off with Mike in press office (8)
NEWSROOM

(NO WORSE)* (*off) with M (Mike)

7. Dangling purse from bridge crossing river in Oregon (7)
SPORRAN

SPAN (bridge) crossing R (river) in OR (Oregon)

8. Amazed a heavyweight is stuck in outhouse (10)
ASTONISHED

A + TON (heavyweight) + IS stuck in SHED (outhouse)

11. Pretentious prose plagues papers, peculiarly (6,7)
PURPLE PASSAGE

(PLAGUES PAPERS)* (*peculiarly)

14. Sumptuously feast with rogue, oddly lacking cunning (10)
GORGEOUSLY

GORGE (feast) with [r]O[g]U[e] (oddly lacking) + SLY (cunning)

17. A top university hydrologist essentially takes care of bay (8)
ACAPULCO

A + CAP (top) + U (university) + [hydro]L[ogist] (essentially) takes CO (care of)

19. Temporary trainee almost gets one million (7)
INTERIM

INTER[n] (trainee, almost) gets I M (1 million)

21. Exposes international organisation, ruining lives (7)
UNVEILS

UN (international organisation) + (LIVES)* (*ruining)

22. Teachers vacated indifferent lodgings (6)
BEDSIT

BEDS (teachers, i.e. B Eds) + I[ndiferen]T (vacated)

25. So enthralled by enthusiast (4)
THUS

[en]THUS[iast] (enthralled by)

14 comments on “Financial Times 17,155 by STEERPIKE”

  3. Oldham @1. The ‘say’ in the clue denote a homophone. So it is WI followed by a homophone of ‘pout’. PS Still don’t like setters using ODESSA rather than ODESA but that’s probably just me.

  4. The definition of 10ac is ‘Unwillingly leave board’ and the reference is to surfing I believe. My solving experience mirrored that of Teacow’s.

  5. There was much to like in this grid; the ‘dangling purse’, ‘keeps’ and ‘unwilling to leave board’ (if I could just account for the missing ‘e’).
    Thanks to Steerpike and to Teacow for parsing a few which eluded me.

  6. Agree with Steven on the definition of 10a.
    Hovis, I’m being dumb, maybe, but I don’t get it. A homophone of what?

  7. Thanks for clearing up the def for 10a, Steven @4. I was struggling to see how ‘Unwillingly leave’ could be the same thing as WIPE OUT, but the addition of ‘board’ to the def makes perfect sense of it.

    A pleasant Monday puzzle that wasn’t too difficult though I found ACAPULCO wasn’t the first ‘bay’ to come to mind and GORGEOUSLY and GUIDANCE held out till the end. Favourite was the ‘Dangling purse’ for SPORRAN.

    As a general observation, yesterday’s NUT seems to have become today’s BEDS in crossword land.

    Thanks to Teacow and Steerpike

  8. Diane @6. I’m just saying that the PE OUT bit in WIPE OUT is a homophone of POUT. So WI + “POUT”.

  10. My last one in was 11D: I know the expression “purple prose” but have never encountered the solution to this clue. Otherwise it was pretty easy.

    10A – what a great instrumental by The Safaris!

  11. Thanks Steerpike and Teacow

    I thought it unfortunate in 14 that -OUSLY appeared in both clue and solution.

  14. Late to the party – we solved the puzzle early but didn’t get time to comment yesterday. It’s all been said, really; our only (slight) problem was that we didn’t get the surfing reference in WIPE OUT.
    Thanks, Steerpike and Teacow.

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