Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 20, 2022
I finished this only after resorting to help for 14 (DOCUSOAP) and 17 (FLASH GUN). My first-in was 6a (POTAGE), I was lucky in getting 5 (REGIUS PROFESSOR) fairly quickly, and I finished with 21 (BREEZELESS). My favourites are 15 (OTHERWISE) and 24 (TIRELESS).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SHOULDER |
Cut of meat for bear (8)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 6 | POTAGE |
Cook got pea soup (6)
|
| Anagram (cook) of GOT PEA | ||
| 9 | LABOUR |
Working dog belonging to us (6)
|
| LAB (dog) + OUR (belonging to us) | ||
| 10 | GALLOWAY |
County enclosing half of loch in Scottish region (8)
|
| LO[ch] in (enclosing) GALWAY (county) | ||
| 11 | EDIT |
Change a little overrated, I think (4)
|
| Hidden word (a little) | ||
| 12 | SQUEEZE-BOX |
Musical instrument lover on strike (7-3)
|
| SQUEEZE (lover) + BOX (strike) | ||
| 14 | DOCUSOAP |
Medic on old American programme (8)
|
| DOC (medic) + US OAP (old American) | ||
| 16 | EGGY |
Containing yellow and white, say, coat of grey (4)
|
| EG (say) + G[re]Y | ||
| 18 | THAI |
Asian connection under discussion? (4)
|
| Homophone (under discussion) of “tie” (connection) | ||
| 19 | OIL PAINT |
Artist’s medium stirred into pail (3,5)
|
| Anagram (stirred) of INTO PAIL | ||
| 21 | BREEZELESS |
Still without something easy? (10)
|
| BREEZE-LESS (without something easy) | ||
| 22 | ELBA |
Island where expert retired (4)
|
| ABLE (expert) backwards (retired) | ||
| 24 | TIRELESS |
Indefatigable, yet unable to drive on the freeway? (8)
|
| TIRE-LESS (unable to drive on the freeway). “On the freeway” because Americans spell tyres with an ‘i’. | ||
| 26 | GUINEA |
Writer has left publisher each coin (6)
|
| [pen]GUIN (writer has left publisher) + EA (each) | ||
| 27 | FERRET |
Hunt has Queen in stew (6)
|
| ER (queen) in (in) FRET (stew) | ||
| 28 | RENEGADE |
Grandee furious, leader of expedition disloyal (8)
|
| Anagram (furious) of GRANDEE + E[xpedition] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | HEARD |
Reportedly, number of goats caught (5)
|
| Homophone (reportedly) of HERD (number of goats) | ||
| 3 | UNOBTRUSIVE |
Modest souvenir, but ornate (11)
|
| Anagram (ornate) of SOUVENIR BUT | ||
| 4 | DERISION |
Teasing that is holding teacher up defended by lecturer (8)
|
| SIR (teacher) backwards (up) in (holding) IE (that is) in (defended by) DON (lecturer) | ||
| 5 | REGIUSPROFESSOR |
Grief initially contained, if spouse’s error calamitous one offered a chair (6,9)
|
| G[rief] in anagram (calamitous) of IF SPOUSES ERROR
While I knew the term Regius Professor, I did not know precisely what it meant. Now I have learned that it refers to a university chair appointed by the Crown. |
||
| 6 | PULLEY |
Lifting equipment, shout towards heaven when lifting (6)
|
| YELL (shout) backwards (towards heaven) + UP (when lifting) | ||
| 7 | TWO |
Couple heads off then with others (3)
|
| T[hen] W[ith] O[thers] | ||
| 8 | GLAMORGAN |
Historic Welsh county not entirely happy with Welshman? (9)
|
| GLA[d] (not entirely happy) + MORGAN (Welshman) | ||
| 13 | EYE-WATERING |
Look at gardening job too dear? (3-8)
|
| EYE (look at) + WATERING (gardening job) | ||
| 15 | OTHERWISE |
She wrote, I gathered, in a different way (9)
|
| Anagram (gathered) of SHE WROTE I | ||
| 17 | FLASHGUN |
Ostentatious weapon, lighter? (8)
|
| FLASH (ostentatious) + GUN (weapon) | ||
| 20 | BEREFT |
Wanting risk, judge intervenes (6)
|
| REF (judge) in (intervenes) BET (risk) | ||
| 23 | BREAD |
Money raised, did you say? (5)
|
| Homophone (did you say?) of “bred” (raised) | ||
| 25 | ERR |
Sin I’m not sure right (3)
|
| ER (I’m not sure) + R (right) |
Thanks Mudd for your dependable weekend entertainment. I found this difficult at first but somehow it all worked itself out. I ticked EGGY, GUINEA, FERRET, PULLEY, BEREFT, and OTHERWISE, the latter for its surface. In 24a, I thought it should have read “freeway in America” due to the spelling of “tire” but now I’m guessing that freeway is a uniquely American term. Thanks Pete for the blog.
It felt very good to solve and parse this without any outside help after a moderate challenge.
My first entry, like Pete, was POTAGE and my last BEREFT which I mulled for quite a while, possibly because I wanted a ‘j’ (from judge) in there when I was still chasing an unrealised pangram!
I enjoyed EGGY, like Tony, and OIL PAINT for their surfaces, and the penless publisher of 26.
I also liked 28’s ‘furious’ grandee (another anagram of which is ‘enraged’, synonymous with ‘furious’ ? neat) and how column 2 reads HEARD OTHERWISE even if it’s just a happy coincidence.
Tony, I’m not sure if freeway is used elsewhere in the world but I thought it would indicate an American usage.
Thanks to Mudd and Pete.
.
Thanks for the blog, I too thought freeway was a neat way to give the US spelling of tire. Is it a term unique to the USA as Tony asks? I have never really thought about it. Like Diane@2 I liked the (pen)GUIN.
Thanks Pete, thanks Mudd. Not much to add this week, but to echo other comments.
We used to call them Freeways, until they started tolling them. They’re now Motorways, although many still call the M1 the F3 (the bit between Sydney an Newcastle at least).
Wow, I usually do the puzzles the day after the blog’s come out (so I can come straight here). Because last week’s Guardian prize was completely beyond me, I grabbed a random Paul from 2018. 1d was “Medic, American on senior program”.
Greg@6 this type of “programme” was all the rage on UK television for quite a few years If you have seen a programme called The Office , it was a reaction to them.
Thanks Roz, I’m aware of The Office but never watched it. I was just astounded to come across an almost identical clue for docusoap in the space of 15 minutes, despite them being published over 4 years apart.
Greg@8 it is certainly a bit of a coincidence, I wonder if setters often recycle clues but we do not notice because we rarely do puzzles with a long time gap between them . Perhaps certain answers just lead to clues in the same style like this one ?