A fun new themed puzzle in the FT’s online-only Sunday series. Find it on the FT website to print or solve interactively, or use the FT’s smartphone app.
As mentioned in the blog to last week’s News puzzle, the Sunday series will have US, News, World and Numbers on rotation. For the first of the World-themed offerings, regular setter Gaff steps up to the plate. It opens with the following preamble:
“A cryptic puzzle themed on one particular country. The name of the country should be inserted at 24 down. Work out the name of the country by solving the *asterisked clues, all undefined – their solutions have some relevance to the country, such as its places, famous people, culture, language”
It didn’t take me long to work out the country we were looking for, but given that the solutions could have been pretty much anything related to that country, it was still pretty tricky to work out some of the clues from wordplay alone – crossing letters proved very helpful in several places. Gaff has managed to cram an impressive number of themed entries into the grid, quite a few of them related to food or music, two subjects for which ITALY is particularly well known.
Nothing to really quibble over, although some inevitably won’t like the homophone at 1d CAESAR, and I spent far too long looking for meaning in the ellipsis in 6d VIVACE, but all seems fair to me. Favourite was the clever and pithy 26a MARE.
Thank you, Gaff.
| ACROSS | ||
| 8 | MARSUPIA |
God raised heartless idea of pouches (8)
|
| MARS (god) + UP (raised) + I[de]A (heartless idea = remove middle letters of idea)
Plural of marsupium, the pouch in animals such as kangaroos, ie marsupials. |
||
| 9 | ELICIT |
Bring out some philatelic items (6)
|
| Hidden (some) in philatELIC ITems | ||
| 10 | TSAR |
Leader that subdues all Russian leaders (4)
|
| First letters (leaders) of That Subdues All Russian | ||
| 11 | GRAND CANAL |
*Young woman hides money tin (5,5)
|
| GAL (young woman) contains (hides) [RAND (money, currency of South Africa) + CAN (tin)]
The main canal in the Italian city of Venice. |
||
| 12 | CRESCENDO |
*Endless street party (9)
|
| CRESCEN[t] (endless street) + DO (party)
Italian term used as a musical instruction to play gradually louder. |
||
| 13 | GENOA |
*Run away from orange criminal (5)
|
| Anagram of O[r]ANGE less R (run away) | ||
| 15 | ESCORTS |
Guards are key alternative to half-wits (7)
|
| ESC (key) + OR (alternative) + [wi]TS (half-wits) | ||
| 17 | POMPEII |
*Display east of two islands (7)
|
| POMP (display) + E (east) + II (two islands) | ||
| 20 | GRAPE |
Winemaker could be shot (5)
|
| Double definition
Grapeshot is a cluster small pellets fired from a cannon. |
||
| 22 | RIGOLETTO |
*Nothing allowed to follow tackle (9)
|
| RIG (tackle) + O (nothing) + LET (allowed) + TO
Opera by 5d based on a play by Victor Hugo. |
||
| 25 | MINESTRONE |
*Rebuild remote inns (10)
|
| Anagram (rebuild) of REMOTE INNS
An Italian meat-broth based soup containing vegetables and pasta. |
||
| 26 | MARE |
*Swim area, in part (4)
|
| Hidden (in part) in swiM AREa
Mare is Italian for sea. Clever clue, with the surface as a whole also functioning as definition – you could call this &lit if you care about such jargony labels. |
||
| 27 | PISTOL |
Maybe starting to slip while drunk (6)
|
| Anagram (while drunk) of TO SLIP
A starting pistol is one used to give the signal to start a race. |
||
| 28 | TURANDOT |
*Go round a mark (8)
|
| TURN (go) round A + DOT (mark)
Opera by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CAESAR |
*Take over a report (6)
|
| Sounds like (report) of “SEIZE A” (take over a)
Big cheese in Rome, Italy as was. |
||
| 2 | ESPRESSO |
*Psychic abilities start to rattle oil company (8)
|
| ESP (psychic abilities) + first letter of (start to) R[attle] + ESSO (oil company)
Short, strong coffee, the method for making which originated in Italy. |
||
| 3 | SPAGHETTI |
*Sigh at pet running wild (9)
|
| Anagram (running wild) of SIGH AT PET
Long thin strands of pasta, a staple of Italian cuisine. |
||
| 4 | HAZARDS |
Places to avoid, of course (7)
|
| Cryptic definition
I initially thought of BUNKERS, which are an example of a type of HAZARD you’ll find on a golf course – right number of letters but doesn’t fit with the crossers. |
||
| 5 | VERDI |
*Drive mad (5)
|
| Anagram (mad) of DRIVE
Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer best known for his operas, such as 22a. |
||
| 6 | VIVACE |
*5, 4, …1 (6)
|
| V+ IV (five and four in Roman numerals) + ACE (one)
Vivace is an Italian term used as a musical instruction to play at a lively and fast tempo. Have to admit I struggled with the wordplay here thanks to the misleading ellipsis. |
||
| 7 | RIGATONI |
*Capital gets into trouble (8)
|
| RIGA (capital of Latvia) + anagram (trouble) of INTO
Short, ridged tubes of pasta, the name is derived from the Italian for “ridged”. |
||
| 14 | TONOMETRY |
Book about working on attempt at pressure test (9)
|
| TOME (book) containing (about) ON (working) + TRY (attempt)
Measuring the pressure of eg blood, vapour. Can also mean measuring the pitch of sounds, eg with a tuning fork. |
||
| 16 | SARDINIA |
*Endless fish hearts in trials (8)
|
| SARDIN[e] (endless fish) + middle letters of (hearts in) trIAls
Mediterranean island and region of Italy. |
||
| 18 | PIEDMONT |
*Black and white before day-time (8)
|
| PIED (having patches of two colours, eg black and white, such as a pied horse) + MON (day) + T (time)
Anglicised name for the Piemonte region of northern Italy. |
||
| 19 | RISOTTO |
*European leader left to Tories’ manoeuvring (7)
|
| Anagram (manoeuvring) of TO TORI[e]S less E (European leader left)
Northern Italian rice dish. |
||
| 21 | PRESTO |
*Finish off Northern city (6)
|
| PRESTO[n] (city in northern England) less the last letter (finish off)
An Italian term used as a musical instruction to play very fast. |
||
| 23 | TURN-ON |
Clue to no arousal (4-2)
|
| Reverse wordplay: “TURN ON” could be a cryptic clue to NO | ||
| 24 | ITALY |
[See Setter Notes] (5)
|
| The link between all the asterisked clues here! |
Thanks, Gaff for the enjoyable puzzle.
Thanks, Widdersbel for the detailed and nice blog.
VIVACE
I was also trying to account for the ellipsis.
MARE is a cute &lit as you have pointed out.
Liked HAZARDS, PIEDMONT and CAESAR (hoping to learn something from
the pronunciation experts).
Liked this a lot.
My first few entries gave ?ES?V?? in the top row. That left me expecting a nina of VESUVIO.
Favourites VIVACE and my loi – CAESAR.
nho TONOMETRY, but easily deducible.
The “orange criminal” in 13a must be Trump.
Thanks G&W
PIEDMONT was my favourite with TURANDOT a close second. I enjoyed this though it made me realise how much I usually rely on definitions. Thanks for the blog.