Weekend puzzle from the FT of June 3, 2023
My first-in was 7 (EEL) and I quickly worked through the right side, including 5 (MEPHISTOPHELIAN), but then had a bit of a struggle to get the left half going.
My favourites are 13 (TAGLIATELLE), 24 (GLADIOLI) and the devilish 26 (DELISH). Thank you, Leonidas.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PLATINUM |
Element of choice covering a container (8)
|
| TIN (container) in (covering) A (a) + PLUM (choice) | ||
| 6 | BRETON |
Language centre for Hebrew school (6)
|
| [he]BR[ew] + ETON (school) | ||
| 9 | OIL RIG |
Platform 10 recalled by backward youth (3,3)
|
| IO (10) backwards (recalled) + GIRL (youth) backwards | ||
| 10 | PENELOPE |
Hero’s wife and writer do a bunk (8)
|
| PEN (writer) + ELOPE (do a bunk) with the definition referring to Odysseus in Greek mythology | ||
| 11 | SEMI |
Whale bites male in half (4)
|
| M (male) in (bites) SEI (whale). Sei is a type of whale. | ||
| 12 | TRIMESTERS |
Crops enclosing compound for quarterly periods (10)
|
| ESTER (compound) in (enclosing) TRIMS (crops) | ||
| 14 | ADVOCAAT |
‘Liqueur’ changed to ‘Cava’ on promotion (8)
|
| AD (promotion) + anagram (changed) of TO CAVA | ||
| 16 | GLUT |
Excess cheek parents essentially ignored (4)
|
| GLUT[e] (cheek, [par]E[nts] ignored) | ||
| 18 | UGLI |
Fruit from the East one regularly flags up (4)
|
| [f]L[a]G[s] U[p] (regularly flags up) backwards (from the East) + I (one) | ||
| 19 | PRALINES |
Idiot endlessly ranks confectionery (8)
|
| PRA[t] (idiot endlessly) + LINES (ranks) | ||
| 21 | CONSISTENT |
Happy to hold relative steady (10)
|
| SIS (relative) in (to hold) CONTENT (happy) | ||
| 22 | TOMB |
Doctor following to resting place (4)
|
| TO (to) + MB (doctor) | ||
| 24 | GLADIOLI |
Pleased with exposure of Fiddle and Flowers (8)
|
| GLAD (pleased) + [v]IOLI[n] (exposure of fiddle) | ||
| 26 | DELISH |
Tasty 6 extracted from 5 (6)
|
| VI (6) removed from DEVILISH (5) | ||
| 27 | PROMPT |
Help given with a line dance by trainer (6)
|
| PROM (dance) + PT (trainer, as in personal) | ||
| 28 | NONSENSE |
Foolish son seen eating new rhubarb (8)
|
| N (new) in (eating) anagram (foolish) of SON SEEN | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | LOIRE |
What flows from below via arterioles (5)
|
| Reverse (from below) hidden (from) word | ||
| 3 | TERRITORIES |
Lands finally at the other far island with some MPs (11)
|
| [a]T [th]E [othe]R [fa]R + I (island) + TORIES (some MPs) | ||
| 4 | NIGHTJAR |
King leaving piece on grate for bird (8)
|
| [k]NIGHT (king leaving piece) + JAR (grate) | ||
| 5 | MEPHISTOPHELIAN |
Fiendish Bard character loading shipment at sea (15)
|
| OPHELIA (Bard character) in (loading) anagram (at sea) of SHIPMENT | ||
| 6 | BONNET |
Aristocrat upset over profit cap (6)
|
| NOB (aristocrat) backwards (upset) + NET (profit) | ||
| 7 | EEL |
Uses fingers to investigate skinned fish (3)
|
| [f]EEL[s] (uses fingers to investigate, skinned) | ||
| 8 | OPPORTUNE |
Suitable work on harbour, one in Marseille (9)
|
| OP (work) + PORT (harbour) + UNE (one in Marseille) | ||
| 13 | TAGLIATELLE |
Food Day in Berlin? Follow up on magazine (11)
|
| TAG (day in Berlin) + TAIL (follow) backwards (up) + ELLE (magazine) | ||
| 15 | DOG COLLAR |
Dean’s band perhaps in gold playing with Carol (3,6)
|
| Anagram (playing with) GOLD CAROL | ||
| 17 | MASTODON |
Old fellow south of pole to see ancient beast (8)
|
| MAST (pole) + O (old) + DON (fellow) | ||
| 20 | ESCORT |
Part of prince’s cortege paid for accompaniment (6)
|
| Hidden word (part of) | ||
| 23 | MOSES |
One with tablets treating some symptoms at last (5)
|
| Anagram (treating) of SOME + [symptom]S | ||
| 25 | DIM |
Thick mass beneath surfaces of drains inspected (3)
|
| D[rains] I[nspected] + M (mass) |
Thanks, Leonidas and Pete Maclean!
Liked NIGHTJAR, EEL and MOSES.
PROMPT
‘Help with a line’ must be the def (as in ‘When the actor forgot his lines, I gave him a prompt’).
Help given with a line*
Thanks Pete
I had the opposite experience to you – I got most of the left side out, including 5d, before I make any real progress on the right. I never quite felt on the same wave length as Leonidas. Although I finished the puzzle on Saturday, I still had three clues unparsed, and it took a couple of days to fully solve them.
I interpreted PROMPT the same way as KVa above.
I agree with the favourites mentioned so far, and add OIL RIG and PROMPT to the list. While I enjoy the variety of setters on a Saturday, I am beginning to miss the puzzles with a hint of the ridiculous that we used to often enjoy.
Thanks Pete as always and thanks Leonidas
PS Pete, you have a typo in 1a – it should be PLUM containing A + TIN (container)
Thanks for the blog, very good puzzle , I really like the construction of MEPHISTOPHELIAN and then the use of it for DELISH. GLUT had a very cheeky use of cheek.
A couple of queries , does a Dean wear a DOG COLLAR ? Are TRIMESTERS quarterly periods ? In education they are one third of the academic year, in pregnancy also one third of full term, typically three months so one quarter of a year ?
I asked the same question to myself about TRIMESTER, Roz. My dictionary says it is a 3-month period, so I guess that makes it quarterly.
I solved GLUT from the definition and the crossers, then I parsed it, but I did not believe my parsing. It took much longer for me to make the connection between a glute and a cheek – as you wrote, quite a cheeky use of the word
Thanks Martyn, three months it is. I find it strange that the only two uses I know of the word apply to a third of something.
Glad Martyn@5 looked TRIMESTERS up as I wondered but was solving on the tube. I guess the etymology is from three months rather than a third of a year. That means semester must come from six months, which makes sense.
I don’t remember spotting Ophelia in MEPHISTOPHELIAN last week, but I suspect Hamlet is the only well-known Shakespearean play, I haven’t seen, after several seasons as a groundling at The Globe (plus quite a few minor plays).
Thank you to Pete Maclean and Leonidas.
I’m always pleased to see Leonidas’ name on a puzzle and this one was well up to scratch.
I won’t list all of my many ticks but will just highlight MEPHISTOPHELIAN (I enjoyed OPHELIA’s intervention) and its exploitation in DELISH, PENELOPE (I’ve seen it before but I liked the definition), DOG COLLAR (for the surface – here’s our former Dean, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-63215054 – actually ‘in gold’! + dog collar) and MOSES, also for the surface.
Many thanks to Leonidas for the fun and Pete for the blog.
Oh dear, I wrote this blog very hurriedly and it showed. Sorry. I have corrected a few things.
A fine puzzle. I really like the Ophelia shipment.
TRIMESTER is from trimestris, itself from mensis, according to Biggus Dickus.
Eileen@8 I think the gold definitely suits your ex-Dean, very natty.
Thanks all for contributing and thanks again to Pete for the blog.
Thanks Leonidas. I can always expect a good set of clues from a Leonidas crossword. My top picks were GLUT, GLADIOLI, PROMPT, NONSENSE, and DIM. I couldn’t parse EEL and I too questioned TRIMESTERS as “quarterly periods.” In trying to understand DOG COLLAR I thought “Dean” might be a typo with “Dane” (as in Great Dane) being the intended word. Thanks Pete for the blog.
My favourite was 26, Pete.