Financial Times 17,599 by BASILISK

A very enjoyable puzzle, and not too tricky.

Many thanks to Basilisk. I found this on the easier side of the Basilisk spectrum. A most enjoyable challenge. I haven’t spotted a theme or nina – if you have, then please do enlighten us in the comments.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS

1. Demonic choir alarms cast in ghost story (1,9,5)

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

(CHOIR ALARM CAST)* (*demonic)

9. Tentatively backed restriction involving closure of Scotland Yard (7)

TIMIDLY

(LIMIT< (restriction, <backed) involving [Scotlan]D (closure of)) + Y (yard)

10. Publication of dates and facts helping to represent Neanderthal man accurately (7)

ALMANAC

[Neanderth]AL MAN AC[curately] (helping to represent)

11. Learning about adopting new register (5)

ENROL

LORE< (learning, <about) adopting N (new)

12. English school certainly introduces problem for reader (9)

EYESTRAIN

(E (English) + TRAIN (school)) introduces YES (certainly)

13. Recall small screen almost broadcast arrests (9)

REMINISCE

MINI (small); (SCREE[n] (almost))* (*broadcast) arrests

15. Gun emplacement briefly protecting this country’s defensive assets (5)

NUKES

NES[t] (gun emplacement, briefly) protecting UK (this country)

16. Officers have to abandon ship (5)

POSSE

POSSE[ss] (have, to abandon SS (ship))

18. Favourite part I’m unsure is crude (9)

PETROLEUM

PET (favourite) + ROLE (part) + UM (I’m unsure)

20. Wasted reporter’s head cradled by more competent senior colleague (9)

FRITTERED

R[eporter]’s (head) cradled by FITTER + ED (more competent + senior colleague)

23. One who wades in, ultimately after brave man (5)

HERON

[i]N (ultimately) after HERO (brave man)

24. Add value to skin on lips and moisturise? (7)

HYDRATE

Add RATE (value) to “HIDE” (skin, “on lips”)

25. Partners book actors for modern production (7)

WEBCAST

W + E (partners) + B (book) + CAST (actors)

West and East are partners in a game of bridge

26. Crossing a fine line might be his downfall (9,6)

TIGHTROPE WALKER

Cryptic definition

DOWN

1. Immediately when bowler goes to ground? (2,3,4,2,1,3)

AT THE DROP OF A HAT

Cryptic / double definition

‘Bowler’ referring to a bowler hat

2. Dull sound of drone instrument (7)

HUMDRUM

HUM (sound of a drone) + DRUM (instrument)

3. Lack of productivity on decline following reorganisation (9)

INDOLENCE

(ON DECLINE)* (*following reorganisation)

4. Ingredient of healthy meal? (5)

THYME

[heal]THY ME[al] (of)

5. Humiliation is core element of sad American story (9)

ABASEMENT

[s]A[d] (core element of) + BASEMENT (American story)

An American STORY could be an English STOREY, i.e. level of a building

6. Regular visitor viewed overhead as part of income tax (5)

COMET

[in]COME T[ax] (part of)

7. Managed to fire rifle (7)

RANSACK

RAN (managed) + SACK (to fire)

8. Men’s sons chortle about being difficult to find (4,4,7)

LOCH NESS MONSTER

(MEN’S SONS CHORTLE)* (*about)

‘Being’ as a noun here

14. Who potentially rose up to protect this woman? (9)

SUPERHERO

(ROSE UP)* (*potentially) to protect HER (this woman) – &lit

15. What never affected performances of The New Seekers or The Modern Lovers? (9)

NEOPHOBIA

Cryptic definition

Both ‘The New Seekers’ and ‘The Modern Lovers’ are music groups. As they sought the new, or loved the new, their performances would not have been affected by a fear of the new / neophobia.

17. Quiet jibe about elected party (7)

SHINDIG

(SH (quiet) + DIG (jibe)) about IN (elected)

19. Organ score set aside for particular occasion (7)

EARMARK

EAR (organ) + MARK (score)

21. What makes soldiers drink? (5)

TOAST

Double definition

The first as in ‘egg and soldiers’

22. Search for water in blue ocean endlessly (5)

DOWSE

(DOW[n] + SE[a]) (blue + ocean: endlessly)

14 comments on “Financial Times 17,599 by BASILISK”

A lovely puzzle with much help from the answers around the perimeter to start me off.
I couldn’t see a theme either.
I loved TOAST. I thought RANSACK was neat too.
Thanks to Basilisk and Oriel.

This didn’t feel anything like a Basilisk crossword to me. Assuming it is, I feel there should be a nina but I didn’t see it either. I felt the repetition of “hero” in 14d & 23a was a little clumsy and I initially felt that the inclusion indicator in 12a was the wrong way around then saw it as E then TRAIN with YES before it.

I enjoyed this and was much helped by the two long anagrams. Most of the top half went in quickly – the bottom half was much slower.

Liked WEBCAST, SHINDIG.

Didn’t get DROP OF … until I got the last two crosses – for HAT – and then it was obvious and I was kicking myself for being mislead by the bowler.

Thanks Basilisk and Oriel

Not hugely difficult BUT a masterclass in setting-name of the game

I enjoyed this, and managed everything except for the parsing of POSSE, which, upon coming here, resulted in a “D’oh!”

Thanks Basilisk & Oriel.

The SW corner slowed me up for a while, but I eventually got on track. Nice puzzle, and working around perimeter clues like this without resorting to obscure words is a remarkable feat. Well done.

Lovely crossword which I didn’t find as difficult as some of this setter’s crosswords. My favourite has to be 21d – I love a sneaky soldier clue

Many thanks to Basilisk and Oriel (a combination that appears in predictive text as soon as I type Basilisk)

[typo (CHOIR ALARMS CAST)*]

Thanks Basilisk for a great set of clues. My favourites included TIMIDLY, ALMANAC, EYESTRAIN, PETROLEUM, HERON, ABASEMENT, RANSACK, SUPERHERO, TOAST, and DOWSE. Maybe I’m spoiled but I was disappointed in the apparent lack of theme or nina. Thanks Oriel for the blog.

Thanks for the blog, perhaps the most helpful grid with every answer having the first letter checked. I thought the clues were really good , lots of neat wordplay and clever ideas throughout.

As above

Additionally: I was particularly impressed with the long anagrams and also liked PETROLEUM. I had no confidence I had parsed a couple of clues correctly (ABASEMENT & NEOPHOBIA), to learn from the blog I actually had them. Nice to see no obscure terms. I always thought DROP OF A HAT meant very willingly rather than immediately. That and DOWSE meaning ‘search for water’ are today’s learnings.

Thanks Basilisk* and Oriel

*if that is who you are (see Hovis @2)