Financial Times 17,655 by JULIUS

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A fabulous puzzle from Julius.

I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge from Julius. It relies somewhat on general knowledge which I know can be unpopular, but it’s also a great way to learn new things. This is a wonderful broad referencing puzzle which I really enjoyed spending time picking apart. Many thanks to Julius!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Such as dragon emblem on sterling pounds? (7)
MONSTER

[emble]M ON STER[ling] (pounds)

5. Antidote impeding onset of really advanced poison (6)
CURARE

CURE (antidote) impeding R[eally] A[dvanced] (onset of)

8. Andean bar prepared dish served with curry (4,5)
NAAN BREAD

(ANDEAN BAR)* (*prepared)

9. Wine area, freezing cold, next to the sea (5)
MEDOC

0C (freezing cold, zero Celsius) next to MED (the sea)

11. Piece of pufferfish served with starter of edamame (5)
FUGUE

FUGU (pufferfish) served with E[damame] (starter of)

12. Tender Conservative’s church donation (9)
OFFERTORY

OFFER (tender) + TORY (Conservative)

13. Brilliant German wingers from Stuttgart feature in 1-1 at home (8)
EINSTEIN

S[tuttgar]T (wingers from) feature in EIN-EIN (1-1 in German, i.e. ‘at home’ in the context of the rest of clue)

15. Chain article King authorised (6)
ANKLET

AN (article) + K (king) + LET (authorised)

17. Agreeable house where René loses cat? (3,3)
DES RES

DES[ca]R[t]ES (Rene, loses CAT)

Rene Descartes is a famous French philosopher: ‘I think, therefore I am’

Des res is an abbreviation for ‘desirable residence’

19. Badlands dry, but Wolds stormy (4,4)
DUST BOWL

(BUT WOLDS)* (*stormy)

22. On board Giza bus, I’m Belgian, Poirot — here for Death on the Nile (3,6)
ABU SIMBEL

[Giz]A BUS I’M BEL[gian] (on board)

Abu Simbel is a location featured in Agatha Christie’s novel, ‘Death on the Nile’ – the main character of which is Hercules Poirot

23. Greek character regularly scratches itchiest area (5)
THETA

[i]T[c]H[i]E[s]T (regularly scratches) + A (area)

24. Economics theorist, not left, not right, is missing… unknown fate (5)
KARMA

KAR[l] MA[rx] (economics theorist; not L (left), not R (right), is missing X (unknown))

25. Korea pro sent off after tackling Charlie or Tommy? (4,5)
ROCK OPERA

(KOREA PRO)* (*sent off) after tackling C (Charlie, NATO alphabet)

‘Tommy’ is a rock opera and album by The Who

26. Team turned over North American inventor (6)
EDISON

SIDE< (team, <turned) + O (over) + N (north)

Thomas Edison, inventor of the incandescent lightbulb. [The first commercially viable one anyway…]

27. Close cup game that could go on fairly late (7)
NIGHTIE

NIGH (close) + TIE (cup game)

A NIGHTIE is worn in bed, i.e. one might put one on fairly late

DOWN
1. Work introduction to Moll Flanders after freshening up with a kip (9,4)
MANSFIELD PARK

(M[oll] (introduction to) + FLANDERS + A KIP)* (*after freshening up)

2. Orderly soldier beginning to need strong drink (4,3)
NEAT GIN

NEAT (orderly) + GI (soldier) + N[eed] (beginning to)

3. Book featured in story board (5)
TABLE

B (book) featured in TALE (story)

4. Endlessly wealthy, inclusive Trojan hero about to drop bombastic speech (8)
RHETORIC

RIC[h] (wealthy, endlessly), inclusive HE[c]TOR (Trojan hero, C (about) to drop)

5. Digest white fish I finally gutted (6)
CODIFY

COD (white fish) + I + F[inall]Y (gutted)

6. The Nightwatchman? (9)
REMBRANDT

Cryptic definition

Arguably, Rembrandt’s most famous painting is ‘The Night Watch’, making him the ‘night watch man’

7. Vote to support left winger? (7)
REDPOLL

Cryptic definition

RED + POLL might be a vote to support the left. In the UK, Labour is the left-wing party which uses the colour red. 

A REDPOLL is a bird / winger.

10. Criminal cartel pays about 100,000 Rupees for football team (7,6)
CRYSTAL PALACE

(CARTEL PAYS)* (*criminal) about LAC (100,000 Rupees)

14. Play Ravel’s hit composition (3,6)
THE RIVALS

(RAVEL’S HIT)* (*composition)

‘The Rivals’ is a satire by Sheridan

16. Flighty individual, upper-class, British evicting European landlord (8)
PUBLICAN

P[e]LICAN (flighty individual); (U (upper class) + B (British)) evicting E (European)

18. Escorted note penned in sepia (7)
SQUIRED

RE (note) penned in SQUID (sepia)

20. Odd bits of Edam plain sandwiches? Get stuffed! (7)
OVEREAT

E[d]A[m] (odd bits of); OVERT (plain) sandwiches

21. Fairy king discovering sober irony (6)
OBERON

[s]OBE[r] [i]RON[y] (discovering)

Oberon is the fairy king from Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

23. Scant coverage of Violet Elizabeth’s ballad? (5)
THONG

Cryptic definition

Violet Elizabeth Bott is a character in the ‘Just William’ series of books by Richmal Crompton, who suffers a lisp, so she might call a ballad / song a ‘thong’. More info here

31 comments on “Financial Times 17,655 by JULIUS”

  1. Thanks Atrica and Oriel! Good puzzle and a neat and nice blog!
    REDPOLL
    I took it as POLL supporting RED —>POLL below RED in a down light.

    Liked many. Top faves: KARMA, EINSTEIN and REMBRANDT.

  2. A very light-hearted diversion from Julius full of his customary wit. My favourites started with 1a (Happy Year of the Dragon, by the way) where, for a while, I overlooked the concealed answer whilst searching for an abbreviation for ‘pounds’.
    EINSTEIN, ROCK OPERA, FUGU were other picks and for their wonderful surfaces, SQUIRED and NIGHTIE.
    Thanks to Julius for the entertainment and Oriel.

  4. Thanks Julius and Oriel
    1dn: I took this with the M on its own followed by the anagram, but it works either way.
    7dn: I think this is intended as given by KVa@1.

  5. Splendid crossword, a joy from start to finish.

    Hard to pick a favourite from so many great clues but 6d probably tops the list

    Many thanks to Julius and Oriel

  6. Really enjoyed this. My experience with 1ac was the same as Diane’s. The GK was not a problem except I had forgotten Violet Elizabeth Bott.
    Many thanks to Julius and Oriel.

  7. A ‘fabulous puzzle’ indeed!

    More masterly anagrams from Julius (NAAN BREAD, MANSFIELD PARK, THE RIVALS) clever hiddens (MONSTER, ABU SIMBEL) and great constructions ( KARMA, PUBLICAN, RHETORIC et al, including CRYSTAL PALACE, which I tried every which way to parse, not knowing – or not thinking to look up – LAC: TILT). And I’m with crypticsue re REMBRANDT.

    Lovely surfaces throughout, as always.

    Nice memories of the Just William books and of the brilliant current RSC production of AMSND (recommended).

    Huge thanks to Julius and to Oriel. After the brilliant Picaroon, I feel really well set up for the day.

  8. As always enjoyed this though it took me a while.

    Lots to like particularly EINSTEIN, FUGUE, MEDOC, ABU SIMBEL, DES RES

    Can someone please explain why LAC = 100,000 RUPEES

    Thanks Julius and Oriel

  9. Fiona@8
    The numbering system in India for large numbers differs from the West.
    A lakh or lac is 100,000 and a crore is 10,000,000.

  10. After a slow start this came together enjoyably. I thought both Monster and Abu Simbel were very well hidden, with the later being one of my last in.

    Thank you for explaining Crystal Palace. I know the word Lakh for Rs.100,000 but was unaware that it could also be spelt Lac.

    Having grumbled a few days ago, about the level of general knowledge required in a puzzle, (while acknowledging that is it a grey area), I felt this one was spot on. Which is another way of saying that I knew most of the general knowledge required, although both Fugu and Violet Elizabeth were new to me. I don’t have a problem with general knowledge when the answer is clear from the definition. It’s when both the general knowledge is obscure and the definition equally impenetrable that I grumble.

    Today was an excellent example of how to do it well.

    Thanks to all

  11. Lovely puzzle as usual from Julius. I spent too long trying to construct something from Rene’s chateau without his chat.

  13. Thanks for the blog, usual high standard from Julius, hope we get one of his alphabeticals soon. I did not know ABU SIMBEL so I was glad it was ( very well ) hidden.
    EINSTEIN , I see that German is required for the clue, but let us just say it is complicated.

  14. CRYSTAL PALACE
    LAC (lakh)
    Adding to what SM@9 said …
    In India, we mostly use Lakh but not LAC. However, lac has crept into the system because of
    the way a lot of overseas Indians spell the word. I have a personal experience with this change
    from lakh to lac. I was spelling it as lakh for decades and after a stint outside India, I started spelling
    it as lac. I have since reverted to lakh. 🙂

    LAC may be commonly in use in some other countries like Mauritius (their currency is also called
    rupee).

    I spent one lac today: I spent one lac rupees today (I think it works as a metonym (?))
    I feel this must be how 100000 rupees=LAC in the clue.

  15. Thanks for the blog, dear Oriel, and thanks to those who have commented.
    @Roz…13
    I understand completely your (unwritten!) point about the use of ein= one, a, instead of eins=1. It won’t win me any plaudits although – forgive the stock setter’s reponse – “it is in Langenscheidts Handwörterbuch” Funnily enough, I was at the new Rathaus here in Freiburg yesterday to apply for my German passport (a fair bit cheaper, made of better quality paper, bound with a better spine and valid for visa-free travel in more countries than my UK document).
    Regarding the alphabetical jigsaw…unfortunately, it seems that there won’t be any more of these published by the FT. The decision to move towards an app-based model means that these puzzles aren’t compatible with the interactive toolkit.
    I have tried…
    In case you’re interested, the March edition of One Across Magazine (edited by Tom Johnson, Gozo in the FT) will feature a random alphabetical of mine and I have pitched another one at another publication for whom I do not currently compile albeit not for the want of trying…
    Best wishes to all, Rob/Julius

  16. Many thanks Julius@15 , shame about the alphabeticals , another reason to despise the march of the apps.
    You over-estimate the subtlety of my point for Einstein. He was born in Germany but later renounced his citizenship and refused to even return to Europe , different times.
    Maybe with modern Germany he would be happy to be called a German.

  17. Liked 7d REDPOLL for the “lift and separate” of “left winger” and 6d REMBRANDT for the repunctuation of “Nachtwacht man”
    nho LAC/lakh, but happy to learn it’s ten myriads.
    Loved this – every one a gem.
    Thanks J&O

  19. MEDOC famously used twice , once in a wine themed puzzle, but used again in a puzzle with no theme and it had no definition.

  20. @Roz (16)…ha! Did I tell you about my diploma in getting the wrong end of the stick?
    Re the tech issue, there’s probably a Planet of The Apps gag to be had somewhere

  21. I too was hung up on chateaux and cats, but banged in DES RES when the crossers mandated it. I was also besotted with MONITOR (lizard = Komodo Dragon) so failed on 1a. Loved EINSTEIN and MEDOC once I twigged the freezing cold. Than you Rob and Oriel!

  22. Yes, I failed to spot the hidden word in 1ac and, unable to parse it, tried abbreviations for pounds and also had monitor there for a while – similar to Diane @2 and jvector@21.

    Was I the only one to find this different to Julius’ usual style? Few of his typical, smooth surfaces or long anagrams.

    I actually passed the general knowledge test, but did not get 100%. I did not know the night watch, RED POLL nor the ugly DES RES and relied on a combination of google and the crossers to solve them. There were lots of clues requiring letters to be dropped from words, which I find hard, and which upped the overall level of difficulty. My favourite was FUGUE for its wonderful surface.

    Sorry to hear there will be no more alphabeticals. I enjoy those too. The decision to drop them does not seem wholly logical, given jumbos still appear in print but not in the app.

    A question: I can see pounds being used as an anagrind, but would someone please explain how it indicates a hidden word? I cannot see it

    Thanks Oriel for the blog and thanks Julius for the puzzle. And thanks for dropping into the chat too. It is always great to read the setter’s thoughts.

  24. A dog pound – a place where stray dogs are locked up

    There’s likewise a little used verb “to pound” – to lock up; to put in a pound.

  26. Thanks KVa and Moly for explaining pounds.

    I did not realize pound could be used as a transitive verb with that meaning. I had only known impound. Much appreciated

  27. Thanks Julius, this was a slow, satisfying solve for me. I missed DES RES (new to me) and like Petert @11 I was stuck on the missing ‘chat’. I also failed to see the hidden MONSTER but all else came into focus with MEDOC, FUGUE, EINSTEIN, PUBLICAN, and OVEREAT being top picks. I’m sorry to here that the FT will no longer support the splendid alphabeticals — I think that’s an ‘apps of judgement’ on their part. Thanks Oriel for the blog.

  29. I agree with Martyn and Roz re the alphabeticals. Martyn makes a good point with the continued jumbo puzzles – or are we to lose those too? Hope not.
    I see no reason why the FT can’t gift us one at Christmas or Easter in the print/online version as a bonus. Those who only use the app won’t mind and those who never use the app would be very happy. I do both depending on the time I have available so I would enjoy the alphabetical and jumbo along with the news and country-themed puzzles.

  30. @Diane et al…
    I don’t think the jumbo puzzles are at risk (I hope not since I had one published at Christmas and am currently working on another!). The jumbos are intended for Bank Holidays and whatnot similar to The Guardian I believe.

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