Financial Times 17,685 by BASILISK

by

Many thanks to Basilisk for a fun start to the morning.

A master of the misleading, Basilisk does not disappoint! I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle.

The perimeter solutions are nicely paired up (and yes, apparently a tortoise beetle is a thing.)

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Simple folk relax briefly in underwear (8)
PEASANTS

EAS[e] (relax, briefly) in PANTS (underwear)

5. Tense sexual partner recoiling in disgust (6)
REVOLT

(T (tense) + LOVER (sexual partner))< (<recoiling)

9. It’s dangerous and a bit of a drag (8)
NICOTINE

Cryptic double definition

“A bit of a drag” meaning a component of a cigarette puff

10. Measure to restrict international business (6)
METIER

METER (measure) to restrict I (international)

11. Compromise to conclude resentment (8)
ENDANGER

END (conclude) + ANGER (resentment)

12. Settle Post Office cases quickly (6)
PRESTO

REST (settle), PO (Post Office) cases

14. Cite changes in data by America causing corruption (10)
INFECTIOUS

(CITE)* (*changes) in INFO (data) by US (America)

18. Positive topics limit out of line changes (10)
OPTIMISTIC

(TOPICS [l]IMIT)* (*changes, out of L (line))

22. Bring forth unbounded delight (6)
ELICIT

[f]ELICIT[y] (delight, unbounded)

23. Have sex with policeman you picked up recently (8)
COPULATE

COP (policeman) + “YOU” (“picked up”) + LATE (recently)

24. Go through senior journalist to engage Times writer (6)
EXPEND

ED (senior journalist) to engage (X (times) + PEN (writer))

25. Loyal supporter beginning to tackle law that’s changed (8)
STALWART

START (beginning) to tackle (LAW)* (*that’s changed)

26. Attack on pitch creates goal (6)
TARGET

GET (attack) on TAR (pitch)

27. What one pays to secure work in professional establishment (8)
PRACTICE

PRICE (what one pays) to secure ACT (work)

DOWN
1. One that grasps member of royal family putting king down (6)
PINCER

P[r]INCE (member of royal family) putting R (king, Rex) down

2. Area mainly filled with constant marketing material? (6)
ARCADE

ARE[a] (mainly) filled with ((C (constant) + AD (marketing material)) &lit

3. Go to listen (6)
ATTEND

Double definition

4. Consideration of offers incorporating needs on a regular basis (10)
TENDERNESS

TENDERS (offers) incorporating N[e]E[d]S (on a regular basis)

6. Deplore what business leaders earn? (8)
EXECRATE

Cryptic definition

EXEC (business leaders) + RATE (what they earn)

7. Failure in second part of course assignment (8)
OMISSION

[c]O[urse] (second part of) + MISSION (assignment)

8. Cold-blooded individual shut in to make progress (8)
TORTOISE

TO (shut) in (TO + RISE (make progress))

13. Cheer pilot manoeuvring aircraft (10)
HELICOPTER

(CHEER PILOT)* (*manoeuvring)

15. Venice evacuated during second evacuation (8)
MOVEMENT

V[enic]E (evacuated) during MOMENT (second)

16. Who barely finishes any job? (8)
STRIPPER

Cryptic definition

A play on the word ‘barely’

17. Environment became contaminated with nickel (8)
AMBIENCE

(BECAME with NI (nickel))* (*contaminated)

19. Open up about writer being bored by end of novel (6)
PUBLIC

UP< (<about) + BIC (writer) being bored by [nove]L (end of)

20. Malaysian cooking doesn’t contain any nuts or sausage (6)
SALAMI

(M[a]LA[y]SIA[n])* (*cooking, doesn’t contain (ANY)* (*nuts))

21. Help singer caught in car (6)
BEETLE

“BEATLE” (Help singer, “caught”)

22 comments on “Financial Times 17,685 by BASILISK”

  1. Gave up on Jack’s in the Guardian, but found this one by his alter ego to be more approachable. There were a few where I thought synonyms were rather iffy, but I shan’t list them, as each will probably only result in someone quoting the 23rd definition in Chambers, perhaps marked archaic. 🙂

    My pants aren’t underwear.

  2. As so often with this setter, I got stuck several times but persevered and eventually solved it all without aids. Like GDU @1, I thought some word meanings were a stretch but I’m sure they’re all justified. As a minor beef, I thought BEATLE would work for 21d, although the pairings wouldn’t then work.

  3. I agree with Oriel. It took some time to work out some of the very misleading definitions :eg compromise for endanger but all were fair.
    My pants are underwear GDU as would be the case for most FT readers .
    Thanks Basilisk and Oriel

  4. SM @ 3, if someone told me they were going to buy some pants, I would not associate that with underwear. That would be underpants. Perhaps it’s different in your part of the world.

  5. GDU@1
    Please list them. Just want to understand what I have missed.
    EXECRATE
    As ‘exec’ is singular, reading the ‘what business leaders earn?’ as one block
    to mean EXEC RATE is better, I feel.
    COPULATE
    Def: Have sex (the ‘with’ seems to be a link word or just there for the surface)
    STRIPPER
    The ‘any’ has any role in the clue?
    Liked ENDANGER, ARCADE, TORTOISE and AMBIENCE.
    Thanks Basilisk and Oriel!

  6. ENDANGER
    As in ‘our national security is compromised/endangered?’
    Or someone may have a better example.
    PEASANTS
    Pants are underpants/underwear. No problem there.

  7. Interesting comments. My experience with Basilisk is that his clues are typically the most expressly straightforward of just about any setter I have encountered. I just have to let my mind unwind a little and read the clues very literally, and the solution is staring me in the face. Very much an example of the Ximenean “but I must say what I mean.” I know there is usually some twist, but I missed the perimeter phrases.

  8. Further to my contribution @ 4, I’ve discovered that Collins refers to pants/underwear as British. Mystery solved. In this neck of the woods, if I told someone I was going to buy some pants and returned with underwear, I’d be met with a quizzical look.

  9. Thanks for the blog , really good set of clues , I will just pick SALAMI for the accurate second indicator for ANY .
    Similar to KVa@6 I thought of spy networks being compromised.
    PANTS used for trousers in many places but it is not universal , underpants is a term dying out. Pants/knickers the usual term now . The one I can’t stand is panties.

  10. To continue the pants theme. Miriam Webster gives a history of the word which is derived from Pantalone in Commedia dell’Arte. We live and learn.
    I completely agree with Roz@9 over the unspeakable panties .

  12. [Oriel – you’ve split the double definition of 3d ATTEND as “Go | to listen” -shouldn’t it be “”Go to || listen”?]
    Thanks B&O

  14. Thanks to Basilisk for an excellent, challenging and enjoyable puzzle and to Oriel for an excellent, well-explained blog.

    For 8d (TORTOISE), I solved it by seeing it as an &lit, since a tortoise is “shut in” its shell, yet can still “make progress”, so didn’t think further about the parsing. However, in seeing your explanation, I realize that mine might be a tad weak in that a tortoise is always shut in, not just when it makes progress. Thanks.

  15. Most of my points have been covered. I agree that several of the synonyms were iffy, which was annoying for some clues and amusing for others. I did know know Basilisk and Jack are the same setter. wow!

    Thanks Basilisk and Oriel

  16. Thanks Basilisk for an excellent crossword. It took me a bit to solve this and afterwards I asked myself why? Everything seemed so clear in hindsight. Favourites included REVOLT, INFECTIOUS, ELICIT, EXPEND, TENDERNESS, HELICOPTER, SALAMI, and BEETLE. I like the trousers/pants/underwear posts. As Americans might say ‘Don’t get your panties in a bunch’. [Sorry, Roz] Thanks Oriel for the blog.

  18. Had no idea Jack & Basilisk are the same setter. Don’t often do the FT cryptic but very much enjoyed this one. No problem with pants for underwear (or trousers for that matter). INFECTIOUS was my pick of a good selection of clues with podium places for TORTOISE & SALAMI.
    Thanks to Oriel & to Basilisk

  20. I got there but found it a struggle. Fortunately, spotted the perimeter fairly early, which helped

    But I share the comments made by several that some of the definitions were a stretch and iffy, which spoilt this crossword for me. The offenders have all been mentioned. I’m sure some love these, but I don’t.

    Thank you for excellent blog

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