Puzzle from the Weekend FT of October 5, 2024
This proved to be my toughest solve in many weeks but it also proved rewarding with some stand-out clues. I especially like 11 (MAHATMA), 12 (WOLF CUB), 22 (BILLET) and 27 (ELLA). Thank you Buccaneer.
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | SKINTIGHT |
Clingy group of relatives mean to follow son (9)
|
| S (son) + KIN (group of relatives) + TIGHT (mean) | ||
| 10 | BHAJI |
British visitor to Mecca’s fare from Asia (5)
|
| B (British) + HAJI (visitor to Mecca) | ||
| 11 | MAHATMA |
After second-half loss, Matt Busby maybe starts to mistrust almost revered figure (7)
|
| MA (after second-half loss Matt) + HAT (Busby maybe) + M[istrust] A[lmost]. In the hat department a busby is a tall fur helmet also known as a bearskin. Matt Busby (in full Sir Alexander Matthew Busby CBE) was a former manager of Manchester United. | ||
| 12 | WOLF CUB |
Run back with weapon, not large — pack little one? (4,3)
|
| FLOW (run) backwards (back) + C[l]UB (weapon, not large) | ||
| 13 | VAR |
Help for official in left-leaning party, mostly (1,1,1)
|
| RAV[e] (party mostly) backwards (left-leaning). Collins tells me that VAR stands for “video assistant referee” meaning an electronic device that checks referees’ call in certain sports. In my original posting I had been unable to explain the wordplay here and thank commenters for explaining it. It never occurred to me that ‘left-leaning’ could be a reversal indicator. | ||
| 14 | CAMARADERIE |
Group of drinkers keeping a wine around that is creating positive vibe between people (11)
|
| A (a) in (keeping) CAMRA (group of drinkers) + RED (wind) backwards (around) + IE (that is) | ||
| 17/18/19 | ZORBA THE GREEK |
Unknown soldiers wash anorak worn by king in film (5,3,5)
|
| Z (unknown) + OR (soldiers, i.e. other ranks) + BATHE (wash) + R (king) in (worn) GEEK (anorak) | ||
| 21 | ALBATROSSES |
Outcomes of great shots — a cricketer runs during defeats (11)
|
| A (a) + BAT (cricketer) + R (runs) in (during) LOSSES (defeats) | ||
| 23 | PIP |
Just beat the hero of a Victorian novel (3)
|
| Double definition with the second referring to Great Expectations | ||
| 25 | OIL WELL |
Source of crude attention- seeker’s remark and surprised comment on line (3,4)
|
| OI (attention-seekers’s remark) + L (line) + WELL (surprised comment) | ||
| 27 | ELITIST |
Fan of the best vermouth in on-line catalogue? (7)
|
| IT (vermouth) in (in) E-LIST (on-line catalogue). ‘It’ is a way of specifying Italian vermouth (to distinguish it from the French). | ||
| 28 | REEDS |
They may be beside river in English city, after changing direction (5)
|
| LEEDS (English city) with the ‘:L’ (left) changed to ‘R’ (right) | ||
| 29 | SOLDERING |
Joining and being in the army, I will get overlooked (9)
|
| SOLD[i]ERING (being in the army, I will get overlooked) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | ASIMOV |
American brings up timeless, revolutionary writer (6)
|
| A (American) + VOMI[t]S (brings up timeless) backwards (revolutionary) | ||
| 2 | DITHERER |
More appalling clothing article? I can’t make my mind up! (8)
|
| THE (article) in (clothing) DIRER (more appalling) | ||
| 3 | STATECRAFT |
Skill of government ministers, say, about getting good deal (10)
|
| STATE (say) + C (about) + RAFT (good deal). I originally had this wrong and thank commenters for putting me right. | ||
| 4 | AGRA |
Asian city put up gargantuan houses (4)
|
| Reverse (put up) hidden word (houses) | ||
| 5 | STEWARDESS |
One with a high-flying job reads novel and feels agitation about it (10)
|
| Anagram (novel) of READS in (about it) STEWS (feels agitation) | ||
| 6 | ABEL |
Record company gives away pounds for one in Genesis (4)
|
| [l]ABEL (record company gives away pounds) | ||
| 7 | DANCER |
Crashed car with Ned Kelly, say (6)
|
| Anagram (crashed) of CAR NED with the definitions referring to Gene (“Singing in the Rain”) Kelly | ||
| 8 | TIEBREAK |
Decisive event in reporter’s Asian holiday (8)
|
| TIE (homophone (reporter’s) of “Thai’) + BREAK (holiday) | ||
| 15 | MOTIONLESS |
Perhaps like an untested vehicle, keeping one running still (10)
|
| I (one) + ON (running) together in MOT-LESS (perhaps like an untested vehicle) | ||
| 16 | DIGESTIVES |
Drops wrapping one gets out for biscuits (10)
|
| I (one) + anagram (out) of GETS in (wrapping) DIVES (drops) | ||
| 17 | ZEALOTRY |
Axes guards working at role, showing excess of enthusiasm (8)
|
| Anagram (working) of AT ROLE in (guards) Z and Y (axes) | ||
| 20 | EXPLICIT |
Graphic sex not initially allowed, hugging gently (8)
|
| P (gently) in (hugging) [s]EX (sex not initially allowed) + LICIT (allowed) | ||
| 22 | BILLET |
House of note in America, and in France (6)
|
| BILL (note in America) + ET (and in France) | ||
| 24 | POTAGE |
Part of book, entertaining books in French course? (6)
|
| OT (books, i.e. Old Testament) in (entertaining) PAGE (part of book) | ||
| 26 | EASY |
Anthea’s yummy sandwiches resembling a picnic? (4)
|
| Hidden word (sandwiches) | ||
| 27 | ELLA |
Singer and friend of Louis Quatorze ultimately wholly upset (4)
|
| [quatorz]E + ALL (wholly) backwards with the definition referring to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong |
13A: RAV[E] (party, mostly) reversed (left-leaning)
Thanks Buccaneer and Pete
3dn should I think be STATE + C + RAFT.
I agree with Cineraria, that 13A is reversing RAV[E]. The less said about actual VAR the better!
And with Pelham’s parsing of STATECRAFT – raft as in ‘a raft of deals/bargains’.
ELLA, PIP, ZORBA THE GREEK and SKINTIGHT were my picks. DIGESTIVES for ‘biscuits’ made a nice change.
Thanks to Buccaneer and Pete
Thanks Buccaneer. I thought this might be a big DNF when I started but fortunately ZORBA THE GREEK came to the rescue and everything eventually fell into place. My favourites were REEDS, SOLDERING, and DANCER. Thanks Pete for the blog.
7/18/19a ZORBA THE GREEK (1964, a 60th (Diamond) anniversary)
Thanks for the blog , I agree with Cineraria @1 and Pelham Barton@2 .
Sorry to nit-pick but AGRA needs a bit more underlining.
Very good overall and quite testing with many neat and clever clues .
I did the find use of double proper names a bit overdone , split and treat them differently, becomes a bit too obvious .
… Anthony Quinn teaches Alan Bates to dance the Sirtaki – Mikis Theodorakis’ Zorba’s Dance.
13a. Party is ‘RAVE’ and ‘RAV’ (mostly of ‘RAVE’) is left-leaning > ‘VAR’
I am in awe of all you solvers. For the second Buccaneer running I have gone twice through all the clues, not found the answer to one to start me off, and given up.
To Roz @6. Don’t see what’s wrong with AGRA (unless Pete’s changed the blog).
I always feel I am not quite getting it when I do a Buccaneer puzzle. It is probably a “wavelength” thing and one of the things that made this puzzle tougher than previous weeks for me. Buccaneer does not believe in concise clues or nice surfaces, does he? So saying, Roz@6 mentions neat clues and may have a different opinion. Tricks like 1d and 13a, where we had to reverse and delete a letter from a word, certainly added to the difficulty for me.
I had one tick this week – SOLDERING as it had a nice surface.
Only a couple of mysteries this week. I just realised why “good deal” is “raft”, finally seeing past “good deal” meaning “bargain”. And why is vermouth “it”? I vaguely remember this coming up before. Am I remembering correctly that “it” came from an ad several decades ago with the tagline “vermouth is it”?
Thanks for the puzzle Buccaneer and thanks for the great blog Pete
27ac: IT is short for Italian vermouth. Martyn@11: the advertising slogan probably came later.
Thanks PB@12
Not a doddle by any means, but we enjoyed solving this. Perhaps we were on Buccaneer’s wavelength having solved yesterday’s puzzle in the i by his alter ego, Rodriguez (we save the FT Saturday puzzles for a week so we can read the blog the same day).
We thought we were heading for a pangram but in the end were short of Q and U. It did occur to us, though, that with a different clue and answer at 27dn, ‘squeezing’ would have fitted 29ac. Was that the original intention, changed before publication for some reason? No matter.
Thanks, Buccaneer and Pete.
I’ve been playing catch up with crosswords as I was on an 8d! My 7th visit. The wife must have bought half off everything sold in Bangkok.
I digress. Nice puzzle as always. Enjoyed BILLET, ASIMOV and TIEBREAK.