Financial Times 17,930 by IO

by

I was fully expecting there to be no puzzle today.

Hence, the blog is a bit rushed and has a few gaps. I’ll revisit this at some point to tie up the loose ends…

Otherwise a chewy puzzle from IO for Christmas day. Enjoyable. Thank you IO!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Lover of Strictly’s music, Spooner says she’ll impress but not win (5,3)
FANCY DAN

Dancy Fan, Spooner says

6. Some breakfast to start Christmas Eve? That’s (spoiler) unlike Santa (6)
CEREAL

C[hristmas] E[ve] (to start) + REAL (unlike Santa)

9. Time zone limits merry cycling campaign (3,5)
THE BLITZ

TZ (time zone) limits BLITHE (merry) cycling

10. Say sergeant may come in before bonus at carol concert? (6)
ENCORE

NCO (say sergeant, non-commissioned officer) may come in ERE (before)

11. Taking bribe, squiffy Eric’s swigging VSOP by the neck (6)
CERVIX

Taking X (bribe): ERIC* (*squiffy) swigging V[sop]

I’m afraid I’m not sure about the bribe/X bit of this clue

12. Sparkly tinsel gracing the launch of auspicious occasions (7)
ENTAILS

TINSEL* (*sparkly) gracing A[uspicious] (launch of)

14. Goldilocks perhaps beginning to charmingly flatter bears (9)
BUTTERCUP

C[harmingly] (beginning to); BUTTER UP (flatter) bears

Goldilocks is a species of the Buttercup family – botanicals

16. Meaningful expression drives Man (5)
IDIOM

ID (drives) + IOM (Man, Isle of Man)

18. Lifted with sheltered women that excitedly unwrap presents (5)
UPRAN

With W (women) sheltered: UNWRAP* excitedly presents

A kind of reversed clue

20. Action coordinators in clubs knocking back beer are revolting (9)
CEREBELLA

C (clubs) + ALE< (beer, <knocking back), REBEL (are revolting)

Rebel as a verb, not a noun

I’m not convinced my solution is correct here but don’t have a better one currently…

23. Messages etc sadly incomplete — PIN forgotten (7)
TELECOM

[in]COM[p]LETE* (sadly, PIN forgotten)

24. At night following route from Orient with others … (2,4)
ET ALIA

(LATE (at night) following A1 (route))< (<from the Orient, i.e. east)

27. … whence they come in worship and aspiration (6)
PANDAS

[worshi]P AND AS[piration] (in)

Not the bear kind of panda…

28. Opening chocolate selection, say ‘Let’s do it!’ (4,4)
HERE GOES

Opening HEROES (chocolate selection): E.G. (say)

29. One drummer drumming, confrontationally (6)
HEADON

Cryptic (almost double) definition

Referring to Topper Headon, drummer for The Clash

I can’t work out the purpose of ‘drumming’ besides being useful for the surface?

30. I act on impulse, awed reverential air dissipating (8)
NERVELET

[r]EVERENT[ia]L* (*awed, AIR dissipating)

DOWN
2. Decant more wine, do you hear, as required (2,3)
AD HOC

“ADD HOCK” (decant more wine, “do you hear”)

3. Something entertaining about bishop introducing uplifting times (7)
CABARET

CA (about, circa) + B (bishop) introducing (T + ERA)< (times, <uplifting)

4. New gathering of fireside worshippers (8)
DEIFIERS

FIRESIDE* (*new gathering of)

5. The point where cries from the stable are audible (4)
NAZE

“NEIGHS” (cries from the stable “are audible”)

6. Vocal, as waiter may be during break at table? (6)
CUEING

Cryptic definition

Referring to a pool table

7. One of three kings free to take tea (7)
RICHARD

RID (free) to take CHAR (tea)

8. A bit of rustic stuffing can turn around a seasonal turkey? Hardly (5,4)
APRIL FOOL

A + R[ustic] (bit of) + (LOO (can) + FLIP (turn))< (<around)

13. These days you’ll feast at regular intervals (5)
YULES

Y[o]U[l]L [f]E[a]S[t] (at regular intervals)

15. Ruin plans for stewed pear and prune (9)
UNPREPARE

(PEAR + PRUNE)* (*stewed)

17. Exhausted reindeer refuelled by shop selling online tonic? (8)
RESTORER

R[eindee]R (exhausted) refuelled by E-STORE (shop selling online)

19. Correct — it never happened at midnight! (7)
AMENDED

A.M. ENDED (i.e. morning ended: it never happened at midnight!)

21. It’s poetic, Ebenezer’s first reminder about past record (7)
ECLOGUE

E[benezer] (first) + (CUE (reminder) about LOG (past record))

22. Fairy folk assigned to uncompromising stable proprietor (6)
HOBSON

HOBS (fairy folk) + ON (assigned to)

For more information on Hobson, and Hobson’s choice, see the Wikipedia article here

25. Stand with time-honoured festival decorating tree (5)
ABELE

BE (stand) with ALE (time-honoured festival) decorating

ALE in the sense of a Parish ale

26. White layer at a special time (4)
WHEN

W (white) + HEN (layer)

I originally had snow, which I imagine was an intentional misdirection

13 comments on “Financial Times 17,930 by IO”

  1. I’ve been looking at this on and off all morning but was defeated by 22d and 29a – the drummers of my era were Ringo and Keith Moon. My favourite clue was 6a

    Merry Christmas and thank you to Oriel and Io

  2. On cervix, the X comes from ‘by.’ Get the V by taking ‘sop’ (bribe) away from VSOP. That’s how I had it. Very nice. Lots of Christmas clues but the answers are not related to holiday. I think the modern FT has a puzzle every weekday, even if it’s only online. Thanks to Io and Oriel.

  3. Thanks Io and Oriel
    11ac I had the same way as ub@2.
    20ac I think should be REBEL in (C + ELA).
    8dn: R is contained in (stuffing) the (LOO + FLIP)<.

  4. Also had CERVIX as ub. 6d has the wrong bit underlined. ‘Vocal’ is the homophone indicator for “queuing” (as somebody ‘waiting’ would be).

  5. Thanks to both blogger & setter – definitely overtime today.
    After the last Io which was less tricky than his usual standards this one had the difficulty back with a vengeance for me.
    6D I think is a homophone (vocal) ‘as waiter’ (=queueing) with the definition ‘during break at table’ (ie playing snooker) = CUEING,

    Edit: oops – pipped at the post by Hovis while typing.

  6. Topper Headon was the drummer in The Clash.

    I drew a complete blank on this crossword, so I went and did something worthwhile instead.

  7. My faves: THE BLITZ, CERVIX, NAZE, CUEING, APRIL FOOL and WHEN.
    HEADON
    drumming: anything to do with drumhead?
    Tough but quite enjoyable.
    Thanks Io and Oriel.

  8. Thank you Oriel for going the extra miles on the holiday, and for clearing up for me the parsing of ABELE, HOBSON, and HEADON.

    PANDAS: I had the bears. I read whence they come as following the ellipsis .relating to the Orient in the preceding clue. I find the Brahmin reference linked in the blog a little obscure, although there could be an extended definition in the hidden in worship and aspiration.
    Is it the bears from the Orient, and worship and aspiration isn’t significant, except to provide the hidden?
    Or is it the Brahmin genealogists? But then is India considered the Orient? I suppose India is east of the UK/Europe.

    Or is it my Antipodean orientation, and addled brain? Need to recharge my CEREBELLA (which I had as per the blog).

  9. [paddymelon@8: I remember seeing a preview for a series of cricket matches between Pakistan and New Zealand describing it as East v West. Which is which?]

  10. Of course, Santa’s reindeers are hidden in the across answers – Dancer, Blitzen et al. Merry Christmas everyone!

  11. @10. Of course Andy Thomas!! Well-spotted!

    [Pelham Barton@9. I’d say neither. That’s a very strange way to describe a match between Pakistan and NZ. )

  12. Been at this on and off today. Had to reveal 1a and 25d, and failed to spot the hidden reindeer. JH never ceases to amaze me.

  13. Further thoughts on PANDAS. Or is the whole clue a Christmas reference? The language is apt, and it could be alluding to the Bethlehem story, the three kings of the Orient?

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