Today’s FT setter is Mudd, a setter I have come across more often in one of his alter egos in the Guardian and the Independent series.
If this is a typical Mudd puzzle, then I think he is more gentle with FT solvers than he sometimes is with Guardian and Independent solvers when he is Paul and Punk, respectively.
There were six or seven double definition clues in this puzzle. I use ‘or’ because I find it difficult to categorise the clue for BLOW-BY-BLOW at 15 down. Is it a double definition, a cryptic definition or an &Lit clue?
There were no obscure words in the grid. I don’t use PERQUISITE at 6 down in everyday conversation very often, but it is a word I have come across several times, but possibly just in crosswords.
I wondered about the definition of BACKLOG (27 across) as reserve, but Chambers uses ‘reserve’ in its definition of the word. I feel a reserve is something useful to have, while a BACKLOG is something you really want to get rid of.
Overall, this was a very pleasant puzzle to solve.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Card laid by comrade in pile of kings and queens (6)
PALACE (large building [pile] occupied by kings and queens) PAL (friend; comrade) + ACE (a card in a deck of playing cards) PAL ACE |
| 4 | See red turkey somersault! (4-4)
FLIP-FLOP (form of somersault) FLIP (go mad; get angry; see red) + FLOP (failure; turkey) FLIP–FLOP |
| 10 | Viewed with scorn, free turns (7)
REVILED (spoken or written about with abusive or scornful language; viewed with scorn) DELIVER (release; free) reversed (turns) REVILED< |
| 11 | All over the place, observe rambling (7)
VERBOSE (using or containing more words than are desirable; ranging all over the place during a talk or speech) Anagram of (rambling) OBSERVE VERBOSE* |
| 12 | Spots are colourful, nearly everywhere initially (4)
ACNE (chronic skin condition common in adolescence, manifesting as pustules and spots) ACNE (initial letters [initially] of each of Are, Colourful, Nearly and Everywhere) A C N E |
| 13 | Guide top horse (10)
SHOWJUMPER (a horse demonstrating skill in jumping over obstacles) SHOW (guide) + JUMPER (an item of clothing worn as a top) SHOW JUMPER |
| 16 | Man, learner in class (6)
CASTLE (a chess piece; chess man) L (learner) contained in (in) CASTE (any of the four major hereditary classes into which Hindu society was traditionally divided) CAST (L) E |
| 17 | Person putting things on item of furniture (7)
DRESSER (person putting clothes on actors, for example) DRESSER (an item of furniture) double definition DRESSER |
| 20 | Difficult seat won? That should be easy! (2,5)
NO SWEAT (an expression suggesting that something can be done without problems or difficulty) Anagram of (difficult) SEAT WON NO SWEAT* |
| 21 | Small fish smell (6)
STENCH (strong and offensive odour; smell) S (small) + TENCH (freshwater fish) S TENCH |
| 24 | All so flimsy, for example boxes (10)
EVERYTHING (all) E.G. (for example) containing (boxes) (VERY [so] + THIN [flimsy]) E (VERY THIN) G |
| 25 | Token shot (4)
CHIP (token used to represent money in some games) CHIP (in sport, a hit or kick which sends a ball high into the air over a short distance; a shot) double definition CHIP |
| 27 | Record attributed to defender, reserve (7)
BACKLOG (a reserve or accumulation of business, stock, work, etc that will keep one going for some time) BACK (a defender in some sports) + LOG (a record) BACK LOG |
| 29 | Companion otherwise joins a team (7)
CHELSEA (a London football team) CH (Companion [of Honour]) + ELSE (otherwise) + A CH ELSE A |
| 30 | With the current flow not working, move in and out (8)
DOWNWIND (in the same direction as the flow of wind [current] with the current flow) DOWN (not working) + WIND (move in and out) DOWN WIND |
| 31 | Vessel alongside that ravine (6)
CANYON (ravine) CAN (vessel) + YON (dialect word for ‘that’) CAN YON |
| Down | |
| 1 | Standard spiked object, in a manner of speaking (8)
PARLANCE (a manner of speaking) PAR (standard) + LANCE (a weapon with a spike; a spiked object) PAR LANCE |
| 2 | Missionary found basic income with calculus (11)
LIVINGSTONE (reference David LIVINGSTONE [1813 – 1873], Scottish doctor and Christian missionary) LIVING (basic income whereby one lives) + STONE (calculus can be defined as a stone-like concretion which forms in certain vessels or organs of the body, e.g. the kidney or gall bladder) LIVING STONE |
| 3 | Horse shooter (4)
COLT (young horse) COLT (a single-action revolver invented by Samuel COLT [1814 – 1862]) double definition COLT |
| 5 | Energetic type’s shocker? (4,4)
LIVE WIRE (energetic or enterprising person) LIVE WIRE (a wire carrying an electric current with the ability to give an electric shock; shocker) double definition LIVE WIRE |
| 6 | Cook queries tip, bonus (10)
PERQUISITE (a [customary] benefit or tip received in addition to a regular income; bonus) Anagram of (cook) QUERIES TIP PERQUISITE* |
| 7 | Endless money for the gents, say (3)
LOO (gents toilet, for example) LOOt (money obtained illegally) excluding the final letter T (endlessly) LOO |
| 8 | US author with essay in creative writing (6)
POETRY (a form of creative writing) POE (reference the American author Edgar Allen POE [1809 – 1849]) + TRY (attempt; essay) POE TRY |
| 9 | Commercial in one state almost upset — another? (5)
IDAHO (American State) (AD [ADvertisement; commercial] contained in [in] OHIo(American State) excluding the final letter [almost] O) all reversed (upset) (I (DA) HO)< |
| 14 | Illusion, flying dish? (3,2,3,3)
PIE IN THE SKY (an illusion) PIE [dish of sweet or savoury filling in pastry] + IN THE SKY (flying) PIE IN THE SKY |
| 15 | As detailed commentary in boxing match? (4-2-4)
BLOW-BY-BLOW (very detailed) BLOW-BY-BLOW (descriptive of the detailed commentary of a boxing match, where each BLOW is described) double definition or &Lit clue or just a cryptic definition BLOW-BY-BLOW |
| 18 | Bug finding way on to melon (8)
PATHOGEN (agent that can cause disease; bug) PATH (a way) + OGEN (variety of small melon) PATH OGEN |
| 19 | Player in bowler hat welcoming a clergyman (8)
CHAPLAIN (clergyman) CHAPLIN (reference Charlie CHAPLIN [1889 – 1977], English comic actor who often appeared on screen wearing a bowler hat) containing (welcoming) A CHAPL (A) IN |
| 22 | Issue about sailor in Davy Jones’ locker (6)
SEABED (ocean’s bottom; Davy Jones’ Locker is similarly defined, especially when regarded as the grave of those buried at sea) SEED (descendant; issue) containing (about) AB (able seaman) SE (AB) ED |
| 23 | Criticise what house visitor may do (5)
KNOCK (criticise) KNOCK (what a house visitor may do to attract attention at the door) double definition KNOCK |
| 26 | Not entirely, the rainbow goddess (4)
HERA (Queen of the Olympic Gods; goddess) HERA (hidden word in [not entirely] tHE RAinbow) HERA |
| 28 | Frighten animal (3)
COW (frighten) COW (farm animal) double definition COW |
I enjoyed this. A few unknowns such as the ogen and the calculus.
Solid and solvable, although my melon knowledge needs work. Liked palace, everything, colt and seabed. Thanks both
In 11ac one could maybe ramble verbosely too …
Gentle indeed
Liked EVERYTHING, REVILED, PARLANCE
What makes “difficult” an anagram indicator (in 20?)
Thanks. Mudd and duncanshiel
I thought our blogger’s description of 11ac could only have been more circumlocatory had it contain various additional sesquipedalian descriptions. I assume it was intentional!
Hard to categorise “blow by blow” given that the term is almost certainly derived from the idea of describing a fight in detail so the double definition is really only one definition. However, it was solvable and fitted my personal requirement with cryptic/double definitions which is that, once you see the answer you should be certain you are right. Weak examples leave you thinking “well that’s probably it but…”.
Thanks to Mudd for a very gentle workout, and to Duncanshiell for the clear blog.
Martyn @ 4
I wondered about that as well, but the clue was clearly an anagram and ‘difficult’ was the only word that could be the anagram indicator.
There are many list of anagram indicators on the web. I have just looked at a few. Only the fourth one I looked at suggested ‘difficult’ as such an indicator.
See https://www.crosswordunclued.com/2008/09/anagram-indicators.html#anagrind-D
Liked EVERYTHING and PIE IN THE SKY.
VERBOSE
Took ‘rambling’ as the def (all over the place as the anagrind). gif@3 is saying the same?
Martyn@4
NO SWEAT
Someone will have an answer. Let’s wait.
I know easy works as an anagrind as it has the sense of ‘slightly drunk’
(elsewhere I learnt another word for drunk–caned).
Thanks. Mudd and duncanshiel
In 2d the term calculus is derived from a small stone used on an abacus.
As others have remarked a gentle puzzle but most enjoyable with a clear blog. Thanks to both.
Lots of fun, a few being too subtle for my head early in the morning but that’s OK.
Plenty of favourites but I especially liked Showjumper and Everything
Thanks to Mudd and duncanshiel