Jason has set this morning’s FT puzzle.
An average difficulty puzzle from Jason. A couple of passes was enough to solve all but MANUKA, which held out for a bit because I was trying to find a parsing for LAPUTA until inspiration stuck. I think the second meaning of ULTRA is a bit niche, but that may just be because I had never heard of the wartime designation.
Thanks, Jason.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | TROOPS |
Backing good chap taking in old soldiers (6)
|
| [backing] <=SPORT (“good chap”) taking in O (old) | ||
| 5 | SHUTTLES |
Travel services closed for fear that last character comes first (8)
|
| SHUT (“closed”) + LES(T) (‘for fear that”) with last character coming first, so (T)LES | ||
| 9 | TAKE HEED |
Pay attention to appropriate notice (4,4)
|
| TAKE (“to appropriate”) + HEED (“notice”) | ||
| 10 | TUNDRA |
A part of wet, undrained plain (6)
|
| Hidden in [a part of] “weT UNDRAined” | ||
| 11 | BANDIT |
Pirate also taken in scrap (6)
|
| AND (“also”) taken in BIT (“scrap”) | ||
| 12 | CHASTISE |
Immaculate clothing is correct (8)
|
| CHASTE (“immaculate”) clothing IS | ||
| 14 | ASPIRATIONAL |
A Parisian lot struggling to be hopeful (12)
|
| A + *(parisian lot) [anag:struggliing] | ||
| 18 | MULTITASKING |
It’s said men fail at this: ultimately it is hidden by hiding (12)
|
| (Ult. (ultimately) + IT) is hidden by MASKING (“hiding”) | ||
| 22 | SPACE BAR |
Box containing outstanding book that’s key for breaks (5,3)
|
| SPAR (“box”) containing ACE (“outstanding”) + B (book) | ||
| 25 | KINDLE |
Fan of cordial French article (6)
|
| KIND (“cordial”) + LE (“French article”) | ||
| 26 | MANUKA |
Island near Britain with a source of medicinal nectar (6)
|
| (Isle of) MAN (“island”) near UK (“Britain”) with A | ||
| 27 | WHIMSIES |
Doctor wishes I’m getting fanciful ideas (8)
|
| *(wishes im) [anag:doctor] | ||
| 28 | STANDARD |
Flag’s set in place near a road (8)
|
| STAND (“set in place”) near A + Rd. (road) | ||
| 29 | GARDEN |
Yard overturned newspaper study (6)
|
| [overturned] <=RAG (“newspaper”) + DEN (“study”) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | REAGAN |
Unfettered anger about a former president (6)
|
| *(anger) [anag:unfettered] about A | ||
| 3 | OVERDRAFT |
Done with run in foolish banker’s agreement (9)
|
| OVER (“done”) with R (run, in cricket) in DAFT (“foolish”) | ||
| 4 | SWEET SPOT |
Jar of candies is the ideal place to make contact (5,4)
|
| SWEETS POT (“jar of candies”) | ||
| 5 | SIDECAR |
Small one careered about in Gromit’s vehicle? (7)
|
| S (small) + I (one) + <=RACED (“careered”, about)
In the animated Wallace & Gromit films, Wallace rides a motorcycle with a sidecar, in which Gromit, his dog, is often a passenger. |
||
| 6 | ULTRA |
Extreme intelligence? (5)
|
| Double definition, the second relating to wartime communications in the Second World War (Google it!) | ||
| 7 | TENET |
Principle which could also be set up (5)
|
| TENET (“principle”) is a palindrome, so would be thr same “set up” | ||
| 8 | EUROSTAR |
Our rates being wasted for travel service (8)
|
| *(our rates) [anag:being wasted] | ||
| 13 | SKI |
Runner is bound to lose power (3)
|
| SKI(p) (“bound” to lose P (power)) | ||
| 15 | TWINKLING |
Blinking double line held by Charles (9)
|
| TWIN (“double”) + L (line) held by KING (Charles) | ||
| 16 | ORGANISER |
Some figures in a group turned over a diary or similar (9)
|
| Hidden backwards in [some…turned over] “figuRES IN A GROup” | ||
| 17 | SUPPLANT |
Replace plans put off (8)
|
| *(plans put) [anag:off] | ||
| 19 | IRE |
Passion that is about end of Labour (3)
|
| i.e. (id est, so “that is”) about [end of] (labou)R | ||
| 20 | SCREWED |
Week in plaster finds you done for (7)
|
| W (week) in SCREED (“plaster”) | ||
| 21 | ALLEGE |
Declare member to be overcome by booze (6)
|
| LEG (“member”) to be overcome by ALE (“booze”) | ||
| 23 | CHURN |
Central heating boiler to rumble (5)
|
| CH (central heating) + URN (“boiler”) | ||
| 24 | BRAVA |
Support Victor over a shout for female excellence (5)
|
| BRA (“support”) + V (Victor, in the NATO phonetic alphabet) over A |
I’ve not seen ult as an abbreviation for ultimately. And I wasn’t aware that MULTITASKING is a failing of men. Several synonyms puzzled me — ski/runner, churn/rumble, chastise/correct. And ultra/intelligence, but I’ll do as you suggest, Loonapick, and google it. Never heard of BRAVA — all these years I’ve been using bravo for both genders. I hope I didn’t offend anyone.
Well constructed clues.
I loved ASPIRATIONAL as both a great anagram and excellent surface, and also ticked CHASTISE as concise and neat.
I could not parse MULTITASKING and could not find ULTRA = intelligence in my dictionary, so thanks to loonapick for both.
I ask: as BRAVA is the female version of bravo, is there a male version? And finally, I have been to MANUKA in Canberra (an up-market suburb in a down-market city), but had no idea it was the source of healing.
Thanks Jason and loonapick
Martyn@2 bravo is the male version, BRAVA the female – I’ve heard/seen it used by the same people that use alumna, alumnus and alumni.
MANUKA honey is used to heal – so has a premium price (and a lot of fakes around).
I did this last night – I’m usually on the wavelength for Jason. ULTRA for intelligence rang a very vague bell – but I’ve read a lot of books about WWI and WWII.
Thank you to loonapick and Jason.
I struggled with BRAVA and MANUKA but otherwise an entertaining distraction on a crowded Tube journey along the Metropolitan Line. Thanks Jason and Loonapick
Thanks Jason and loonapick
24dn further to Shanne@3: Chambers 2016 p 186 has bravo interj well done; excellent (also brava when addressed to a woman, bravi to a number of persons).
Apparently the original (1926) version of Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage recommended the various forms still given in Chambers, but the 2015 update of Fowler (p 119) says “It would be a brave person who would follow Fowler’s (1926) advice … [as given above]. Gender and number distinctions have been abandoned in such circumstances, and bravo is the only cry of the three heard, if it is heard at all, in theatres now.”
Manuka was beyond me, and I struggle to equate a garden with a yard. Otherwise all fine, though I am with GDU@1 with not realising that we hopeless men are not much good at multitasking.
Lots of argy bargy back and forth across the ditch about Manuka. The Kiwis seem to think it’s theirs and that we shouldn’t use the name, like the French re Champagne etc.