Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 28
Here’s another delightful and clever puzzle from Cincinnus. We have two very fine hidden-word clues (12A, RHONE and 17D, INAMORATA) but my favourites this time are 16A (OINKING) and 11D (AMMO).
Across
1. RABELAIS – anagram of [v]ARIABLES
5. IBERIS – IBERI[an]S (Southern Europeans rejecting a northern)
9. PASSOVER – double definition
10. OTELLO – TELL (say) in O[val] O[ffice]
12. RHONE – hidden word
13. LIMBERS UP – LIMB (member) + anagram of PURSE
14. BITCHY – B (bishop) + ITCHY (irritable)
16. OINKING – O (love) + INKING (using pen)
19. HANGMAN – [squas]H + AN (an) + GMAN (American agent). Why is an American agent a G-man? I know ‘G’ stands for government and one of my dictionaries defines G-man as “A special law-enforcement agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation”. What I really mean is, why do I know this term only from crossword puzzles? I do not recall ever hearing the term elsewhere despite having lived in America for 40 years.
21. SATRAP – A (a) in STRAP (band)
23. STATUTORY – TUTOR (teacher) in STAY (stop)
25. BOOZE – O (old) + E (English) in BOZ (Dickens). “Boz” was Charles Dickens’ nickname.
26. IMPAIR – I (one) + M (married) + PAIR (couple)
27. TIPSTAFF – TIP (recommendation) + STAFF (employees)
28. EMERGE – E (eastern) + G[eese] in MERE (lake)
29. UNSTEADY – UN (a French) + STEADY (boyfriend)
Down
1. REPORT – RE (about) + PORT (wine)
2. BOSTONIAN – TO (to) in BOSNIAN (European)
3. LOOSE – LOO (john) + S[uav]E
4. IDEALLY – I (I) + E (energy) in DALLY (don’t rush)
6. BUTTERNUT – UTTER (say) in B (British) + NUT (eccentric). This clue took me some time as I was unfamiliar with butternut as a tree. I wondered about the use of “hugged” here as a containment indicator particularly because, in the cryptic reading, the hugging is done by two things. I guess hugging in the sense of squeezing between two things works.
7. RULES – double definition
8. STOPPAGE – S (second) + TOP (best) + PAGE (attendant)
11. AMMO – AM (morning) + MO (doctor)
15. COMPUTING – PUT (place) in COMING (Advent)
17. INAMORATA – reverse hidden word
18. CHASTISE – S[ea]T in CHAISE (carriage)
20. NOOK – NO OK (lack of agreement)
21. STYGIAN – anagram of STAYING
22. BELFRY – cryptic definition. Is this not cryptic enough? Or just too easy?
24. AMPLE – [s]AMPLE (specimen not opened)
25. BESET – [princ]E in BEST (elite)