Financial Times 13,824 / Flimsy

A simple solve with a variety of clue types. I especially enjoyed 10a and 5d. Flimsy is extremely skilled at crafting smooth and natural clue surfaces. The not-so-nice parts: there is an error in 22a I think and the indicator in 1a seems to be taking a liberty.

Across

1 POACHED EGG (CLEGG HOPED)* -L (pound) +A. “Ravenous” as anagram indicator – does that work for you? // Update: Annotation fixed; thanks to Stuart.
7 OVEN STOVENOW – STOW (jam)
9 ASHY (YHA)* around S (son)
10 TECHNICIAN (IN ICT HE CAN)*. Neat &lit clue.
11 TROUPE TOUPE[e] (hairpiece, not quite) around R[oger]
12 ACADEMIC (I CAME)* around CAD (rat)
13 VENDETTA VEND (deal) ET (Spielberg film) T[he] A[wful]. Cleverly constructed.
15 TIER TIGER (Tiger Woods, golfer) – [drivin]G
17 PENS a starter dd clue.
19 IMITATOR (TO MAIM IT)* – M (male) + R (river)
22 SIDEBURN SIN (error) around DEBUR (remove rough edges). Isn’t the word spelled as DEBURR? // Update: Rishi points out that Chambers lists BUR as a variant spelling of BURR.
23 INVITE (PINTIVE)* – P (powder)
25 PROPELLANT (PLAN PETROL)*. Very well worded.
26 STIR dd; ‘stir’ = prison is new to me.
27 EMIR E (Eastern) M (master) I R (rule) &lit. What a smooth clue.
28 POKER-FACED FACED (resisted), after POKE (goad) R (queen)

Down

2 OBSERVE O (love) B (bachelor) SERVE (wait)
3 COYPU COY (timid) UP< ; a large rodent.
4 ENTREATY (ARE)* in ENTITY (independent body) – I
5 EXCLAMATION MARK EX (former lover) (INTO A CALM)* MARK (man). The “!” symbol at the end of the clue is the definition!
6 GENIAL GENITAL (how members might be described) – T (time)
7 ORCHESTRA (ROAR)* around CHEST (trunk)
8 EXAMINE AXE (chooper) reversed, MINE (extract)
14 DISTEMPER DIS[h] (good-looking person, almost) TEMPER (cushion)
16 SINISTER SISTER (relative) around IN (wearing)
18 EPIGRAM E[xcited] PIG RAM (two farmyard animals). ‘Sally’ isn’t a girl’s name here but a synonym for a witty remark.
20 OUTLINE OUT (revealed) ROUTE (line)
21 PULL-UP dd
24 VISTA (TV + S[t]A[t]I[c])* – a word made famous by Microsoft in a different context.

10 comments on “Financial Times 13,824 / Flimsy”

Rishi

#1 - Fri 14th Oct 11, 09:48

Shuchi

‘Burr’ (rough edge) is also spelt ‘bur’ (if you look it up in Chambers). So ‘debur’ is okay, I think.

Bamberger

#2 - Fri 14th Oct 11, 09:56

Needed a bit of help in the NE where I couldn’t get wig out of my mind for 11a. I don’t think toupe would have come if I’d sat until midnight.
Thanks for explanation of 13a & 22a which I just couldn’t see.

Rishi

#3 - Fri 14th Oct 11, 09:59

I agree 27a is a nice clue. But, is the semicolon a proper punctuation mark there, I wonder.

Stuart

#4 - Fri 14th Oct 11, 10:00

Re 1a – should this not read – … (CLEGG HOPED)* -L (pound) +A ?

As always, thank you for the blog.

shuchi

#5 - Fri 14th Oct 11, 10:07

Hi Stuart, Yes – thank you! *facepalm* Will fix it.

shuchi

#6 - Fri 14th Oct 11, 10:26

Hi Rishi, I’d looked up the dictionaries online and didn’t find the alternate spelling for DEBURR. All good if Chambers has it.

scchua

#7 - Fri 14th Oct 11, 16:21

Thanks shuchi and Flimsy.

I liked 5D EXCLAMATION MARK, 11A TROUPE and 25A PROPELLANT,

I’m sure it’s there somewhere, but I can’t seem to see the instruction to take the initial letters to make 27A EMIR. Is it “I rule”=leader=initial letter? It’s also unusual to have an instruction/indicator act on itself, ie. in this case, take the initial letter(s) of the indicator word(s).

shuchi

#8 - Fri 14th Oct 11, 16:31

Hi scchua,

27a: It is simpler than that – the letters are standard abbreviations for the words in the clue. E = eastern, M = master, I and R = rule.

scchua

#9 - Fri 14th Oct 11, 16:38

Thanks shuchi. I was obviously blinded by the obvious!