Oops. Problems here. I’m not sure how it’s come out in the pink paper, but the PDF puzzle I’ve got from the FT website is all to cock: rogue white squares and clues strewn here, there and everywhere. I think I’ve managed to pick my way through the wreckage okay, though.
A shame, because this is a decent puzzle. A couple of the &lits had me on my feet and applauding wildly.
ACROSS
1. NOSINESS Double definition: curiosity, and the defining characteristic of the big-beaked Cyrano de Bergerac
5. PATOIS Toi [a form of ‘you’ in French] within pas [‘step’ in French]; ‘with Nancy‘ seems a strange indicator for ‘in French’, though (‘in Nancy’ would have made more sense (but would, I realise, have been less cryptic))
10. SHINGLE H(arbour) within single [one run in cricket]
11. OROGENY Anagram of one orgy to give the geologic process of mountain formation
12. LIFER Hidden in reverse in featuRE FILm
13. WAIT FOR IT W [Welsh] + ait [island] + I [1, one] within fort [castle]
14. LABOUR LEADER Anagram of euro deal blair minus i(taly) to give the post formerly held by Gordon Brown
17. ACTUALLY 18ac. IN THE GRID SECOND FIDDLE Double definition: a second violinist (fiddler) would need a bow, and Nick Clegg plays ‘second fiddle’ to David Cameron in the UK’s coalition government
21. LAUNDERER LA [Los Angeles] + (Th)underer [old nickname for the Times of London]
23. TRURO R [river] within anagram of rout(e) to give Cornwall’s only city
24. MARTYRS Anagram of R(idle)y (L)at(i)m(e)r + s(tate); the whole provides the definition (somewhat contrivedly) and alludes to the English heretics
25. AIRLINE Double definition: a hose or line that inflates something with air, and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
26. ON SONG S(ociety) within on [working] + on + g(olf)
27. STOLIDLY Lidl [German supermarket] within anagram of toys
DOWN
1. NESTLE Newcastle minus w(omen) + ca [circa, about]
2. SNIFFY If within S(tephe)n F(r)y
3. NIGERIA Anagram of regain + a The grid provides nine squares, not seven: the FINAL two squares should be ignored
4. SHERWOOD FOREST Anagram of Hoods few resort; again, the whole, alluding to the legend of Robin Hood, provides the definition
6. ALOOF O [ring] within anagram of foal
7. OVERRIDE Anagram of o(ld) driver + (verg)e
8. SHYSTERS Anagram of theyre + sss [$$$, a few dollars…]
9. ROBIN REDBREAST Anagram of b(ird) birders are not, and a third elaborate &lit (the allusion being, of course, to Erithacus rubecula)
15. ACTUALLY 16dn. IN THE GRID O SOLE MIO Anagram of a solo melody I minus the letters of lady to give the famous Neapolitan song that translates into English as ‘Just One Cornetto‘…
16. ACTUALLY 17dn. IN THE GRID ACQUIRES Sounds like a choir’s [choral group’s]
18. ACTUALLY 15dn IN THE GRID LITERAL This one’s tricksy enough even without the (appropriate) misprint: a literal is an error in printing, and sounds like (when read out: ‘as read’ is, I think, the homphone indicator, not another definition of ‘literal’) littoral, on the beach The grid provides nine squares, not seven: the FIRST two squares should be ignored
19. BURIED (C)uri(a) within bed [plot]
20. LONELY A cryptic clue for ‘lily’ might be one [I] within lly
22. DOYEN Ye [corrupted old spelling of ‘the’] within don [fellow: it could be either a fellow’s name or an academic fellow, I suppose]
Bravo Ringo for getting it sorted. Once I realised there were two lights which should have been blocks, and that the listed clues and their numbers were all Ok, the penny dropped, and a quick partial renumbering of the grid made everything come right.
Must be incredibly frustrating for Redshank, since, as you say, this was a pretty good puzzle with much to relish.
Yes, well done, Ringo – I hope others had the patience to persevere. It’s perhaps easier to see how the error in the central row occurred than the confusion over the numbering.
And many thanks and commiserations to Redshank – it was indeed a fine puzzle. Like Ringo, I particularly admired the &lits. [There’s an interesting coincidence in 24ac with clues in Anarche’s Indy prize puzzle of last Saturday.]
[It only took me a few minutes to realise that my first answer, FRENCH was just a bit too obvious for 5ac!]
Thanks both. I think that if you black out the two superfluous lights you can see how the numbering got out of synch: without a word descending from the ‘e’ of ‘leader’, 16 becomes 15, 17 becomes 16, and 15, now two rows below, becomes 18, while 18 becomes 17.
Hope that’s all clear…
Quite clear, thanks, Ringo – ‘consequential errors’, for which allowances are made in exam marking! I just didn’t bother to black out the squares and think it through.
Thanks Ringo for the de- and re-construction. A good crossword too.
I hope the errors today don’t signify a new style of crossword. Sonthing like “There are 7 deliberate mistakes in today’s crossword. The grid, though symmetrical, requires adjustments. Apparently misplaced clues should be entered wherever they will fit……” Lets hope Rev Graham is not bored and looking for new ways to play…..
Or *something* like..
Grid had some rogue black squares for which my apologies. Correct version should appear on website shortly.
Still a good puzzle though!
… though still a tautology. Rats.
Niloci has manfully taken the rap for what appears to have been my cock-up. Apologies for the extra challenge. I like Togo’s idea; must work on it.
Now see what a fine mess I’ve got us into with Redshank. Mercy, please.
As Paul B said, despite the ‘cock-up’ [which was re-paired 🙂 within two minutes] a good puzzle!
Only PATOIS (5ac) was one ‘pas’ too far for me.
A handful of thanks to Ringo.
The blog was certainly needed for 21ac (and 5ac, of course).
Fine bunch of clues, of which only O SOLE MIO (16d) didn’t appeal to me that much [because of the sole/solo similarity].
But how can I be negative about a solution that was one of the musical tracks at my father’s funeral way back in 1998.
I especially liked 12ac (LIFER) and the three longer ones 14ac, 4d and 9d.
But there was a lot more to admire – for which many thanks Redshank!
The people in Manila have been trying to update the puzzle on website but there are technical problems. But it looks as if the problem can be overcome by astute solvers….!