[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of June 21, 2014
I found this puzzle to be a good and satisfying challenge. My top clue by far is 4a (MISPRINT) and I also especially like 1a (BENIGN) and 11d (INGRATE). 5d (IRON) gave me the most trouble and did so even though the answer seemed fairly obvious.
ACROSS
1 Good to invade country that’s not causing any trouble (6)
BENIGN – G (good) in BENIN (country)
4 I’m back to run a feature in the Grauniad? (8)
MISPRINT – IM (I’m) backwards + SPRINT (run). With a most witty definition, ‘Grauniad’ representing of course a “misprint” of Guardian although it is also a common nickname for the paper.
9 So ginger or brunette below the belt? (6)
UNFAIR – un-fair (ginger or brunette!)
10 Breakfast served at Her Majesty’s pleasure? (8)
PORRIDGE – double definition
12 Singer puts it in start of piece? (8)
BARITONE – IT (it) in BAR ONE (start of piece?)
13 Party that is breaking up fast after a reshuffle (6)
FIESTA – IE (that is) in anagram of FAST
15 Bird that’s run over by a train (4)
RAIL – double definition. Normally one would say a train runs on and not over a rail, but I think this clue is fine.
16 Source of cash in brothers’ house, a delicate thing (10)
FRITILLARY – (TILL) source of cash in FRIARY (brothers’ house). The Fritillary is a British butterfly.
19 Nerve-wracking digital activity (4-6)
NAIL-BITING – double/cryptic definition
20 Number in figures on gate (4)
SONG – hidden word
23 Work with high-maintenance woman, a stripper (6)
GODIVA – GO (work) + DIVA (high-maintenance woman)
25 Cause teenager a problem (8)
GENERATE – anagram of TEENAGER
27 Record rank item in Lincoln’s birthplace (3,5)
LOG CABIN – LOG (record) + CAB (rank item!!) + IN (in)
28 Twitter welcoming hard kick (6)
THRILL – H (hard) in TRILL (twitter)
29 Adversary has rejected trade in Cuba etc (8)
ANTILLES – ANTI (adversary) + SELL (trade) backwards. I was unsure that ‘anti’ could work as a noun meaning adversary but my Chambers confirms that it does.
30 Children’s writer beginning with childish material (6)
CRAYON – C[hildish] + RAYON (material)
DOWN
1 Something of a whale to wail? (7)
BLUBBER – double definition
2 Old queen produced fine litter, but no leader in Luxor (9)
NEFERTITI – anagram of FINE [l]ITTER
3 Is the floor of a birdcage so rough? (6)
GRITTY – double definition. I have seen a clue very much like this one before.
5 Metal figure’s wings, symbolically? (4)
IRON – FE (figure’s wings!) is chemical symbol for iron
6 Small amount penned originally, something written (8)
PARTICLE – P[enned] + ARTICLE (something written)
7 Topless worshippers in Asian river (5)
INDUS – [h]INDUS (topless worshippers)
8 Treatment by which the swimmer maintains power (7)
THERAPY – THE (the) + P (power) in RAY (swimmer)
11 Where Father Christmas might find himself a thankless type? (7)
INGRATE – IN GRATE (where Father Christmas might find himself!)
14 Beautiful person’s number? (7)
STUNNER – double definition (‘number’ in the sense of desensitize)
17 Lack of decency a test in friendship (9)
AMORALITY – ORAL (a test) in AMITY (friendship)
18 Especially omnipotent? (5,3)
ABOVE ALL – double definition
19 Plant claimin’ it’s on the upturn (7)
NIGELLA – ALLEGIN[g] (claimin’) backwards
21 Girl playing with men, naughty thing (7)
GREMLIN – anagram of GIRL MEN
22 Under name, scribble “three” (6)
NETHER – N (name) + anagram of THREE
24 Figure that’s how to make a hole? (5)
DIGIT – DIG IT (how to make a hole?!)
26 Lovely European city (4)
NICE – double definition
12a is also worth a mention once you realise that the piece refers to a musical piece carrying on the musical theme.
There is a typo at 21d – gremlin.
Thanks as always to Pete
I always enjoy Mudd enormously, come what may. Like Pete Maclean I was (and am) uncomfortable with IRON and ANTILLES, despite having solved them quite early on. Anyway, why complain when you’re having a good time? Thanks to both setter and solver.
Yes, ernie, that’s a good point about 12a. And thanks for the typo tip — I have corrected the entry.
I got stuck in the SW not seeing 24d and only got ??diva for 23a.
19d Simply didn’t know this plant
27a I didn’t know that Lincoln was born in a log cabin
29a I have heard of the Netherlands Antilles but didn’t know that Cuba was part of a set of islands known as Antilles.
I couldn’t get fritillary and couldn’t parse baritone or iron.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Enjoyable puzzle that took the train trip into work exactly end to end to get finished. Started off with the hidden SONG and finished up with ANTILLES which I knew were the islands of the West Indies but didn’t know that Cuba was included in them. Also did not know of Lincoln’s birthplace. FRITILLARY was the other unknown term.
Thought that CRAYON had a lovely misdirection about it and that MISPRINT and the surface of INDUS were his typical cheeky self.
Pete, you have a small error with 26a the anagram should consist of TEENAGER only.
Don’t understand why there is such a small number of contributors to the FT puzzles. I find them as equally much fun as the Guardian ones even if they are a tad less difficult.
Hi Bruce, Like you I had not known that Cuba was an Antille. Thanks for the note about 26a — I have fixed the explanation.