Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 30, 2014
This Magwitch puzzle proved a good and satisfying challenge. I am becoming familiar with this setter’s style of wordplay and enjoying her puzzles more and more. My top clues in this one are 10a (RESENTS), 20a (CHEWING GUM) and 27a (TONSURE). The mention for best surface reading goes to 16a (CYST).
ACROSS
1 Antisocial girl contracted a new cancer possibly around the heart (12)
MISANTHROPIC – MIS[s] (girl contracted) + A (a) + N (new) + H (heart) in TROPIC (cancer possibly)
10 Is bitter about capped donations (7)
RESENTS – [p]RESENTS (capped donations)
11 Support shown by demeanour is heartening (7)
NOURISH – hidden word
12 Claimants back the top two employers (5)
USERS – SUERS (claimants) with ‘US’ (top two) reversed
13 MP earned improperly? It checks (8)
DAMPENER – anagram of MP EARNED
15 Attempts to stop tastes taking a different direction (10)
ENDEAVOURS – END (stop) + SAVOURS (tastes) with the initial ‘S’ changed to ‘E’ (taking a different direction)
16 Extremely confident about yen’s growth (4)
CYST – Y’S (yen’s) in C[onfiden]T
18 Trouble involving noisy youth initially insignificant (4)
TINY – initial letters
20 Pavement sticker shows revolutionary faction attack from behind (7,3)
CHEWING GUM – CHE (revolutionary) + WING (faction) + MUG (attack) backwards. With a great definition!
22 Agency work nursing not ultimately attractive (8)
TEMPTING – [no]T (not ultimately) in TEMPING (agency work)
24 Universal wise custom (5)
USAGE – U (universal) + SAGE (wise)
26 Among highly creative, that is making a difference (7)
VARIETY – IE (that is) in V ARTY (highly creative)
27 Monk’s crown of thorns regularly starts to slip under right eye (7)
TONSURE – T[h]O[r]N[s] + S[lip] U[nder] R[ight] E[ye]
28 Surly dog old men guy appallingly (12)
CURMUDGEONLY – CUR (god) + anagram of OLD MEN GUY
DOWN
2 Popular promotion introduces street drug as an alternative (7)
INSTEAD – IN (popular) + ST (street) + E (drug) + AD (promotion)
3 With no resistance, Americans tortured possible dementia sufferer (8)
AMNESIAC – anagram of AME[r]ICANS (with no resistance, Americans)
4 Content to accept a skivvy’s job (4)
TASK – hidden word
5 Art con drew surprisingly large organised group (4-1-5)
RENT-A-CROWD – anagram of ART CON DREW
6 Generous friend without a sign of doubt in front of copper (5)
PLUMP – P[a]L (friend without a) + UM (sign of doubt) + P (copper)
7 Stack of international cash yielding nothing in support of children (7)
CHIMNEY – CH (children) + I (international) + M[o]NEY (international cash yielding nothing)
8 Controversial abridged Argentinian musical returned later than you intended reportedly (13)
ARGUMENTATIVE – ARG (abridged Argentinian) + U MENT (homophone “you intended”) + EVITA (musical) backwards. Clever mixing of ‘Argentinian’ and ‘musical’!
9 Hotheaded politician plunged into riotous street horde (5-8)
SHORT-TEMPERED – MP (politician) in anagram of STREET HORDE
14 Nothing to weep into over Tory leader’s limitless sour rejection (2,5,3)
NO THANK YOU – T[ory] in NO HANKY (nothing to weep into) + [s]OU[r]
17 Snide remarks by nationalist interrupting in the middle of influential gathering (8)
INNUENDO – IN (in) + N (nationalist) + [infl]UEN[tial] + DO (gathering)
19 French article about organised crime in figures (7)
NUMERIC – UN (French article) backwards + anagram of CRIME
21 Slow but steady former student left for half-term (7)
GRADUAL – GRADUATE (former student) with ‘TE’ (half-term) replaced by ‘L’ (left)
23 The Provisionals back off being associated with them (5)
THEIR – THE (the) + IR[a] (Provisionals back off)
25 The French ejected from prison camp for males (4)
STAG – STA[la]G (the French ejected from prison camp)
Overall a fine puzzle.
I too liked 20A (chewing gum)for its social comment of our times.
Thanks to Magwitch and Pete
Yes, I’m getting used to Magwitch’s brain, too. But in this puzzle I felt some awkwardness — some clues were so convoluted that the solution came first and then the clue itself had to be analysed. I like both parts of the brain to work simultaneously. Great fun, though. Thanks Pete and Magwitch
Thanks Magwitch and Pete
Enjoyed this but went in pretty quickly.
Pete, a slight error with the copper in PLUMP – you need a P, not a D.
I also thought that the ‘Argentinian musical’ was a nice touch!
I completed this in a good time but I don’t think that I’ve ever had so many unparsed clues ie 10a, 15a, 6d,7d,14d, 17d & 21d . Certainly a setter than needs getting used to.
Thanks for enlightenment
Thanks for pointing out my PLUMD error, brucew — I have corrected the blog.
There are clues here that I might never solve by wordplay alone. So one has very much to depend on definitions to solve clues and use wordplay to confirm. Thankfully, Magwitch’s definitions are usually good.