Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 23, 2015
I found this Mudd much easier than other recent puzzles of his. Only one clue gave me significant trouble; that was 13a (LEG STUMP) which is a term I had not known in spite of having played cricket. My clue of the week is 20d (NO SWEAT) and I also like 4d (THROW OUT).
ACROSS
1 What remains after a meal? A fat setter, unfortunately (10)
AFTERTASTE – anagram of A FAT SETTER
7 Appetite swell, having missed starter (4)
URGE – [s]URGE (swell, having missed starter)
9 Cut in tax edifying (4)
AXED – hidden word
10 Rational budget? (10)
REASONABLE – double definition
11 Dog in front getting extraordinary success (3-3)
BOW-WOW – BOW (front) + WOW (extraordinary success)
12 Anything in the midst of pondering is relative (8)
DAUGHTER – AUGHT (anything) in [pon]DER[ing]
13 Puzzle on stage on stick? (3,5)
LEG STUMP – LEG (stage) + STUMP (puzzle)
15 Mudd’s abundant source (4)
MINE – double definition
17 Image – party needing one (4)
ICON – I (one) + CON (party)
19 Mishap having replaced leader for the West (8)
OCCIDENT – ACCIDENT (mishap) with ‘A’ (leader) replaced
22 Jazz player in noncommercial show (8)
INDICATE – CAT (jazz player) + INDIE (noncommercial). I don’t think of ‘indie’ as meaning non-commercial exactly.
23 Distant regarding school? (6)
OFFISH – OF FISH (regarding school?)
25 Banal president, a liberal (10)
PEDESTRIAN – anagram of PRESIDENT A
26 Impression I had with estate agents, initially (4)
IDEA – I’D (I had) + E[state] A[gents]
27 Slimy secretion, many recalled (4)
SNOT – TONS (many) backwards
28 Come together as company and get anger sorted out (10)
CONGREGATE – CO (company) + anagram of GET ANGER
DOWN
2 Earth – sexy thing with a terrible predicament (7)
FOXHOLE – FOX (sexy thing) + HOLE (a terrible predicament)
3 English present containing diamonds, as gift (5)
ENDOW – E (English) + D (diamonds) in NOW (present)
4 Expel tutor who is perverted (5,3)
THROW OUT – anagram of TUTOR WHO
5 Is one’s routine far from sedentary? (5-2,8)
STAND-UP COMEDIAN – cryptic definition
6 Twilight (abridged) inferior to old, old book (6)
EXODUS – EX (old) + O (old) + DUS[k] (twilight abridged)
7 Cheeky university entitled to keep the remains? (9)
UNASHAMED – U (university) + ASH (remains) in NAMED (entitled)
8 Ship, brass one perhaps? (7)
GALLEON – GALL (brass) + anagram of ONE
14 Head of Mafia into conscious feeling (9)
SENTIMENT – M[afia] in SENTIENT (conscious)
16 Glass that floats? (8)
SCHOONER – dual definition
18 Business that’s going to be a worry (7)
CONCERN – double definition
20 Barking seat won without difficulty (2,5)
NO SWEAT – anagram of SEAT WON
21 Indian cooking cold – very cold! (6)
BALTIC – BALTI (Indian cooking) + C (cold). While I easily guessed this answer, I had no experience of ‘Baltic’ being used to mean very cold. I am told it is though.
24 Highland trip, an affair (5)
FLING – double definition
I was stumped by 13ac (sorry for the pun); got the stump but still couldn’t get the leg; I was fixated by “set”; and also 22 ac. Can’t see why indie is non-commercial
Thanks for the blog.
I parsed 8d differently – I had it as GALL = brass + (ONE)* = GALLEON.
Ah, yes, that must be right for 8d. I have corrected the explanation. Thanks, shikasta.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Made this one a lot harder for myself by having STAND-UP POSITION written in at 5. This caused all sorts of trouble with finishing INDICATE and BALTIC as my last two in.
Indie is used in the music world where a song is produced by a smaller independent company, rather than a larger commercial one. It generally means that the artist has more say into the material that is recorded.
I have come across the British BALTIC term for cold in another crossword ages ago – needless to say I had to re-discover it again here!!
Thought that LEG STUMP was cod as it gradually revealed itself.
Am happy that there was a crosser with ACCIDENT / OCCIDENT as the clue could have generated either answer.
Another good challenge from this prolific setter.