I seem to be fortunate in the Wednesday FT slot to get a seemingly endless sequence of great puzzles to blog. This week’s puzzle is no exception, and long may it continue. Thanks to Redhsank and all at the FT for making this happen!
| Across | ||
| 1 | SYCAMORE |
Simon came across yellow plane in US (8)
SY (Simon, short) then CAME containing (across) OR (yellow) – called plane tree in US |
| 5 | AVIARY |
A rocket attached to a line restricted flights here (6)
A VI (V1, rocket) attached to A RY (railway, line) |
| 10 | LATIN |
Congenitally partially inverted tongue (5)
found reversed (inverted) in congeNITALly |
| 11 | DRIFTWOOD |
Medic providing couple with overdose remains ashore (9)
DR (medic) IF (providing) TWO (couple) with OD (overdose) |
| 12 | MALICIOUS |
Spiteful married girl almost promises to settle debts (9)
M (married) ALICe (girl, almost) and IOUS (promises to settle debts) |
| 13 | LOYAL |
Staunch palace resident swaps sides (5)
rOYAL (resident of palace) swapping sides, R (right) for L (left) |
| 14 | AGREED |
Corresponded about drilling over the hill (6)
RE (about) inside (drilling) AGED (over the hill) |
| 15 | OCTUPLE |
Odd couple circle square 8 times (7)
COUPLE* anagram=odd contain (circle) T (a T-square for example) |
| 18 | OVERRUN |
Deliveries to sailors include uniform for swamp (7)
OVER (deliveries, in cricket) with RN (Royal Navy, sailors) including U (uniform) |
| 20 | GATSBY |
Eponymous hero in book copes with change of character (6)
GeTS BY (copes) with E changeing to A – a character is a letter |
| 22 | HERBS |
The bank has no time for the contents of some pots (5)
tHE RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland) missing T (time) – herbs can be grown in pots |
| 24 | WORDSMITH |
Author withholds gold award to serviceman (9)
WITH holds (contains) OR (gold) DSM (Distinguished Servcie Medal, award to serviceman) |
| 25 | UNAMINOUS |
Peacekeepers’ hostility said to be unopposed (9)
UN (United Nations, peacekeepers) than ANIMOUS sounds like (said) “animus” (hostility) |
| 26 | INIGO |
Jones the architect’s colour lacks density (5)
INdIGO (colur) missing D (density) – Inigo Jones (1573-1652) |
| 27 | DAMSEL |
Girl gets main role back binding manuscript (6)
LEAD (main role) reversed (back) containing (binding) MS (manuscript) |
| 28 | OLD STYLE |
Lloyd set out how Julius arranged his dates (3,5)
(LLOYD SET)* anagram=out – the definition refers to the Julian calendar being replaced by the newer Gregorian calendar, which I am not about to try and explain |
| Down | ||
| 1 | SALOME |
A few absorb nearly everything in revealing play (6)
SOME (a few) contains (absorb) ALL (everything) missing last letter (nearly) – think ‘revealing’ is just a link word, but perhaps it has something to do with Wilde’s play? |
| 2 | CATALOGUE |
A tanktop and cagoule managed to make brochure (9)
anagram (managed) of T (top of tank) and CAGOULE |
| 3 | MANIC-DEPRESSIVE |
Fry, perhaps, or boil varied specimens (5-10)
(VARIED SPECIMENS)* anagram=boiled – Stephen Fry, a sufferer od manic depression |
| 4 | REDWOOD |
Dutch court owing money for big plant? (7)
(dutch) WOO (court) in RED (in the red, owing money) |
| 6 | VITAL STATISTICS |
Three figures describing another one (5,10)
cryptic definition – bust, waist and hip measurements |
| 7 | AGONY |
Torment some bridge game (5)
ANY (some) contain (bridge, go over) GO (game) |
| 8 | YODELLER |
Greeting doctor in Paris, she’s introduced Swiss singer (8)
YO (greeting) then DR (doctor) contains (has…introduced) ELLE (she, in Paris) |
| 9 | FIASCO |
Mafia’s contract reduced to shambles (6)
maFIA’S COntract reduced (only part of) |
| 16 | PUBLICITY |
Bar allowed Fourth of July hype (9)
PUB (bar) LICIT (allowed) julY (fourth letter of) |
| 17 | FOXHOUND |
Fine bulldog and hunter (8)
F (fine) OX (bull) and HOUND (dog) |
| 19 | NEWTON |
Force unit to cut modern name (6)
TO inside (cut) NEW (modern) N (name) |
| 20 | GIRASOL |
A girl’s wavering over old opal (7)
anagram (wavering) of A GIRL’S containing (over) O (old) – a kind of opal |
| 21 | CHROME |
When out of cash, order more shiny stuff (6)
CasH missing AS (when) then MORE* anagram=order |
| 23 | REALM |
Rare tree spans a field (5)
R (rare?) ELM (tree) contains (spans) A – I don’t know why R is ‘rare’, it is not listed in Chambers see Gaufrid’s comemnt @3 |
definitions are underlined
Abbreviations that are not in the Chambers dictionary are sometimes found in XWD, A Dictioonary of Crossword Abbeviations, of the same publishing house.
But r = rare is not found even there.
It is found is a notorious long list floating in the Internet but we don’t know who augmented a list that originally must have been reliable.
I am wondering if the abbr. r was used in old auction lists for books or paintings when the specimen on offer was rare.
Herbs beat me but I was shell-shocked from completing Imogen in the Graun.
Otherwise this was a pleasant stroll in comparison.
Thanks PeeDee
r. as an abbreviation for ‘rare’ is in Collins. There was some discussion about this a few months ago and, IIRC, the consensus was that it is used by restaurant staff etc. when taking an order for a steak or similar. Presumably the shorthand for the options would be along the lines of B, R, MR, M, MWD & WD.
Great puzzle, great blog. Re 1dn, SALOME performs a very revealing dance in the eponymous play by Wilde.
And how good is 21d (CHROME), my penultimate one in?
Thanks PeeDee & Redshank.
Thanks Redshank and PeeDee
One of the appealing things of doing the FT puzzles is the large variety and high quality of the setters that present each day. Because of the number of compilers, one usually gets to only do one by each per month – the exception being Mudd, Dante and to a lesser extent Falcon.
This puzzle was a delight from start to finish – probably best described as subtle clueing. As it was, I missed the proper parsing for several of them – the SY (short for Simon in 1a), the VI rocket in 2a and the NEW TO N parsing of 17d (I just thought that it referred to N as the symbol for a newton force). Got the rest including the GETS BY switch at 20a, the clever RE- D WOO – D charade, Sil’s CH ROME and my favourite A-GO-NY (which took an age – was looking for a variation of the card game for a long time). Great stuff !
Finally ended up in the SE corner with WORDSMITH, GIRASOL and GATSBY.
Thanks PeeDee and Redshank.
I had a similar experience to Bruce except – amazingly for me – also parsed through correctly.
New word for me was GIRASOL but gettable once I had the crossers.
I felt a bit queezy about using an individual as an exemplar of a debilitating affliction in 3dn, but then since Stephen Fry is a self-proclaimed sufferer, then maybe I have no right to feel awkward about it.
CHROME and AGONY are worth applause for their creative clueing, and I also thought that Bulldog for (f)OXHOUND was clever.
Keep up the good work.