An easy (mostly!) offering from Orense, thanks to whom for bringing the work week to a gentle close for FT solvers. Smooth cluing with just that little bit of annoyingly frustrating clues that kept me away from a speeder finish.
FF: 8 DD: 8
| Across | ||
| 1 | JOIN THE CLUB |
A welcome from the ante-natal clinic? (4,3,4)
cryptic def |
| 7 | POT |
Best returns for a corporation (3)
Reversal of TOP (best) – It took me quite a while before I remembered this meaning of corporation (pot-belly). |
| 9 | CASTE |
The social status of actors with bearing (5)
CAST (actors) E (bearing, East) |
| 10 | OPPRESSED |
In a hurry after work, feeling downtrodden (9)
PRESSED (in a hurry) after OP (work) |
| 11 | PERISCOPE |
One’s always up for a sea view (9)
cryptic def |
| 12 | KRAAL |
Enclosure, or area covered by singer making a comeback (5)
A (area) covered by KRAL (singer = LARK, reversed) |
| 13 | TURNKEY |
Last of corn fed to bird for gaoler (7)
N (last of corN) in TURKEY (bird) |
| 15 | DRAM |
Weight of stuff given to daughter (4)
|
| 18 | COLD |
Infection caused by origin of lipids in fish (4)
L (origin of Lipids) in COD (fish) |
| 20 | ENTREAT |
Movement in ballet ignoring church request (7)
ENTREchAT (movement in ballet, ignoring CH = church) |
| 23 | HOICK |
Yank finds love in American country bumpkin (5)
O (love) in HICK (amercian parlance for country bumpkin) |
| 24 | ULAN BATOR |
New Labour want to abolish source of working capital (4,5)
Anagarm of LABOUR wANT (without start of Working) |
| 26 | CASSOULET |
Person in suit with time for something to eat (9)
[ SOUL (person) in CASE (suit) ] with T (time) |
| 27 | UMBEL |
Crematorium believed to welcome flower arrangement (5)
Hidden in “crematoriUM BElieved..” – Guessable. |
| 28 | SEE |
Understand charges must be reversed after losing leader (3)
reversal of fEES (without leader) |
| 29 | NOTICE BOARD |
Where to announce new doctrine covering love in graduate (6,5)
Anagram of DOCTRINE around [ O (love) in BA (graduate) ] |
| Down | ||
| 1 | JACKPOTS |
Check returns after sailor’s big wins (8)
POTS (check = STOP, reversed) after JACK (sailor) |
| 2 | INSURERS |
Financial institutions popular of course, with Russians disheartened (8)
IN (popular) SURE (of course) RS (RussianS, disheartened = missing the internal letters) |
| 3 | TIERS |
Evidence of sadness heard in rows (5)
Sounds like TEARS (evidence of sadness) |
| 4 | ECONOMY |
New money protecting firm’s efficiency (7)
Anagram of MONEY containing CO (firm) |
| 5 | LIP READ |
Look for understanding (3-4)
cryptic def |
| 6 | BREAKFAST |
Holiday firm supplying meal (9)
BREAK (holiday) FAST (firm) |
| 7 | POSTAL |
Job confronting a student of letters (6)
POST (job) A L (student, Learner) |
| 8 | TIDDLY |
Very small drunk (6)
double def |
| 14 | KNOCK DOWN |
Criticise filling for pillow and reduce price (5-4)
KNOCK (criticise) DOWN (filling for pillow) |
| 16 | VERTEBRA |
Clergyman’s up on time, and cooking bare bone (8)
VER (clergyman = REV, reversed) T (time) EBRA (anagram of BARE) |
| 17 | STARTLED |
Surprised from the outset, and went ahead (8)
START (outset) LED (went ahead) |
| 19 | DOUBLET |
What may be essential to fitted garment? (7)
cryptic definition; essential to fiTTed is TT – a doublet. |
| 20 | ELASTIC |
Material for bands such as these? (7)
cryptic defn |
| 21 | SHOCKS |
Ship carrying white wine causes a sensation (6)
SS (ship) carrying HOCK (white wine) |
| 22 | TISSUE |
Twins regularly take action against paper (6)
TIS (TwInS regularly) SUE (take action against) |
| 25 | BLURB |
Obscure British advertising material (5)
BLUR (obscure) B (british) |
I thought 15 was DRAM (to ram=to stuff?).
I thought the same, Coby. Thanks to Orense & Turbolegs.
Hi Coby@1 / JuneG@2,
Thanks for the edit. Apologies for the inadvertent error.
Cheers
Mahesh
Thanks Turbolegs and Orense.
This was a gentle romp which I tackled straight after Thursday’s Vlad in the Grauniad.
What a difference. Vlad’s puzzle was a battle from beginning to end. Ultimately rewarding but hard won.
This was a pleasure. A good if gentle work-out to restore my confidence – so thanks again Orense.
All the clues were precise with a nice variety of styles.
I’m rather pleased to see Ulan Bator spelt in what used to be the standard way but which is disappearing from many atlases in favour of silly made-up spellings which are a nonsense in an English language book.
I wouldn’t expect a French atlas to show the UK capital as anything other than LONDRES so why should an English map say U’laan Bh’trra or some such nonsense.
Well that’s my rant for the day. Toodle Pip!
Thanks Orense and Turbolegs
Circumstances had this one stretch across a good portion of the day that I did it, but there was nothing too difficult with the puzzle – just got to enjoy it for longer.
Did like DOUBLET, although may have seen it before – it’s still a good ‘un. CASSOULET was a new term for me, but very gettable from the word play. Had to reacquaint myself with ULAN BATOR (nice rant, Hamish ! )
Think that he could have nearly made 1a a double definition with a slight change – ‘A welcome from little woman in the ante-natal clinic?’ to get JO IN THE CLUB.
Finished in the middle bottom with ULAN BATOR, DOUBLET and CASSOULET the last few in.