Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 6, 2016
I had trouble getting started on this one but, once I did, my solving flowed well. My clue of the week is 18a (PREPOSTEROUS) and I also very much like 2d (CLOUDY) and 15d (BLUE PETER).
| Across | ||
| 1 | ROCKETRY | Modern science development’s back in a stony place (8)
[developmen]T in ROCKERY (a stony place) |
| 5 | THEMED | Based on a unifying idea, holiday destination? (6) |
| THE MED (holiday destination) | ||
| 10 | SCOOP UP | Gather drink’s passed round prison (5,2) |
| COOP (prison) in SUP (drink) | ||
| 11 | INNINGS | Knock wife away from unearned income? (7) |
| [w]INNINGS | ||
| 12 | ELDER | Tribal chief in wood (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 13 | ELIMINATE | Entering lift, one has little time for murder (9) |
| I (one) + MIN (little time) together in ELATE (lift) | ||
| 14 | INVERTEBRATE | Reformed, I never batter the worm, say? (12) |
| Anagram of I NEVER BATTER | ||
| 18 | PREPOSTEROUS | Pope with trousers off – that’s unthinkable! (12) |
| Anagram of POPE TROUSERS | ||
| 21 | CARPENTER | Captive bandaged by nurse, a craftsman (9) |
| PENT (captive) in CARER (nurse) | ||
| 23 | POOLE | Nothing to see in freezing place, English resort town (5) |
| O (nothing) in POLE (freezing place) | ||
| 24 | ATISHOO | I run away after a blast, finally, as sound coming from hooter? (7) |
| A (a) + [blas]T + I (I) + SHOO (run away). Americans may be puzzled by the use of ‘hooter’ in this clue; they tend to use the word as slang for breast while we Brits use it as a term for nose. | ||
| 25 | TITANIC | Huge flap failing to open on flier (7) |
| TIT (flier) + [p]ANIC (flap failing to open) | ||
| 26 | ENSURE | Guarantee in the end, Labour cuts follow (6) |
| [labou]R in ENSUE (follow) | ||
| 27 | ADORABLE | Lovely answer not beyond me that’s about right (8) |
| A (a) + R (right) in DOABLE (not beyond me) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | RUSHER | One running for the nation, say? (6) |
| Homophone (“Russia”) | ||
| 2 | CLOUDY | Thunderous and grey in conclusion, cumulonimbus primarily overhead? (6)
I originally wanted to see “overhead” as the definition in this clue — in spite of the fact that it seemed an unsatisfactory definition. Thanks to a prompt by a commenter (thank you, ernie) I am now much more inclined to see the clue as an &lit. It may be a slightly laboured &lit. but any &lit. is a triumph. |
| C[umulonimbus] + LOUD (thunderous) + [gre]Y | ||
| 3 | ESPERANTO | Part seen wagging, old, old tongue (9) |
| Anagram of PART SEEN + O (old) | ||
| 4 | REPRESENTATION | Image close to picturesque here in allotment (14) |
| [picturesqu]E + PRESENT (here) in RATION (allotment) | ||
| 6 | HANOI | Musical unfinished having invested no capital (5) |
| NO (no) in HAI[r] (musicval unfinished) | ||
| 7 | MONTANAN | Person carrying on getting beat – American in a state? (8) |
| ON (on) + TAN (beat) together in MAN (person) | ||
| 8 | DISHEVEL | Handsome chap and girl left to mess around (8) |
| DISH (handsome chap) + EVE (girl) + L (left) | ||
| 9 | MISINTERPRETED | Having abandoned remit, president not understood (14) |
| Anagram of REMIT PRESIDENT | ||
| 15 | BLUE PETER | Flag down a man of principle? (4,5) |
| BLUE (down) + PETER (a man of principle?). This refers to The Peter Principle, an idea formulated by Laurence J. Peter that managers rise through levels in which they are competent to the level of their incompetence and then stick. | ||
| 16 | SPACE AGE | Time for adventure story’s introduction, then wizard enters part of book (5,3) |
| S[tory] + ACE (wizard) in PAGE (part of book) | ||
| 17 | NEAR MISS | Disturbance in seminars that was narrowly avoided (4,4) |
| Anagram of SEMINARS | ||
| 19 | HOBNOB | Mix elf and aristo (6) |
| HOB (elf) + NOB (aristo) | ||
| 20 | RESCUE | Make secure? Yes! (6) |
| Anagram of SECURE | ||
| 22 | ETHER | A number change the rules, to some extent (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
After a 25a struggle , I was left with 1a and 1d.
I can see 1d but how does 1a work, please? A stoney place is a rockery but where does the T come from and given it is only one letter, what is being put back, please?
Bamberger @1
1a Development’s back (ie last letter) is T and this is placed inside rockery to give rocketry.
Thanks to Pete and Mudd
Oops, I somehow lost the explanation of 1a in the original blog. Sorry. It is now fixed.
sort of enjoyable though I didn’t manage to finish it. Thought 16d started SPACE but for the life of me couldn’t get the rest!. I think that “primarily” in 2d shouldn’t be underlined as this clues the “c” in cumulo… rather than the whole answer doesn’t it? And why is “ether” a number?? I thought it was something to do with space as in ethernet, or gas, or air.
Because ether makes you numb. I loved this one from Mudd — was it easier than usual? Thanks Pete and Mudd1
Thanks for pointing out my slip in 2d, now fixed. One meaning of ether is a anaesthetic and this is often cryptically clued in crosswords as a “number”. It’s one of those things like “flower” cluing a river or “layer” cluing a chicken.
2d I am thinking that this is an ‘all-in-one’ clue. ‘Overhead’ is merely telling us where to place the ‘c’.
Pete, I note from @6 that you have amended the blog so maybe this is what you did have originally.
ernie, Thank you very much for this. I was puzzled by this clue because I could not find a satisfactory definition in it. And I completely overlooked the possibility of its being an &lit. Now, however, I am fairly convinced that it must be.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Had a slow start to this one too … getting down to ETHER before getting a start and similarly got into the flow of things thereafter. Typical clearly presented clues with a mix of the clever and the humorous.
Don’t know whether it is clear from the blog, but I’m sure that 15d refers to the Peter Principle, the business theory that in an heirarchical structure, people get promoted to their level of incompetence.
Enjoyable solve …
Thanks Mudd and Pete.
An enjoyable solve and I agree with your favourite. PREPOSTEROUS is a great answer to a pipe with trousers off!
Good fun as usual.
So many unanswered by me. Thanks as usual for clearing my questions up.