Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 30, 2020
As usual with Redshank, I found this puzzle to be a modest challenge. I finished the top half fairly quickly, the lower-left quadrant a bit more slowly and finally the bottom-right more slowly still. My clue of the week is 15ac (ARCHITECT) with its very misleading but clever cryptic definition. I also applaud 1ac (SICKLE) and 13ac (TACHOMETER) for their splendid surfaces, and 20dn (ASSESS) for being the most fun clue.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SICKLE | Grass cutter’s absence from work not welcome (6) |
| SICK LE[ave] (absence from work, not welcome). ‘Ave’ is originally a Latin greeting (as in Ave Maria) and, in English, is considered a literary term for ‘welcome’. | ||
| 4 | LAMB CHOP | A doctor with child seen in clip joint (4,4) |
| A (a) + MB (doctor) + CH (child) together in (seen in) LOP (clip)
I fancy that it is rather British usage to term any cut of meat that may be carved at table a joint, even if the part in question was not an anatomical joint for its original owner. |
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| 9 | AENEAS | Greek hero came in because every second counted (6) |
| [c]A[m]E [i]N [b]E[c]A[u]S[e]
Aeneas is a character in Greek mythology and is mentioned in Homer’s Iliad. He was a hero to the Greeks but was a Trojan himself. |
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| 10 | OSCULATE | Foreign consulate (name withheld) to make oral contact (8) |
| Anagram (foreign) of CO[n]SULATE
‘Osculate’ may be one of my favourite words. |
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| 12 | KILN | Family gathers round large cooker (4) |
| L (large) in (gathers round) KIN (family) | ||
| 13 | TACHOMETER | Cheater fiddled with MOT instrument (10) |
| Anagram (fiddled) of CHEATER MOT
For non-Brits who may be unfamiliar with MOT, it stands for Ministry Of Transport but, in a context like this one, actually refers to a periodic vehicle test mandated by this ministry. It appears in crosswords occasionally. |
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| 15 | ARCHITECTURE | Piano work each recruit played, maintaining tempo (12) |
| T (tempo) in (maintaining) anagram (played) of EACH RECRUIT
The cleverly cryptic definition refers to Renzo Piano the Italian architect known for the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, The Shard in London, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. |
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| 18 | BLANK CHEQUES | They offer freedom to ignore draughts without king (5,7) |
| BLANK (to ignore) + CHEQUE[r]S (draughts without king) | ||
| 21 | DISPOSSESS | Gangs in Norfolk town strip (10) |
| POSSES (gangs) in (in) DISS (Norfolk town) | ||
| 22 | IDEA | Reside abroad, going over plan (4) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 24 | EVENTFUL | Busy outlet stops fuel distribution (8) |
| VENT (outlet) in (stops) anagram (distribution) of FUEL | ||
| 25 | SALAMI | Compiler’s regretfully sent back seasoned dish (6) |
| IM A (compiler’s) + ALAS (regretfully) all backwards (sent back) | ||
| 26 | BESTRIDE | Get on website regularly blocking “The Woman in White” (8) |
| [w]E[b]S[i]T[e] in (blocking) BRIDE (the woman in white) | ||
| 27 | MARTYR | Two queens, one over time a victim of her faith (6) |
| T (time) in (over) MARY (one queen) + R (another regina) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SNACK BAR | Cab ranks supply eatery (5,3) |
| Anagram (supply) of CAB RANKS | ||
| 2 | CONFLICT | Dispute working with Paris policeman in court (8) |
| ON (working) + FLIC (Paris policeman) together in (in) CT (court) | ||
| 3 | LEAD | Ignore odd features of blues and heavy metal (4) |
| [b]L[u]E[s] A[n]D | ||
| 5 | AESTHETICISM | The jerk is immersed in same corrupt art movement (12) |
| THE (the) + TIC (jerk) + IS (is) together in (immersed in) anagram (corrupt) of SAME
As the Tate Gallery’s website has it: The aesthetic movement was a late nineteenth century movement that championed pure beauty and ‘art for art’s sake’ emphasising the visual and sensual qualities of art and design over practical, moral or narrative considerations. |
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| 6 | BLUE MURDER | Dispirited racehorse kicked up racket (4,6) |
| BLUE (dispirited) + RED RUM (racehorse) backwards (up)
One definition of ‘blue murder’ is “an extravagantly loud outcry” (which need not be about murder at all). Blue Murder was also the name of a British TV series about a detective played by Caroline Quentin. |
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| 7 | HEALTH | PM once squeezed large Whitehall department (6) |
| L (large) in (squeezed) HEATH (PM once)
Edward (“Ted”) Heath was the British Prime Minister from 1970 to 1974. |
||
| 8 | POETRY | Short story writer to attempt different style (6) |
| POE (short story writer) + TRY (to attempt) | ||
| 11 | SAFE AND SOUND | Andes crumbling in SA discovered to be secure (4,3,5) |
| Anagram (crumbling) of ANDES in (in) SA (SA) + FOUND (discovered) | ||
| 14 | BILLPOSTER | Invoice blogger for sticker? (10) |
| BILL (invoice) + POSTER (blogger) | ||
| 16 | QUADRANT | Fashionista hosting a doctor’s part of circle (8) |
| A (a) + DR (doctor) together in (hosting) QUANT (fashionista)
Quant is British fashion designer Mary Quant who rose to fame in the 1960s and is now Dame Barbara Mary Quant. |
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| 17 | ESPALIER | Rose climbs here, displaying pearlies (8) |
| Anagram (displaying) of PEARLIES | ||
| 19 | ADVERB | It qualifies action subtly, for example (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 20 | ASSESS | Judge Jenny? (6) |
| Double definition, the second referring to ‘jenny’ in the sense of a female ass. | ||
| 23 | GALA | Knight had forgotten banquet (4) |
| GALA[had] (knight, had forgotten) | ||
Thanks Pete, and Redshank .
Needed parsing for ARCHITECTURE and BLANK CHEQUES.
Didn’t know the architect. Didn’t get MARTYR either confidently assuming last two letters are ER and was stuck
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Enjoyed this despite failing at LAMB CHOP and BLUE MURDER, two clues beyond my reach. Liked SALAMI, SAFE AND SOUND, ASSESS, and GALA. Thanks to Redshank and to Pete for the informative blog.
Thanks, Pete and Redshank.
Needed help with BLUE MURDER, LAMB CHOP and GALA, last one in. Favorite was ARCHITECTURE – Renzo Piano designed the modern wing of the Art Institute here in Chicago. Very clever clue when I figured it out!
jeff, Thank you for commenting. I have visited the Art Institute and was highly impressed. That was in days before the modern wing was added. I guess it is time for me to revisit Chicago, see the new wing and have some more good Indian food up on Devon.
I’m less convinced with Aeneas as a Greek hero. A Trojan hero yes, a hero to the Romans yes, but Greek hero just looks like a mistake to me.
Thanks Redshank and Pete
Did this one a while ago but forgot to check it off until now. My notes say that it was done in three shortish sessions followed by a longer finishing off one.
Enjoyed BLUE MURDER – whenever I see RED RUM it always brings back memories of his first Grand National win where he beat a champion jumper from Australia called Crisp – and just saw a replay of it again this week ! Bumped into the Italian architect PIANO in another crossword recently, so had no problems when the anagram fodder got sorted.
Liked ASSESS the best closely followed by my last one in MARTYR (for its excellent word play)
By the way Pete, there is a small error with your 25a – you have one too many A’s – should be just I”M followed by ALAS and then all reversed.