A comparatively straightforward puzzle in this morning's FT
Sleuth's latest offering is a solid puzzle which required very little general knowledge (apart, possibly, for HONOUR =ACE), and there were no particularly tricky diversions or difficult to parse clues, so this was a pretty easy puzzle to blog.
If I had to pick a criticism, I could point out that having CANE in the clue and COME in the solution for COME A CROPPER is a little clumsy, as is having IGHT at the end of the fodder and the solution of AT FIRST SIGHT, and in the clue for DEJA VU, "pairs" without telling us which pairs, is a little lazy, but I'd be nit-picking.
The surfaces were, in the main, sensible, and not overly convoluted.
Thanks, Sleuth.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SCOTCH | Put an end to distilled drink (6) |
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Double definition |
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| 5 | WINDPIPE | Passage in port, say, entered by Dee and Philip (8) |
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WINE ("port, say") entered by D (dee) and PIP (short form of "Philip") |
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| 9 | RETAINER | Fantastic trainee beginning to recoup fee (8) |
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*(trainee) [anag:fantastic] + [beginning to] R(ecoup) |
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| 10 | PRAISE | Artist is engaged in exercise to get approval (6) |
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RA (member of the Royal Academy, so "artist") + IS engaged in PE (physical "exercise") |
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| 11 | APPEAR | Look in a place for summer entertainment, it’s said (6) |
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Homophone of [it's said] A PIER ("a place for summer entertainment") |
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| 12 | ILLINOIS | Trouble one found with much of report in US state (8) |
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ILL ("trouble") + I (one) found with [much of] NOIS(e) ("report") |
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| 14 | AT FIRST SIGHT | Artist’s fight is misjudged when initially viewed? (2,5,5) |
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*(artists fight) [anag:is misjudged] |
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| 18 | COME A CROPPER | Unusually poor rep came round clubs to suffer a fall (4,1,7) |
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*(poor rep came) [anag:unusually] round C (clubs) |
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| 22 | STOPPAGE | Special front of a document, maybe, showing obstacle ? (8) |
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S (special) + TOP PAGE ("front of a document, maybe") |
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| 25 | ROTTEN | Terrible tenor off-key around end of concert (6) |
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*(tenor) [anag:off-key] around [end of] (concer)T |
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| 26 | INCITE | Provoke citizen in middle of diner (6) |
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CIT (citizen) in [middle of] (d)INE(r) |
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| 27 | DOWNBEAT | Gloomy director gets to admit defeat (8) |
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D (director) gets OWN (To admit") + BEAT ("defeat") |
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| 28 | PERMEATE | Go through Russian city with European friend short of money (8) |
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PERM ("Russian city") with E (European) + (m)ATE ("friend", short of M (money)) |
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| 29 | RUEFUL | Melancholy skipper with no more appetite, we’re told (6) |
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Homophone [we're told] of (ROO (short for "kangaroo", so "skipper") + FULL ("with no more appetite")) |
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| DOWN | ||
| 2 | CREEPY | Sinister look is arising in case of cowboy (6) |
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<=PEER ("look") [is arising] in [case of] C(owbo)Y |
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| 3 | TRADE NAME | Team Dane assembled adopts right commercial tag? (5,4) |
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*(team dane) [anag:assembled] adopts R (right) |
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| 4 | HONORIFIC | Ace in Indianopolis if in charge gets respectful title (9) |
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HONOR (American, hence in Indianapolis, spelling of HONOUR (an "ace" in bridge)) + IF + IC (in charge) |
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| 5 | WARRIOR | Belligerent type from west arrived with French king after revolution (7) |
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W (west) + ARR (arrived) with <=ROI ("French king", after revolution) |
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| 6 | NEPAL | Relative emitting relieved expression with friend in the country (5) |
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NE(phew) ("relative") emitting PHEW ("relieved expression")) with PAL ("friend") |
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| 7 | PLAIN | Student tucks into French bread of an ordinary type (5) |
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L (learner, so "student") tucks into PAIN ("French" for "bread") |
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| 8 | PASTICHE | Chap’s tie is crooked jumble (8) |
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*(chaps tie) [anag:is crooked] |
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| 13 | IFS | Doubts in fast regularly displayed (3) |
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I(n)F(a)S(t) [regularly displayed] |
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| 15 | TOP DRAWER | First-class cartoonist with a global reputation? (3,6) |
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TOP ("first-class") + DRAWER ("cartoonist") |
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| 16 | IRRITABLE | Irish woman starts to become loud and extremely easily annoyed (9) |
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Ir. (Irish) + RITA ("woman") + [starts to] B(ecome) L(oud) and E(xtremely) |
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| 17 | CONTINUE | Persist taking right-wing money upsetting Eurosceptics’ enemy? (8) |
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CON (Conservative, so "right-wing") + TIN ("money") + [upsetting] <=EU (European Union, so "Eurosceptics' enemy") |
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| 19 | AMP | Measure of current in uncovered light source (3) |
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[uncovered] (l)AMP ("light source") |
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| 20 | OVERDUE | Complete challenge between two people largely late in the day? (7) |
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OVER ("complete") + DUE(l) ("challenge between two people", largely) |
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| 21 | DEJA VU | Pairs of deeply jaded vulgarians offering tired stuff (4,2) |
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[pairs of] DE(eeply) JA(ded) VU(lgarians) |
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| 23 | PRISM | Solid priest is overseeing mass (5) |
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Pr. (priest) + IS overseeing M (mass) |
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| 24 | ARENA | Stadium put up in Brisbane rapidly (5) |
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Hidden backwards [put up in] "brisbANE RApidly" |
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I started at the beginning and worked my way solidly through, which appeals to my tidy mind. So I think loonapick’s criticism is a little harsh. On the other hand, I had no real favourite clues — all very solid and doable. So thanks to Sleuth for the pre-breakfast entertainment, and to loonapick for a nice-n-early blog.
An enjoyable romp from Sleuth today with nothing too taxing or esoteric. I would agree with Loonapick on 14ac not being very well hidden but I don’t mind the odd gimme. Nor did I know the ‘honor’ term from bridge but it was parsable as was the rest of the grid. I rather liked 21d but thought the ‘stuff’ part of ‘tired stuff’ a little loose.
Thanks to setter and blogger.
Thanks to Sleuth and loonapick. Easy but enjoyable. I did not spot the omitted phew in NEPAL but did know the ace-honor-honour connection though as a US solver I was puzzled by Indianapolis (my first reaction was a link to car races).
Thanks Sleuth and loonapick
Yep … nothing too distressing here, although had not heard of the Russian city of PERM before. With TRADE NAME the first in, was able to complete the NW corner and basically follow the clock around until I reached PERMEATE (with that unknown city), PRISM and INCITE not too long afterwards.
Also had to check up that PIER was a ‘place for summer entertainment’ and that HONOUR was another term for an ace.
Relatively quick but pleasant enough.
Thanks, Sleuth and Loonapick. Thanks for parsing RUEFUL and PERMEATE which was LOI. Nitpick; “Indianapolis” was misspelled in the clue. I knew “honor” card but didn’t know Perm in 28a. Faves were the short ones, AMP and IFS – and nice to see my state in the clever 12a!
Thanks Sleuth for a pleasant crossword solved over breakfast. Enjoyed NEPAL and IRRITABLE especially. Thanks Loonapick for parsing, particulary PERMEATE and RUEFUL.
Needed to check on the existence of the Russian city but otherwise a very soft-pedal puzzle from our setter.Favourite was the melancholy skipper with a nod to Dee and Philip.Thanks to Sleuth and to Loonapick for the review.