Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 18, 2020
My first-in was 12ac (OCHRE), my last 1ac (CATMINT) and I spent more time than usual over the rest. My favourite is 4dn (TUDOR ROSE) and I also like 10ac (DAMNATION), 15ac (ON AVERAGE) and 5dn (GIMME).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CATMINT | Plant bomb on dude (7) |
| MINT (bomb) on CAT (dude). ‘Mint’ and ‘bomb’ are synonyms in the sense of ‘a lot of money’. | ||
| 5 | GOSLING | Small bird shot with primitive weapon (7) |
| GO (shot) + SLING (primitive weapon) | ||
| 9 | OVOID | Ancient poet dressing old, curvy body (5) |
| O (old) in (dressing) OVID (ancient poet) | ||
| 10 | DAMNATION | Hell putting Mexico, perhaps, behind wall (9) |
| DAM (wall) + NATION (Mexico perhaps) | ||
| 11 | BRASSERIE | French food about right, while service vacuous in restaurant (9) |
| R (right) in (about) + AS (while) + S[ervic]E all in (about) BRIE (French food) | ||
| 12 | OCHRE | Brownish-yellow brooch, red clasps (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 13 | ROWER | Person in boat, one falling out with another? (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 15 | ON AVERAGE | A rave has gone out of control, typically (2,7) |
| Anagram (out of control) of A RAVE GONE | ||
| 18 | SERENGETI | Fringes on eiderdown in worsted fabric, trim regularly plain (9) |
| E[iderdow]N in (in) SERGE (worsted fabric) + T[r]I[m] | ||
| 19 | AESOP | Tossing away odd bits of paper, sloppy old writer (5) |
| [p]A[p]E[r] S[l]O[p]P[y] | ||
| 21 | UNTIE | Free bet’s non-starter, that is (5) |
| [p]UNT (bet’s non-starter) + IE (that is) | ||
| 23 | FACE PAINT | Rounding cape at sea, pale colour on one’s cheeks etc (4,5) |
| Anagram (at sea) of CAPE in (rounding) FAINT (pale) | ||
| 25 | FIRESTORM | Devastating blow has one stop working in class (9) |
| I (one) + REST (stop working) together in (in) FORM (class) | ||
| 26 | STAGE | Leg put on (5) |
| Double definition, the first referring to something like a leg of a journey. | ||
| 27 | TROOPER | Case dispensed with, grog drunk by inebriate in private (7) |
| [g]RO[g] in (drunk by) TOPER (inebriate) | ||
| 28 | SHAFTED | With a long straight handle, screwed (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CLOBBER | Gear – smack (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 2 | TROJAN WAR | Legendary conflict’s end in sight, first of twelve caught by arrow, unfortunately (6,3) |
| [sigh]T + JAN (first of twelve, i.e. January) in (caught by) anagram (unfortunately) of ARROW | ||
| 3 | INDUS | Asian river is nearly dark, until show starts (5) |
| I[s] N[early] D[ark] U[ntil] S[how] | ||
| 4 | TUDOR ROSE | Sign of Henry VIII barking out orders (5,4) |
| Anagram (barking) of OUT ORDERS | ||
| 5 | GIMME | Putting piece of cake into handbag, I’m meticulous! (5) |
| Hidden word. ‘Gimme’ can mean an ‘easy thing’ in North American usage and, in particular, a short, easy putt in golf — hence the “putting”. Originally I did not manage to parse this correctly and I thank ub for setting me straight (see comments). | ||
| 6 | SOAP OPERA | Thus, a time for contemporary music programme (4,5) |
| SO (thus) + A (a) + POP + ERA (time for contemporary music) | ||
| 7 | IRISH | Blooming thing hard, as are some setters? (5) |
| IRIS (blooming thing) + H (hard) | ||
| 8 | GENOESE | Fliers featuring no Italian (7) |
| NO (no) in (featuring) GEESE (fliers) | ||
| 14 | RUNNERS UP | Those second beans hard to reach? (7-2) |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | AS IT COMES | Unadulterated, funny show in the main sent up (2,2,5) |
| SITCOM (funny show) in (in) SEA (the main) backwards (sent up) | ||
| 17 | ASSAILANT | Alsatians mauled attacker (9) |
| Anagram (mauled) of ALSATIANS | ||
| 18 | STUFF IT | What to do with turkey? I give up! (5,2) |
| Double definition | ||
| 20 | POTHEAD | Smoker’s articles confiscated by school (7) |
| THE A (articles) in (confiscated by) POD (school, as of fish) | ||
| 22 | TURBO | Dry up above oxygen booster (5) |
| BRUT (dry) backwards (up) + O (oxygen) | ||
| 23 | FLOOR | Defeat, as weakness picked up? (5) |
| Homophone (picked up) of “flaw” (weakness) | ||
| 24 | PASTA | Bows and ribbons perhaps finished with taffeta, finally (5) |
| PAST (finished) + [taffet]A | ||
Pete, I had the same initial reaction to gimme as you did, but then I realised that putting meant on a green in golf, and a short easy putt is a gimme, so putting may be part of the definition. It looks like a clever misdirection and not a gimme of a clue! Thanks to you and Mudd for the usual fine non-prize jobs.
Completed this in fits and starts over the weekend and found much to relish, particularly the double definition clues like 1d, my FOI.
From here, I went clockwise finishing with PASTA, despite its neat surface, because I had initially inserted ‘étape’ for stage. Solving 23ac rescued me from that error.
I took a different route arriving at 1ac, combining TNT and Mica (a popinjay singer)! Pete, I defer to your more logical parsing.
Some really witty cluing throughout for favourites such as TUDOR ROSE, AS IT COMES, UNTIE and DAMNATION. Luckily, I never felt inclined to think as in 18d.
I had TROOPER for ‘private’ from the crossers but didn’t understand the ‘case dispensed with’ part. Perhaps someone will enlighten me here?
And was that an attempted ‘furlough’ nina in the lower half of the grid?
Thanks to Mudd – this was one to savour – and to Pete for clarification.
ub, Thank you very much for your comment. I was unfamiliar with the basic meaning of ‘gimme’ as a ‘piece of cake’ until I looked it up and even then did not learn of the particular use in golf. I have amended the explanation of the clue appropriately.
Diane, Thank you for commenting. I do not remember seeing “case dispensed with” used before in this manner but, in 27ac, it seemed likely that it would be an “undress” indicator. By which I mean an instruction to remove the first and last letters of something as if those letters were clothing. I believe we are seeing such indicators more and more these days and I even wrote a clue myself involving one a couple of weeks ago.
I am not seeing a ‘furloug’ (or any) nina in the puzzle but I have been known to miss such things.
Thanks, Pete, I’ll have to watch out for those future. The suspected nina didn’t quite come off, anyway, so nothing to see.
Thanks, Mudd for a most enjoyable crossword. I ticked TROJAN WAR. IRISH, AS IT COMES, TURBO, and PASTA as favorites. Thanks Pete for parsing, particularly CATMINT — “mint” as “bomb” is new to me. In 15a, the word “has” in the middle of “a rave gone” seems extraneous to me. It seems a comma would work.
Thanks Tony, You make a good point about 15a. I learned about “mint” and “bomb” only a short time ago. And I have expanded my explanation of 1ac to explain this.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Actually did this one ready for the blog on Thursday but then got busy and only finished checking through it tonight. Thought that it was a master class in double definitions – I think that there were six of them and they were all gems !
Didn’t think of MINT and ‘bomb’ as synonyms initially, but knew both of them as slang terms for a lot of money. Had to think my way through the both styles of PASTA at 24d.
Finished this very entertaining puzzle down the bottom with STAGE, FLOOR and TROOPER the last few in.