Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 23, 2013
I found this puzzle easy with the exception of 5D (REMORTGAGE). It has many good clues from which I pick 10A (TOAST), 12A (OLYMPIA) and 7D (TAIPEI) as my favourites.
ACROSS
9 Chemical affecting behaviour, one behind champion in leader (9)
PHEROMONE – HERO (champion) in PM (leader) + ONE (one)
10 One’s proposed to a good man (5)
TOAST – TO (to) + A (a) + ST (good man, i.e. saint)
11 Teacher tossed over fish dish that’s fried (7)
RISSOLE – SIR (teacher) backwards + SOLE (fish)
12 Terrible myopia, claiming Louisiana’s capital – is that of Washington? (7)
OLYMPIA – L[ouisiana] in anagram of MYOPIA. Olympia is the capital of Washington state.
13 Hardwood equally hard (3)
ASH – AS (equally) + H (hard)
14 As money still owed, it’s wonderful (11)
OUTSTANDING – double definition
17 I should accompany a friend travelling west in sheikhdom (5)
DUBAI – BUD (friend) reversed + A (a) + I (i)
18 Greek character took in returns (3)
ETA – ATE (took) backwards
19 Heron, say, fighting to catch dace, gutted (5)
WADER – D[ac]E in WAR (fighting)
21 Blend of recipes with meat as chef d’oeuvre (11)
MASTERPIECE – anagram of RECIPES MEAT
23 Potatoes and cabbages etc stuffing endive, generally (3)
VEG – hidden word
25 Blade caused maiden to bleed (7)
CUTLASS – CUT LASS (caused maiden to bleed)
27 Constable, say, one punching deepbreather? (7)
PAINTER – I (one) in PANTER (deepbreather)
28 Competition finely balanced, heading for tie (5)
EVENT – EVEN (finely balanced) + T[ie]
29 Fiery old bird endlessly touring central Asia (9)
EXPLOSIVE – EX (old) + [a]SI[a] in PLOVE[r] (bird endlessly)
DOWN
1 Greek city where frescoes, say, seen in bath (6)
SPARTA – ART (frescoes, say) in SPA (bath)
2 Yours truly aims with HB to write about Indian madam (8)
MEMSAHIB – ME (yours truly) + anagram of AIMS HB
3 Moving as it happens around old lake, first of tourists (10)
LOCOMOTIVE – O (old) + COMO (lake) + T[ourists] all together in LIVE (as it happens)
4 Wine was promoted (4)
ROSE – double definition
5 New loan great, more adaptable, building finally secured (10)
REMORTGAGE – [buildin]G in anagram of GREAT MORE
6 Supporter, for example, describing Tottenham’s header (4)
STAY – T[ottenham] in SAY (for example)
7 List contains Asian capital that is coming up – this one? (6)
TAIPEI – A[sian] in TIP (list) + IE (that is) backwards
8 Outsider finds park official getting underway? (8)
STRANGER – ST (way) + RANGER (park official)
15 Claiming sixth sense, criminal arrests intruder (10)
TRESPASSER – ESP (sixth sense) in anagram of ARRESTS
16 Journalist trashing ten weirdos (4,6)
NEWS EDITOR – anagram of TEN WEIRDOS
17 Dionysius’ courtier left company set up among ladies (8)
DAMOCLES – L (left) + CO (company) together backwards in DAMES (ladies)
20 Kind of joint violated when out of order (8)
DOVETAIL – anagram of VIOLATED
22 The Sun’s for me! (6)
SETTER – double/cryptic definition
24 Stone figure newspaper erected (6)
GARNET – TEN (figure) + RAG (newspaper) all backwards
26 Voice in Scotland, uplifting (4)
ALTO – reverse hidden word
27 Poet John, Paul or Adrian, perhaps? (4)
POPE – triple definition
Hi Pete! I am back in the fray. I certainly didn’t find it easy but got it our with on-line help. Not particularly happy with 22D. Surely it should be “I like the sun”?
re 27D
The poet was Alexander Pope and John, Paul & Adrian were papal figures. So if you count them individually that makes four.
Agree that this one was quite straight-forward.
Thanks to Pete and to Mudd
Hi John, I think “I like the Sun” does not quite work because ‘like the Sun’ would clue something adjectival, surely? So it would have to be “I something like the Sun” which is not readable.
ernie, I had taken John Paul to be one pope. But, checking with Wikipedia, I see that there have been many Pope Johns and a couple of Pope Pauls. So, surely, it could be interpreted either as a triple definition or a quadruple definition — which must be a rare case.
27D
It was the comma after John which ruled out the John Paul combination for me.
Not that it really matters much as the answer is unquestionably ‘pope’.
Not so easy for me.
1d Only had ???r?a to go on and never thought of an ancient Greek city.
3d Very very hard in my book. Moving =locomotive doesn’t immediately spring to mind. Then out of all the lakes on planet earth you need to pick como.
9a If you get hero for the champion and PM for the leader straight off, well done . I couldn’t.
17d I really dislike this sort of clue. Know the answer, write it in. Prepared to google it? Write it in. Don’t know the answer? Not easy.
I have to agree that using ‘lake’ to clue COMO is very loose. Sure, Como is a well known lake but still only one of hundreds in the world that a typical person might know.
I got 9a the other way round, from the definition. Your comment leads me to realize that it would have been much more difficult to get it from the wordplay.
And I totally agree about 17d. Especially since, while I know the name Damocles, I had no idea that he was Dionysus’ courtier. I solved the clue quickly because the name jumped out from the checked letters I had in place.