Financial Times 12,657 by Mudd
Posted by Pete Maclean on January 17th, 2008
I had some trouble finishing this one. One reason was that I was unfamiliar with the expression “to wet the baby’s head”. It stems, I understand, from baptism but has come to mean imbibing much alchohol in celebration of a birth! Then there were just several clues that I found difficult: 14A, 1D, 15D and 17D.
Across
9. ONE MAN WENT TO MOW - WOM[an] + OTT + NEW + NAME + NO all backwards. “Went to mow a meadow…”
10. SPROG - S (second) + PROG (TV show). I have one old friend who uses this word a lot (in spite of the fact that she is sprogless).
11. PARSIMONY - PAR (average) + SIMONY (Christian sin). I had to look up “simony”. It refers to the buying or selling of ecclesiastical pardons, offices, or emoluments.
12. PETRIFIED - double definition
14. ELIOT - TOILE[t] (john) backwards. This was tough — probably many people were trying to find an author John somebody to fit.
16. WET THE BABYS HEAD - is this a double definition? Not clear to me.
19. ROUGH - double definition
21. CHEMISTRY - cryptic definition
23. AFTERGLOW - anagram of [blazin]G ROW LEFT A
25. ROUTE - [dir]T in ROUE
26. CINEMATOGRAPHER - anagram of TEAM REPROACHING. This was easy.
Down
1. HORSEPOWER - H (hot) + anagram of OR WORSE with EP (record) inserted
2. HEARST - [S]ucceed in HEART (vital area). I read a newspaper owned by the Hearst corporation, the San Francisco Chronicle.
3. LANGUISH - L[iberal] + ANGUISH (torture)
4. SWAP - PAWS (hands) backwards
5. INCREDIBLE - INEDIBLE (hard to swallow) with C (about) and R (right) inserted
6. STRIPE - anagram of PRIEST. This clue reminds me of a time when I dined in a restaurant called Piret’s and went through all the anagrams of it!
7. IMPOLITE - IM (Mudd’s) + POLE (post) with IT inserted
8. SWAY - double definition
13. IMBECILITY - I (one) + anagram of YET I CLIMB
15. TEDDY BEARS - EDDY (boy) + B[lub] in TEARS (crying), I guess but I do not see the insertion indicator.
17. TRUSTING - T (crown of tooth) + RUSTING (in decay)
18. SLIP ROAD - SLID (skidded) around PRO (crack) + A (a)
20. HAREMS - M[ale] in HARES (flies)
22. TAUGHT - homophone
23. ARCH - is this properly termed a hidden word? I am not sure how else to categorize it but I think it’s a fine clue.
24. WAGE - WAG (shake) + E (note)
January 17th, 2008 at 10:52 am
15D I think that the insertion indicator is implicit, if one is crying one is “in tears”. It’s like that resting/sleeping = in “bed” thing that often gets used.
January 17th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I saw 23D simply as a double def’n. But, now you mention it, I agree that it works as a hidden (or perhaps “&hidden”) clue too.
At the risk of sounding smug, I thought that this was one of the easiest Saturday puzzles for quite a while. V. enjoyable nonetheless.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Testy, Ah that sounds right! I do not recall coming across such usage before though.
Smiffy, Perhaps I was trying to see more than was intended but, yes, it could work either way.