Financial Times 12,812 by Falcon
Posted by Pete Maclean on July 17th, 2008
A sound puzzle by Falcon this week. I particularly like 8D.
I am going on holiday and so will not be blogging this puzzle for the next three weeks. Maybe someone else on the team will step in. I will be back with the puzzle of August 2nd.
Across
1. WASTE PAPER - STEP (walk) + APE (primate) in WAR (conflict)
7. SOWN - W (wicket) in SON (boy)
9. FREE - double definition
10. PALINDROME - PALIN (presenter) + D (departs) + ROME (European capital)
11. VANDAL - VANDA (museum, “Victoria AND Albert”) + L[ondon]
12. CUL-DE-SAC - anagram of ACCUSED + L (learner)
13. TEASPOON - anagram of ONE SO APT
15. ELSA - hidden word
17. ASHE - A (A) + SHE (female). What a nicely contorted clue!
19. RINGSIDE - RING (circle) + SIDE (area). When I first solved this, I thought it poor because the clue could be read as non-cryptic. Then I realized that that means one can read it as a semi &lit. Now I cannot decide if it’s a really good clue or not. Any comments?
22. SOURPUSS - anagram of POURS US + S (seconds)
23. ENDEAR - END (intent) + EAR (listener)
25. BRAINCHILD - BRAIN (hit) + CHILD (youngster)
26. NEON - anagram of N (name) + ONE
27. BEST - double definition
28. ENGAGEMENT - double definition
Down
2. ACREAGE - RE (about) in A CAGE (an enclosure)
3. TWEED - T[oil] + WEED (feeble person)
4. PAPILLON - PA (father) + PILL (tablet) + ON (on)
5. PELICAN CROSSING - PELICAN (bird) + CROSSING (interbreeding)
6. RANKLE - [strippe]R + ANKLE (joint)
7. SORCERESS - anagram of recrosses
8. WOMBATS - MOW (cut) backwards + BATS (bananas)
14. SPEARMINT - anagram of MAN PRIEST
16. UNDERDOG - anagram of GROUNDED
18. SCOURGE - SCOUR (search) + EG (say) backwards
20. DRAGOON - double definition
21. QUICHE - QUIC[k] (short short) + HE (male)
24. DENIM - MINE (belonging to me) + D (daughter) all backwards
July 17th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I recall I solved “ringside” on the first run through; I wouldn’t say it was one of the best clues, but to categorise it as semi &lit seems fair.
Enjoy your holiday!
August 3rd, 2008 at 12:20 am
I suppose that you can just about equate ‘row of seats’ with ‘ringside’ although that seems a bit tenuous. Yes it’s a semi-&lit. I think, but what worried me and still does is ’side’ = ‘area’. How can this be?