Financial Times 12,872 by Cincinnus
Posted by Pete Maclean on September 25th, 2008
The Weekend Prize Puzzle from 13 September 2008
It must be obvious that I am fairly good at FT puzzles but I am not a particularly fast solver. It does happen once in a while but it is rare that I sit down and dash one off in 15 or 20 minutes. This puzzle was one of those however. It gives me some good satisfaction when I manage it….but then what do I do for the rest of the weekend??
Across
1. SHELDUCKS - HELD (captive) in SUCKS (uses straw)
6. COWED - WE (we) in COD (fish)
9. SWANSON - SWAN SON[g]
10. BYE-BYES - YE (you) in BB + YES (okay)
11. LOIRE - I (island) in LORE (learning)
12. INCOMPOSE - INCOM[e] (revenue curtailed) + POSE (in a way)
14. CON - double definition
15. SPECULATORS - anagram of COUPLES RATS
17. ALDERMASTON - ALDER (tree) + MAST (nuts) + ON (on)
19. COL - double definition
20. MANICHEAN - MANIC (crazy) + HE (he) + AN (an)
22. TONGA - hidden word
24. ELSANTA - EL (the Spanish) + SANTA (visitor at Christmas). Elsanta is a variety of strawberry.
26. NERVOUS - anagram of OVER in N (north) + US (American)
27. SKYPE - SKY (satellite TV) + P[rogramm]E
28. SMELL A RAT - anagram of ALARM LETS
Down
1. SISAL - IS (is) in SAL (girl)
2. ELATION - [r]ELATION
3. DISPENSER - DI (police officer) + SPENSER (poet). I like this kind of clue.
4. CONSIDERATE - anagram of DESECRATION
5. SUB - double definition
6. CREAM - E (energy) in CRAM (athlete). Refers to Steve Cram.
7. WAY TO GO - double/cryptic definition
8. DISPERSAL - anagram of LESS RAPID
13. COUNTENANCE - double definition
14. CHARMLESS - C[onservation] + HARMLESS (safe)
16. AU NATUREL - cryptic definition. A beauty!
18. DYNASTY - DY (missing a day) + NASTY (unpleasant). Missing a day, huh?
19. CONTOUR - C[artographers) + ON TOUR (going from place to place)
21. CANOE - anagram of OCEAN
23. ASSET - AS (since) + SET (fixed)
25. ADS - hidden word