Comments on: Financial Times 13,299 / Jason

By: flex

flex — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:47:40 +0000

Thanks for the explanations. I didn’t get “shelf” as Aussie for informer, but liked that clue otherwise though, good surface reading. I only knew 5D was “readers” because I knew that was the term for senior lecturers. Also I didn’t get why “offer” was “from Queen”.

This is the first cryptic crossword I’ve (almost) finished – must have been particularly easy!

By: Fletch

Fletch — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:43:34 +0000

In 3d, C can also stand for caught by as well as caught.

By: Agentzero

Agentzero — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:58:29 +0000

Tom and James, thank you both. I have seen and admired the “red = in debt” device before, but did not recognize it here, possibly because once I thought of “first in debt = D”, my mind couldn’t let go of the idea. In other words, I was successfully misled!

By: JamesM

JamesM — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:06:33 +0000

Sorry, Tom_I: crossed wires!

JamesM

By: JamesM

JamesM — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:05:11 +0000

Thank you Az for the blog.

I read (sorry!)5D as “first” = A, inside “in debt” = RED and ERS as you say.

Do you think this might be right?

JamesM

By: Tom_I

Tom_I — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:02:30 +0000

Thanks for the blog, Agentzero.

Re 5d, “in debt” = “in the red”, and “first” indicates the first letter of the alphabet.

So it’s A in RED + [t]ERS[e].