A seemingly light challenge from XELA with just a small number of clues preventing an easy ride.
FF: 8 DD:6
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | LONGSHORE DRIFT |
Process that removes fine bits from Lord of the Rings, possibly (9,5)
|
| [ LORD OF THE RINGS ]*; i had no clue about the clue | ||
| 10 | INSTA |
Social media app partially reinstalled (5)
|
| hidden in “..reINSTAlled” ; instagram | ||
| 11 | PEPPERONI |
Spicy snacks go with beer from Italy (9)
|
| PEP ( go ) PERONI ( beer from italy ) | ||
| 12 | SHELLAC |
That lady rebuffed demand for varnish (7)
|
| SHE ( that lady ) LLAC ( reverse of CALL, demand ) | ||
| 13 | RESTYLE |
Take 5 years — primarily lacking enthusiasm — to do a makeover (7)
|
| REST ( take 5 ) Y ( years ) LE ( “..Lacking Enthusiasm..”, starting letters of ) | ||
| 14 | NABOB |
Wealthy individual sobs endlessly after arrest (5)
|
| NAB ( arrest ) OB ( sOBs, without end characters ) | ||
| 16 | TATTOOIST |
Permanent marker? (9)
|
| cryptic def | ||
| 19 | STRETCHES |
Throws up after first couple of stiff warm-up exercises (9)
|
| ST ( STiff, first couple of ) RETCHES ( throws up ) | ||
| 20 | NOTED |
I hear you like music? (5)
|
| cryptic def | ||
| 22 | CANTHUS |
Part of the eye is able to shut freely (7)
|
| CAN ( able ) [ SHUT ]* | ||
| 25 | FACTION |
Dissension following legal proceeding (7)
|
| F ( following ) ACTION ( legal proceeding ) | ||
| 27 | UNDERWEAR |
Boxers maybe subject to deterioration (9)
|
| cryptic def; read as UNDER WEAR ( subject to deterioration ) | ||
| 28 | ELITE |
English low-calorie cream (5)
|
| E ( english ) LITE ( low-calorie ) | ||
| 29 | BESIDE THE POINT |
Where you might find the on/off switch is irrelevant (6,3,5)
|
| cryptic def | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | OYSTER BAR |
Seafood restaurant in new bay resort (6,3)
|
| [ BAY RESORT ]* | ||
| 3 | GRAIL |
Good mass transit option is something highly sought-after (5)
|
| G ( good ) RAIL ( mass transit option ) | ||
| 4 | HOPSCOTCH |
Aspire mostly to put the kibosh on kids’ game (9)
|
| HOPe ( aspire, mostly ) SCOTCH ( put the kibosh on ) | ||
| 5 | ROPER |
Right loop for every cowgirl, perhaps (5)
|
| R ( right ) O ( ~loop ) PER ( for every ) | ||
| 6 | DRESS DOWN |
Don’t don smart attire for lecture (5,4)
|
| double def | ||
| 7 | IRONY |
Club comedy ultimately displaying wry humour (5)
|
| IRON ( club ) Y ( comedY, last letter ) | ||
| 8 | TRIDENT |
Missile is very loud when losing its tip (7)
|
| sTRIDENT ( very loud, without its tip ) | ||
| 9 | LIES IN |
Doesn’t rise until at the end? That is wrong (4,2)
|
| L ( untiL, last letter ) IE ( that is ) SIN ( wrong ) | ||
| 15 | BUTCHERED |
Tough European revolutionary killed in a brutal manner (9)
|
| BUTCH ( tough ) E ( european ) RED ( revolutionary ) | ||
| 17 | TASK FORCE |
Time to request church group on a mission (4,5)
|
| T ( time ) ASK FOR ( request ) CE ( church ) | ||
| 18 | INTUITION |
Gut feeling this is how teachers make money? (9)
|
| cryptic def; read as IN TUITION ( how teachers make money ) | ||
| 19 | SUCCUMB |
By the sound of it, be really awful and, er, give in (7)
|
| sounds like SUCK ( really awful ) UM ( er ) | ||
| 21 | DINNER |
Duke joining private for meal (6)
|
| D ( duke ) INNER ( private ) | ||
| 23 | NODES |
Set up some centralised online connection points (5)
|
| hidden, reversed in “.. centraliSED ONline..” | ||
| 24 | SPELT |
It’s like W-H-E-A-T (5)
|
| cryptic def? i am surely missing something here | ||
| 26 | CREDO |
Republican bound by firm belief system (5)
|
| RED ( republican ) in CO ( firm ) |
1ac was a new term for me but it is the process of the tide moving sediment ( pebbles and sand )along the shore.
SPELT is a cereal and the clue shows wheat being spelled.
Rather an enjoyable puzzle.
Thanks XELA and Turbolegs.
Haven’t seen Xela in a while and this grid was a most welcome return.
I loved SPELT, and appreciated PEPPERONI, GRAIL, OYSTER BAR (neat anagram) and DINNER (nice surface).
Didn’t know 1a but with all of the crossers in place, it was fair enough to guess.
Thanks to Xela and Turbolegs.
LONGSHORE DRIFT was LOI and needed all the crossers: I think I first became aware of it on visiting Chesil Beach on a childhood holiday. What a remarkable anagram spot – I wonder which came first, the solution or the anagram (and suspect the latter). I have seen the SPELT idea before but it is a very neat one. PEPPERONI, OYSTER BAR, STRETCHES, TATTOOIST, UNDERWEAR and BUTCHERED all earned ticks.
Thanks both
LONGSHORE DRIFT & CANTHUS were my only speed bumps. All else ran smoothly and was good fun.
I was hoping for a Friday Xela as I opened the FT app and there it was. I thought this was great. The LOTR anagram’s a miraculous find. NOTED was an intriguing surface, then I got it from the crossers and was briefly baffled then loved it. “Permanent marker” seemed like it could have been a few things and I was toying between HEADSTONE and TOMBSTONE so I as pleased to find the actual answer was cheerier and wittier. Thanks X and T
Xela not available on the FT’s website this morning. Last puzzle to show is Neo on June 10.
Anyone else have this problem? Thanks.
I did. Where is the puzzle available?
@6&7: it was on the FT website – reached by the link on this site – when I did it this morning.
RoginDC, yes. This happened a few weeks ago and I contacted them. Did so again today. I resorted to using the app, which doesn’t run as smoothly as the Guardian one on my tablet, and won’t let me print out. The app is at https://app.ft.com/crossword/crossword_index
Our geography teacher, fifty years ago, introduced longshore drift by blethering on about pounds, shillings and pence. Followed by reminisces of acid use at university. A memorable lesson.
Thank you GDU @ 9. Will try the app, though my tablet is ancient!
@8–when you click on the link to the FT website on this site the last puzzle listed is yesterdays by Neo.
@9–thanks for the link (which does work) but like you said you cannot print the grid from this. You are outside the UK as am I (California)–could that be contributing to the problem?
Jay @12. No problem here in the uk. Try googling Financial Times 18,398 and the top result may get you there.
@13 Hovis–that worked–thank you. Interestingly, when you google Financial Times Crossword it doesn’t work. The last puzzle there is Neo’s.
I found this very difficult. I got there eventually with my LOI Underwear. I realised early on that LOTR was probably a remarkable anagram but it still took me some time to figure, even after getting the DRIFT bit.
All pretty straightforward although CANTHUS was new to us – easily got from the clue but needed checking in the dictionary. LOI was LONGSHORE DRIFT, got from crossing letters, which we knew about but couldn’t parse because we’d miscounted the number of letters in the anagram. We couldn’t parse RESTYLE either.
PEPPERONI, CANTHUS, INTUITION and SPELT were among our favourites.
Thanks, Xela and Turbolegs.
I found this tough while I was solving, but in retrospect I am not sure why.
There were plenty of great surfaces – my sort of crossword. In particular, I liked IRONY, ELITE, DINNER. BUTCHERED, STRETCHES, and SPELT. LONGSHORE DRIFT is such a great anagram. It was a pity the answer meant nothing to me.
I needed help to parse FACTION and ROPER, and learned a few new word meanings.
Thanks Xela and Turbolegs
Some different experiences today. I’m with Turbolegs in finding this a bit of a breeze, even if I don’t remember seeing CANTHUS or NABOB before. Just right for postprandial jaunt. What a spectacular anagram!
I liked SPELT, HOPSCOTCH, SUCCUMB and the very neat OYSTER BAR.
Thanks XELA, TL et al
Not sure I understand “Beside the point”. Must me a UK thing, but what is the “point” reference?
Brian @19 we also call wall sockets “power points”