A new setter?
I’ve never come across Arrietty before. If this is a debut puzzle, it’s a corker, full of clever clues. I started very slowly, but started to make headway after I’d solved the longer clues, giving me enough crossers to make educated guesses at some solutions and working backwards to get the parsing. I had FBI in at 11 across, as that seemed to be the logical answer from the wordplay, so it took a while to get my LOI (PHOBIA). I also learned a new word – BRECCIA.
Welcome to the FT club, Arrietty.
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | OTHERWISE |
Harry: “I see worth differently” (9)
|
| *(I see worth) [anag:harry] | ||
| 10 | ARENA |
Odd bits of airbed near field (5)
|
| [odd bits of] A(i)R(b)E(d) N(e)A(r) | ||
| 11 | FIB |
Kid’s book put back in bureau (3)
|
| FBI, the Federal “Bureau” of Investigation, with B (book) put back becomes FI(B) | ||
| 12 | SCREEN TESTS |
Diesel’s performance might be judged during such trials? (6,5)
|
| The Diesel in the clue is Vin Diesel, an actor in action movies, most notably the Fast & Furious series. | ||
| 13 | TEACAKE |
Critical view expressed by Spooner that’s often toasted? (7)
|
| had Spooner tried to say KEY TAKE (“critical view”) it may have come out as TEA CAKE | ||
| 14 | NAMIBIA |
Amphibian missing skin of pouch set free in the country (7)
|
| *(amibian) [anag:set free] where AMIBIAN is AM(ph)IBIAN missing [skin of] P(ouc)H | ||
| 16 | INDUSTRIOUSNESS |
Time to split two rivers — American head making application (15)
|
| T (time) to split INDUS + RIO (“two rivers”) + US (American) + NESS (“head”) | ||
| 20 | TAVERNA |
Article on tax showing turnover for restaurant (7)
|
| <=(AN (“article”) + RE (“on”) + VAT (value added “tax”), showing turnover) | ||
| 21 | BRECCIA |
Acerbic alternative rock (7)
|
| *(acerbic) [anag:alternative]
Breccia is a rock with sharp angular bits composed of pieces of rocks and minerals fused together. |
||
| 23 | BEAUTY SLEEP |
Stewed eel at pub? Yes, it’s good for the complexion! (6,5)
|
| *(eel at pub yes) [anag:stewed] | ||
| 25 | UKE |
No pressure to throw up musical instrument (3)
|
| (p)UKE (“throw up”) with no P (pressure) | ||
| 26 | OCCUR |
Happen to send a copy to our hosts (5)
|
| OUR hosts CC (originally carbon copy, but nowadays “to send a copy to”) | ||
| 27 | DISMANTLE |
Take down tips for Newmarket in gloomy base (9)
|
| [tips for] N(ewmarke)T in DISMAL (“gloomy”) + E (the “base” of the natural system of logarithms in mathematic) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CONFETTI |
Paper trail left after partnership formalised? (8)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 2 | PHOBIA |
Greek character drinking Sprite heading for architectural complex (6)
|
| PI (“Greek character”) drinking HOB (“sprite”) + [heading for] A(rchitectural) | ||
| 3 | TRESPASSER |
Nancy’s really dated Republican? He’s unwelcome (10)
|
| TRES (French for very, and Nancy is a French city, so “Nancy’s really”) + PASSÉ (“dated”) + R (Republican) | ||
| 4 | FIERCE |
Lance quietly falling for female savage (6)
|
| (p)IERCE (“lance”) with P (piano, so “quietly”) falling for F (female), becomes (F)IERCE | ||
| 5 | HEREUNTO |
Southerner endlessly jumping to this matter in formal document (8)
|
| *(outherne) [anag:jumping] where OUTHERNE is (s)OUTHERNE(r) [endlessly] | ||
| 6 | GAIT |
Caught opening carriage (4)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay of GATE (“opening”) | ||
| 7 | REUSABLE |
Regret promoting English fur as ecofriendly (8)
|
| RUE (“regret”) promoting E becomes R(E)U + SABLE (“fur”) | ||
| 8 | CASSIA |
Aromatic spice in classy shiraz — wanting seconds! (6)
|
| C(l)A(s)S(y) S(h)I(r)A(z) wanting (i.e. lacking) seconds | ||
| 15 | MASTER PLAN |
Strategy mother has to house son held up by unfinished flat (6,4)
|
| MATER (“mother”) has to house S (son) held up by [unfinished] PLAN(e) (“flat”) | ||
| 17 | DEVIANCY |
Grotesque vice and depravity ultimately? (8)
|
| *(vice and y) [anag:grotesque] where Y is (depravit)Y [ultimately] | ||
| 18 | ROADSIDE |
Verbal attack — not the first, by the way (8)
|
| (b)ROADSIDE (“verbal attack”, not the first (letter)) | ||
| 19 | STAGE SET |
Feature in mounting Pirates, e.g. at Savoy? (5,3)
|
| Hidden backwards in [in mounting] “piraTES EG AT Savoy” and &lit. | ||
| 20 | TO BOOT |
Canine perhaps mostly picking up smell as well (2,4)
|
| TOOT(h) (“canine perhaps”, mostly) picking up BO (body odour, so “smell”) | ||
| 21 | BREAST |
Baster ruined part of turkey (6)
|
| *(baster) [anag:ruined] | ||
| 22 | CRUETS |
Vessels and sailors, it’s heard (6)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [it’s heard] of CREW (“sailors”) and IT’S | ||
| 24 | TERN |
Some keen retirees rearing bird (4)
|
| Hidden backwards in [some…rearing] “keeN RETirees” |
A new setter to brighten our day. And a thumbs up from me. My favourites were ROADSIDE & CONFETTI. BRECCIA was new to me.
Thanks for the blog , very enjoyable set of clues with many neat touches and a lot of variety . The capital of Diesel and Nancy cleverly disguised at the front . Even the cryptic definition was interesting . I could mention more but the wordplay is so good everywhere .
BRECCIA is used for fancy floor tiles .
FIB , has to be this as the B is put back ( slight underlining issue here ) .
Time to play guess the setter , I suspect Arrietty sets in other papers . Maybe a Borrowers connection .