UPDATE: A puzzle by Bobcat has now been published to replace the earlier duplication of Goliath’s recent puzzle. A confirmed error, and I will publish the blog as soon as I can.
There seems to be an error this morning. The crossword published this morning numbered 18,481 is a duplicate of Goliath’s puzzle previously published on 26 August numbered 18,462. Should you be after the solution to this, you can find that here. In the meantime I have contacted the crossword editor, so if a new puzzle does materialise at any point today, I will replace this post with the solution to that.
ACROSS
1. Cool bat has admirers (3,4)
5. Water bird and water city (7)
9. Type of flower or 4 (5)
10. Refreshes vehicle for military attack (3,6)
11. Starts Google at last with identical password (4,6)
12. Occasionally unsteady? That’s not new (4)
14. Epic march in which one’s gone astray (8,4)
18. Ground ready to welcome landlord, finally invited for special occasion (3,6,3)
21. High and mighty people rejected shady character (4)
22. Putty shaped in its place (10)
25. A long way from Blighty earthenware (5-4)
26. Back in a fortnight for the overture (5)
27. Fast kind of music, with nonchalance (7)
28. A boy, ten playing with weapon (7)
DOWN
1/4. Ready to fart with much energy? (4,2,5)
2. Family member’s bon voyage at last, with a sigh of relief (6)
3. Secures mantles for portraits? No! (10)
5. More palatable rugby formation? Mister, that is welcomed (9)
6. Scotland’s rising voice (4)
7. Careless error with footwear (8)
8. Story one acted out (8)
13. Antagonism for one appearing in this theatrical production (10)
15. Not well kept by vessel with guns (9)
16. Contender’s sea trawler dismissed as out of order (8)
17. Making sense of some arithmetic (6,2)
19. Part of the Bible left wrapped up in thirty seconds? Not by him! (6)
20. Story of Romeo: literary cliché coming up (6)
23. Kind of bush? That’s about right (5)
24. Male 50pc of students (4)
I couldn’t believe how speedily I was completing this. But the feeling of deja vu was becoming ever stronger. “I’m sure I remember this clue from somewhere …”
Is the clue for LUPIN cryptic?
Packed this in after the first 3 or 4 when I realised the error. Waste of paper and toner. Not the first time the FT has done this.
These things happen , not very often . Will brave the IT office later and try to get a print of the Bobcat , take Paddington with me .
What Hovis said
Funny, I breezed through this and thought many of the clues seemed very familiar but I never fully realised that I actually solved this a few weeks ago. I must be doing too many crosswords with wine at dinner causing memories to be poorly planted in my brain 😆
Geoff Down Under: LUPIN is a double definition, flower or bean.
Oh dear. I struggled through this during a few meetings and other commitments, then an evening at the theatre. Didn’t think for one moment that I’d done it before. But I do the FT crossie every day, have done for years.
Don’t get old, people…..
[ Martin: The only alternative to getting old is dying young. I prefer the former! ]