Financial Times 18,460 by MUDD

MUDD kicks off the week…

A nice gentle start to a Monday. A couple of quirky clues, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Thanks MUDD!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS

1. Put down date and location for game (6,5)

SQUASH COURT

SQUASH (put down) + COURT (date)

7. Lower allowance (3)

CUT

Double definition

9. Revolting type with wind stifling belch, originally (5)

REBEL

REEL (wind) stifling B[elch] (originally)

10. Spy one with Mudd? That’s not quite wrong! (9)

PSEUDONYM

(SPY ONE with MUD[d] (that’s not quite))* (*wrong) & cryptic definition (MUDD being a pseudonym)

11. Sort letter (9)

CHARACTER

Double definition

12. Lecturer’s space full (5)

WHOLE

“hole” = WHOLE (space, “lecturer’s”)

13. Tool let us in after some wiggling (7)

UTENSIL

(LET US IN)* (*after some wiggling)

15. Having consumed last of sangria, the drunk can’t stand (4)

HATE

(THE)* (*drunk) having consumed [sangri]A (last of)

18. Dodge rogue, back away! (4)

SCAM

SCAM[p] (rogue, back away)

20. Appropriate language ending in applause (7)

GERMANE

GERMAN (language) + [applaus]E (ending in)

23. A pedal for brewing (5)

AFOOT

A + FOOT (pedal)

24. A viola playing after mass, unsuccessfully (2,2,5)

TO NO AVAIL

( A VIOLA)* (*playing) after TON (mass)

26. Gamble in rush to pen cryptic clue (9)

SPECULATE

SPATE (rush) to pen (CLUE)* (*cryptic)

27. Still sweltering in centre of Napoli (5)

PHOTO

HOT (sweltering) in [na]PO[li] (centre of)

28. Some draw: I need — a better result? (3)

WIN

[dra]W I N[eed] (some)

29. Test of verbal skills that would have wizard buzzing? (8,3)

SPELLING BEE

Double (cryptic) definition

DOWN

1. Evergreen, happy — and tidy (6,2)

SPRUCE UP

SPRUCE (evergreen) + UP (happy)

2. Just rubbish bin used, article thrown in (8)

UNBIASED

(BIN USED)* (*rubbish), A (article) thrown in

3. Dance while repeatedly spinning around leader in lambada (5)

SALSA

(AS)< (while, <spinning) repeatedly (so, SA SA) around L[ambada] (leader in)

4. Bread invested in US state — money! (7)

CAPITAL

PITA (bread) invested in CAL (US state)

5. Find a little bureau near Thanet (7)

UNEARTH

[burea]U NEAR TH[anet] (a little)

6. Write date anew, current (9)

TIDEWATER

(WRITE DATE)* (*anew)

7. Preserve that valley (6)

CANYON

CAN (preserve) + YON (that)

8. 11 in fit of pique (6)

TEMPER

Double definition

14. Tool set with saucer to smash up (9)

SECATEURS

(SET with SAUCER)* (*to smash up)

16. Lion, say, on a search for underground chamber (8)

CATACOMB

CAT (lion, say) on A + COMB (search for)

17. Good job, anything but rare! (4,4)

WELL DONE

Double (cryptic) definition

19. Hair parted by the explosive gas! (7)

METHANE

MANE (hair) parted by (THE)* (*explosive)

20. Mannerly dope with blunted sword (7)

GENTEEL

GEN (dope) with [s]TEEL (sword, blunted)

21. 4 had been identified by hostilities? (6)

WARSAW

SAW (had been identified) by WAR (hostilities)

22. Serious mix of lemons or melons (6)

SOLEMN

(LEMONS)* (*mix) or (MELONS)* (*mix)

25. Poplar appearing, Scots pine evidently not, initially (5)

ASPEN

A[ppearing] S[cots] P[ine] E[vidently] N[ot] (initally)

13 comments on “Financial Times 18,460 by MUDD”

Diane

#1 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 13:35

Very enjoyable from Mudd, raising a few grins over morning coffee.
PSEUDONYM, CATACOMB, SOLEMN, UNEARTH, AFOOT, PHOTO and HATE (last two for their surfaces) all had ticks.
Thanks to Teacow and Mudd.

Martyn

#2 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 15:37

What Diane@1 wrote, including a similar list of ticks.

KVa

#3 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 16:02

My picks: PSEUDONYM, TO NO AVAIL, SPELLING BEE, UNBIASED
and WELL DONE.

Thanks Teacow and Mudd.

Beelzebub

#4 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 16:21

In 16d, are “comb” and “search for” synonyms? As verbs, they seem to operate differently in terms of subjects and objects, as in
– I combed the lawn for the missing diamond,
and – I searched for the missing diamond in the lawn.
Obviously the meanings are closely related, but not the same. And as nouns, I’m not sure if “comb” can be used in this sense. “A search of/through the lawn”, yes, but “a comb through the lawn”???

Roz

#5 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 16:32

Thanks for the blog , neat and concise clues .
Beelzebub@4 , I had just comb=search . For – just a link word to the definition .
If anyone mentions cryptic grammar I will scream .

Pelham Barton

#6 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 16:32

Thanks Mudd and Teacow

16dn: I think we can take “for” as a link word in the structure “wordplay for answer”. Then we can use comb vb 12 to search or inspect with great care: the police combed the woods (Collins 2023 p 409).

Heather

#7 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 16:51

I know a bee buzzes and a wizard casts spells, but I’m missing the exact parsing that explains how ‘wizard buzzing’ equates to ‘spelling bee’.

DuncT

#8 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 16:59

Heather@7 – a bee that casts spells might be described as a wizard that buzzes. (That has to be the most unlikely sentence I’ve ever typed.)

Big Al

#9 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 17:10

We found this tricky in places, notably the NE corner till we got PSEUDONYM. Enjoyable, nevertheless. Interestingly, getting 23dn from wordplay and crossing letters led us back to get 4dn.
Thanks, Mudd and Teacow.

Heather

#10 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 17:18

DuncT@8 I, quite literally, laughed out loud at that. Many thanks for unlikely sentence and explanation!

Cellomaniac

#11 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 17:38

27a PHOTO was brilliant, especially with the European heatwaves dragging on.

I also liked 24a TO NO AVAIL, with no one listening to the poor violist’s postlude after the service. (Had it been a cello, of course people would have paid attention.)

Thanks Mudd and Teacow for the Monday merriment.

Lem

#12 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 18:59

A very enjoyable Monday solve. Many thanks to Mudd and Teacow.

Beelzebob

#13 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 19:22

Thanks to Roz@5 and Pelham B @6, interpreting “for” that way seems to make the clue work properly.

Diane

#1 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 13:35

Very enjoyable from Mudd, raising a few grins over morning coffee.
PSEUDONYM, CATACOMB, SOLEMN, UNEARTH, AFOOT, PHOTO and HATE (last two for their surfaces) all had ticks.
Thanks to Teacow and Mudd.
Martyn

#2 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 15:37

What Diane@1 wrote, including a similar list of ticks.
KVa

#3 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 16:02

My picks: PSEUDONYM, TO NO AVAIL, SPELLING BEE, UNBIASED
and WELL DONE.

Thanks Teacow and Mudd.
Beelzebub

#4 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 16:21

In 16d, are “comb” and “search for” synonyms? As verbs, they seem to operate differently in terms of subjects and objects, as in
– I combed the lawn for the missing diamond,
and – I searched for the missing diamond in the lawn.
Obviously the meanings are closely related, but not the same. And as nouns, I’m not sure if “comb” can be used in this sense. “A search of/through the lawn”, yes, but “a comb through the lawn”???
Roz

#5 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 16:32

Thanks for the blog , neat and concise clues .
Beelzebub@4 , I had just comb=search . For – just a link word to the definition .
If anyone mentions cryptic grammar I will scream .
Pelham Barton

#6 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 16:32

Thanks Mudd and Teacow

16dn: I think we can take “for” as a link word in the structure “wordplay for answer”. Then we can use comb vb 12 to search or inspect with great care: the police combed the woods (Collins 2023 p 409).
Heather

#7 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 16:51

I know a bee buzzes and a wizard casts spells, but I’m missing the exact parsing that explains how ‘wizard buzzing’ equates to ‘spelling bee’.
DuncT

#8 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 16:59

Heather@7 – a bee that casts spells might be described as a wizard that buzzes. (That has to be the most unlikely sentence I’ve ever typed.)
Big Al

#9 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 17:10

We found this tricky in places, notably the NE corner till we got PSEUDONYM. Enjoyable, nevertheless. Interestingly, getting 23dn from wordplay and crossing letters led us back to get 4dn.
Thanks, Mudd and Teacow.
Heather

#10 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 17:18

DuncT@8 I, quite literally, laughed out loud at that. Many thanks for unlikely sentence and explanation!
Cellomaniac

#11 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 17:38

27a PHOTO was brilliant, especially with the European heatwaves dragging on.

I also liked 24a TO NO AVAIL, with no one listening to the poor violist’s postlude after the service. (Had it been a cello, of course people would have paid attention.)

Thanks Mudd and Teacow for the Monday merriment.
Lem

#12 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 18:59

A very enjoyable Monday solve. Many thanks to Mudd and Teacow.
Beelzebob

#13 - Mon 24th Aug 26, 19:22

Thanks to Roz@5 and Pelham B @6, interpreting “for” that way seems to make the clue work properly.

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13 comments on “Financial Times 18,460 by MUDD”

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