The FT’s monthly geographically themed puzzle. Find it to solve online or download and print at ft.com/crossword
The usual preamble:
A cryptic puzzle themed on one particular place in the world. Its name should be inserted at 25. Work out the place by solving the * asterisked clues, all undefined. Their solutions have some relevance to the place, such as famous people, locations and culture
I found this puzzle both amusing and educational – I was able to deduce the correct solutions from the wordplay but had to resort to Wikipedia a good few times for verification (the river, the musician, some of the places…). General knowledge test aside, there’s much to enjoy here with some delightfully whimsical wordplay.
Thanks for the fun, Hamilton!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. Thematic clues are marked with an asterisk and have no further definition.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | AEROBE |
Hospital gown for one needing oxygen to survive (6)
|
| An “A&E ROBE” might be a gown you wear in hospital | ||
| 4 | ICE SHEET |
* Processed cheese is stored in it (3,5)
|
| Anagram (processed) of CHEESE inserted (stored) in IT
The mass of glacial ice that has covered Antarctica for the last 34 million years but is now shrinking rapidly |
||
| 10 | EMPEROR |
* Theatre returns in backward capital (7)
|
| REP (theatre) reversed (returns) in a reversed (backward) ROME (capital)
A variety of penguin, one of the few native inhabitants of Antarctica |
||
| 11 | AMASSER |
Smart-arse has no right to aggravate collector (7)
|
| Anagram (to aggravate) of SMA[rt]-ARSE less RT (right) | ||
| 12 | ONYX |
* Working with two unknowns (4)
|
| ON (working) + Y X (two unknowns)
A river in Antarctica, formed of glacial meltwater during the continent’s short summer |
||
| 13 | ALICE GILES |
* Licence, at last, to have silica gel dispersed (5,5)
|
| Anagram (dispersed) of the last letter of licencE + SILICA GEL
Australian harp player who in 2011 became the first professional musician ever to perform in Antarctica |
||
| 16 | EREBUS |
* Internet puzzle (6)
|
| An “E-REBUS” might be a puzzle you find on the internet
Mount Erebus is a volcano on Ross Island, Antarctica |
||
| 17 | ENDERBY |
* Two who vie for hat (7)
|
| E N (assuming this is East and North – two players who vie against each other in a game of bridge) + DERBY (type of hat)
Enderby Land is part of the Australian Antarctic Territory |
||
| 21 | STAKING |
Betting he said he’d remain in power! (7)
|
| Sounds like (said) “STAY KING” (remain in power) | ||
| 22 | VACUUM |
Feeling of emptiness? No matter (6)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 25 | ANTARCTICA |
[See Notes] (10)
|
| The place to which the solutions to all asterisked clues are connected | ||
| 27 | SWAN |
Gad about within convalescent home (4)
|
| You need to split “within” to get W (with) in SAN (convalescent home) | ||
| 29 | MCMURDO |
*Host to half-mumble “perform” (7)
|
| MC (host) + MUR[mur] (half-mumble) + DO (perform)
Vice-Admiral Archibald McMurdo (1812–1875) was a Scottish naval explorer after whom numerous features of Antarctica are named |
||
| 31 | TROJANS |
Hard-workers, the type to return around the start of the year (7)
|
| SORT (type) reversed (to return) around JAN (the start of the year) | ||
| 32 | RADIATED |
Warmer or not, Ed appeared at the end and shone (8)
|
| RADIAT[or] (warmer, ie a thing that warms) less OR + ED at the end | ||
| 33 | ASTERN |
Back like a bird (6)
|
| AS (like) + TERN (a bird) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | ANENOMES |
Flowers of the garden and of the sea (8)
|
| Two definitions – though sea anenomes are animals rather than flowers | ||
| 2 | REPAYMENT |
Agent always has time to collar workers for restitution (9)
|
| REP (agent) + AY (always, poetically) + T (time) containing (to collar) MEN (workers) | ||
| 3 | BYRD |
* Shed almost at the end of road (4)
|
| BYR[e] (shed, almost) + last letter (end) of roaD
Marie Byrd Land is an unclaimed region of Antarctica, named after the wife of explorer Richard Byrd, who also gave his name to Mount Byrd in Antarctica and the Byrd research station |
||
| 5 | CHANCING |
Taking a risk can somehow be overcome by the sound of money (8)
|
| Anagram (somehow) of CAN surrounded (overcome) by CHING (the sound of money) | ||
| 7 | EASEL |
Supporter of the arts has plenty left (5)
|
| EASE (plenty) + L (left) | ||
| 8 | THRUST |
The endless corrosion of power (6)
|
| TH[e] (the, endless) + RUST (corrosion) | ||
| 9 | KRILL |
* Keep right in local leadership primaries (5)
|
| First letters (primaries) of Keep Right In Local Leadership
Small shrimp-like crustaceans that exist in vast quantities in the waters around Antarctica |
||
| 14 | GEEGAW |
Raise allowance, for example, for cheap jewellery (6)
|
| Reversal (raise) of WAGE (allowance) EG (for example) | ||
| 15 | PUCKER |
Gather it’s genuine, or so it’s said (6)
|
| Sounds like (so it’s said) “PUKKA” (genuine) | ||
| 18 | BLUE WHALE |
* Down with Hardy! (4,5)
|
| BLUE (down) + W (with) + HALE (hardy)
The world’s largest animal, often seen in summer in the waters around Antarctica feeding on KRILL |
||
| 19 | ONE-TO-ONE |
Meeting shortly before lunchtime? (3-2-3)
|
| ONE [minute] TO ONE [o’clock] is shortly before lunchtime – assuming you regard 1pm as lunchtime | ||
| 20 | AMUNDSEN |
* Nude man’s demented (8)
|
| Anagram (demented) of NUDE MAN’S
Roald Amundsen (1872-1928), Norwegian Antarctic explorer, first person to reach the South Pole, which he achieved in 1911 |
||
| 23 | PALMER |
* Pilgrim, confused male in image management (6)
|
| Straight definition plus wordplay – a PALMER is a Christian pilgrim of the Middle Ages who visited the Holy Land + an anagram (confused) of MALE in PR (image management)
Palmer Land is a region of Antarctica, named after American sealer and explorer Nathaniel Palmer |
||
| 24 | SCOTT |
* Schooling starts to get excessive (5)
|
| First two letters (starts) of SChooling + OTT (excessive)
Captain Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912), British naval explorer who reached the South Pole five weeks after AMUNDSEN and perished on the return journey |
||
| 26 | TIMID |
Hesitant, but getting up when told to adjust light setting? (5)
|
| Reversal (getting up) of “DIM IT”, an instruction to adjust the light setting | ||
| 28/6 | ROSS SEA |
* Misrepresentations not impertinent but awkward (4,3)
|
| Anagram (awkward) of MISREPRESENTATIONS less the letters of IMPERTINENT
A deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica |
||
| 30 | RIA |
Syrians capture drowned valley (3)
|
| “Captured” in syRIAns |
I had a similar experience to Widdersbel. Did not know the river or the harp player but guessable. RIA also unknown.
Thanks to both .