*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.

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Smiffy is away on business and so has missed a pleasant puzzle from Sleuth today. A little tricky in places, with some convoluted wordplay in a few clues, but overall a fair challenge.

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Not a lot of time this morning. 15a, 4d and 19d point to lots of ‘films’. Not sure how the cryptic works with any of them. Read the rest of this entry »

I found this easy, solving time 14 mins

* = anagram

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Monday Prize Crossword on 21 September 2009
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(fodder) = anagram
Yet another easy start to the FT week with Dante and his usual brand of smooth surfaces and slick cryptic definitions. The only possible hitch may be to understand the word-play behind 2Down. Fortunately I used to read all the spy thrillers of John le Carré; so was able to zero in on the counting game.
ACROSS
1 SUBPOENA *(bean soup)
5 SPATES SPA (spring) + TES (rev of set)
9 HIGH CAMP Cha of High (going off) Camp (temporary accommodation)
10 PARTED dd
12 STAIR Ins of I in STAR (lead, role perhaps)
13 SECTIONAL *(coastline)
14 SMIRKS S-M (Sergeant-Major) IRKS (annoys)
16 SOUNDER dd (to sound as by a plumb line; to pierce the depth of, fathom)
19 TONSURE cd
21 CREASE cd
23 BREADLINE Ins of RE (about) in BAD LINE (poor trade)
25 ETHER *(three)
26 OLIVER Ins of LI (51) in OVER (surplus) Oliver Twist was, of course, the hungry boy who asked for more soup
27 ENQUIRED Ins of QUIRE (papers) in END (conclusion)
28 NO-SIDE No (abbreviation for number) Side (team) the end of a rugby match.
29 SPOTLESS Cha of Spot (notice) Less (fewer)
DOWN
1 SCHISM Ins of IS in S (second) CH M (church mass)
2  BEGGAR-MAN “Tinker Tailor” is a counting game, nursery rhyme and fortune telling song traditionally played in England, that can be used to count cherry stones, buttons, daisy petals and other items. The most common modern version is: Tinker, Tailor,Soldier, Sailor,Rich Man, Poor Man,Beggar Man, Thief. By the time you count to the seventh stone, you would have reached the pauper
3 OCCUR Ins of CC (two hundred) in OUR (3/4 of HOUR)
4 NEMESIS *(seems in)
6 PLATITUDE P (first letter of political) Latitude (freedom)
7 TITAN IT (rev of IT) TAN (beat)
8 SADDLERS cd
11 ACTS Nice dd
15 ROUNDHEAD Cha of round (applause) Head (chief) a supporter of Parliament during the English Civil War
17 DISCHARGE dd
18 STUBBORN *(Bob’s turn)
20 EMIT Rev of TIME
21 CLEAN UP dd
22 TRADES dd
24 EXITS cd
25 ERUPT ERUP (Rev of pure, innocent) + T (first letter of the)

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 20
Oh, I do like 13A. And 1A and 5D. Thank you, Cincinnus. Had some trouble with 2D and 14D.

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