Financial Times 14,015 – Dante
Posted by Sil van den Hoek on June 7th, 2012
Monday Prize Crossword/May 28
A typical Dante crossword, at the start of what turned out to be a great FT week (with, for me, Mudd’s ‘marathon’ puzzle a particular highlight).
Definitions are underlined wherever appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | NEPHEW | Relative gets a quarter – that’s a relief! |
| NE (a quarter, the North East) + PHEW (that’s a relief!) | ||
| 4 | SHORT-CUT | Bob indicates a more direct route |
| Double definition | ||
| The first of these definitions referring to a hairstyle. | ||
| 9 | RESIST | Check one’s surrounded by others |
| {I (one) S} inside REST (others) | ||
| 10 | TRIMARAN | Neat island type of boat |
| TRIM (neat) + ARAN (island) | ||
| The beautiful Aran Islands lie off the Irish coast near Galway – not sure whether Aran itself is an island, though. | ||
| 12 | ACHIEVED | Bad advice he obtained |
| (ADVICE HE)* | ||
| 13 | IMPOSE | I’m taking a certain attitude for tax |
| I M + POSE (a certain attitude) | ||
| 15 | ERSE | Possibly the language of Alexander Selkirk? |
| Hidden solution: [Alexand] ER SE [lkirk] | ||
| 16 | EVANGELIST | Preacher gives Lent a transformation |
| (GIVES LENT A)* | ||
| 19 | EVERYTHING | Extremely slender, for example, that’s about all |
| VERY THIN (extremely slender) with EG (for example) around it | ||
| 20 | VIEW | See you get five to one each way |
| V (five) + I (one) + EW (each way) | ||
| I do not see (yet) how EW works. Is it E[ach] W[ay]? |
||
| 23 | RECOIL | Getting the wind up – retreat! |
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | BOAT-RACE | Snake and dog in crafty contest |
| BOA (snake) + TRACE (dog, as a verb) | ||
| 27 | TEAR DUCT | A crying need for free trade cut |
| (TRADE CUT)*, the definition being cryptic | ||
| 28 | LARIAT | A trial could result in the noose |
| (A TRIAL)*, a ‘lariat’ is a noosed rope (so, not sure what should be underlined - as I’ve done it now, there is some double duty going on) | ||
| 29 | MINORITY | Its members are outnumbered |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 30 | ADONIS | A Spaniard is taken for a Greek |
| A + DON (Spaniard) + IS | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | NARRATE | Hastened up with speed to tell the tale |
| NAR (reversal of RAN (hastened)) + RATE (speed) | ||
| 2 | POST-HASTE | Posse that is organised with all speed |
| (POSSE THAT)* | ||
| 3 | EASTER | Incomplete oriental holiday |
| EASTERN (oriental) minus the final N | ||
| 5 | HORN | Cape familiar to the matador? |
| Double definition, the second one a bit cryptic | ||
| 6 | REMEMBER | Recall soldiers and arm |
| RE (soldiers) + MEMBER (arm) | ||
| 7 | CURIO | Collector’s piece that will be odd to us |
| This would be ‘odd’ (ie CURIOUS) when added to US | ||
| 8 | TANGENT | An outside line to ring |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 11 | HEAVE-HO | Moving sailor’s call for dismissal? |
| Double definition | ||
| 14 | ON AND ON | Performing with an academic chap continuously |
| ON (performing) + AN + DON (academic chap) | ||
| 17 | IMITATION | Simulated take-off |
| Doublish definition | ||
| 18 | CYLINDER | Solid block of cars |
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | ERRATUM | Singular mistake in Latin translation |
| Definition | ||
| 21 | WREATHS | Tributes to the dead from the wars |
| (THE WARS)* | ||
| 22 | STRAND | Leave without resources – need way to get currency |
| ST (way, ie street) + RAND (currency, from South Africa) | ||
| 24 | CHAIN | Length of pitch for batting after tea |
| IN (batting) after CHA (tea) | ||
| 26 | SCUT | Rabbit’s tail docked to a point |
| S (a point ) + CUT (docked) | ||
June 8th, 2012 at 8:18 am
Sil
EW is very common as the abbreviation for each way in the racing world. A bet of 5 pounds each way is 5 pounds for a win (w) and 5 pounds for a place (p). A clever clue, I thought.
I am not so sure about 19D, ERRATUM. I can only see a straight forward definition. Not the cryptic bit.
John
June 8th, 2012 at 10:33 am
Well, John, that’s it then – I’m not a better.
I couldn’t find the abbreviation EW for ‘each way’ in the dictionary.
I agree about ERRATUM. A strange clue. Maybe I should have underlined the whole clue as the definition. Wonder what was going on in Dante’s head here.
June 8th, 2012 at 10:51 am
On second thoughts, when looking at the surface in 19d, one can read it as if someone makes a mistake in the Latin translation of some text. So, probably, this clue is meant to be a cryptic definition. And if so, well, let’s say I’ve seen better ones.