Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 14
Cincinnus gives us some particularly splendid double definitions this week (20D, 24D) and a generally excellent puzzle as usual.
Across
1. DOCTOR – CT (court) in DOOR (entrance)
4. ABSEILER – anagram of ABLE RISE
10. OBSERVANT – OB (old boy) + SERVANT (retainer)
11 TITAN – double definition
12. NOUS – N[at]O + US (American)
13. ADAMS APPLE – PP (very quietly) in ADAM’s ALE (water). Hmm, I always thought that water was Adam’s wine.
15. NOISOME – OM (award) in NOISE (row)
16. SLEEPY – LEE (shelter) in SPY (see)
19. PRIMAL – RIM (border) in PAL (mate)
21. SPURRED – [pus]S + PURRED (expressed pleasure)
23. HALF NELSON – HALF (50% of) + L[amp]S in NEON (gas)
25. EMIR – reverse hidden word
27. LANCE – double definition
28. ARGONAUTS – anagram of SANG AT OUR
29. PORTRAYS – PORT (wine) + RAYS (fish)
30. GENTRY – [ni]G[ht] + ENTRY (coming in)
Down
1. DROWNING – [pape]R in DOWNING (a Cambridge college)
2. COSTUMIER – anagram of TOM CRUISE
3. OGRE – ERGO (therefore) backwards
5. BETIMES – BE (British Empire) + TIMES (newspaper)
6. EXTRANEOUS – EXTRA (bonus) + E (point) in NOUS (12)
7. LIT UP – anagram of TULIP
8. RUNNER – double definition
9. HANDLE – homophone (“Handel”)
14. COMMANDEER – [sw]E[et] in COMMANDER (naval officer)
17. PARAMOUNT – PAR (standard) + AMOUNT (sum)
18. I DARE SAY – anagram of YEAR SAID
20. LULLABY – double definition
21. SPONGE – double definition
22. PHILIP – homophone (“fillip”)
24. LINER – double definition
26. ANNE – A (a) + NNE (way to go)
12ac: In the NW of England, where I come from, ADAM’S ALE was the expression that was invariably used. ‘Adam’s wine’ was the solution to a clue I remember from a crossword decades ago : “Girl married pig of the first water’