Monday Prize Crossword on 20 December 2010
Crux delighted us with this selection which included some creative and amusing cryptic definitions. There are also a few devices which I have not seen before. Good stuff !
ACROSS
1 PUSHOVER dd
5 SPATES SPA (spring) + rev of SET
9 REINDEER Very creative cd for one of Santa’s team
10 PLAICE Ins of I (Crux, the setter) in PLACE (position)
12 DRAKE D (duke) RAKE (playboy) Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral (1540–1596) was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, a renowned pirate, and a politician of the Elizabethan era.
13 NANNY GOAT Another lovely cd
14 AS WELL A SWELL (balloon)
16 HANDOUT Putting out one’s hand is a friendly gesture
18 ANARCHY Ins of ARCH (bend) in ANY for a complete absence of law or government; a harmonious condition of society in which government is abolished as unnecessary; utter lawlessness; chaos; complete
20 LEADER LEANDER minus N, the middle letter
22 AIR POCKET cd
23 AGREE A GREEN (colour) minus N
24 ICARUS ha
25 VERTICAL *(ARTICLE V)
26 ELEVEN In the word MEXICO is XI which is 11 in Roman numerals
27 LYNCH LAW In a state of anarchy, it is reasonable to expect many to be executed by hanging (suffer suspension) Another delightful cd
DOWN
1 PARADE PARADISE (answer to 17) minus IS
2 SPIRAL STAIRCASE Lovely cd
3 OLDIE ha
4 ETERNAL cd for an eternal triangle, a sexual relationship, full of tension and conflict, involving three people, usually a married couple and a third party.
6 POLLYANNA *(ONLY A PLAN) Pollyanna is a best-selling 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter that is now considered a classic of children’s literature, with the title character’s name becoming a popular term for someone with the same optimistic outlook
7 TRIGONOMETRICAL *(MOTORING ARTICLE)
8 SPECTATE *(PETE’S ACT)
11 INCH FINCH (bird) minus F
15 ENCLOSURE *(RULES ONCE)
17 PARADISE PARA (paratrooper or soldier) + *(DIES)
19 YOKE Ins of OK (fine) in YE (olden form of the definite article)
20 LITHELY Ins of THE in LILY (flower girl) lithe is supple; thus lithely is supply 🙂
21 MELLOW FELLOW (male) with M (male) substituted for F (female)
Very clever clue that raised a smile from me 🙂
23 ATTIC A TT (teetotal or dry) I (one) C (cold)
Key to abbreviations
dd = double definition
dud = duplicate definition
tichy = tongue-in-cheek type
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(fodder) = anagram
Yes, this was very good. Thanks for the puzzle, Crux, and Uncle Yap for the blog. My favourite clue was 25A (VERTICAL). If memory serves, 6D (POLLYANNA) was also a film starring Hayley Mills (based on the book, I guess). Liked LYNCH LAW a lot too.
Thanks Uncle Yap for the informative and entertaining blog of an excellent puzzle. Many well-constructed clues here, esp. for someone who enjoys CDs. I think my favourite was 2dn, and the toughest and last in was 20dn. Very well hidden.