Monday Prize Crossword/Aug 1
Maybe it’s just me (or perhaps the mood I was in whilst solving this crossword), but I thought this Crux puzzle wasn’t the easiest of Monday Prize Crosswords.
| Across | ||
| 1 | DEFOREST | They fell in huge numbers to do this |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| Just one puzzle ago Crux had for the same word almost the same clue: “Fell in huge numbers”. Apart from the fact that Crux shouldn’t have wanted this, there are added words here that made this clue probably worse, IMO. | ||
| 5 | CARROT | The root of temptation? |
| Double definition | ||
| 9 | UNLEADED | Such useless pencils make cleaner fuel |
| Double definition with a cryptic element | ||
| First, I thought this had to be CHAR (cleaner) + COAL (fuel), leading to CHARCOAL which might be found in perhaps out-of-use pencils. But that would have caused a conflict with my first entry (READY, 3d). The clue reminded me of one of these brilliant statements by Blackadder when he said to Queenie: Madam, life without you is like a broken pencil – pointless | ||
| 10 | RETAIN | Keep terriers in control |
| TA (Territorial Army (terriers)) inside REIN (control) | ||
| 12 | LOOPY | Crazy Kitty rejected Tommy, finally |
| LOOP (reversal of POOL (Kitty – Think Betting)) + [Tomm]Y | ||
| 13 | SUNNY SIDE | Star with New York team shows cheerful disposition |
| SUN (star) + NY (New York) + SIDE (team) | ||
| 14 | CHASER | Search drunkenly for drink after drink |
| (SEARCH)* | ||
| 16 | EPERGNE | Stand on table in gym, wearing green, perhaps |
| PE (gym (physical education)) inside (GREEN)* | ||
| 18 | UPRIGHT | Honest one’s involved in postal strike |
| Double and/or cryptic definition | ||
| UPRIGHT is clearly ‘honest’, but the second part of the clue made my brain work faster. I came as far as thinking of ‘philately’. A ‘strike’ on a postal stamp, which might be appreciated when it’s ‘upright’. Am I right? [I don’t think I am with mike04 @2 here, and so far mark @3 couldn’t convince me either even if his idea is an appealing one] | ||
| 20, 17 | THE TWO CULTURES | Snow’s Great Divide, academically speaking |
| Cryptic definition ? | ||
| The work of CP Snow did get a mention in a few Guardian blogs recently, so the answer was quickly found. But I can’t say that this is my Clue of the Day. | ||
| 22 | TITHE BARN | Archaic construction puts the lawyers in money |
| THE BAR (the lawyers) indie TIN (money) | ||
| 23 | TENOR | Voice of Tamino in The Magic Flute, normally |
| Hidden answer : [Flu] TE NOR [mally] | ||
| 24 | RUMBAS | Burma’s exotic dancers could perform them |
| (BURMA’S)* | ||
| 25 | PTOMAINE | Could be top state for producing poison! |
| (TOP)* + MAINE (state) | ||
| 26 | SYSTEM | Method that can be extremely silly to stop |
| S[ill]Y + STEM (stop) | ||
| 27 | APPRISES | Informs a prize is for listeners |
| Homophone of ‘A PRIZE IS’ | ||
| Bit of a giveaway, I thought. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | DOUBLE | Score it at 20 across for 4 |
| 4 is twice 2 (20 across’s answer THE TWO) | ||
| Well, that’s the only thing I can make of it. |
||
| 2 | FALL ON HARD TIMES | Attack Dickens’ work and suffer in depression |
| FALL ON (attack) + HARD TIMES (Dickens’ work) | ||
| 3 | READY | About to study the unknown |
| READ (study) + Y (the unknown) | ||
| I don’t think Y is ‘the’ unknown, but the surface needs it. | ||
| 4 | SPENSER | Poet wants son, not daughter, to be a poet too |
| One poet (SPENDER) with the D (daughter) replaced by S (son), giving another one | ||
| 6 | ACETYLENE | Gas is unstable yet clean energy |
| (YET CLEAN)* + E (energy) | ||
| 7 | ROARING TWENTIES | Interesting row developed about a decade of optimism |
| (INTERESTING ROW)* | ||
| 8 | TENDERER | Not as tough as one who holds out |
| Double definition | ||
| 11 | KNEE | Joint proposal might be made on one |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 15 | SEGREGATE | Cut off from Easter egg |
| (EASTER EGG)* | ||
| 19 | TEAT | Mealtime essential for babies |
| TEA (meal) T (time) | ||
| This was one of my last entries and a good one it is. One has to split ‘Mealtime’ to get the answer. However, I would have preferred to have a question mark at the end. | ||
| 20 | TANK TOP | Apparel for a turret |
| Double definition | ||
| A turret is a thing on top of a tank that carries a gun. How wonderful life is …….. | ||
| 21 | GREENS | You may be putting on these for a party |
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | TIMER | Send money up for an hourglass |
| Reversal of REMIT (send money) | ||
Many thanks Sil and Crux.
When I did this ages ago, I rated it ‘Very Enjoyable’ and noted that GREENS and APPRISES were my last entries.
This again shows what we already knew: that each of us is different.
I did like THE ROARING TWENTIES which brought back fond memories of the late Dorothy Provine and the 1960-1962 tv series of that name:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Provine
I still enjoy many of the songs of that decade and there’s a certain Crossie Setter who could probably tell us of the Speak Easies that he once visited.
Thanks for your blog, Sil. Yes, a trickier Monday puzzle.
I think there are sporting references in 18ac and 1dn/20ac:
In Football and other sports, the UPRIGHT is the upright post in a goalpost.
A postal strike could be a near goal. Maybe the adjective “postal” in this sense is just whimsical.
I think THE TWO may refer to the Number 2 on a Dartboard.
DOUBLE in 1dn would give us 4. Maybe ‘Score’ and ’20’ are there as distractors.
Re 18, postal strike may be a “frank” (as in franking a stamp, when it’s stamped). Frank (candid, etc) = upright?
I managed Saturday’s but this one floored me, but then I’m still fairly new to this game.