Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 24, 2012
Here is another impressively brilliant puzzle from Cincinnus. Among a good number of exceptional clues I would pick out the fine &lit. of 21A (RODEO), 12A (CAPER) for working in two movie titles, 15A (FIRE ALARM) for being so deceptive, and 4D (RESENTFUL) for its fine surface.
Across
1. COLLIER – C (cold) + OLLIE (Hardy — as in Laurel and Hardy) + R (runs)
5. PRESS-UP – PRESS (squash) + UP (in court)
9. RAYON – RAY (swimmer) + ON (being shown)
10. SINISTRAL – SIN (offence) + IS (is) + TRA[i]L (one leaves track)
11. CLEARANCE – double definition
12. CAPER – hidden word (afriCA PERhaps)
13. SEDAN – anagram of DANES. The Battle of Sedan? Never heard of it. Wait! There were two battles of Sedan.
15. FIRE ALARM – anagram of FILM A RARE. A David Warner film? A Warner Bros film? No, a lovely cryptic definition.
18. FAREWELLS – FA + RE (notes) + WELLS (novelist — as in H.G.)
19. REFIT – REMIT (terms of reference) with M changed to F
21. RODEO – anagram of DOOR [hors]E. And a lovely &lit.
23. PROCEDURE – ED (Miliband) in PROCURE (get)
25. ANGLEWORM – anagram of LOW GERMAN
26. DINGO – DIN (racket) + GO (game)
27. DINETTE – DI (little girl) + NETTE[d] (almost caught)
28. NEW DEAL – homophone (“nude eel”)
Down
1. CARACAS – CAR (Focus, say) + ACAS (mediators). I fancy most people would say “Ford Focus” but I think this clue is okay.
2. LAY READER – AYR (Scottish town) in LEADER (chief)
3. INNER – INN[keep]ER (keep away from landlord)
4. RESENTFUL – anagram of NURSE LEFT
5. PENNE – PEN (writer) + N[aples] E[ating]
6. EASY CHAIR – EASY (sinecure) + CHAIR (don) but more of a cryptic definition perhaps
7. SCRAP – double definition
8. PILGRIM – double/cryptic definition (referring to “Pilgrim’s Progress” and the Pilgrim Fathers)
14. NEW FOREST – reverse anagram (referring the “The Children of the New Forest”)
16. ROSCOMMON – ROS (rebels most??) + COMMON (prevalent). I was not sure how the first part of this works but it is explained in the first comment below.
17. AFFLUENCE – FLU (complaint) in A FENCE (a criminal)
18. FORWARD – double definition
20. TREFOIL – REF (whistle-blower) in TOIL (work)
22. DIG IN – ID (this writer had) reversed + GIN (drink)
23. PROBE – PRO (for) + B[rut]E
24. ENDOW – DO (party) in ENW (various ways — i.e. East, North and West)
Indeed, Pete, once again a splendid Cincinnus.
He’s a bit like Rufus/Dante.
In that sense, that it seems so effortless all the time to write a puzzle that would take 90% of the nation a hundred years or more …. 🙂 [smiley well deserved!]
ROSCOMMON was our last one in.
We had to think about that, but in the end the penny did drop.
“Were rebels” = “rose”, so “were rebels most” = “ros”.
Ah, I thought it might be something like that! Thanks, Sil. Should have remembered “Pretty girl in crimson rose”.
Did anyone else discard ‘scrap’ as the answer for 7D and opt for scrip?
Scrip can mean a scrap of paper or a ‘bundle’ of shares (share certicate.