Monday Prize Crossword/Mar 26
Always satisfying to blog a puzzle by Crux. On the easier side of the FT spectrum, but with enough little twists and turns to make this an enjoyable ride.
Definitions are underlined and/or referred to in the blog.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ON THE SLY | Under the table, honestly drunk |
| (HONESTLY)* | ||
| Very nice anagram. And so nice that it must have been done before, but if it really did spring out of Crux’s own mind then full credits to him! | ||
| 5 | THANKS | TA’s military vehicles carry a type of bomb |
| TANKS (military vehicles) around H (bomb, H-bomb) | ||
| Fine definition, misleadingly capitalised to serve the military surface as Territorial Army. BTW, crosswords without soldiers in it, do they actually exist? | ||
| 9 | DEADLINE | Late joining queue? Here’s the closing date |
| DEAD (late) + LINE (queue) | ||
| 10 | OPTION | Choice of operation that sheds years |
| OP[era]TION | ||
| 12 | ARSON | Crime of war, so Napoleon said |
| Hidden solution: [w]AR SO N[apoleon said] | ||
| 13 | ICELANDER | In speech, I spread lies about the northerner |
| Homophone of I SLANDER (I spread lies about) | ||
| 14 | GASBAG | Hot-air balloon that goes on and on |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | SPATULA | A chef uses it cooking at Paul’s |
| (AT PAUL’S)* | ||
| 19 | CENTRAL | Position held by soldier in legion |
| GI (soldier) is holding the CENTRAL position in the word ‘legion’ | ||
| My last one in. Having C?N?R?L, it could either have been CENTRAL or CONTROL. It took me ages to justify the former, but when the penny dropped it became one of my favourites of this puzzle. | ||
| 21 | HIDING | Keeping secret a severe defeat |
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | MARGARINE | Fat horse stuffed with special grain |
| MARE (horse) around (GRAIN)* | ||
| No fish in the sea this time to clue MARGARINE (GAR inside MARINE), but another neatly written animalistic clue. | ||
| 25 | PETAL | Floral segment going round in plate patterns |
| Hidden solution, backwards: [p]LATE P[atterns] | ||
| It is also an anagram of ‘plate’, and with ‘going round’ as anagrind the clue could have done without ‘patterns’, although it would have been much easier. I prefer it as it is (a hidden). | ||
| 26 | EMPLOY | Use only half of them – a cunning plan |
| [th]EM (only half of them) + PLOY (a cunning plan) | ||
| 27 | WORLD CUP | Tournament in which everyone gets caught up |
| WORLD (everyone) + C (caught) + UP | ||
| 28 | SOLVER | What you aspire to be (not me!) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| One of three cryptic definitions (the other two being 21d and 22d) that are not really my cup of tea. | ||
| 29 | ENGENDER | Father gives directions before sex |
| E,N (directions, East and North) + GENDER (sex) | ||
| Thát kind of sex. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | ORDEAL | Nightmare or business transaction |
| OR + DEAL (business transaction) | ||
| 2 | TEARSTAIN | Rip satin apart, with eye-watering result |
| TEAR (rip) + (SATIN)* | ||
| I first entered here, rather carelessly, ‘transpire’, which held me up finding 14ac and 19ac. Can’t find the word in Chambers (it does have ‘tear-stained’), not sure about Collins either, but it gets a mention in the Free Dictionary Online. | ||
| 3 | ELLEN | In Paris she’s given new name |
| ELLE (in Paris, she – French for ‘she’) + N (new) | ||
| 4 | LENDING | Council finally closing such libraries |
| [counci]L + ENDING (closing) | ||
| 6 | HAPHAZARD | Careless fellow loses head over wager |
| [c]HAP (fellow loses head, ie the first letter) | ||
| 7 | NAIAD | An aid designed for a water nymph |
| (AN AID)* | ||
| Initially I went for ‘Diana’ – anyone else? | ||
| 8 | SUNCREAM | Outcry about UN providing cover in hot-spots |
| SCREAM (outcry) around UN | ||
| 11 | SEAS | Red and Black are appropriate, we hear |
| Homophone of SEIZE (appropriate) | ||
| ‘Red and Black’ is the definition here, one by example(s) which Crux didn’t tell us! Could also have been Yellow, or the deep blue …. | ||
| 15 | BARCAROLE | Girl in nude composing boating song |
| CAROL (girl) in BARE (nude) | ||
| 17 | UNNOTICED | Model continued to be ignored |
| (CONTINUED)* | ||
| 18 | SCAMPERS | Dashes with racket for each shot, initially |
| SCAM (racket) + PER (for each) + S[hot] | ||
| 20 | LAID | Put down face up |
| Reversal of DIAL (face) | ||
| 21 | HOEDOWN | Hops in the barn? |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 22 | ELOPER | One planning to form a breakaway union |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 24 | REPEL | Outcast turns up to give you the creeps |
| Reversal of LEPER (outcast) | ||
| 25 | PULSE | Beat runner, possibly |
| Double definition | ||
| The ‘runner’ being a ‘runner bean’. | ||
Thanks, Sil. I did not get SEAS.
When we aspire to be someone, we desire eagerly to be someone or we aim at being someone or we strive for being someone. Not always is our desire fulfilled, our aim achieved or our striving rewarded.
So I am wondering whether the SOLVER (at 28a) could not have been put in a better light.
Would “Not me!” in itself have fetched the required answer?