Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of April 21, 2012
I found this to be another very satisfying Mudd puzzle. My favourite clues are 18A (THE RIVALS), 17D (INTRICATE) and 24D (ELDER).
Across
1. SESSION – S (son) in NOISES (sounds) reversed
5. DISTAFF – DI (girl) + STAFF (employees)
9. AMEND – AMEN (final word) + D[ying]
10. CONFESSOR – anagram of FORCES SON
11. ANTISERUM – N[o]T + IS (is) + E (drug) all in ARUM (lily)
12. DITTO – TT (dry — as in teetotal) in DIO[r] (Christian not entirely)
13. THIEF – I (one) in THE (article) + F[elons]
15. GUTTERING – G (good) + UTTERING (saying)
18. THE RIVALS – anagram of THIS RAVEL
19. TUTOR – TUT (mummy) + OR (or)
21. UNCUT – U (posh) + C (cold) in NUT (head)
23. TRAGEDIAN – anagram of IN DRAG AT E[ton]
25. PARSONAGE -ARSON (crime) in PAGE (attendant)
26. DRAIN – D (500) + RAIN (fall)
27. THICKET – H (hot) in TICKET (pass)
28. TORPEDO – O (old) + [ca]R in DEPOT (bus garage) all backwards
Down
1. SEALANT – SEAL (one animal) + ANT (second animal)
2. SWEET WINE – WEE (little) in SWINE (pigs)
3. INDUS – IN (in) + DUS[k] (the gloaming, not entirely visible)
4. NICARAGUA – RACIN[g] (runnin’) backwards (northwards) + A (a) + GUA[m] (country not quite)
5. DENIM – MINED (picked) backwards (up)
6. STEADIEST – anagram of STATESIDE
7. ASSET – AS (while) + SET (hardened)
8. FURLONG – “fur long” (possible truth about Afghans, i.e. hounds)
14. FLINTLOCK – LINT (bandaging material) in FLOCK (crowd)
16. TESTAMENT – TAME (domesticated) + [lio]N together in TEST (try)
17. INTRICATE – anagram of CERTAIN IT
18. TRUMPET – MP (politician) in anagram of UTTER
20. RUN INTO – RU (rugby) + NINT[end]O (game people, no end)
22. CORGI – reverse hidden word
23. TOAST – T[ray] (tray without fish) + OAST (oven)
24. ELDER – double/cryptic definition
I was left wondering how 8d & 20d worked and I would never have got there so thanks for the explanations.
Ah, 20D took me a few minutes to figure out! As for 8D, I happen to be especially fond of Afghans, partly because of their long silky coats.
Thanks for the blog, Pete. I’m surprised no one commented on 4d. Guam is not a country; it is a territory of the United States. Another one that got past the editors. (For a second I thought the “not quite” might serve to indicate Guam’s status as “not quite” a country, but the phrase is already doing duty to direct us to drop the M.)
Keeper, Thanks for bringing this up. I am surprised actually that I did not comment on the issue. It did vaguely occur to me to check on Guam’s status but then I never followed through. I was aware that Guam is a US Territory but was unsure if that meant it was not a country.