Monday Prize Crossword/Jul 30
A Dante crossword that can be found here (in case one needs a reminder of the grid). On the whole Dante’s on a par with himself, even though there was a bit more variety in devices compared to his recent outings which contained too many double definitions. Our beloved setter was clearly in a French mood as there were three clues (29ac, 3d, 5d) in which we needed some basic French vocabulary. There’s one clue that I cannot fully explain (24d) – it almost looks that there’s something missing (or, perhaps, it’s just me that’s missing something 🙂 ).
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | RAPIER | Gunners get support weapon |
| RA (gunners, Royal Artillery) + PIER (support) | ||
| 4 | LEARNING | Money being paid for information |
| L (money, a pound) + EARNING (being paid) | ||
| 9 | IRITIS | Eye disease – girl catches it |
| IRIS (girl) around IT | ||
| 10 | INNUENDO | Hint union is in trouble and about to be terminated |
| (UNION)* around END (to be terminated) | ||
| 12 | ESCALATE | Let a case get out of hand and snowball |
| (LET A CASE)* | ||
| 13 | PEARLS | Stones left in fruit |
| L (left) inside PEARS (fruit) | ||
| 15 | TOPS | First-class spinners |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | SPIRITLESS | Doing without strong drink – it’s discouraged |
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | RELUCTANCE | Lecture can produce averse reaction |
| (LECTURE CAN)* | ||
| 20 | HERO | Brave man, he has heart of iron |
| HE + [i]RO[n] | ||
| 23 | PASS UP | Discount student’s success at university |
| PASS (student’s success) + UP (at university) | ||
| 25 | DEPARTED | Act when some came in late |
| PART (some) coming into DEED (act) | ||
| 27 | AMENABLE | Willing scholar returns help |
| AM (reversal of MA (scholar)) + ENABLE (help) | ||
| 28 | ÉCLAIR | Cake made by Claire |
| (CLAIRE)* | ||
| That’s a stunning anagram! 🙂 | ||
| 29 | SENTENCE | A few words addressed in French to the church |
| SENT (addressed) + EN (in, in French) + CE (church) | ||
| 30 | DOWNED | Daughter admitted being drunk |
| D (daughter) + OWNED (admitted) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | RAIMENT | Train me to change gear |
| (TRAIN ME)* | ||
| 2 | PRINCIPAL | Source of income for a top man |
| Double definition | ||
| 3 | EDIBLE | Stay over with the French in order to eat |
| EDIB (reversal of BIDE (stay)) + LE (the, in French) | ||
| 5 | ETNA | A feature of Sicily and French North Africa |
| ET (and, in French) + NA (North Africa) | ||
| 6 | ROULETTE | Allowed to get in the way in the game |
| LET (allowed) inside ROUTE (the way) | ||
| 7 | INNER | Meal without a starter may not satisfy this man |
| DINNER (meal) without its starting letter D which may or may not satisfy the ‘inner man’ | ||
| 8 | GROUSES | Complains about game point |
| GROUSE (game) + S (point, South) | ||
| 11 | STOPGAP | Makeshift draught-excluder? |
| Double definition, the second cryptic | ||
| 14 | CRICKET | Some find it slow, but naturally it’s lively |
| Double definition, both somewhat indirect | ||
| 17 | EYE-STRAIN | Monitors public transport complaint |
| EYES (monitors) + TRAIN (public transport) | ||
| 18 | ACCURATE | Correct for a clergyman to foot the bill |
| CURATE (a clergyman) placed underneath AC (the bill) | ||
| 19 | REPLAYS | Fixtures arranged after draws have taken place |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 21 | ORDERED | Soldiers without officers run into action, as commanded |
| OR (soldiers without officers, Other Ranks (as opposed to commissioned officers)) + {R (runs) inside DEED (action)} | ||
| 22 | GAUCHO | A cough mixture for foreign cowhand |
| (A COUGH)* | ||
| 24 | SKEIN | One result of wool-gathering |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| That wool-gathering may lead to the answer is clear, but why is the clue starting with ‘One’? | ||
| 26 | BLOC | United Nations look into pre-Christian era |
| LO (look) inside BC (pre-Christian era, Before Christ) – the definition is cryptic | ||
Hi Sil
Tried to email you personally but the only address i could find seemed to have a mixture of hyphens and dashes – you must refresh my memory!
My mother was a furious knitter. Any spare time she had she spent knitting. When TV came in she found she could knit and watch so that we, and our extended families, were inundated with sweaters and scarves etc, until the local wool-shop agreed to pay for her efforts.
As children we used to spend hours helping to change the skeins of wool into balls before she could start knitting.
That is one definition of Wool-gathering.
Another definition of Wool-gathering is “absent-minded dreaming” (Chambers); “idle or absent-minded indulgence in fantasy daydreaming” (Collins). I felt this second meaning, needed to start with “one” (i.e. one of the day-dreams).