Monday Prize Crossword/Sep 10
Pleasant Dante crossword that didn’t cause me too much trouble (although I had to make my brains work to fully understand 26ac). Smooth as ever, even if there were some link words (on/by) that I personally would have tried to avoid. Even so, many thanks again to Dante!
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | STRIDE | A quarter tried changing step |
| S (a quarter, South) + (TRIED)* | ||
| 4 | AVAILS | Is of use when a number set sail |
| A + V (number, 5) + (SAIL)* | ||
| 8 | BIG GAME | Important match for the Lions? |
| Double definition | ||
| For me lions aren’t (or shouldn’t be) game, for others they really are! | ||
| 9 | SMASHED | University people housed in outhouse, being broke |
| MAS (university people, plural of MA (Master of Arts)) inside SHED (outhouse) | ||
| 11 | SEAMSTRESS | Sewer joint takes strain |
| SEAM (joint) + STRESS (strain) | ||
| 12 | RUTH | She is followed by Samuel, pity! |
| Double definition | ||
| In the old Testament the Book of Ruth is followed by the first Book of Samuel. | ||
| 13 | FUNDS | Ready money? |
| Cryptic definition, although not that cryptic | ||
| 14 | CATARACT | Fall that impairs vision |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | BLUDGEON | Doctor bound leg – supplied stick |
| (BOUND LEG)* | ||
| Nice surface for a word that I only know from crosswords. | ||
| 18 | CRAZE | Make cracks on passing fashion |
| Double definition | ||
| 20 | VETO | Vote cast by objector? |
| (VOTE)* | ||
| 21 | STRONGHOLD | Keep product of long and short division to start with |
| (LONG + SHORT + D[ivision])* | ||
| 23 | POSSESS | Have the police unit gone to the ship? |
| POSSE (the police unit) + SS (the ship, steamship) | ||
| 24 | SCREW UP | Bungle a pay-rise? |
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | DANGLE | Hang about as a number fish |
| D (a number, 500) + ANGLE (fish) | ||
| 26 | PLIERS | Tool for taxi-drivers, say |
| Double definition | ||
| Pliers is a tool (as a plural noun), and taxi-drivers are an example of people plying a trade – I guess, that’s it. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SUITE | Music rooms? |
| Double definition | ||
| 2 | REGIMEN | Troops didn’t finish the course |
| REGIMENT (troops) without the final letter T | ||
| 3 | DEMITASSE | Missed tea, perhaps, will take coffee |
| (MISSED TEA)* | ||
| 5 | VAMPS | Improvises with 5-amps fuse |
| V (five) + AMPS | ||
| 6 | INSURER | He takes risks when another takes cover |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 7 | SPECTACLE | In some respect, a clever presentation |
| Hidden solution: [re]SPECT A CLE[ver] | ||
| 10 | MERCENARY | Bent on making money from an upturn in silks? |
| AN (reversal of AN) inside MERCERY (silks, for example (hence the question mark)) | ||
| 13 | FALSEHOOD | Counterfeit cover for a lie |
| FALSE (counterfeit) + HOOD (cover) | ||
| 15 | TECHNICAL | Catch line, unravel using a specialised skill |
| (CATCH LINE)* | ||
| 17 | DROPS IN | Calls to urge reform on an evildoer? |
| DROP SIN ((a call) to urge reform on an evildoer) | ||
| Perhaps, my Clue of the Day. | ||
| 19 | ATHLETE | Runner allowed to take part in a different heat |
| LET (allowed) inside (HEAT)* | ||
| 21 | SISAL | Raw material of rope and sails |
| (SAILS)* | ||
| The second time in this puzzle that ‘sail’ was part of an anagram (see 4ac). | ||
| 22 | LOUTS | Coarse types confuse love with lust |
| (O (love) + LUST)* | ||
| Another nice surface. | ||
I couldn’t get
5a A number =five -how do you get 5 instead of the zillion others?
1d Music=suite new one on me
5d I had no idea that improvises =vamps
Thanks for the blog
Hi Bamberger,
5d: I immediately opted for VAMPS, but at the same time I thought it was too easy/obvious. The AMPS were already there in the clue. “A number” is frequently used by setters (Dante/Rufus and Araucaria/Cinephile, in particular) referring to Roman numbers, so do expect V,L,C,D or M [not really zillion, to choose from :)]. Moreover, 4ac made clear that it had to be V.
As to the definition, Chambers gives us (ah well, only as the last option) “to improvise inartistically”.
In the world of classical music there are a lot of SUITEs.
Peer Gynt Suite, Suite Bergamasque and many many more.
But also in the world of pop we had one: “Suite: Judy blue eyes” (Crosby Stills and Nash, on their debut LP).