Monday Prize Crossword/Mar 4
Enjoyable puzzle by Falcon (who many of Ye ( :-)) may know as the Observer’s Everyman). A crossword that can be found here.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | HUNT THE SLIPPER | Helps her putt in tight game (4,3,7) |
| (HELPS HER PUTT IN)* | ||
| 10 | REIGN | Rule, then abdicate not having son (5) |
| RESIGN (abdicate) minus S (son) | ||
| 11 | TREASURED | Valuable step certain to be taken on board (9) |
| TREAD (step) around SURE (certain) | ||
| 12 | FINANCE | Intended to keep name back (7) |
| FIANCE (intended) around N (name) | ||
| 13 | LAMBADA | Greek character holding a dance (7) |
| LAMBDA (Greek character) around A | ||
| 14 | STAIR | Move across a step (5) |
| STIR (move) around A | ||
| 16 | DALLIANCE | Playing field’s ending marriage (9) |
| [fiel]D + ALLIANCE (marriage) | ||
| 19 | TAKE SIDES | Support one group over another study by banks (4,5) |
| TAKE (study, as in ‘take a subject’) + SIDES (banks) | ||
| 20 | CATCH | Hear start of carol at church (5) |
| C[arol] + AT + CH (church) | ||
| 22 | ALSO-RAN | One failing to gain a place in a lyceum, initially so put out (4-3) |
| A + L[yceum] + SO + RAN (put out, as in ‘to publish’) | ||
| 25 | DEAD-END | Boring side is going nowhere (4-3) |
| DEAD (boring) + END (side) | ||
| 27 | NUTRIMENT | Food freak – term, I fancy, used around noon (9) |
| NUT (freak) + {(TERM I)* around N (noon)} | ||
| 28 | PLACE | Spot soft fabric (5) |
| P (soft) + LACE (fabric) | ||
| 29 | RING THE CHANGES | Employ alternative methods, as campanologists do? (4,3,7) |
| Double definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | UNION JACK | Association to raise flag (5,4) |
| UNION (association) + JACK (to raise) | ||
| 3 | TENON | Type of hacksaw found in kindergarten once (5) |
| Hidden solution: [kindergar]TEN ON[ce] | ||
| 4 | HOTHEADED | Had editor describing old article as rash (9) |
| {HAD + ED (editor)} around {O (old) + THE (article)} | ||
| 5 | SWELL | Man of high social standing also blowing top (5) |
| AS WELL (also) minus its initial letter | ||
| 6 | INSOMNIAC | Night out? Not for me! (9) |
| Cryptic definition – had to think about that one! | ||
| 7 | PARKA | Explorer needs a jacket for cold weather (5) |
| PARK (explorer, Mungo Park – a Scottish explorer who did things in West Africa in the 18th centruy) + A | ||
| 8 | RED TAPE | Bureaucracy reduced gradually once parts exchanged (3,4) |
| TAPE/RED (reduced gradually) with its parts exchanged | ||
| 9 | DRAFTS | Sketches large number in outskirts of Dungeness (6) |
| RAFT (large number) inside D[ungenes]S | ||
| 15 | RESTRAINT | Check made by coach during intermission (9) |
| TRAIN (coach) inside REST (intermission) | ||
| 17 | LAST DITCH | Desperate, the French duke in pain (4-5) |
| LA (the, in French) + {D (duke) inside STITCH (pain)} | ||
| 18 | NOTRE DAME | Name suprisingly moderate building by the Seine (5,4) |
| N (name) + (MODERATE)* | ||
| 19 | TRAINER | Handler’s shoe (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | HIDDEN | I’d study after hours, out of sight (6) |
| I’D DEN (study) coming after H (hours) | ||
| 23 | SET ON | Attack head of sixth-form college (3,2) |
| S[ixth-form] + ETON (college) | ||
| 24 | NIECE | Relative, English, in Riviera resort (5) |
| E (English) inside NICE (Riviera resort) | ||
| 26 | ASPEN | Almost done in, lying under a tree (5) |
| SPENT (done in, as in “to exhaust”) minus its last letter (T) coming under A | ||
Ah so that is why 8d was red tape . I got the answer but couldn’t see how the clue worked.
Isn’t it ALSO-RAN ? – would be a more common usage
Not sure what published answer is.
Muffyword, you’re 100% right.
Mea culpa.
Now updated.