Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 4, 2013
I found this puzzle both easy and excellent. There are plenty of good clues but my favourite is 30A (ARGYLE). And there is one, 18D (GENDARME), that I did not completely understand — which served to make it the toughest clue of the bunch for me.
I have just noted that one of the setters who occasionally appears in this Weekend FT prize puzzle slot is celebrating 50 years in crosswords next Monday, May 20th. That is Don Manley, known in the FT as Bradman. Much kudos, thanks and congratulations to Don.
Across
1. SPOTTY – S[occer] + POTTY (mad)
4. PASSPORT – PASS (don’t know) + PORT (not the right side)
10. INCUBATOR – IN CUBA (where to find Varadero) + TOR (rocky peak)
11. CHAIR – C (caught) + HAIR (something overhead)
12. GLEE – G[ala] + LEE (general, as in Robert E.)
13. PREHENSILE – anagram of LINE SPHERE
15. ANTIQUE – AN (article) + anagram of QUITE
16. POWWOW – POW (prisoner) + WOW (I’m amazed)
19. VACANT – CAN (vessel) in VAT (vessel)
21. BANSHEE – anagram of HAS BEEN
23. ON THE MONEY – double/cryptic definition
25. CLOD – double definition
27. PHOTO – HOT (sexy) in PO (flower, in the sense of river)
28. BARTENDER – END (purpose) in BARTER (trade)
29. MINSTREL – anagram of TERMS IN + L (line)
30. ARGYLE – L (left) in anagram of A GREY
Down
1. STINGRAY – RA[t] (tailless vermin) in STINGY (mean)
2. ORCHESTRA – anagram of REACTOR HAS
3. TUBA – ABUT (touch) backwards
5. AIRSHIP – AIRS (breezes) + HIP (in)
6. SECOND WIND – SECOND (back) + WIND (snake)
7. OMANI – IN A MO’ (shortly) backwards
8. TURNER – double definition
9. STARVE – anagram of TRAVE[l]S
14. SQUARE ROOT – SQUARE (conservative) + ROOT (homophone of “route”)
17. ON HOLIDAY – O (old) + anagram of I HAD ONLY
18. GENDARME – END (botton) + ARM (weapon) in GE[l] (stick, foot sawn off). How, pray, does “stick, foot sawn off” clue GE?. I originally posted this without GEL because it did not seem right to me. See comments below.
20. TROUBLE – T (time) + ROUBLE (money)
21. BLEARY – anagram of BARELY
22. POM-POM – MOP (clean up) + MOP (…more than once) all backwards
24. THORN – THOR (god) + N (point)
26. BEAR – double definition
Hi Pete,
Thanks for the blog. I agree with you that this was both easy and excellent.
Re 18 dn:
GE(L)
Muffyword, Thank you for that. You are the second person to suggest GEL for 18dn so I figure that has to be right. It actually occurred to me as well but I rejected it at the time. I don’t think of a gel, in general, as being something sticky but a hair gel in particular does stick hair in place so I guess it works. However I will stick my neck out and say that I don’t much like it.
Presumably it is GEL as a verb – that seems to work for me.
18d I had sesterce which is a copper coin only because I had clot for 25a and nothing else would fit. Heaven knows what the wordplay would be!
Couldn’t get the last word of 23a and failed miserably in the NE where I could get 4a (would still be staring blankly), 11a ditto , 7d ditto and 8d .
Bamberger@4 – I had clot and sesterce for a while, then realised that clod was better!