Monday Prize Crossword/Jul 15
Gentle start of the FT week, this Dante puzzle. Although over all too soon, still enjoyable enough.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ASH BIN | Refuse-collector maybe has turned writer (3-3) |
| (HAS)* + BIN (reversal (‘turned’) of NIB (writer)) | ||
| 4 | APPLAUSE | Acclamation of unusual papal custom (8) |
| (PAPAL)* + USE (custom) | ||
| 9 | ORACLE | Nothing clear may come from this prophet (6) |
| O (nothing) + (CLEAR)* | ||
| 10 | POSTPONE | Shelve mail – perhaps open later (8) |
| POST (mail) plus (OPEN)* after that (‘later’) | ||
| 12 | TALK SHOP | Gossips at dance discuss business (4,4) |
| TALKS (gossips) + HOP (dance) | ||
| 13 | RAGTAG | Student’s carnival game for the common people (6) |
| RAG (student’s carnival) + TAG (game) | ||
| 15 | ETNA | Stake for backing hotly-tipped runner (4) |
| Reversal of ANTE (stake) | ||
| We’ve seen a lot of etna/ante clues but I thought this one was quite good, with the definition being cryptic. | ||
| 16 | INSATIABLE | Never satisfied with played out banalities (10) |
| (BANALITIES)* | ||
| 19 | DISINHERIT | Madrid is in her itinerary, but part can be cut off (10) |
| Hidden solution: [madri]D IS IN HER IT[inerary] | ||
| Took me ages (well, a couple of minutes) to spot this. Nice. | ||
| 20 | EDAM | A cheese that’s made round (4) |
| Reversal (‘round’) of MADE | ||
| No problem for the Dutchman in me. | ||
| 23 | LA-DI-DA | Snobbish boy and girl (2-2-2) |
| LAD (boy) + IDA (girl) | ||
| 25 | RELATION | Rex – Joy’s brother perhaps (8) |
| R (Rex, king) + ELATION (joy) | ||
| 27 | LAYABOUT | Attack a lazy fellow (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 28 | CRATER | Depression after an attack, perhaps (6) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 29 | HANGER-ON | A dependant – one who keeps going (6-2) |
| Double definition, perhaps the second one cryptic? | ||
| 30 | CLINCH | But it’s not how boxers settle matters (6) |
| Another combined double/cryptic definition | ||
| CLINCH = settle but also a boxing term meaning “the act of one boxer holding onto the other to avoid being hit and to rest momentarily” (WordWeb). | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | APOSTLE | Missionary who can handle a spoon? (7) |
| An ‘apostle spoon’ is a spoon with the image of an apostle (or any other religious figure) at its handle. More about it here at Wikipedia. | ||
| 2 | HEADLINES | People are known to hit them (9) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 3 | ILL-USE | I shall employ abuse (3-3) |
| I’LL (I shall) + USE (employ) | ||
| Rather poor to have ‘use’ in both solution and definition. | ||
| 5 | PROA | Vessel for runner-up in race (4) |
| PRO (for) + A (runner-up in ‘race’, hence its second letter) | ||
| My last one in and one I had to think about. | ||
| 6 | LOTHARIO | Reluctant to have a port with a philanderer (8) |
| LOTH (reluctant, alternative for ‘loath’) + A + RIO (port) | ||
| 7 | U-BOAT | Vessel about to be broken up (1-4) |
| (ABOUT)* | ||
| 8 | EPERGNE | Green organisation after record stand (7) |
| (GREEN)* coming after EP (record) | ||
| 11 | BOUNCER | Dud cheque chucker-out (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 14 | GALILEO | Girl I sign on as an astronomer (7) |
| GAL (girl) + I + LEO (sign, of the Zodiac) | ||
| 17 | BADMINTON | Changes mind in club game (9) |
| (MIND)* inside BATON (club) | ||
| 18 | INEDIBLE | Like the fare if it’s too high? (8) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 19 | DELILAH | She robbed her sleeping partner of his capital assets (7) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 21 | MONARCH | Not a subject put on in advance (7) |
| ON to be put inside MARCH (advance) | ||
| 22 | BARREL | A gunsmith will add it to his stock (6) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 24 | DOYEN | Grand old man longing to give party support (5) |
| DO (party) + YEN (longing) | ||
| 26 | HUGO | Victor, say, to embrace with love (4) |
| HUG (to embrace) + O (love) | ||
| Victor Hugo (1802-1885) without whom we would never have had Les Miserables. | ||
Many thanks Sil & Dante
I was hoping that I would discover the answer to 5d and you haven’t disappointed me.
It’s odd how often short words can be so difficult – for me.
Yes, thanks Sil.
5d was my last one in, and I couldn’t parse it either.
It was never over for me and even when hell was freezing over I would still be stuck on 5d,14d,25a, 28a,30a & 21d.
Not remotely gentle for me.