Monday Prize Crossword/Jul 29
One might say the usual mix of cryptic and double definitions plus some very easy anagrams …..
….. at 12ac, 25ac and 26ac, for example. A lot went in very quickly indeed but exactly because of these cryptic/double definitions I needed a second session to finish the NW (including 10d). Perhaps, if I had found 11ac (APPRENTICE) earlier – I knew there was a similar clue just recently but I couldn’t remember the solution – things would have been different. As I said on previous occasions, Dante is perfectly capable of gearing up a bit, 16ac and 22d being examples of that.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | DELUDE | A number get away with swindle (6) |
| D (a number, 500) + ELUDE (get away) | ||
| 4 | APACHE | Governor imprisoned by a revolutionary member of tribe (6) |
| PA (governor, as in ‘father’) inside A CHE (revolutionary) | ||
| 8 | MOBCAPS | Capital investments for women in the 18th century (7) |
| Cryptic defintion | ||
| New word to me. Sounds more like headwear for people during riots. But that’s called ‘monkey cap’ [to be continued next week]. | ||
| 9 | CAREFUL | Motor takes on fresh fuel, being cautious (7) |
| CAR (motor) + (FUEL)* | ||
| 11 | APPRENTICE | He’s bound to learn (10) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 12 | VOTE | It could turn out to be a veto (4) |
| (VETO)* – definition: the clue as a whole | ||
| 13 | ARENA | Scene of conflict a long time back (5) |
| Reversal (‘back’) of AN ERA (a long time) – the definition might even include ‘a long time back’, think Roman Empire | ||
| 14 | WARDROBE | Doctor wore drab clothes (8) |
| (WORE DRAB)* | ||
| 16 | APERITIF | Copyright it, provided it’s served before dinner (8) |
| APE (copy) + R (right) + IT + IF (provided) | ||
| One has to split Copy/right which is nowadays common ground in a rival newspaper (The Guardian). | ||
| 18 | NUDGE | Jog with no clothes on around midnight (5) |
| NUDE (with no clothes on) around [ni]G[ht] (midnight) | ||
| 20 | LIMB | Branch member (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | PARTICULAR | Fussy individual (10) |
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | OTTOMAN | Old Empire, lacking arms and backing (7) |
| Double definition – apart from an old Empire an OTTOMAN is also a seat without a back or arms | ||
| So that’s three in a row! | ||
| 24 | OIL-LAMP | A wicked old dispeller of gloom? (3-4) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 25 | DENOTE | Point has need to be put differently (6) |
| (NEED TO)* | ||
| 26 | UNITED | Joined together – or possibly untied? (6) |
| (UNTIED)* | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | DROOP | Fall out of love and languish (5) |
| DROP (fall) around O (love) | ||
| 2 | LUCERNE | Food for cattle in Switzerland (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 3 | DEPENDANT | One kept – in suspense? (9) |
| Double/Cryptic definition | ||
| One who’s kept can be one who’s looked after. A dependant can also be a hanger-on, ‘to suspend’ can be ‘to hang’ but I am not sure whether Dante mixes up ‘suspense’ and ‘suspension’. For some a question mark can always do the trick. | ||
| 5 | PLATE | Quietly departed with the silver (5) |
| P (quietly) + LATE (departed) | ||
| 6 | CLEAVER | Skilful when holding a chopper (7) |
| CLEVER (skilful) around A | ||
| 7 | EQUITABLE | Quite composed and skilled, to be fair (9) |
| (QUITE)* + ABLE (skilled) | ||
| 10 | MIDWIFERY | Practice making personal deliveries (9) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 13 | APPOINTED | Given the situation, dad was brought up sharp (9) |
| AP (reversal (‘brought up’) of PA (dad)) + POINTED (sharp) | ||
| Not convinced by the definition here. ‘Given the position’, well yes. ‘Position’= ‘Situation’, fine. Perhaps, others have a different view. Thanks, Muffyword (@1), for showing that Dante had it 100% right. | ||
| 15 | RENDITION | Dramatic performance in translation (9) |
| Double definition | ||
| ‘Dramatic performance’ as in ‘performance in drama’. | ||
| 17 | RUB DOWN | Not a brush-up – more like a towelling (3,4) |
| RUB DOWN is not RUB UP (brush up, refresh one’s memory) | ||
| 19 | DOUBLET | Suitable wear for an abstainer? (7) |
| DOUBLE- T = TT (an abstainer, teetotaller) | ||
| 21 | PLANT | Factory that goes to pot (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 22 | ARMED | Like Mars, unlike Venus? (5) |
| Mars is the God of War, so he will carry be ARMED. However, Venus (de Milo) doesn’t have arms (anymore), so she’s not ARMED | ||
| I liked this one very much. | ||
Hi Sil and thanks Dante,
Mobcaps defeated me, despite the parsing being straightforward. Quite a nice new word, though.
Situation can mean job, although this usage is something I associate with the USA. Chambers does include this definition, however.
I got stuck in the NW.
1a I had the d from 1d but nothing more to go on.
2d All I had was ????r?? and even if lucerne fleeetingly crossed my mind, I didn’t make any connection with cow food.
3d With only ????n???t I was never going to get this.
8a I guessed it was headwear but I don’t really see how you can then get the answer without googling 18th century womens’ headwear.
13a Should have got this.
Thanks Sil
Thanks Muffyword for explaining the ‘situation’. 🙂
I was too lazy to ask Mrs Chambers.
Mobcap – indeed, Bamberger – I could only find by googling.
But I am never afraid to do that as I see it as learning from crosswords.
As I said in my blog, next week there are some more caps.
Already curious what solvers think of these.
No please, don’t tell me now!!
I still think this wasn’t the easiest of Dantes because of all these cryptic definitions.
In the classified ads section in Indian newspapers ‘situation vacant’ is a common category.
Must be a relic from the Raj. ‘Situation’ in the sense of ‘office, employment’ must have been common in British English too. In any case, it is in Chambers.