Monday Prize Crossword/Sep 2
Pleasant start of the FT week, this Crux crossword.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | GUNSMITH | The Colt’s legend as told by its creator? (8) |
| GUN’S ((the) Colt’s) + MITH (homophone (‘as told’) of MYTH (legend)) – definition: creator of (e.g.) the Colt (‘its’) | ||
| 5 | ABRADE | Scrape off a scruffy beard (6) |
| A + (BEARD)* | ||
| 10 | INTER | Bedouin terrorists’ hiding place underground (5) |
| Hidden solution: [Bedou]IN TER[rorists] | ||
| 11 | IRON CROSS | Press displeased with this award for bravery (4,5) |
| IRON (press) + CROSS (displeased) | ||
| 12 | CRUCIFORM | It could describe the end of tax, literally (9) |
| The end of ‘tax’ is X and it has the shape of a cross (literally, i.e. according to the letter), hence CRUCIFORM | ||
| 13 | TINGE | A suspicion can turn, for example (5) |
| TIN (can) + GE (reversal (‘turn’) of EG (for example)) | ||
| 14 | SHOGUN | Japanese dictator’s heartless weapon (6) |
| SHOTGUN (weapon) minus the T in the middle (‘heartless’) | ||
| 15 | RUSSELL | Victorian PM right to join American market (7) |
| R (right) + US (American) + SELL (market) | ||
| 18 | CANDLES | Wicked things, maybe Roman (7) |
| CANDLES can be seen as ‘wicked things’ (drawn up inflammable liquid) while perhaps fireworks expert Flashling can tell us everything about Roman Candles – so, a kind of double definition | ||
| 20 | COURSE | Church protects what belongs to us, in a way (6) |
| CE (Church) around OURS (what belongs to us) | ||
| 22 | TONIC | Put on ice to keep something nice and fresh (5) |
| Hidden solution: [pu]T ON IC[e] | ||
| 24 | LANDRAILS | Shy birds alight on fence (9) |
| LAND (alight) + RAILS (fence) | ||
| Apparently, these are birds that are ‘shy’. Also known as corncrakes. | ||
| 25 | ROVING EYE | Amorous interest shown by defective vision, apparently (6,3) |
| Double / Cryptic definition | ||
| 26 | OLDIE | Veteran soldier being shelled (5) |
| One more hidden solution: [s]OLDIE[r] | ||
| 27 | EXETER | City of old beheaded saint (6) |
| EX (old) + [p]ETER (Saint PETER being ‘beheaded’) | ||
| 28 | ON REMAND | Name Dr No created in custody (2,6) |
| (NAME DR NO)* | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | GLITCH | Extremely gradual tingling leads to sudden hiccup (6) |
| G[radua]L + ITCH (tingling) | ||
| 2 | NOT MUCH ON | Little to do when modelling swimwear, say (3,4,2) |
| Double definition | ||
| 3 | MARRIAGE LICENCE | Union given freedom that allows match-fixing! (8,7) |
| MARRIAGE (union) + LICENCE (freedom that allows) – the definition is cryptic | ||
| 4 | TRICORN | Old hat-trick doesn’t finish – or never starts (7) |
| TRIC[k] + OR + N[ever] | ||
| 6 | BACK TO SQUARE ONE | Start over, from the Piazza del Popolo, perhaps (4,2,6,3) |
| Cryptic definition, perhaps | ||
| The Piazza del Popolo (in Rome) is an example of a ‘square’ which Crux probably uses to make this into a cryptic definition. Unfortunately, I cannot see anything more exciting. | ||
| 7 | ADORN | Some trouble with sailors on deck (5) |
| ADO (some trouble) + RN (sailors, Royal Navy) | ||
| 8 | EASTERLY | Festival starts to lose youth – a bitter blow for the UK (8) |
| EASTER (festival) + L[ose] Y[outh] – definition: a wind from the East | ||
| 9 | BOOMER | Kangaroo’s startling cry gets me rattled at first (6) |
| BOO (startling cry) + ME + R[attled] | ||
| 16 | EAST INDIA | Old company adapted Asian diet (4,5) |
| (ASIAN DIET)* – definition: East India Company (1600-1874) | ||
| 17 | SCOT FREE | Unpunished – the reverse of what Wallace hoped to be (4,4) |
| The second part of the clue is referring to Sir William Wallace, a 13th century Scottish national hero and leader of the Scottish resistance to Edward I | ||
| 19 | SILVER | The finest conductor? 40% agree! (6) |
| 40% of ‘agree’ is Ag which is SILVER, a metal having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal | ||
| This was my last one in after it took me days to see the answer. Nice clue! | ||
| 20 | CONCERN | Business worry (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | ASCEND | Take off a commercial without endless fuss (6) |
| AD (a commercial) around SCEN[e] (SCENE (fuss), endless) | ||
| 23 | NOVAE | New stars appear as East River rises (5) |
| Reversal (‘rises’) of {E (East) + AVON (river)} | ||
Quite a few that I didn’t get.
9d I didn’t know that a kangaroo was a boomer.
19d Totally defeated me.
24a I had simply never heard of
27a For reasons that would have had made perfect sense at the time I had 23d as novas so with e?s?e? I was stuck
21d I convinced myself that I was looking for another word for fuss and therefore the answer was something like an[another word for endless]ad. So much for that theory.