Monday Prize Crossword/Dec 23
A Carte Rosée from Dante, meaning an empty grid with only blanks. Finding the position of the black squares wasn’t as bad as it initially seemed to be, though.
Last year, Dante had a Carte Rosée too. Not being familiar with this kind of thing at all, I was saved by the fact that the solution of a previous puzzle (on the same page) had exactly the same grid. However, not this time. I was surprised to find the grid very quickly after just a few solutions and – very important – the message that the grid was symmetrical through 180°. The latter taught me that Across clue #1 had the same enumeration as Across clue #16, just like this was the case for #2 and #15 and so on.
A very enjoyable exercise that nonetheless gave me a few question marks in the parsing of some clues (19ac , 29ac). But help will surely be on its way, I presume. Many thanks to Dante!
Definitions are – as ever – underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
Please find below a pic of the completed grid plus the usual explanations.
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Oh, and of course, a very Happy New Year to everyone!!
| Across | ||
| 1 | CASTAWAY | One abandoned by actors on tour |
| CAST (actors) + AWAY (on tour) | ||
| 5 | AGREED | A sin that’s understood |
| A + GREED (sin) | ||
| 9 | PUBLICAN | People wanting a new landlord |
| PUBLIC (people) + A + N (new) | ||
| 10 | MOUTHS | Opened by patients perhaps, possibly shut by the doctor |
| MO ((the) doctor) + (SHUT)* | ||
| 12 | REACH | Stretch of water |
| Double definition | ||
| 13 | CLOSE CALL | Certainly no far cry from safety |
| CLOSE (no far) CALL (cry), with the clue as a whole as the definition | ||
| 14 | SIMPLY | Just taking a second to make suggestions |
| S ((a) second) + IMPLY (to make suggestions) | ||
| 16 | REQUEST | Ask for another search? |
| RE-QUEST might be ‘another search’ | ||
| 19 | PIERROT | Promenade concert performer |
| What I thought was: PIER (promenade) + ROT (concert ??) but for something better see several comments below | ||
| I am quite sure the solution is right but the parsing eludes me. | ||
| 21 | UNEASY | Being apprehensive is not any use – although it might be |
| (ANY USE)* | ||
| 23 | ADMISSION | Entry to a profession |
| AD (to a) + MISSION (profession) | ||
| 25 | ANNEX | Kiss a girl before one is attached |
| X (kiss) with ANNE (a girl) coming before it | ||
| 26 | LAPDOG | Pet greyhound? |
| Double/Cryptic definition – a LAPDOG can be seen as a dog completing a lap (in a race) | ||
| 27 | IMPERIAL | Hazard around a beard |
| IMPERIL (hazard, as a verb) around A | ||
| 28 | DIPPER | Fair bird? |
| Kind of double definition, the first one referring to a fairground attraction (the Big Dipper) | ||
| 29 | ODDBALLS | Eccentrics dance in all probability |
| BALL (dance) inside ODDS (all probability?) | ||
| I am happy to hear from anyone who has a more accurate explanation for the second part of the clue. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | CAPERS | They’re not necessarily cut in pickle-making |
| Cryptic definition, punning on ‘cut a caper’ | ||
| 2 | SUBMARINE | Craft likely to go under |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 3 | AMISH | Sect making friends in France with Henry |
| AMIS (friends, in France) + H (Henry) | ||
| 4 | ANARCHY | Chief is in some confusion |
| ARCH (chief) inside ANY (some) | ||
| 6 | GROTESQUE | Bizarre request – go mad! |
| (REQUEST GO)* | ||
| This solution intersects REQUEST (16ac) ….. | ||
| 7 | EXTRA | Run more than is necessary |
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | DESOLATE | Does turn dead miserable |
| (DOES)* + LATE (dead) | ||
| 11 | DOOR | One will be put out when shown this |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 15 | PERISCOPE | Fairy with opportunity for looking around |
| PERI (fairy) + SCOPE (opportunity) | ||
| 17 | ESSENTIAL | Sees Latin as a sine qua non |
| (SEES LATIN)* | ||
| 18 | SPRAWLED | In an awkward position, moves ship that’s been raised and escorted |
| SPRAW (reversal (‘that’s been raised’) of WARPS (moves ship, ie by hauling a rope to something ashore)) + LED (escorted) | ||
| 20 | TRIM | Willowy spruce |
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | UNNAMED | Undistinguished and mundane assembly |
| (MUNDANE)* | ||
| 22 | EXILES | Point to eleven the French made outcasts |
| E (point, East) + XI (eleven) + LES (the, French) | ||
| 24 | MOP UP | Doctor with young dog has to clean the mess from the floor |
| MO (doctor, again!) + PUP (young dog) | ||
| 25 | ACERB | Tossing the caber for bitter |
| (CABER)* | ||
Thanks for the blog, Sil. A nice bit of pre-Christmas entertainment from Dante.
I think 19a is a reference to the Pierrot shows that were a feature of some British seaside resorts; i.e. they were concerts on the Promenade.
I can’t help with 29a, unless “in all probability” is “odds on”, and “odds on dance” = “ball in odds”.
Thanks Sil and Dante,
I hadn’t done one of these before, and enjoyed the challenge. I was slowed down by initially having “outcast” instead of CASTAWAY for the crucial first across clue.
I think PIERROT may be a cryptic definition, as this character seems to be associated with seaside shows.
I parsed ODDBALLS as your suggestion. Odds can almost be seen as equivalent to “all probability”. “All” may be a filler word here.
Thanks Dante for an enjoyable puzzle and Sil for the blog. I have nothing to add to previous comments on PIERROT and ODDBALLS, but would like to repeat the remark I made last year: I think we should be told explicitly that the clues are in the normal order.
Thanks, Sil & Dante.
When I saw the blank grid, my first thought was, “Oh, no, not again.” But then I took a look at the clues, solved a few, and decided to give it a go. Sil, I actually followed your method from last year and looked at previous Dante grids. Having solved the last down clue (ACERB), I knew I was looking for a grid where the last down solution was 5 letters. I hit upon the right one in FT 14,449 (21 October).
Lovely one, Dante. I must say I prefer to work out the grid from first principles — almost more fun than the clues themselves. I did it very quickly, but was stymied for a long time by Close Call. Finally I told myself to take the blinkers off and realised it was two words. Thanks, Sil, for the hard work.