Monday Prize Crossword/Jan 13
A sound and elegant puzzle by Crux. No controversies today!
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | STRENGTH | Final couples in twist are dancing with vigour (8) |
| [twi]ST + [a]RE + [danci]NG + [wi]TH | ||
| Easy but nice start of the crossword. | ||
| 5 | SISKIN | Little bird is found inside hide! (6) |
| IS inside SKIN (hide) | ||
| 9 | APOSTATE | Deserter gets a job making tea (8) |
| A + POST (job) + (TEA)* | ||
| 10 | MODERN | With it the navy follows procedure (6) |
| RN (navy, Royal Navy) following MODE (procedure) | ||
| 11 | CHEW OVER | Cut in insurance to think about (4,4) |
| HEW (cut) inside COVER (insurance) | ||
| 12 | BLAGUE | Silver in colour, like 8 (6) |
| AG (silver) inside BLUE (colour) | ||
| 8 is 8d which is ‘nonsense’. My solving partner immediately fell in love with the word BLAGUE. | ||
| 14 | BEHIND BARS | Where alcohol is kept locked up (6,4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 18 | SPRING TIDE | High water content of sprout diet, perhaps (6,4) |
| SPRING (sprout, as a verb) + (DIET)* | ||
| 22 | STANCE | Pakistan certainly takes this position when batting (6) |
| Hidden solution: [paki]STAN CE[rtainly] | ||
| 23 | BRANDISH | Wave around one’s breakfast bowl? (8) |
| One’s ‘breakfast bowl’ could be called a BRAN/DISH | ||
| 24 | ELICIT | Extract not allowed on the radio (6) |
| Homophone (‘on the radio’) of: ILLICIT (not allowed) | ||
| 25 | FLOODLIT | Like a match held in the dark, no doubt (8) |
| Cryptic definition, I guess | ||
| 26 | TETHER | Three central locations could give you the lead (6) |
| (THREE + [loca]T[ions])* | ||
| 27 | PAGEANTS | Processions take a long time in 8 (8) |
| AGE (a long time) inside PANTS (8, ie 8d: ‘nonsense’) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SCARCE | Rare shock when Conservative gets in (6) |
| C (Conservative) inside SCARE (shock) | ||
| 2 | RHODES | Greek island with extremely rich poetry (6) |
| R[ic]H + ODES (poetry) | ||
| 3 | NOTION | Vague idea of a negative particle (6) |
| NOT (negative) + ION (particle) | ||
| 4 | TO THE DEATH | Test hothead ruined, losing seconds – fatally! (2,3,5) |
| (TEST HOTHEAD)* minus S (seconds) | ||
| 6 | IRON LADY | Presswoman at No 10, once? (4,4) |
| IRON (press) LADY (woman) | ||
| 7 | KEEP GOAL | Support aim to stop strikes, essentially (4,4) |
| KEEP (support) + GOAL (aim) | ||
| Yes, that’s the essence of being a goalkeeper. | ||
| 8 | NONSENSE | Stuff may be associated with this rubbish (8) |
| Think ‘stuff and nonsense’ | ||
| 13 | CINDERELLA | Doctor recalled in rags-to-riches tale (10) |
| (RECALLED IN)* | ||
| 15 | AS I SEE IT | Possibly easiest one, in my opinion (2,1,3,2) |
| (EASIEST + I (one))* | ||
| We thought, this was a charmer! | ||
| 16 | ORGANIST | Arrange to show time, not key, like this musician (8) |
| ORGANISE (arrange) with the E (key) replaced by T (time) | ||
| 17 | INACTIVE | Still popular stage show I’ve taken on (8) |
| IN (popular) + ACT (stage show) + I’VE | ||
| 19 | ENCORE | Repeat call before admitting sergeant (6) |
| ERE (before) around NCO (sergeant, non-commissioned officer) | ||
| 20 | FILL-IN | Substitute not quite satisfying hunger (4-2) |
| FILLING (satisfying hunger), ‘not quite’ ie missing the final letter (G) | ||
| 21 | CHUTES | Slides or photographs, say (6) |
| Homophone (‘say’) of : SHOOTS (photographs) | ||
| Nice surface, took us a while to see it. | ||
2d There seems to have been a misprint in the paper version of the puzzle – clue was given as ‘Greek island with extremely rich 7’.
Thanks to Sil and Cruz
When I first read 14a I thought the solution was Spirit Safe.
I thought this was an unfriendly grid with it being effectively four mini crosswords. Only got 6d in the NE segment.
5a I hadn’t come across this bird.
10a Never thought of mode
12a If you asked me if blague really existed I would definitely have said no
8d I think that is tough if you only have ??????s? to go on.
Glad it was you who had to solve it and not me!