Monday Prize Crossword/Apr 14
Pleasant Monday morning entertainment from Crux, mostly quite easy although the SE forced me to use some major braincells.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | TETHER | Some write the rules to restrain boxers, say (6) |
| Hidden solution (‘some’): [wri]TE THE R[ules] | ||
| I guess, the boxers are dogs here. | ||
| 4 | FACELIFT | Truth about a dissipated life evident in wrinkle treatment (8) |
| FACT (truth) around (LIFE)* | ||
| 9 | NEW AGE | A quarter payment for period beginning late 1980s (3,3) |
| NE (a quarter, North-East) + WAGE (payment) | ||
| 10 | ANTI-HERO | Unconventional leading man is hostile to her love (4-4) |
| ANTI (hostile) + HER + O (love) | ||
| 12 | OCCLUDES | Work out codes and short clue in blocks (8) |
| (CODES + CLU[e])* | ||
| 13 | CALL-UP | Ring for compulsory service (4-2) |
| CALL UP (ring) | ||
| More or less a double definition but, for me, the hyphen makes a difference. | ||
| 15 | DRIP | Wimp, one of 6, stalking daughter (4) |
| D (daughter) + RIP (one of 6, ie clue 6d: EPITAPHS) | ||
| 16 | SMALL HOURS | Short periods most of us sleep through (5,5) |
| SMALL (short) HOURS (periods) | ||
| The clue as a whole should be seen as the definition. | ||
| 19 | MORAL FIBRE | For me Blair could display guts (5,5) |
| (FOR ME BLAIR)* | ||
| 20 | ADAM | A mother – and a man without one! (4) |
| A + DAM (mother) | ||
| 23 | YELLOW | Chicken in centre of egg (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | COLLARED | Caught like some doves (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 27 | ENTREATY | Marshal Ney to welcome party petition (8) |
| (NEY)* around TREAT (party) | ||
| 28 | SCROLL | Ancient book of science and revolution (6) |
| SC (science) + ROLL (revolution) | ||
| This was my penultimate entry. I hesitated about SC for ‘science’ as it’s not a stand-alone abbreviation but only part of MSc or BSc, for example. Also, SCROLL for an ‘ancient book’ didn’t ring any bells. Now I see. | ||
| 29 | OVERSEAS | Love poetry, for instance, from abroad (8) |
| O (love, again!) + VERSE (poetry) + AS (for instance) | ||
| 30 | SETTER | Winner at Cruft’s, maybe, that’s me! (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| Crufts, the UK’s most famous dog show. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | TENFOLD | Juliet’s last embrace means so much more (7) |
| [julie]T + ENFOLD (embrace) | ||
| 2 | TOWN CRIER | Proclaimer of Spooner’s sovereign flag (4,5) |
| Spoonerism: CROWN (sovereign) TIRE (flag) | ||
| 3 | EGG CUP | Where part of clutch gets broken (3,3) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 5 | ACNE | Teenager’s complaint leads to admiring comments? Not exactly! (4) |
| Starting letters (‘leads’): A[dmiring] C[omments] N[ot] R[eally] | ||
| 6 | EPITAPHS | “Mine’s in poor shape”. Famous last words (8) |
| PIT (mine) inside (SHAPE)* | ||
| 7 | IDEAL | Apart from starter, cooking hailed as perfect (5) |
| ([h]AILED)* | ||
| 8 | TROUPES | Painful posture for performers of Swan Lake (7) |
| (POSTURE)* | ||
| 11 | MERMAID | Fabulous woman, first of many I dream about (7) |
| (M[any] + I + DREAM)* | ||
| 14 | CLARION | Loud, clear and rousing band touring Brazilian city (7) |
| CLAN (band) around RIO (Brazilian city) | ||
| I was tempted to make to make ‘rousing’ part of the definition but in the end I didn’t do it. For me, ‘rousing’ is somewhat hanging in the air. | ||
| 17 | UNDERFOOT | Little babies often are, at less than twelve inches (9) |
| UNDER FOOT (less than twelve inches) | ||
| The last thing a parent wants, though. | ||
| 18 | ALMONERS | Taking time off, most learn to retrain as hospital workers (8) |
| (MOS[t] + LEARN)* | ||
| 19 | MAY BE SO | Scholar obeys, perhaps? Perhaps (3,2,2) |
| MA (scholar) + (OBEYS)* | ||
| 21 | MODULAR | Half duly penetrates tooth, in several parts (7) |
| DU[ly] inside MOLAR (tooth) | ||
| 22 | CLICHÉ | Short, sharp sound he makes “till the cows come home” eg (6) |
| CLIC[k] (sharp sound, shortened) + HE | ||
| This was my last one in after 28ac gave me the second C. | ||
| 24 | LITHE | Flexible move like a snake being peeled! (5) |
| SLITHER (move like a snake) minus the beginning and the end (‘peeled’) | ||
| 26 | ETNA | Sweet narcotic that ensnares a smoker (4) |
| Hidden solution (‘ensnares’): [swe]ET NA[rcotic] | ||
I was defeated by 19d and 22d.
Does “may be so” = perhaps?
Will Bayern win the Champions League? Perhaps but “it may be so”. The only way it might work would be it in dialect speak. Is it going to rain? Man in pub with straw in mouth (and I don’t mean drinking straw)-“May be so”