Financial Times 14,637 – Crux

Monday Prize Crossword/June 2

One absolute priceless clue (built around Tony Blair, 10ac) made me forget about some weak cryptic definitions in the Down clues in an otherwise very fine crossword.

Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.

Across
1	ONE FINE DAY	Dreadful English summer noted by Puccini (3,4,3)
		Double / Cryptic definition
		A very nice clue to start with. “One Fine Day” is the English translation of “Un Bel Di” from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

7	GRIT	By taking it, Greece shows determination (4)
		GR (Greece) + IT

9	TORY	Blue Train’s first or last in Kimberley (4)
		T[rain] OR [Kimberle]Y

10	WAR CABINET	With Blair left out we can’t form this special committee (3,7)
		(B[l]AIR + WE CAN’T)*
		As I said in my preamble: priceless!

11	PAUPER	Essay about Union becoming bankrupt (6)
		PAPER (essay) around U (Union)
		It is tempting to think that U is an abbreviation for “Union” but I cannot find it in my dictionaries. However, I do not have every single one available.

12	CONCERTS	Cheats include a sure winner in these shows (8)
		CONS (cheats) around CERT (a sure winner)

13	WELL-TO-DO	Being rich, we fuss over bill – not half! (4-2-2)
		{WE + TO-DO (fuss)} around [bi]LL

15	PEAR	Fruit and vegetable found by river (4)
		PEA (vegetable) + R (river)

17	FLOG	Swing a cat, perhaps, in a game from the east (4)
		Reversal (‘from the east’) of: GOLF (a game)

19	GOINGS-ON	Enter silly song to make mischief (6-2)
		GO IN (enter) + (SONG)*

22	AGRARIAN	Indian city needs rain, surprisingly – it’s to do with farming (8)
		AGRA (Indian city) + (RAIN)*

23	CALMER	More relaxed form of religious justice, reportedly (6)
		Homophone (‘reportedly’) of: KARMA (form of religious justice)

25	COMMODORES	Mom scored nothing, unfortunately, for the Officers (10)
		(MOM + SCORED + O (nothing))*

26	GNAT	Bite back like a small insect (4)
		Reversal (‘back’) of: TANG (bite)
		Crux is usually one of the more precise setters but I fear I am not taken by the use of “like” as a link word here.

27	ONER	Heavy blow seen as something unique (4)
		Double definition

28	POLES APART	East Europeans take on a role that’s very different (5,5)
		POLES (East Europeans) + A PART (a role)


Down
2	NEONATE	Gas ingested by newborn child (7)
		NEON (gas) + ATE (ingested)

3	FRY-UP	Social reformer not in bed for breakfast? (3-2)
		FRY (social reformer) + UP (not in bed)
		This is not Stephen, but Elizabeth Fry (1780-1845) who was at the forefront of reforming the penal system.

4	NEW BROOM	With recent upturn about right, one should make changes (3,5)
		NEW (recent) + {BOOM (upturn) around R (right)}

5	DIRECTOR-GENERAL	Auntie’s top dog (8-7)
		Cryptic definition

6	YEARNS	Desires stories about the end of innocence (6)
		YARNS (stories) around [innocenc]E

7	GUINEA PIG	Pet subject of experimental interest (6,3)
		Cryptic definition

8	INERTIA	Display laziness in old Scottish county, some say (7)
		Homophone (‘some say’) of: IN AYRSHIRE (old Scottish county)
		I tried to fit in an old Scottish county and this came as close as I could think of. Or, maybe, it’s Nairnshire. Who knows, perhaps I am on the wrong track anyway.

14	LEG-WARMER	Kind of hose that’s a foot short (3-6)
		Cryptic definition

16	CIRCUSES	With bread, they kept the Roman mob happy, we’re told (8)
		‘Bread and Circuses’ (a variant of ‘Bread and Games’ which is more familiar to me) kept the people happy in Roman times

18	LEGHORN	Chicken cooked longer gets hot inside (7)
		H (hot) inside (LONGER)*

20	OPEN-AIR	Begin with a song like 12 in Hyde Park (4-3)
		OPEN (begin) + AIR (a song)
		Concerts (12ac) in Hyde Park are Open-Air concerts.

21	WIND UP	Close down an annoying sort of merchant (4,2)
		Double definition

24	LEG-UP	A helping hand, paradoxically (3-2)
		Cryptic definition
		One of the better cryptic definitions today.

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