Monday Prize Crossword/Jun 30
Friendly crossword by Crux with his typical light touch.
I particularly liked the Spoonerism of 2d but I’m afraid I still can’t get used to this setter’s cryptic definitions (clues like 11ac, 3d or 9d just leave me cold).
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | GETS OVER | Explains half of German votes being spoiled (4,4) |
| (GER[man] + VOTES)* | ||
| 5 | MID-AIR | Where skylark sings the song in its heart (3-3) |
| MID (… in its heart) + AIR (the song …) | ||
| 10 | STUFF | Materials to make jam (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 11 | DEEP-FRIED | Prepared to raise your cholesterol? (4-5) |
| Cryptic definition, punning on two meanings of ‘prepared’ | ||
| 12 | ETHICALLY | Honestly, the lunatic in charge wants a partner! (9) |
| (THE)* + IC (in charge) + ALLY (partner) | ||
| 13 | TENET | A firm belief from east or west (5) |
| Palindrome (‘from east or west’) | ||
| 14 | GO EASY | Be lenient if Fatty’s run out for a duck (2,4) |
| GREASY (fatty) with the R (run) replaced by an O (duck, nothing) | ||
| 15 | LEARNER | Novice gets knight trapped by King and Queen (7) |
| N (knight) inside {LEAR (King) + ER (Queen)} | ||
| 18 | TUNISIA | Strangely, it is a UN country (7) |
| (IT IS A UN)* | ||
| 20 | SEDATE | Drug partly confused a terrorist (6) |
| Hidden solution (‘partly’): [confu]SED A TE[rrorist] | ||
| 22 | RELIC | What remains of high priest is kept in church (5) |
| ELI (high priest) inside RC (church, Roman Catholic) | ||
| 24 | BLOWTORCH | Light wind at first that can strip paint! (9) |
| TORCH (light) with BLOW (wind) coming first | ||
| 25 | EMPRESSES | President inside seems disturbed by powerful women (9) |
| PRES (President) inside (SEEMS)* | ||
| 26 | RULER | It’s made to measure, one of 25 for example (5) |
| Double definition, the second one referring to the previous clue | ||
| 27 | NUDIST | Turn brown? It’s possible one may well do (6) |
| NUD (reversal (‘turn’) of DUN (brown)) + (IT S)* – the clue as a whole is the definition | ||
| 28 | OLD STYLE | Roman calendar that’s out-of-date (3,5) |
| Double definition | ||
| Old Style, according to the Julian calendar as opposed to New Style, according to the Gregorian calendar. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | GASKET | Seal steak cooked with a bit of garlic (6) |
| (STEAK + G[arlic])* | ||
| 2 | TOUCH DOWN | Spooner’s description of Arnhem landing? (5,4) |
| Spoonerism of ‘Dutch Town’ (description of Arnhem) | ||
| Some solvers don’t like Spoonerisms but, I think, this is an excellent one as fodder and definition are linked (think WW II). | ||
| 3 | OFFICIAL SECRETS | Government acts to ensure confidence, hopefully (8,7) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 4 | ENDPLAY | Final bridge plan requires complete diversion (7) |
| END (complete) + PLAY (diversion) | ||
| Initially I had here ‘endgame’ but 14ac made me change my mind. | ||
| 6 | IN FITS AND STARTS | Laughing helplessly, Desperate Dan begins spasmodically (2,4,3,6) |
| IN FITS (laughing helplessly) + (DAN)* + STARTS (begins) | ||
| 7 | ALIEN | Foreigner with a right to property (5) |
| A + LIEN (right to property) | ||
| 8 | REDSTART | Bird heralding foul weather at dawn? (8) |
| Double / Cryptic definition | ||
| 9 | JEKYLL | The doctor’s better half (6) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 16 | NATURALLY | Friend who’s governed by short temper, of course (9) |
| NATUR[e] (temper, shortened) + ALLY (friend) | ||
| 17 | STURGEON | The way to motivate fish (8) |
| ST (the way, street) + URGE ON (to motivate) | ||
| 19 | ABBESS | A bishop Elizabeth supported as religious leader (6) |
| A + B (bishop) + BESS (Elizabeth) | ||
| 20 | SPOUSAL | Paul’s so insecure in marriage (7) |
| (PAUL’S SO)* – is he? 🙂 | ||
| 21 | CHARGE | Offensive accusation (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | LOPED | Moved quickly, also spread evenly (5) |
| Even letters of: [a]L[s]O [s]P[r]E[a]D | ||
Thanks Crux and Sil
First try of this setter and found it pretty enjoyable. It drew three initial write-in errors including a couple of the cryptic definitions – ‘endgame’ for ENDPLAY, ‘success’ instead of SECRETS before twigging to OFFICIAL and ‘old timer’ for OLD STYLE (which was a new term to me in respect to the Julian calendar!). I also spelt JEKYLL wrong the first time.
Eventually got there … and nice to see a Monday puzzle to make one think a bit.