Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of 27 September, 2014
Here’s another new setter in our Weekend space. Welcome, Goliath. I had a bit of a struggle completing this puzzle with some clues of a slightly new and different flavour. My choice clues are 27a (TEA BAG) and 30a (EGOMANIA).
ACROSS
1, 18 Be of a romantic disposition with everyone’s game (8,8)
AMERICAN FOOTBALL – anagram of BE OF A ROMANTIC + ALL (everyone)
5 I’m off this size (2,4)
SO LONG – double definition
9 What’s covered in explosive deadly chemical? (8)
ALDEHYDE – EH (what) in anagram of DEADLY
10 Take to court about rubbish figure (6)
STATUE – TAT (rubbish) in SUE (take to court)
12 Spread wide apart for man going down? (9)
DIVERGENT – DIVER GENT (man going down?)
13 Observers left half a dozen jugs (5)
EWERS – [vi]EWERS (observers left half a dozen)
14 God’s waterway flows in the opposite direction (4)
ZEUS – SUEZ (waterway) backwards
16 Tummy bear (7)
STOMACH – double definition
19 Saw rambler occupying position in middle of pub (7)
PROVERB – ROVER (rambler) in P[u]B
21 Implement chronicled by Hogarth (4)
RAKE – double definition
24 Available hot or cold (2,3)
ON TAP – double definition
25 Making minister, on the other hand, hear condescension (9)
ORDAINING – OR (on the other hand) + DAINING homophone (“deigning”)
27 Offbeat silver contains leaves (3,3)
TEA BAG – anagram of BEAT + AG (silver)
28 Ordway amegay (3,5)
PIG LATIN – “word game” in Pig Latin! Do we call this an &lit?
29 The ultimate in bad service rail? A journey suffers (6)
DELAYS – [ba]D [servic]E [rai]L A [journe]Y [suffer]S. And an &lit.
30 The cult of self-image on a roll (8)
EGOMANIA – anagram of IMAGE ON A
DOWN
1 Since having accepted drawback, got prizes (6)
AWARDS – DRAW (draw[back]) backwards in AS (since)
2 Finish compiler’s salad green (6)
ENDIVE – END (finish) + I’VE (compiler’s)
3 14’s blood not wholly terpsichorean (5)
ICHOR – hidden word
4, 20 Contacts notice frock and express disapproval by weekend (7,4)
ADDRESS BOOK – AD (notice) + DRESS (frock) + BOO (express disapproval) + [wee]K
6 See 22
7 See 22
8 Childplay’s coming to dinner in film (5,3)
GUESS WHO – double definition. I remember well seeing this 1967 movie, “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner”, with Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier when it was new.
11, 21 To rise, singer did play 22 ,6, 7 (4,7)
OTIS REDDING – TO (to) backwards + anagram of SINGER DID
15 Politician in real trouble seen embraced by topless sexy model (9)
EXEMPLARY – MP (politician) in anagram of REAL all in anagram of [s]EXY
17 Pulled out delinquent after riding hopper (8)
UPROOTED – UP (riding) + ROO (hopper) + TED (delinquent)
18 See 1 across
20 See 4
21 See 11
22, 6, 7 Hit wobbly soft body? Take it on the chin (6,2,3,4,2,3,3)
SITTIN’ ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY – anagram of SOFT BODY TAKE IT ON THE CHIN
23 A danger almost interfered with what to talk about (6)
AGENDA – anagram of A DANGE[r]
26 Author criticises religion (5)
ISLAM – I (author) + SLAM (criticises). I suppose that, because the subject becomes a first person, we must adjust the verb from third to first person as well. Not sure I like this.
Thanks Goliath and Pete
You’re right about his first crack at a weekend prize puzzle … could only find records of three other week day puzzles before. I like his style … has a nice mix of clue types – and is not afraid to go left field as in PIG LATIN.
Also notice a John Halpern like risqué surface with DIVERGENT and a bit with EXEMPLARY.
Thought that DELAYS was excellent and the OTIS REDDING couple were also good.
My heart sank when I saw all the cross references but I thought I’d give it a go. I got 24a,16a,10a & 2d then came to a grinding halt and at no stage did I feel like going to back to it . 28a meant nothing to me . Not my cup at all -hope others enjoyed it. Just for good measure the Grauniad was full of cross references and the Indie was an Anax.
Well done Pete
I struggled (then I usually do) but ended up only five clues short. I guessed Pig Latin as I’d never heard the term and had to look it up.
Not my favourite. I didn’t like the fact that if you didn’t know the song (as of course I didn’t) and are not a fan of Otis Redding (as I’m not) then it’s just a matter of Googling him and finding the song that fits, then justifying it. Was less than happy in 11,21 with ‘To rise’ to indicate the reversal of ‘to’. I couldn’t see how this clue worked: where is the definition? I suppose it’s meant to be an &lit., but if so then the whole clue is a pretty feeble definition of Otis R.
And, to make things worse, there were three instances of the Gateshead thing (27ac, 1dn, 4,20), something that I don’t personally mind really but I know irritates a lot of people.
The parsing of 28ac defeated me utterly. And it still does, actually.