Monday Prize Crossword/Oct 6
With Dante one knows what to expect but while most of the solutions went in smoothly, a few others made me decide that this puzzle was a bit of a mixed bag. I am afraid that I even failed to complete the crossword in a proper way due to 8d.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SUPERB | Pubs re-built, providing choice (6) |
| (PUBS + RE)* [* = built] | ||
| One should ignore the hyphen. | ||
| 4 | WASHED UP | Deposited on the shore – or on the rocks (6,2) |
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | AGINCOURT | A spirit to woo results in engagement for Henry (9) |
| A + GIN (spirit) + COURT (to woo) | ||
| Simple clue but nice surface. | ||
| 11 | LEGAL | It’s perfectly right, for example, inside, all wrong outside (5) |
| EG (for example) inside (ALL)* [* = wrong] | ||
| 12 | ICON | Picture held firm in frame (4) |
| CO (firm, company) inside IN | ||
| This doesn’t work for me. Apparently, CO is held by IN. But ‘held’ is in an awkward position and the word ‘frame’ to indicate that IN goes around is a bit odd too. Perhaps, Dante wants to see ‘frame’ as an imperative but then … well, I don’t know. | ||
| 13 | PROMINENCE | Cliff gets top billing (10) |
| Double definition | ||
| 15 | LEECHES | Suckers for old-fashioned medical treatment (7) |
| (Not so) Cryptic definition | ||
| 16 | TULIPS | Some bulbs need it, plus development (6) |
| (IT PLUS)* [* = development] | ||
| 19 | RAMROD | It goes straight down the barrel (6) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| My LOI which I only found by looking at what’s possible with ?A?R?D (which is quite a lot, I fear). and taking what’s most likely. | ||
| 21 | DROPLET | Doctor needs work-permit for drip (7) |
| DR (Doctor) + OP (work) + LET (permit) | ||
| 23 | OPPOSITION | Resistance to work on site (10) |
| OP (work) + POSITION (site) | ||
| …. and one more OP. | ||
| 25 | WREN | Novel reflection about a small river bird (4) |
| WEN (reversal (‘reflection’) of NEW (novel)) around R (river, small i.e. abbreviated) | ||
| 27 | TEPEE | Where to find the brave finally put to the sword (5) |
| [pu]T + EPEE (sword) | ||
| 28 | HALITOSIS | Personal unpleasantness? Lois has it, unfortunately (9) |
| (LOIS HAS IT)* [* = unfortunately] | ||
| 29 | DOWNSIDE | Not the best situation for a county team (8) |
| DOWN (county, in Ireland) + SIDE (team) | ||
| 30 | WHIMSY | My wish is for something fancy (6) |
| (MY WISH)* [* = is for] | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SPANIELS | Painless treatment for dogs (8) |
| (PAINLESS)* [* treatment] | ||
| 2 | PHILOMENA | Girl providing plain home-cooking (9) |
| (PLAIN HOME)* [* = cooking] | ||
| Time to ignore one more hyphen. The solution is also a nice film starring Judy Dench and Steve Coogan (which has nothing to do with the clue, of course). | ||
| 3 | RACE | Run of the mill ethnic group (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 5 | ATTEMPT | Try and go (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| Very weak, in my opinion. Two definitions? The only difference is that one’s a verb and the other a noun. | ||
| 6 | HALF-NELSON | Son, perhaps, seen in the ring (4-6) |
| ‘Son’ is half of ‘Nelson’ | ||
| Liked this one. | ||
| 7 | DIG IN | Invitation to trenchermen (3,2) |
| Cryptic / Double definition | ||
| 8 | PELMET | It often provides cover for the runners (6) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| My penultimate one in, as PULSES, and out again because I had no idea what was really going on here. I could see a link with runners (i.e. beans) [deleted part, not relevant anymore] but if so, I don’t think that the first part of the clue is grammatically right. As ever I am open to better ideas on how this works. See posts 1,2 and 3. Thanks all. | ||
| 9 | HUBRIS | Insolence of the centre right is inviting disaster (6) |
| HUB (centre) + R (right) + IS | ||
| Because the clue needed a bit more after the constructional part, Dante decided to split the definition in two. | ||
| 14 | CHORISTERS | They sing the praises of various rich stores (10) |
| (RICH STORES)* [* = various] | ||
| 17 | PALTRY SUM | Friend to attempt maths problem? It doesn’t come to much (6,3) |
| PAL (friend) + TRY (attempt) + SUM (maths problem) | ||
| 18 | STANDS BY | Is prepared and defends (6,2) |
| Double definition | ||
| 20 | DITCHED | Abandoned, many felt irritated (7) |
| D (many, e.g. 500) + ITCHED (felt irritated) | ||
| 21 | DROOLS | Slavers exchanged or sold (6) |
| (OR SOLD)* [* = exchanged] | ||
| 22 | MOOTED | Suggested by a low fellow? (6) |
| MOO (low) + TED (fellow) | ||
| 24 | PAPAW | Father William’s capital fruit (5) |
| PAPA (father) + W[illiam] | ||
| 26 | UTAH | It is fashionable to raise one’s cap in America (4) |
| U (fashionable) + TAH (reversal (‘to raise’) of HAT (one’s cap)) | ||
| I know that some setters do it but I don’t like these kind of incomplete definitions. | ||
Hi Sil,
I had PULLEY for 8dn, although I didn’t like it and wonder now whether it is PELMET.
8 Down: I had it as PELMET, covering curtain runners.
Thanks for the blog.
Thanks for the blog.
I, too, had PELMET for 8d with PULLEY as a possible alternative. I hadn’t even considered PULSES – it fits RUNNERS but, as you say, I don’t think it fits “it often provides cover” because it would have to be PULSE rather than PULSES.
We’ll just have to wait ’til Monday for the official answer.
Thanks all for putting me out of my misery re 8d.
I’m going for PELMET now rather than PULLEY.
Blog updated.
Thanks Dante and Sil
The usual fare and was also not entirely happy with ICON or ATTEMPT.
Funnily enough PELMET went in without any alternatives considered at 8d. Last one, and probably my favourite, was HALF NELSON.
Re 8D – the official answer has been given as ‘pelmet’ which most of us had opted for.