Prize crossword from the FT of December 20, 2014
Due to a mistake on my part stemming from the unusually small print on this special crossword, this blog was published about a day and a half late. I offer my apologies for this.
The unstated theme of this puzzle is nicknames of U.S. states. Even though I twigged to this theme rather quickly (from 14a and 21a), I found the puzzle a bit of a slog and would have had trouble finishing without a list of state nicknames that I found on Wikipedia (since I did not have the referenced book at hand and learned only later that is is available online). My top clue is the fine &lit. at 25a (EVA BRAUN). Among the themed clues I especially like 20d (GARDEN) and 43d (PALMETTO).
I have one minor complaint: The statement “the thirty clues that lack thematic definition form three fifths of a set” is not exactly true unless I am missing something. I take it that the set must be the 50 U.S. states but, since four states (Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana and Utah) are each represented by two different nicknames, the thirty clues in question represent thirteen twenty-fifths of the set, not three fifths. Then there is also the fact, which I realized very late, there are, strictly speaking, only 29 clues that lack thematic definition. See my comments on 46a (SUGAR).
ACROSS
1 Representative bemused celibate Frenchmen (10)
EMBLEMATIC – anagram of CELIBATE MM (Monsieurs)
6 Taking liberties is great, as the model would say (8)
IMPOSING – “I’m posing” (as the model would say) — with two definitions making an excellent surface
13 Complex daughter to choose artist (7)
ELECTRA – ELECT (choose) + RA (artist)
14 Artificial leather (3,4)
TAR HEEL (North Carolina) – anagram of LEATHER
15 It’s time he got a thank-you letter (5)
THETA – T (time) + HE (he) + TA (thank-you)
16 Screen interrogation? (5)
GRILL – double definition
17, 24 x (5,2,5)
HEART OF DIXIE (Alabama) – reverse clue — perhaps should have had a question mark?
18 Spinster flipped playing dummy first (7)
DIAMOND (Delaware) – MAID (spinster) backwards + ON (playing) + D[ummy]
19 Repay grand to a churchman, first, at start of Easter (6)
AVENGE – A (a) + VEN (churchman) + G (grand) + E[aster]
21 Exercise by a church (5)
PEACH (Georgia) – PE (exercise) + A (a) + CH (church)
22 King’s court loses books – only half liable (8)
CAMELLIA (Alabama) – CAMEL[ot] (King’s court loses books) + LIA[ble]. While the Camellia is well documented as being the state flower of Alabama, I was unable to find any authoritative statement that Alabama is called the Camellia State. A commenter has, however, confirmed that this is stated in Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.
25 She was awfully brave with a heartless German (3,5)
EVA BRAUN – anagram of BRAVE + A (a) + [h]UN (heartless German)
27 Nice pal fidgeted (7)
PELICAN (Louisiana) – anagram of NICE PAL
29, 37 Elizabethan poet at Shropshire market town (7)
DRAYTON – double definition referring to Michael Drayton (an Elizabethan poet) and Market Drayton (a Shropshire town)
33 See 23
34 Cleric’s not stumped about broadcast (7)
PRAIRIE (Illinois) – AIR (broadcast) in PRIE[st] (cleric’s not stumped)
35 Wander aimlessly around Madagascar (6)
MORMON (Utah) – RM (Madagascar — i.e. Republic of Madagascar) in MOON (wander aimlessly)
38 Top industrialist managed land (4)
IRAN – I[ndustrialist] + RAN (managed)
39 More difficult to please missing starter (7)
HOOSIER (Indiana) – [c]HOOSIER
40 Principal captured away from home, about noon (8)
MOUNTAIN (West Virginia) – N (noon) in OUT (away from home) in MAIN (principal)
44 Opener’s temper (8)
KEYSTONE (Pennsylvania) – KEYS (opener’s) + TONE (temper)
46 Sweetener returns to torment us (5)
SUGAR (Louisiana) – RAG US (torment us) backwards. When I solved the puzzle I did not bother to count the thematic clues and did not consider this clue to be one of them. Then a comment (see below) led me to do a count after publication of this blog and come up with a total of only 29 instead of the documented number of 30. So I think this must be state-nickname clue as well in spite of the fact that includes a definition.
48 Market trader is heard to be more boorish (6)
GROCER – homophone (“grosser”)
51 Bend back and happen once more to empty venue (7)
RECURVE – RECUR (happen once more) + V[enu]E
52 Midlander first bagging game, we’re told (7)
BRUMMIE – B[agging] + RUMMIE (homophone of “rummy”)
53 Vice admiral reducing potato disease (5)
BLIGH – BLIGH[t] (reducing potato disease)
54 First and last private eye (5)
AZTEC (Arizona) – A (first) + Z (last) + TEC (private eye)
55 Head of the brass (7)
TRUMPET – double definition. Trumpet can refer to the head of a flower.
56 Spends money on model railway with Central Station for starters (4,3)
LAYS OUT – LAYOUT (model railway) with S[tation] put in the middle (Central)
57 Strange relations I left (4,4)
LONESTAR (Texas) – anagram of RELAT[i]ONS
58 Re-run with shock treatment (10)
CORNHUSKER (Nebraska) – anagram of RERUN SHOCK
DOWN
1 English boy among the staff (9)
EVERGLADE (Florida) – E (English) + LAD (boy) together in VERGE (staff). ‘Verge’ is an old word for staff in the sense of a staff of office.
2 Rampant hebe regularly in view (7)
BEEHIVE (Utah) – anagram of HEBE + I[n] V[i]E[w]
3 Praise former partner for having left (5)
EXTOL – EX (former partner) + TO (for) + L (left)
4 Year 21 maybe (6)
APACHE (Arizona) – A (year — i.e. anno) + anagram of PEACH (the answer to 21a)
5 Website with restricted access having themes arranged for man in the street (8)
INTRANET – anagram of MAN IN THE STREET with the letters of THEMES removed. The answer is very guessable even though the definition is not quite accurate.
7 Productions of leading director seen in some alarm, sadly? (10)
MELODRAMAS – anagram of D[irector] SOME ALARM
8 ETA would possibly be banned (8)
OUTLAWED – anagram of ETA WOULD
9 One novelist enters pass, keeping his head in danger (3-4)
ICE-COOL – I (one) + ECO (novelist) in COL (pass)
10 Most of a waterway over there (5,6)
GRAND CANYON (Arizone) – GRAND CANA[l] (most of a waterway) + YON (over there)
11 HGV, say, going round cold northern region (6)
ARCTIC – C (cold) in ARTIC (HGV)
12 Doctrine lacking latitude and interest, initially (4)
BEEF (Nebraska) – BE[li]EF
20 The far side of Epping Forest (6)
GARDEN (New Jersey) – [eppin]G + ARDEN (forest). This is my favourite of the themed clues.
23, 33 across End of Channel 4 News broadcast (9)
SUNFLOWER (Kansas) – anagram of [channe]L FOUR NEWS
24 See 17
26 1990’s pop-group look inside (5)
ALOHA (Hawaii) – LO (look) in A-HA (1990’s pop-group)
28 Girl is filling Helen’s heart (5)
ELISE – IS (is) in [h]ELE[n]
30 Sport’s doctor at a dance (5)
RUMBA – RU (sport — i.e. Rugby Union) + MB (doctor) + A (a)
31 See 52 down
32 Sailing-ship lacks chart (6)
SOONER (Oklahoma) – S[ch]OONER
33 Film trailer cut out (11)
FLICKERTAIL (North Dakota) – FLICK (film) + anagram of TRAILE[r]
36 A petition’s organised for house plant (10)
POINSETTIA – anagram of A PETITIONS
37 See 29
41 Seaman under waters off East Anglia, at first (5,4)
NORTH STAR (Minnesota) – NORTH S[ea] (waters off East Anglia, at first) + TAR (seaman)
42 Draws attention to article and dissertations model entered (8)
ATTRACTS – A (a) + T (model) in TRACTS (dissertations)
43 Ample, tipsy, excessive, upset (8)
PALMETTO (South Carolina) – anagram of AMPLE + OTT (excessive) backwards
45 New safety curtain without refits in Merida’s location (7)
YUCATAN – anagram of SAFETY CURTAIN with the letters of REFITS removed
47 Encroaches upon American city with final third of troops (6)
USURPS – US (American) + UR (city) + [troo]PS
49 Twilled cotton cloth getting approval (7)
CHINOOK (Washington) – CHINO (twilled cotton cloth) + OK (approval)
50 Capital composer (6)
BERLIN – double definition
52, 31 Indecent German novelist (9)
BLUEGRASS (Kentucky) – BLUE (indecent) + GRASS (German novelist)
53 Space to park at uni. (5)
BAYOU (Louisiana) – BAY (space to park) + OU (uni. — i.e. Oxford University)
Thanks Gozo and Pete. I can confirm that Camellia is indeed given in Brewer for Arizona.
Pelham, Thank you for that.
Happy New Year, Pete!
Your hard work at this time of year was most appreciated.
I had similar misgivings about the unstated theme.
Using the latest version of Brewer in my local library, I managed to count 29 clues
lacking thematic definition. I’m still wondering if 46 across should be included – as
the SUGAR STATE is one of the nicknames given for Louisiana.
This seems rather unlikely though: ‘sweetener’ is a good definition.
Aha! Thank you, mike04. I never bothered to actually count the thematic clues but now that I do I come up with the same total as you, 29. And I agree that 46a (SUGAR) for Louisiana must be the 30th.
I met the challenge but it verged on “work” rather than “pleasure”. Perhaps there are some who might know the majority if not all of these nicknames. I was certainly not one and armed with us-state-nicknames.com or similar it meant constant cross-referencing and sometimes speculating.
Nevertheless impressive puzzle. Thanks Gozo and Pete
Thanks Pete and Gozo
I was reluctant to use Brewers as I felt this might fill in too many of the answers too quickly. When I did my old version did not give all nicknames, but enough to get me close to completion but I still needed the internet to complete the puzzle.
the two previous christmas crosswords were challenging, but enjoyable. I regret I was quite unable to get the theme and have not heard most of these nicknames for US states so found it challenging, frustrating and ultimately undoable, so I regret not enjoyable at all. Congratulations to all who succeeded.
I’m rather late to the party, but I wanted to chime in nonetheless.
Pete, I think you were too kind by calling it a “minor complaint.” Someone (Gozo and/or the editor) was asleep at the wheel when they wrote that “three fifths” bit. And it’s actually worse than you calculated: Nebraska also shows up twice, and Arizona three times. So regardless of whether SUGAR was a thematic entry or not, only 23 states appear (vs. the 30 that were advertised).
Keeper, Thank you for this. I try to be forgiving but, in the case at hand, I am thinking more and more that someone was asleep at the wheel.
Thanks Gozo and Pete
Finished this one over the Christmas period and found it pretty hard going. I reckon that I had about 20 words listed that were a part of the theme, before my nephew picked up that they were names for US states to help put me out of my misery.
Even though it did feel like a bit of a slog, it probably achieved its aim of keeping one busy for an extended period of time. It was satisfying to finally get to the end – and daunting enough for me to wait until now to check it off !!!
Needed your help to parse a couple – hadn’t heard of either DRAYTON (which was my last one in) and for some reason didn’t track them down through the web. Even though I got the compound anagram for YUCATAN, I missed the one for INTRANET. I actually liked that cryptic definition for it.
It makes one glad that Christmas only comes once per year – I still haven’t started Maskerade’s one from the Guardian !!