Monday Prize Crossword/May 26, 2015
Dante – so, an easy start of the week?
Usually I would say ‘yes’ but I have to admit that this one was some kind of a minor struggle for me.
After writing the blog everything seems so obvious now. But it wasn’t like that when solving and I couldn’t do without dictionaries to complete this puzzle.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | NEPHEW |
His father is in the pop business (6)
Cryptic definition My nephew’s father is my uncle? Uncle is a slang word for ‘pawnbroker’. Informally, ‘pop’ can mean ‘pawn’. So there you are, if this is all true. But it isn’t (see comments below). |
| 4 | RESPONSE |
Persons confused by egghead’s reaction (8)
(PERSONS)* + E[gg] (egghead) [* = confused] |
| 9 | CALICO |
Bill returns with new coil of fabric (6)
CA (reversal (‘returns’) of AC (bill)) + (COIL)* [* = new] |
| 10 | EVENSONG |
Regular lay preachers take it (8)
EVEN (regular) + SONG (lay) |
| 12 | LAST POST |
Something you may want to catch, call in the army (4,4)
Double / Cryptic definition |
| 13 | ATHENA |
Different conclusion for a capital goddess (6)
ATHENS (a capital) with its last letter (‘conclusion’) changed, into an A |
| 15 | ETON |
School that epitomises English style (4)
E (English) + TON (style) I could have underlined the whole clue but I didn’t. |
| 16 | PRIORITISE |
Revised report is one I deal with as more important (10)
(REPORT IS I (one) I)* [* = revised] |
| 19 | REFORM BILL |
One of the 19th century acts to improve the police? (6,4)
The Bill is slang for the police. Let’s reform them (in order to improve?)! |
| 20 | CLUB |
Driver, perhaps, in a black suit (4)
Double definition |
| 23 | THIRST |
Desire a new T-shirt (6)
(T SHIRT)* [* = new] Nice anagram, new to me but probably been done before. |
| 25 | SCENE ONE |
Start of play (5,3)
(Not so) Cryptic definition |
| 27 | FLEABITE |
Feel a bit upset by a trifling annoyance (8)
(FEEL A BIT)* [* = upset] |
| 28 | PRIMED |
Carried out enquiry – many put inside and charged (6)
PRIED (carried out enquiry) around M (many, 1000) |
| 29 | LITERATI |
Class of good scholars left going over the same thing again? It’s not on (8)
L (left) + ITERATION (going over the same thing again) minus ON |
| 30 | PENNED |
Turned to authorship in captivity (6)
Double definition |
| Down | ||
| 1 | NACELLE |
In France, she can ascend in balloon gondola (7)
Reversal (‘ascend’) of: ELLE (she, French) + CAN A new word to me but easily gettable by construction. |
| 2 | POLISH OFF |
Eliminate European cricket side (6,3)
POLISH (European) + OFF (cricket side) |
| 3 | ESCAPE |
Welcome break for a prisoner? (6)
(Not so) Cryptic definition Nevertheless, one I liked in all its simplicity. |
| 5 | ENVY |
Grudging admiration of diplomat with nothing to lose? (4)
ENVOY (diplomat) minus O (nothing) |
| 6 | PONYTRAIL |
Hairstyle adapted plait on youth’s head (8)
(PLAIT ON Y[outh])* [* = adapted] |
| 7 | NOOSE |
Nozzle has nothing in it – it was used for the last drop (5)
NOSE (nozzle) around O (nothing) |
| 8 | ENGRAVE |
Avenger about to give chase (7)
(AVENGER)* [* = about] |
| 11 | ASCRIBE |
Attribute that makes a writer (7)
A + SCRIBE (writer) |
| 14 | COLLECT |
Pick up is part of the service (7)
Double definition |
| 17 | ISLE OF MAN |
Where the flag flies three feet off the ground? (4,2,3)
Cryptic definition. Best explained by looking at this flag:
|
| 18 | CROSSBAR |
Upset over ban on bicycles (8)
CROSS (upset) + BAR (ban) I associate the solution more with ‘Wayne Rooney hit the crossbar’ than with bicycles. But, true, a man’s bike has one. |
| 19 | RUTHFUL |
Showing someone pity could be hurtful (7)
(HURTFUL)* [* = could be] Bit of a poor anagram, isn’t it? |
| 21 | BLENDED |
Joined in, harmoniously (7)
(Not so) Cryptic definition Another one that I could have underlined fully. |
| 22 | UNTRUE |
Falsely disloyal (6)
Double definition |
| 24 | ID EST |
That is a date in Rome – September the fourth (2,3)
IDES (a date in Rome, and not just ‘of March’) + [sep]T[ember] |
| 26 | STET |
Let it be one sort of square inside another (4)
T (sort of square, T-square) inside SET (sort of square, set square, a drawing tool in the shape of a right-angled triangle)
|
I am my nephew’s uncle. His father is my brother. Has Dante
got 1 across wrong?
You might be right David.
Actually, I am not well up with these terms (as I never knew any wider family).
If indeed nephew just means ‘the son of one’s brother or sister’ then Dante probably got it wrong.
Why did I write what I wrote in the blog?
In Holland, my home country, nephews are usually of the same generation.
A is the father of B, C is the father of D, A and C are brothers.
Then B an D are nephews of each other.
So, what Dante said sounded plaussible from that/my perspective.
However, I am not sure now whether this is also the case in the UK.
It seems not.
Thanks Dante and Sil.
The Indy is beyond me today, so I came over here.
1a, intriguing, the Pope in the past would call an illegitimate son a NEPHEW, so the son might call the Pope “Uncle”, but the Vatican as such has never run a pawn shop, although it has allowed them to exist so as to help people in need.
In addition to what I said @2, I would like to explain why it confused me.
The Dutch equivalent of ‘nephew’ is ‘neef’ (to be pronounced like ‘safe’ with an n instead of an s).
A ‘neef’ can, however, also be what the English call a ‘cousin’ (the A,B,C,D example above).
Dutch is one of the few languages in which ‘nephew’ and ‘cousin’ are represented by just one and the same word.
As ‘neef’ is soundly close to ‘nephew’, all this family business wrongfooted me.
Now back to the clue.
‘Uncle’ is clued here by the ‘nephew’s father’.
As David @1 rightly pointed out that cannot be the case.
The ‘uncle’ is the brother of the ‘nephew’s father’.
What Dante describes is a ‘cousin’ which, of course, is not a pawnbroker.
Do I get it now?
No, the cousin, as you point out, is not a pawnbroker, but neither is the nephew.
For the clue to work, the answer to 1a would have had to be COUSIN, his father in the pop business being my uncle, the pawnbroker.
As the clue is written, with NEPHEW as the answer, it probably can only apply to the Pope, see @3.
Cookie, we agree.
The second part of my penultimate line @4 is clearly nonsense, so forget about that.
Meanwhile, I cannot connect to the Pope explanation (as I can never connect to the Pope).
You may be right but I’m afraid that this wasn’t Dante’s idea.
It would be nice if he would turn up here to share his thoughts.
He did, on occasions, in the past – so why not?
Sil, the Pope explanation is just a joke, but it is the origin of the word “nepotism” which is why I brought the subject up!
just for fun, there is a pop group called “Dutch Uncles” that would fit the clue nicely to give NEPHEW.
1a I assume that Dante meant ‘His father’s brother is in the pop business’.
I solved a different crossword with 19a being reform laws and 25a being first act -both appear to be ok for the clues and having so many unsolved clues, I was never the wiser.
Thanks Dante and Sil
A Dante crossword that was different (in some way) but same-same (with how it got there). Clues like 1a – in which I like the idea yet the crossed relationship lets it down a bit, 17a – an unusual type of clue for Dante where there is a generic definition with two obliquely defined subparts and the curious 17d which required specific knowledge of the flag of the Isle of Man to understand it (I got the answer but wondered what the heck was going on with the feet off the ground!)
I had ITERATI(NG) cut short at 29a… but see now that the ON part of ITERATI(ON) is in fact the correct way to derive the ITERATI. Thought that ESCAPE was almost a double definition with ‘a distraction from reality / boredom’ and the allusive way out for the prisoner.
Originally had CRASHBAR at 18d, but was able to eventually see that CROSSBAR was better in my final parsing run through – wasn’t a good thing to hit when riding off the seat and your foot slipping off the pedal !!!
ID EST was good and that definition of ‘chase’ in 8d was new to me. Certainly a lot more grist in this than is usual from this setter.
Thanks Sil and – mostly – Dante. Came here to pass 1ac and am none the wiser.
Dare I say that if the parsing above is right, then my uncle’s a Dutchman! Or maybe I should call you ‘Pop’ Sil?