Monday Prize Crossword / Jun 8, 2015
Unsurprisingly, it was Dante’s turn to start up the (previous) FT week.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ESCHEW |
Avoid giving points to champ (6)
E,S (points, East and South) + CHEW (to champ) |
| 4 | LOOSE END |
One’s dole for review, at which one is bored (5,3)
(ONE’S DOLE)* [* = for review] |
| 9 | AVOWAL |
I heard a statement (6)
Homophone (‘heard’) of: A VOWEL, which might be the letter I I think, as “I” is a definition by example, that the clue needs a question mark. |
| 10 | WOODCUTS |
Pictures of golf club strokes by players (8)
WOOD (golf club) + CUTS (strokes by (golf) players) |
| 12 | PLEASANT |
Agreeable requests by social worker (8)
PLEAS (requests) + ANT (social worker) |
| 13 | ALASKA |
Cold state of something oven- baked (6)
Double definition One of the USA and ‘Baked Alaska’, a dessert. |
| 15 | EROS |
Love in a famous circus (4)
Cryptic definition Dante wants us to think of the statue of Eros on Piccadilly Circus. |
| 16 | WINDSURFER |
Maybe one who looks forward to getting on the board (10)
Cryptic definition |
| 19 | WINCHELSEA |
Premier league team after victory in Sussex town (10)
WIN (victory) + CHELSEA (premier league team) |
| 20 | URAL |
Laura endlessly floundering in the river (4)
(LAUR[a])* {* = floundering] |
| 23 | DIMPLE |
Cheeky, but attractive, feature (6)
Cryptic definition |
| 25 | BECOMING |
Getting fit (8)
Double definition |
| 27 | LARBOARD |
Old port coming from Labrador (8)
(LABRADOR)* [* = coming from] ‘Port’ in its nautical meaning of ‘left’, ‘old’ because the term is apparently archaic. |
| 28 | RIGHTO |
One side getting nothing in agreement (6)
RIGHT (one side, as opposed to left) + O (nothing) |
| 29 | SINISTER |
Threatening? That’s not right (8)
Double definition |
| 30 | RANSOM |
Redeeming feature of a kidnapping (6)
(Not so very) Cryptic definition |
| Down | ||
| 1 | EXAMPLE |
No longer plentiful, for instance (7)
EX (no longer) + AMPLE (plentiful) |
| 2 | CLOSE DOWN |
Sort of shop to have to cease trading (5,4)
Cryptic, Double or just a Plain definition? No, a construction (thx, Bruce @1): CLOSED (sort of shop, one that hires only union members) + OWN (to have). |
| 3 | ELAPSE |
Please pass another way (6)
(PLEASE)* [* = another way] Unusual to see the definition somewhere in the middle of the clue. I guess it should be read as: when taking ‘elapse‘ in another way, one might get ‘please’. |
| 5 | OBOL |
Stygian fare (4)
Cryptic definition Money needed to cross the Styx. More about it here: Charon’s obol . |
| 6 | SADDLE UP |
Dude pals prepare to ride on the ranch (6,2)
(DUDE PALS)* [* = prepare] It looks like ‘prepare’ is doing double duty (which I do not really like, if that is the case). |
| 7 | EQUUS |
Horseplay? (5)
Cryptic or Double definition Equus is a famous 1973 play by Peter Schaffer. Much about it here: Equus . It might be enough to call this a CD but, knowing that ‘equus‘ literally means ‘horse’, it may also justify a DD (after a split). |
| 8 | DESPAIR |
Some French marry but don’t expect to be happy (7)
DES (some, in French – plural) + PAIR (marry) |
| 11 | INFIELD |
Silly place to play cricket (7)
(Not so very) Cryptic definition |
| 14 | ADHERES |
Sticks public notices around this place (7)
ADS (notices) around HERE (this place) |
| 17 | FURNISHES |
Supplies food in a container? Quite the opposite! (9)
URN (a container) inside FISHES (food), instead of the other way around It feels a bit odd to have ‘fishes’ as a plural of ‘fish’. Never heard anyone say that. However, it’s in the dictionaries. |
| 18 | SHALLOTS |
Tries to carry the whole of the vegetables (8)
SHOTS (tries) around ALL (the whole) |
| 19 | WADDLES |
Walks like a duck and dawdles around (7)
(DAWDLES)* [* = around] |
| 21 | LEGROOM |
Adequate space in car for the French servant (7)
LE (the, in French) + GROOM (servant) |
| 22 | GODIVA |
She is barely remembered as being against oppressive taxes (6)
Cryptic definition Lady Godiva , of course. |
| 24 | MORON |
Doctor takes small boy for a fool (5)
MO (doctor) + RON (small boy) |
| 26 | BRAE |
Bank of Scotland’s partner, a potential bear (4)
(BEAR)* [* = potential] A few days ago in the Guardian, Dante’s alter ego Rufus clued ‘brae‘ simply as ‘Bank of Scotland?’. Here he added some wordplay but why the clue contains ‘partner’, I don’t know. |
Thanks Dante and Sil
Found this had a lot more meat on it than normal !!
At 2d , I struggled for a fair while before getting what was going on. It is a charade of CLOSED (as in a unionised ‘closed shop’) and OWN (have) – very neat clue !!!
WINDSURFER was last in … and was hoping for something more going on with that one too.
There were a lot of clues that I liked here – including AVOWAL (maybe technically missing the ?, but still a nice idea), EROS (local knowledge required, although after doing these puzzles, less so now), OBOL (another oblique reference requiring a bit of knowledge of things ancient Greek – both real and myth) and EQUUS (which I looked up and read the synopsis of what looked a very interesting play).
In the Rufus discussion, there was a mention of ‘burn and brae’ and wonder whether that was the allusion to partner here !!
Enjoyed this !
Thanks, Bruce, for giving the right explanation for CLOSE DOWN (2d).
‘Closed shop’ doesn’t mean anything to me as a non-Brit.
I cannot help you any further with WINDSURFER – seems a rather weak clue to me.
26d may refer to the song written by Robert Burns ‘Ye Banks and Braes’ otherwise known as ‘The Banks O’ Doon’. This is the only way in which I can justify ‘partner’ in the clue.
Thanks to Sil & Dante.
Loads that I couldn’t solve -thought this was hard on the whole. Among the missing
11a I’ve come across silly mid on and silly mid off but I don’t think that the entire infield counts as silly -but I’m not a keen cricketer so stand to be corrected.
19a I got the win bit but had never heard of winchelsea
23a I don’t get this -why is a dimple considered attractive?
5d Simply had never heard of it
16a could equally have been snowboarder (except it wouldn’t fit here)
If it is any kind of consolation, Bamberger, I agree with you on a few points.
I’m not a cricketer either but it almost had to be a cricket reference.
I looked up both “Silly” and INFIELD and saw enough common ground (in Chambers).
WINCHELSEA (19ac) was unknown to me too.
But you cannot put “Chester” behind WIN (to get Winchester).
(a) Winchester’s not in Sussex, (b) The Premier League, that’s only a dream for Chester!
And, yes, the CDs you mention are pretty weak.
I didn’t really feel the need to explain them.
You’re absolutely right that WINDSURFER isn’t the only word that would suit the clue.
A DIMPLE in the cheek or chin may appear when people are smiling – that may be ‘attractive’ to others?
One can DIMPLE also define as ‘depression’ but that’s not attractive, is it?
Anyway, for me Dimple is mainly a fine brand of Irish whiskey …..
Thanks for your comments (and others’ too).
Thought it difficult and some nearly impossible 7d equus and 23a. I don’t consider it pleasant!!! Still managed to comlete it after a few googlings of stygian!!! Thanks for explanations