Monday Prize Crossword / Aug 24, 2015
Pleasant crossword from Falcon – easy but well clued.
Having said that, I was surprised to see Falcon use so many double definitions today (six, all in all) – actually, my least favourite device.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | BEWITCHED |
Spellbound, as male inside vandalised WC and bidet (9)
HE (male) inside (WC + BIDET)* [* vandalised] |
| 6 | TOTAL |
Perfect toddler alone without one (5)
TOT (toddler) + AL[one] |
| 9 | AMATEUR |
Non-professional friend within gold ring’s leader (7)
MATE (friend) inside AU (gold) + R[ing] |
| 10 | GAGARIN |
Cosmonaut runs into acceleration due to gravity once more (7)
R (runs) inside {G (acceleration due to gravity, lower case: g) + AGAIN (once more)} Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968), the first human in space – on 12 April 1961, just under two hours. |
| 11 | DITTO |
In credit today, as before (5)
Hidden solution, indicated by ‘in’: [cre]DIT TO[day] |
| 12 | MEMORANDA |
Man roamed all over the place making notes (9)
(MAN ROAMED)* [* = all over the place] |
| 14 | ELY |
See court painter beheaded (3)
LELY (court painter) minus the L at the start Some do not like ‘beheaded’ in an Across clue but to me it’s fine. The artist is Sir Peter Lely who became court painter to Charles II. The solution is the famous diocese, exceptionally well-known in Crosswordland. |
| 15 | BACK TO FRONT |
In reverse, in the war, soldiers may have been sent here again (4,2,5)
Double definition |
| 17 | COUNTERFEIT |
Forged bar – it must contain iron (11)
{COUNTER (bar) + IT} around FE (iron) |
| 19 | PAR |
The usual standard box, missing lid (3)
SPAR (box) minus the S at the start What I said above about ‘beheaded’ (in 14ac) can be repeated regarding to ‘lid’. |
| 20 | LAS PALMAS |
Girl taking in Majorcan tourist centre, then Canary Island port (3,6)
LASS (girl) around PALMA (Majorcan tourist centre) There’s Palma de Mallorca and there’s Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Confusingly so, there’s also La Palma (one of the Canary Islands) which has nothing to do with this clue. |
| 22 | EVENT |
Constant temperature for sporting contest (5)
EVEN (constant) + T (time) |
| 24 | TRAILER |
Creeping plant in house on wheels (7)
Double definition A trailer is an American term for what the British call a caravan. Perhaps it should have been indicated, given the fact that for British people a trailer, when attached to a car, is not really something one can live in ….. |
| 26 | UNDERGO |
Subject to work experience (7)
|
| 27 | RATTY |
Bad-tempered lines about a teetotaller (5)
RY (lines, i.e. railway) around A TT (teetotaller) |
| 28 | WENT DUTCH |
Travelled with Cockney’s wife, shared expenses equally (4,5)
WENT (travelled) + DUTCH (wife [Cockney slang], a contraction of ‘duchess’ – see Andrew’s post) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | BRAND |
Brother with flaming torch (5)
BR (brother) + AND (with) |
| 2 | WEALTHY |
Breaking the law on end of jetty – that’s rich (7)
(THE LAW)* + [jett]Y [* = breaking] |
| 3 | THE HOBBIT |
Fantasy novel in the house, and two books on it! (3,6)
THE + HO (house) + B,B (book, twice) + IT 1937 novel by J.R.R Tolkien. |
| 4 | HARUM SCARUM |
Sum char squandered – a strange reckless type (5-6)
(SUM CHAR)* + A + RUM (strange) [* = squandered] |
| 5 | DOG |
Shadow boxer? (3)
Double definition |
| 6 | TIGER |
Row about golf and golfer? (5)
TIER (row) around G (golf) Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods, at the age of 24 the youngest player ever to win all four grand slams in Kathryn’s Dad’s favourite ‘sport’ 🙂 . |
| 7 | TORONTO |
Wrong to keep working over in Canadian city (7)
{TORT (wrong) around ON (working)} + O (over) |
| 8 | LANCASTER |
Bomber in English city (9)
Double definition |
| 13 | MOTHER’S RUIN |
Gin and it and rum her son ordered (7,4)
(IT + RUM HER SON)* [* = ordered] |
| 14 | ESCALATOR |
Clear as to changes in a cost of living clause? (9)
(CLEAR AS TO)* [* = changes] ‘Changes’ must be doing double duty here as an ‘escalator clause’ is part of an agreement allowing for adjustment when there’s a change in circumstances (e.g. the cost of living). |
| 16 | FATHEADED |
Doomed to cross leader, being stupid (9)
FATED (doomed) around HEAD (leader) |
| 18 | UPSTART |
Johnny-come-lately on horseback getting over jump (7)
UP (on horseback) + START (jump) |
| 19 | PIERROT |
Clown making most of mistake breaking mine (7)
ERRO[r] (mistake, most of it) inside PIT (mine) |
| 21 | ALLEY |
Marble passageway (5)
Double definition |
| 23 | TOOTH |
Fang forming part of tattoo there (5)
Hidden solution, indicated by ‘forming part of’: [tat]TOO TH[ere] |
| 25 | RAW |
Unprepared in mounting armed conflict (3)
Reversal, indicated by ‘mounting’, of: WAR (armed conflict) |
Thanks Sil. In 26a I think it’s UNDER (subject to) + GO (work, as in “my car works/goes”)
Thanks Falcon and Sil.
So I see that blogging duties 28 acrossed today!
I agree with you generally about double definitions. They’re often the least definitive if clue styles. Although in this puzzle their usage seemed to be unequivocal – so OK.
Given the more international bent of the FT, I had no qualms about Trailer – who of us didn’t use to watch The Rockford Files?
See for Ely is starting to become such an old chestnut that it’s producing conkers itself.
My only ‘new’ word was Alley as a type of marble.
All in all, a pleasant jaunt and over all too soon.
By the way, “Dutch” for “wife” is probably not rhyming slang, but just a contraction of “duchess”: e.g. see here
Thanks Falcon and Sil
Easy-ish but well constructed puzzle which was my nightcap last night following a two and a half hour train trip that usually takes half an hour!
I particularly liked the convoluted double definition for BACK TO FRONT.
Last couple in were MOTHERS RUIN and FATHEADED.
Andrew, thanks for your wise words!
You’re absolutely right about 26a – I should have seen that.
As to ‘dutch’, Chambers also tells us that it is a contraction of ‘duchess’.
It calls it ‘rhyming slang for wife‘ and, like Falcon, refers to Cockney.
Funny enough, my hard copy of Collins doesn’t mention the meaning at all.
I will tweak the blog.
I always thought it was Dutch Plate = Mate.