Monday Prize Crossword / Oct 26, 2015
Another good offering by Mudd, one of medium difficulty.
Mudd often has an overdose of double definitions. However, not this time.
That said, actually, the one at 19ac was my least favourite clue while the one (if it is a DD) at 27ac took me the longest to think about.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | GROUNDSEL |
Plant peeling well beyond reason (9)
EL (‘well’ minus the first and the last letter, indicated by ‘peeling’) coming after GROUNDS (reason) |
| 6 | BOGUS |
America east of a soggy place, it’s assumed (5)
BOG (a soggy place) + US (America) |
| 9 | STEAMER |
Little time in a quickie that’s designed to give you the vapours? (7)
T (little time) inside SEAMER (a quickie, a fast bowler) |
| 10 | ANTENNA |
An amount of money to be discussed, one feels (7)
AN + TENNA (homophone, indicated by ‘to be discussed’, of TENNER (money)) |
| 11 | OPINE |
Source of oak tree, say (5)
O[ak] + PINE (tree) |
| 12 | TOP-SECRET |
Classified as a class A drug, criminal protects pockets! (3-6)
(PROTECTS)* around E (drug) [* = criminal] |
| 14 | BIG |
Fat cat rolled over (3)
Reversal, indicated by ‘rolled over’, of: GIB (cat, more specific: a castrated tomcat) |
| 15 | TAGLIATELLE |
A leg in a stew with a little Italian food (11)
(A LEG + A LITTLE)* [* = in a stew] |
| 17 | CUCKOO CLOCK |
Having a screw loose, notice a device on a Swiss wall? (6,5)
CUCKOO (having a screw loose) + CLOCK (notice) |
| 19 | POT |
Kitchen vessel in sink (3)
Double definition |
| 20 | TOMATILLO |
Fruit mother has to cultivate, also’s picked? (9)
{MA (mother) + TILL ((to) cultivate)} inside TOO (also) |
| 22 | ATOLL |
Coral island, where a number lost (5)
A + TOLL (number lost) |
| 24 | APOSTLE |
Preacher, a person of virtue in John Paul II, say? (7)
A + {ST (person of virtue, Saint) inside POLE (John Paul II was one)} |
| 26 | HEAVE-HO |
Endless bliss before setter leaves home – that’s forcible ejection! (5- 2)
HEAVE[n] (bliss, endless) + HO[me] (me =setter) |
| 27 | KITTY |
Squatter taken to litter in pool (5)
Kind of Double definition, the first being somewhat cryptic, leading to a typical Paulian surface |
| 28 | TURNTABLE |
Engines reversed on this vessel during battle at sea (9)
URN (vessel) inside (BATTLE)* [* = at sea] |
| Down | ||
| 1 | GUSTO |
Spirit in wind last seen in tornado (5)
GUST (wind) + [tornad]O |
| 2 | OPENING |
Space where introduction missing in diary – about to write in (7)
OG (i.e. LOG (diary) minus its first letter) around PEN IN (to write in) |
| 3 | NUMBER TWO |
Northern Italian king embracing wife as right-hand man? (6,3)
N (Northern) + UMBERTO (Italian king) around W (wife) |
| 4 | STRATEGICAL |
Taste garlic when cooking, as planned (11)
(TASTE GARLIC)* [* = (when) cooking] |
| 5 | LEA |
Part of a tree cut in field (3)
LEA[f] (part of a tree, cut) |
| 6 | BATHE |
Wash nocturnal mammal, male (5)
BAT (nocturnal mammal) + HE (male) |
| 7 | GENERAL |
Broad stick to carry near rioting (7)
GEL (stick) around (NEAR)* [* = rioting] |
| 8 | SCANTIEST |
Most brief interviews initially filed in check after check (9)
I[nterviews] inside TEST (check), coming after SCAN (check) |
| 13 | PHILOSOPHER |
A great thinker, hope Polish revolutionary overcomes Russian leader (11)
(HOPE POLISH)* around R[ussian] [* = revolutionary] |
| 14 | BACKTRACK |
Second right taken in course, to retrace one’s steps (9)
BACK (second) + {R (right) inside TACK (course)} |
| 16 | TAKE APART |
Dismantle a bird, pigeon’s head in pie (4,5)
{A + KEA (bird) + P[igeon]} inside TART (pie) |
| 18 | COMPOST |
Sacrifice outstanding old politician as waste material (7)
COST (sacrifice) around {O (old) + MP (politician)} |
| 19 | PROVERB |
One verifying the origin of bizarre maxim (7)
PROVER (one verifying) + B[izarre] |
| 21 | TATTY |
Moth-eaten spud, say? (5)
Homophone, indicated by ‘say’, of: TATTIE (spud, a potato) |
| 23 | LOOSE |
Free love in forfeit (5)
O (love) inside LOSE (forfeit) |
| 25 | EAT |
Down in hole, a tarantula (3)
Hidden solution, just indicated by ‘in’: [hol]E A T[arantula] |
Thanks Mudd and Sil
Seemed to struggle with this one throughout the day and finally BIG (had not seen that definition of a cat before) and OPENING (took ages to see the construct with (L)OG ).
APOSTLE had me tricked for a fair while before seeing John Paul as a POLE rather than a POPE ! Had not heard of the two Italian King UMBERTO’s nor the Mexican TOMATILLO.
Had similar initial feelings with 19a, but when I finally thought snooker to equate POT with ‘sink’, then it made much more sense.
Struggled with the TATTY / TATTIE homophone although it didn’t really hold me up.
Never heard of Gib meaning a castrated Tom. Still you learn something new every day. Thanks Sil and Mudd
Thanks Sil and Mudd.
GIB for a castrated tomcat was new to me too so thanks for explaining.
With NUMBER TWO and STEAMER and COMPOST on top of the definition for 27, I think that we might have a mini-theme going on.