Monday Prize Crossword / Apr 4, 2016
Elegant and relatively easy offering from Falcon.
I had to check the two meanings of ‘mitre’ (22d) and the film of 14ac did not spring to mind immediately.
But apart from those two no hold-ups today.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | DOWNFALL | Depressed facing autumn in the States, and ruin (8) |
| DOWN (depressed) + FALL (autumn, in the States i.e. American use) | ||
| 5 | MARMOT | Large squirrel, second seen in market (6) |
| MO (second) inside MART (market) | ||
| 10 | RANSACK | Managed to get rid of rifle (7) |
| RAN (managed) + SACK (get rid of) | ||
| 11 | UPSURGE | Increase at university’s press (7) |
| UP (at university) + SURGE (press) | ||
| 12 | NIECE | Relative in French resort saving energy (5) |
| NICE (French resort) around E (energy) | ||
| 13 | TAKE APART | Severely criticise view given by a constituent (4,5) |
| TAKE (view) + A + PART (constituent) | ||
| 14 | ANGELA’S ASHES | Article on flipping fool protecting Wimbledon champion in film (7,5) |
| AN (article) + GEL (a reversal, indicated by ‘flipping’, of LEG (on)) + ASS (fool) around ASHE (Wimbledon champion, Arthur Ashe) Angela’s Ashes is an Irish-American film from 1999, directed by Alan Parker and based on an autobiography of Irish expat Frank McCourt. The film features Emily Watson (as Angela McCourt), Robert Carlyle and Michael Legge. |
||
| 18 | SPELLBINDING | Fascinating period knitting together (12) |
| SPELL (period) + BINDING (knitting together) | ||
| 21 | TENTMAKER | Paul’s job for red wine producer? (9) |
| Double definition The apostle Paul supported himself by making tents while living and preaching in Corinth (Acts 18:3). Tent can also be a deep-red sweet wine, usually from Spain and often used as sacramental wine. |
||
| 23 | YOUTH | Lad in army, out hunting (5) |
| Hidden solution, indicated by just ‘in’: [arm]Y OUT H[unting] | ||
| 24 | RIGHT ON | Trendy resort town avoided by bachelor (5,2) |
| BRIGHTON (resort town) minus B (bachelor) | ||
| 25 | KINGDOM | Realm of “Billie Jean”? Perform Michael’s first (7) |
| KING (Billy Jean (King), |
||
| 26 | CORNER | Hunt down crook (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 27 | ASBESTOS | Insulating material, like finest used by sailor (8) |
| AS (like) + BEST (finest) + OS (sailor, Ordinary Seaman) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | DARING | Brave, favourite having lost lengths (6) |
| DARLING (favourite) minus L (lenghts) | ||
| 2 | WINNER | Victor with secret (6) |
| W (with) + INNER (secret) | ||
| 3 | FRATERNAL | Excited, ran after head of lodge – masonic, perhaps (9) |
| (RAN AFTER)* + L[odge] [* = excited] | ||
| 4 | LIKE THE DICKENS | Enjoy article on Victorian author? A lot (4,3,7) |
| LIKE (enjoy) + THE (article) + DICKENS (Victorian writer) | ||
| 6 | AT SEA | Some of what’s eaten travelling on a liner? (2,3) |
| Hidden solution, indicated by ‘some’: [wh]AT’S EA[ten] | ||
| 7 | MARIACHI | Song introduced to male Greek character, a street singer (8) |
| M (male) + CHI (Greek character), together around ARIA (song) A performer of traditional Mexican folk music, one being part of a small group of musicians strolling around the streets. |
||
| 8 | TREATISE | In stand is English paper (8) |
| TREAT (stand) + IS + E (English) | ||
| 9 | DUCKS AND DRAKES | Game birds? (5,3,6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 15 | ANNOYANCE | Anyone can set out to cause a nuisance (9) |
| (ANYONE CAN)* [* = set out] | ||
| 16 | ESOTERIC | Obscure coteries abroad (8) |
| (COTERIES)* [* = abroad] | ||
| 17 | TEENAGER | Generate changes in 23 (8) |
| (GENERATE)* [* = changes] Phew, three full anagrams in a row! [only four in total, though] |
||
| 19 | PUNDIT | Learned person, a French duke, to enter mine (6) |
| UN (a, in French) + D (duke), together inside PIT (mine) | ||
| 20 | THAMES | River seen from a motorway in the south (6) |
| A + M (motorway), together inside THE S (south) | ||
| 22 | MITRE | Pope’s belt and pointed headdress (5) |
| Double definition | ||
*anagram
Thanks Sil and Falcon – I did this, as is my wont, on the train and was unable to find the second definition of MITRE so thanks for that.
I’m familiar with WHAT THE DICKENS but not LIKE… but found that easily enough. Interestingly, DICKENS in both cases appears to refer to the Devil rather than the writer.
Oh dear -failed to complete a Falcon. 26a did for me even with c?r?e? .
Failed. 14 and 21 across and 7 down, just couldn’t find them. Never mind thanks Sil and Falcon.
Thanks Falcon and Sil
Didn’t find this as straightforward as normal at the start of the solve, but quickly got into a rhythm that brought it to an end in average time for this setter. Beautifully smooth surfaces throughout.
Although I was familiar with the novel, I could not place the film of Frank McCourt’s autobiography – and a rather complicated wordplay meant that quite a few of the crossers were needed to get confident with writing it in.
I looked for a long time for the belt definition of MITRE and apart from seeing it in a word list in an online Chambers, I failed to find a full description of it.
It was good to see American tennis greats, Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe, feature in parts of answers.
Oops, yes, Billy Jean King is American ….
Now corrected!
Mea culpa.