Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 10, 2016
This struck me as the easiest and perhaps the best of recent Mudds. My clue of the week is 14d (ADDIS ABABA) and I think 1a (HARARE) is capital too!
| Across | ||
| 1 | HARARE | Capital of Holland, a fine capital (6) |
| H[olland] + A (a) + RARE (fine) | ||
| 4 | SPACE BAR | At back of room, save key (5,3) |
| SPACE (room) + BAR (save) | ||
| 9 | LENDER | Opening cut from narrow bank (6) |
| [s]LENDER (opening cut from narrow) | ||
| 10 | HOLISTIC | Treatment of colitis by hospital, such treatment for mind and body (8) |
| H (hospital) + anagram of COLITIS | ||
| 12 | PHEW | Hardly any to discuss – what a relief! (4) |
| Homophone (“few”) | ||
| 13 | UNDERPANTS | Nun departs, running amok in knickers (10) |
| Anagram (running amok) of NUN DEPARTS | ||
| 15 | ROUND THE BEND | Loco just out of sight? (5,3,4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 18 | SIERRA NEVADA | Rocky area with ravines around the back of beyond, as mountain range (6,6) |
| [beyon]D in anagram of AREA RAVINES | ||
| 21 | MERCANTILE | Trading in claret, drunk behind setter (10) |
| ME (setter) + anagram of IN CLARET | ||
| 22 | HUGO | French author getting to squeeze spots in the middle (4) |
| HUG (squeeze) + [sp]O[ts] | ||
| 24 | SQUEAK BY | Barely survive, as might a passing mouse? (6,2) |
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | SHEILA | Female I left, a Melbourne miss? (6) |
| SHE (female) + I (I) + L (left) + A (a) | ||
| 26 | SATIATED | Full up, I tasted a stew (8) |
| Anagram of I TASTED A | ||
| 27 | PRETTY | Relatively bonny (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | HELIPORT | Pilot and her new aircraft stationed here (8) |
| Anagram of PILOT HER | ||
| 2 | RUNNER-UP | Athlete winning? Not quite! (6- 2) |
| RUNNER (athlete) + UP (winning) | ||
| 3 | REEL | Dance film (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 5 | PROVERBIALLY | Friendly kennels dog starts to bark in, as they say (12) |
| ROVER (dog) + B[ark] I[n] all in PALLY (friendly) | ||
| 6 | CHIMPANZEE | Ring round window bearing head of zealous primate (10) |
| Z[ealous] in PANE (window) in CHIME (ring) | ||
| 7 | BITING | Preserve important houses, as bleak (6) |
| TIN (preserve) in BIG (important) | ||
| 8 | RECESS | Holiday hole (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 11 | UNCHARITABLE | Mean to put fish in a blue tin, perhaps? (12) |
| CHAR (fish) in anagram of A BLUE TIN | ||
| 14 | ADDIS ABABA | Commercial said fancy cake is capital! (5,5) |
| AD (commercial) + anagram (fancy) of SAID + BABA (cake) | ||
| 16 | FABULIST | Wonderful upstanding leader on the register is a liar (8) |
| FAB (wonderful) + U[pstanding] + LIST (register) | ||
| 17 | MAHOGANY | Rounding a corner, a swarm in wood (8) |
| A (a) + HOG (corner) together in MANY (swarm) | ||
| 19 | AMUSES | Someone with a baby upside down practises tickles (6) |
| MA (someone one with baby) backwards (upside down) + USES (practises) | ||
| 20 | PROUST | French writer advocating American accent in the end (6) |
| PRO (advocating) + US (American) + [accen]T | ||
| 23 | THOR | God of some authority (4) |
| Hidden word | ||
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Agree for most part that this was on the more gentle side for Mudd. I had a block with 9a and ended up plumping for an unsatisfactory LANCET – just didn’t see ‘bank’ in the context of the financial institution, despite spending a majority of my working life in a couple of them !!!
SHEILA was interesting, as I come from Melbourne – it is however quite a dated term these days. Wasn’t familiar with a HOG being a cambered corner before.
Ended up in the NE corner with HOLISTIC, SPACE BAR and BITING the last few in.
I am curious about your taking ‘hog’ in 17d to mean a cambered corner. I had not known this meaning of the word and interpreted ‘corner’ to be cluing HOG in the sense of to keep or use all of (something) for oneself in an unfair or selfish way. I see now that it could well work either way.
I took 17D as in “To corner the market,” as Pete Maclean did.
This is one of my first English cryptics to be completely solved and completely parsed. I’ve had better luck with the US puzzles – the ones I’ve seen have been much easier.
2D was pretty funny.
Hello tubegeek, Thank you for commenting.
I occasionally do a US cryptic. Generally they are easier but nice to tackle for a change. Like the best British ones they keep to a good standard and can be fun.