Monday Prize Crossword / Sep 26, 2016
A Monday without Rufus, and no Dante either!
Time for a pleasant and easy Falcon.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | FAIRBANKS | Old US actor just rows (9) |
| FAIR (just) + ROWS (banks) Douglas Fairbanks (1883-1939) or his son Douglas Fairbanks Jr (1909-2000). |
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| 6 | ASPIC | Seasoning shortly to be put on a savoury jelly (5) |
| A + SPIC[e] (seasoning, shortened) | ||
| 9 | EXHAUST | Drain pipe? (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | EMPORIA | Unusual pair with me ringing round large retail stores (7) |
| (PAIR + ME)* around O (round) [* = unusual] | ||
| 11 | TIBIA | Bone: there’s one in a fragment sent over (5) |
| I (one) inside reversal [sent over] of A BIT (a fragment) | ||
| 12 | COMMANDOS | Soldiers instruct sailor (9) |
| COMMAND (instruct) + OS (sailor, i.e. Ordinary Seaman) | ||
| 14 | ACT | Law court after answer (3) |
| A (answer) + CT (court) | ||
| 15 | GO BALLISTIC | Big cat so ill following mistreatment – become very angry (2,9) |
| (BIG CAT SO ILL)* [* = following mistreatment] | ||
| 17 | UNDER CANVAS | In a tent below, Virginia tucked into tins (5,6) |
| UNDER (below) + {VA (Virginia) inside CANS (tins)} | ||
| 19 | COS | Type of lettuce, firm, principal ingredient of salads (3) |
| CO (firm, i.e. short for Company) + S[alads] | ||
| 20 | ROLE MODEL | One worthy of imitation in job – mannequin (4,5) |
| ROLE (job) + MODEL (mannequin) | ||
| 22 | INANE | Mad getting rid of spades, senseless (5) |
| INSANE (mad) minus S (spades) | ||
| 24 | LEGROOM | The French stableman makes space (7) |
| LE (the, in French) + GROOM (stableman) | ||
| 26 | NOURISH | Initially, neither of us is hard to feed (7) |
| N[either] + OUR (of us) + IS + H (hard) | ||
| 27 | ENTRY | Record number of competitors (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 28 | PRESENTER | Gift the Queen gives host (9) |
| PRESENT (gift) + ER (the Queen) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | FLEET | Fast walkers crossing Latvia’s capital (5) |
| FEET (walkers) around L[atvia] | ||
| 2 | INHABIT | Live at hotel opening shortly (7) |
| H (hotel) inside IN A BIT (shortly) | ||
| 3 | BOULANGER | French musician playing in lounge bar (9) |
| (LOUNGE BAR)* [* = playing (in)] I guess this refers to one of the sisters Nadia and Lili Boulanger. Most certainly Nadia who survived her sister by 61 years! Read all about it here: Nadia Boulanger . |
||
| 4 | NOTICE BOARD | On which there may be announcements to do with Nice bar, refurbished (6,5) |
| ( TO DO + NICE BAR)* [* = refurbished] | ||
| 5 | SUE | Prosecute English and American set-up (3) |
| E (English) + US (American), together reversed [set-up] | ||
| 6 | ALPHA | Leading Greek character in sacred river area (5) |
| ALPH (sacred river) + A (area) The river Alph features in Coleridge’s poem ‘Kubla Khan’ which begins as follows: In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. |
||
| 7 | PERIDOT | For every one point in a gemstone (7) |
| PER (for every) + I (one) + DOT (point) | ||
| 8 | CLASS ACTS | Variety turns, groups with great style and skill (5,4) |
| CLASS (variety) + ACTS (turns) | ||
| 13 | MALEVOLENCE | Hate man with force firing one (11) |
| MALE (man) + VIOLENCE (force) minus I (one) | ||
| 14 | AQUARELLE | Watercolour painting of Laura Lee, original without question (9) |
| (LAURA LEE)* around QU (question) [* = original] | ||
| 16 | INSTITUTE | Start school (9) |
| Double definition | ||
| 18 | DELIGHT | Great pleasure from French match (7) |
| DE (from, in French) + LIGHT (match) | ||
| 19 | CHARIOT | Check on a dazzling display in ceremonial carriage (7) |
| CH (check) + A + RIOT (dazzling display) | ||
| 21 | MOODY | Temperamental daughter appearing in low comedy at the end (5) |
| D (daughter) inside {MOO (low) + [comed]Y} | ||
| 23 | ETHER | Solvent used by Rosie the Riveter (5) |
| Hidden solution [used by]: Rosie the Riveter This is what Wikipedia tells us about her: Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military. Rosie the Riveter is used as a symbol of feminism and women’s economic power. Similar images of women war workers appeared in other countries such as Britain and Australia. Images of women workers were widespread in the media as government posters, and commercial advertising was heavily used by the government to encourage women to volunteer for wartime service in factories. Rosie the Riveter, became the subject and title of a song and a Hollywood movie during WWII. |
||
| 25 | MOP | Close to farm, work in autumn fair (3) |
| [far]M + OP (work) Mop or mop fair is, according to the ODE, an autumn gathering at which in olden times farmhands and servants were hired. A very appropriate surface in this clue, indeed. |
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*anagram
Thanks Falcon and Sil
Nothing too tricky here (well until the last two or three), but an enjoyable solve all of the same which I did over breakfast last weekend. Did like the poetic reference of the river in ALPHA – from one of my favourite poems.
Finished in the SW corner with three new word or meanings of words – ETHER (had never thought of it as other than an anaesthetic – the things that you learn), MOP (similarly had not seen it’s meaning of a fair where one could have hired a servant from) and AQUARELLE (a completely new term for me).
For 1a I came up with up with the other famous actor Mr Fairlines so that 3d was the equally well known Loubanger.