Monday Prize Crossword / Oct 24, 2016
For the second week in a row [very unusual for the FT] a Dante puzzle.
And a friendly one it was.
There were hardly any cryptic definitions which made solving, at least for me, very straightforward.
In some clues (9ac, 28ac, 27d) I found the definition (or the grammar that leads to the definition) lacking in precision.
But, as ever, I knew what Dante meant and that’s probably good enough.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ATTACK | Criticism at change of course (6) |
| AT + TACK (change of course) | ||
| 4 | THICKSET | Burly but brainless band (8) |
| THICK (brainless) + SET (band) | ||
| 9 | PALLET | The favourite’s all in – made to carry a big weight (6) |
| PET (the favourite) with ALL inside of it | ||
| 10 | ALL RIGHT | Perfect exam performance – or just fair? (3,5) |
| In a ‘perfect exam performance’ you have ALL questions RIGHT | ||
| 12 | ARTS | Star-strewn university faculty (4) |
| (STAR)* [* = strewn] | ||
| 13 | BARMY | Royal Marines seen in the sea inlet – but not all there (5) |
| RM (Royal Marines) inside BAY (sea inlet) | ||
| 14 | VEGA | Big star gave trouble (4) |
| (GAVE)* [* = trouble] | ||
| 17 | SALT LAKE CITY | US capital gives Sally a ticket – free! (4,4,4) |
| (SALLY A TICKET)* [* = free] | ||
| 20 | COUNTERBLAST | Token expletive in defiant response (12) |
| COUNTER (token) + BLAST (expletive) | ||
| 23 | AMID | Surrounded by a number in support (4) |
| M (a number, 1000) inside AID (support) | ||
| 24 | CHIEF | Main source of inspiration in cook (5) |
| I[nspiration] inside CHEF (cook) | ||
| 25 | SHED | Slough outbuilding (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 28 | INSCRIBE | Fashionable writer will make his mark (8) |
| IN (fashionable) + SCRIBE (writer) | ||
| 29 | OPORTO | Poor to riot in Portuguese city (6) |
| (POOR TO)* [* = riot] | ||
| 30 | APOPLEXY | A stroke of the worst misfortune? (8) |
| Cryptic definition There is a straightforward definition but by adding ‘of the worst misfortune?’ , Dante uses a different meaning for ‘stroke’ – as opposite to ‘a stroke of luck’. |
||
| 31 | ANODES | Positive points in article do back different points (6) |
| AN (article) + reversal [back] of DO + E,S (two different (compass) points) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | APPRAISE | A couple of pence increase in value (8) |
| A + P,P (couple of pence) + RAISE (increase) | ||
| 2 | TELLTALE | Revealing Rossini’s libretto? (8) |
| The TALE of TELL is what the libretto of Rossini’s opera William Tell is all about | ||
| 3 | CREW | A short cut for sailors (4) |
| Double definition ‘Cut’ as in haircut: crew-cut. |
||
| 5 | HOLY MACKEREL | An angel-fish? Gracious! (4,8) |
| An angel is a HOLY creature and a MACKEREL a fish, of course | ||
| 6 | CARD | The Joker in the pack? (4) |
| Double definition, one the clue as a whole (as underlined), the other just “(the) Joker” | ||
| 7 | SIGNET | Ring up a number of soldiers (6) |
| TEN (a number) + GIs (plural of GI, American soldier), together reversed [up] | ||
| 8 | TITIAN | It doubles up with an old master (6) |
| Twice a reversal [up, again!] of IT + AN | ||
| 11 | JACK-IN-THE-BOX | Forsake television for toy (4-2-3-3) |
| JACK IN (forsake) + THE BOX (television) | ||
| 15 | SLOOP | Boat causes waters to rise (5) |
| Reversal [to rise] of POOLS | ||
| 16 | STUBS | Counterfoils seen in the ashtray (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 18 | GATHERED | Grade the produce harvested (8) |
| (GRADE THE)* [* = produce] | ||
| 19 | STUDIOUS | Academic bosses admit financial liability (8) |
| STUDS (bosses) around IOUS (financial liability) | ||
| 21 | MANILA | Wild animal seen in the Philippines (6) |
| (ANIMAL)* [* = wild] | ||
| 22 | FIASCO | Providing back up when company is a failure (6) |
| Reversal [back up] of IF (providing) + AS (when) + CO (company) | ||
| 26 | ORAL | Examination of the mouth? (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 27 | OPEN | Start work in French – at this university? (4) |
| OP (work) + EN (in, in French) I don’t know why Dante uses ‘Start’ here, he could have done without. Probably, just for the surface while it may indicate that one has to start with OP. |
||
*anagram
4ac why the but? Enjoyed this one thanks Dante.
All solved bar 30a which is a bit doubtful to me.
Thanks Dante and Sil
Agree totally with the blog – entertaining but not hard, dubious clue with APOPLEXY, etc. I had 27d as a triple definition – a) start; b) work (OP) French for in (EN) and c) the type of university.
Had to look up Puccini to confirm his opera “William Tell”. Finished up in the NE corner with CARD, ALL RIGHT and SIGNET the last few in.