Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of December 31, 2016
I would class this as a Mudd of medium difficulty. It gave me a pleasant solve over the holiday weekend. My clue of the week is the splendid 20a (SPOONERISM) and I also like 26a (EVENING).
| Across | ||
| 1 | POSTAGE STAMP | During ceremony, legs beginning to tremble, given a small token (7,5) |
| STAGES (legs) + T[remble] + A (a) together in POMP (ceremony) | ||
| 10 | CREAMER | Career ruined snorting first of magic white powder (7) |
| M[agic] in anagram of CAREER | ||
| 11 | UNICORN | Symbol of the United Nations about right, a fabulous thing (7) |
| R (right) in UN ICON (symbol of the United Nations) | ||
| 12 | CZECH | European investigation under discussion (5) |
| Homophone (under discussion) of “check” (investigation) | ||
| 13 | CASTRATI | Old singers creep behind actors before overture to Idomeneo (8) |
| CAST (actors) + RAT (creep) + I[domeneo] | ||
| 15 | LEFT-WINGER | Footballer in red? (4-6) |
| Double/cryptic definition | ||
| 16 | DEMO | March second following a quarter of the last month? (4) |
| DE[cember] (a quarter of the last month) + MO (second) | ||
| 18 | INST | Currently batting, openers in some trouble (4) |
| IN (batting) + S[ome] T[rouble] | ||
| 20 | SPOONERISM | Device that makes chick peas choose Cheddar, perhaps? (10) |
| Spoonerism of “pick cheese” | ||
| 22 | ADULTERY | Affair’s beginning, ennui initially concealed by a couple in trouble, accordingly going about it? (8) |
| A[ffair] + (E[nnui] in TR[ouble]) in DULY (accordingly). I am unsure what part of this clue is intended to be the definition. ‘Affair’ would make a nice definition but then would leave ‘beginning’ by itself to clue the ‘A’ of ADULTERY — which I don’t like. One could read ‘it’ as the definition. Or one could read the whole clue as the definition which would make it an &Lit. But the ‘ennui’ stuff hardly makes sense in a definition. | ||
| 24 | DEMON | Day after day, e’s a brute (5) |
| D (day) + E (e) + MON (day) | ||
| 26 | EVENING | 5 to 9pm, say – say about 9 to 5 backwards! (7) |
| NINE (9) + V (5) together backwards in EG (say) | ||
| 27 | MALARIA | A shocker ultimately within African country, a disease (7) |
| A (a) + [shocke]R together in MALI (African country) + A (a) | ||
| 28 | ENGINE DRIVER | Transport operator needing fresh water source (6,6) |
| Anagram (fresh) of NEEDING + RIVER (water source) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | ONESELF | Person turned back on then feels excited (7) |
| ON (on) + anagram (excited) of FEELS | ||
| 3 | TOMAHAWK | Betweeen cat and bird, a weapon (8) |
| TOM (cat) + A (a) + HAWK (bird) | ||
| 4 | GIRO | Tax people once in work for money received when unemployed (4) |
| IR (tax people, i.e. the Inland Revenue) in GO (work) | ||
| 5 | SAUSAGE DOG | Entering decline, custom to perform that’s long and hairy (7,3) |
| USAGE (custom) + DO (perform) in SAG (decline) | ||
| 6 | A-LIST | Star exists in Altair, not half! (1- 4) |
| IS (exists) in ALT[air] | ||
| 7 | PROPANE | Malodorous gas, for the window! (7) |
| PRO PANE (for the windows!). Is propane malodorous? I think Mudd may be in error here. Wikipedia tells me that propane sold as fuel usually has an odorant added so that people are able to smell it! | ||
| 8 | ICE COLD IN ALEX | Old film idol needs a licence to play an unknown (3,4,2,4) |
| Anagram (to play) of IDOL NEEDS A LICENCE + X (unknown). I understand that Ice Cold In Alex, made in 1958 and starring John Mills, is a very well known British film up there with The Dambusters, The Great Escape and The Cruel Sea. Strangely however, despite being a film buff, I had never heard of it and had to look it up! | ||
| 9 | ENVIRONMENTAL | Casually mention “vernal”is “green” (13) |
| Anagram (casually) of MENTION VERNAL | ||
| 14 | SNAPDRAGON | Tall plant that’s the same, a monster (10) |
| SNAP (that’s the same) + DRAGON (a monster) | ||
| 17 | NEW DELHI | Drunk held wine as capital (3,5) |
| Anagram (drunk) of HELD WINE | ||
| 19 | SQUEEZE | Exert pressure on lover (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | IMMERSE | Dip tongue not very far at first? (7) |
| IMM (not very far, i.e. one millimetre) + ERSE (tongue) | ||
| 23 | THING | Obsession, fine and good (5) |
| THIN (fine) + G (good) | ||
| 25 | AMID | In Vietnam, I designed houses (4) |
| Hidden word | ||
Thanks Pete and Mudd.
I think that in 25 down the definition is “in”; “houses” indicates inclusion in “Vietnam I designed”.
Thanks Pete and Mudd. I couldn’t parse 19ac but was sue the definition is “it” as in “at it”.
psmith, Ah, that is a much better take on 25 down. Thank you!
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Another puzzle check off that was held up by the house move.
A typical JH puzzle with his usual wit and inventiveness – I don’t think that I can recall SPOONERISM being used as the answer with such a clever example. Also enjoyed the clue for EVENING. The new learning from the puzzle was the film, ICE COLD IN ALEX, and the SQUEEZE term for a lover.
Made an error with 7d – had opted for PROFANE as malodorous, using ‘gas’ as a dubious anagrind for ‘FOR’ in PANE.
Finished with POSTAGE STAMP (which took a long time to sink in as a ‘small token’), that SQUEEZE and ADULTERY as the last one in.