Monday Prize Crossword / Feb 20, 2017
Perhaps it’s just me but I found this Dante puzzle easy to start but difficult to finish.
I am always on Dante’s side but I’m afraid I didn’t like this one very much.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | WHINGE | Find fault, whether there’s good in it or not (6) |
| Both WHINGE (with a G (good)) and WHINE (without) may satisfy the definition | ||
| 4 | BEARCATS | Crab teas prepared for pandas (8) |
| (CRAB TEAS)* [* = prepared] | ||
| 9 | ILLUME | How the poet might brighten up at work (6) |
| The solution is a poetic form of ‘illumine’, meaning ‘brighten up’ – let’s call it a cryptic definition | ||
| 10 | CAMISOLE | Scot returned with one single undergarment (8) |
| Reversal [returned] of MAC (Scot) + I (one) + SOLE (single) | ||
| 11 | TONICS | If you are run down they will pick you up (6) |
| Cryptic definition One that makes you wait for crossers before entering anything into the grid. |
||
| 12 | REMEMBER | Don’t forget about the constituent (8) |
| RE (about) + MEMBER ((the) constituent) | ||
| 13 | WED | Made one in a short day (3) |
| Double definition ‘Made one’ as in ‘united’, the solution also being short for Wednesday. |
||
| 14 | EVINCE | Show girl goes round in a hundred (6) |
| EVE (girl) around {IN + C (a hundred)} | ||
| 17 | KNEES-UP | High on joints in wild party (5-2) |
| KNEES (joints) + UP (high) | ||
| 21 | RETORT | Still requiring an answer (6) |
| Double definition ‘Still’ can be an apparatus for distillation (of spirits, whisky etc). |
||
| 25 | EEL | It comes from the elver (3) |
| Hidden solution [it come from]: the elver This is supposed to qualify as an &lit. That said, an elver is a young eel and therefore I am not sure whether the definition (the clue as a whole) does the trick. |
||
| 26 | ELONGATE | When alone, get changed and stretch out (8) |
| (ALONE + GET)* [* = changed] | ||
| 27 | PIGEON | Pigs can’t fly, but one pig might make it (6) |
| (ONE PIG)* [* = might make it] Pigs can’t fly, true, but ‘one pig’ can be rebuilt into something that can fly. Well, that’s how one should read the clue, I think. |
||
| 28 | BUN-FIGHT | Chelsea versus Bath? (3-5) |
| Cryptic definition There’s a Chelsea Bun and a Bath Bun. |
||
| 29 | ADORES | Thinks a great deal of modern day raw materials (6) |
| AD (modern day) + ORES (raw materials) | ||
| 30 | EVENTIDE | There’s a regular stream at day’s end (8) |
| EVEN (regular) + TIDE (stream) | ||
| 31 | ACTS UP | Poor cast at university – performs awkwardly (4,2) |
| (CAST)* + UP (at university) [* = poor] | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | WHISTLER | Bird painter (8) |
| Double definition A bird, also called Thickhead (!!) – this may please Pierre: 
And the painter is: James Whistler or perhaps his English namesake Rex Whistler. |
||
| 2 | ILLINOIS | Lilo is in a decomposed state (8) |
| (LILO IS IN)* [* = decomposed] A somewhat messy clue. Either ‘a’ is not relevant or both ‘in’ and ‘state’ do double duty if the anagram indicator is ‘in a decomposed state’. Didn’t like this. |
||
| 3 | GAMECOCK | Unafraid to stand up to trained fighter (8) |
| GAME (unafraid (to do something challenging)) + COCK ((to) stand up) | ||
| 5 | ELATED | Story written up – editor in high spirits (6) |
| Reversal [written up] of TALE (story) + ED (editor) | ||
| 6 | RAIDER | A horseman put out is an aggressive person (6) |
| A with on the outside of it RIDER (horseman) | ||
| 7 | AMOEBA | Parasites identified by a doctor on Lincoln’s back (6) |
| A + MO (doctor) + reversal [back] of ABE (Lincoln) Muffin @2 is right, the clue should really read ‘parasite’ (singular). |
||
| 8 | SHERRY | Wine one is mistaken to be diffident about? (6) |
| SHY (diffident) around ERR (mistake) I don’t get the parts of speech in this clue. Perhaps the question mark justifies the vagueness? |
||
| 12 | REFEREE | He should be fair, but he doesn’t play the game (7) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 15 | END | Object and don’t go on (3) |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | CUR | Dog used in security (3) |
| Hidden solution [used in]: security | ||
| 18 | PERIODIC | Sort of table used by chemists from time to time (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | FOIE GRAS | A delicacy that is consumed by obscure artists (4,4) |
| IE (that is) inside FOG (obscure) + RAS (artists, plural of RA) A delicacy? Not for me. |
||
| 20 | STANDS UP | Rises to announce the exhibition’s ready for opening? (6,2) |
| If the STAND is UP, the exhibition can go ahead. | ||
| 22 | PEBBLE | Not a precious stone, but possibly worn (6) |
| A PEBBLE is not a precious stone but may be smooth after being worn out by water | ||
| 23 | BOUNCE | Come back after hitting bottom (6) |
| I think this is a Cryptic definition – think of a bouncing ball | ||
| 24 | EGOIST | It goes amiss to be a selfish type (6) |
| (IT GOES)* [* = amiss] | ||
| 25 | ETCHED | What people who had designs on eating out did? (6) |
| Cryptic definition Punning on different meanings of ‘to eat out’. |
||
*anagram
Thanks Dante and Sil
I found this a bit harder than normal from this setter, taking three 15 minute sessions to get through it. My hold up was in the NW corner where WHISTLER, ILLUME and ILLINOIS were my last three in (which means that I must have opted for TONICS with just the C).
I thought that his cryptic definitions here were all very good – particularly liked BUN-FIGHT, BOUNCE and ETCHED.
Hadn’t seen RETORT as a piece of equipment for distillation.
Agree with your comments re SHERRY and the clumsy ILLINOIS.
I looked at this to pass the time while dinner is cooking, and noticed another error – AMOEBA is singular (Pl. AMOEBAE), hence “parasite” rather than “parasites”.
Well spotted, muffin.
Now corrected.