Monday Prize Crossword / Apr 3, 2017
Trademark Mudd.
All very well clued, although I thought there were a lot of envelopes this time.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | MANITOBA | Craze coming over to British part of Canada (8) |
| MANIA (craze) around {TO + B (British)} | ||
| 5 | PARSEC | Interstellar measure in space worked out about right (6) |
| (SPACE)* around R (right) [* = worked out] | ||
| 9 | DETONATE | Give hosts extra time to set off (8) |
| DONATE (give) around ET (extra time) | ||
| 10 | VISAGE | Fight to mask droop in face (6) |
| VIE (fight) around SAG (droop) | ||
| 11 | SPECIMEN | A thousand breaking pieces shattering, then an indefinite number, for example (8) |
| M (a thousand) inside (PIECES)*, then + N (and indefinite number) [* = shattering] | ||
| 12 | SAT-NAV | Travel guide not entirely relevant, a sucker being sent the wrong way (3-3) |
| Hidden [not entirely] in “relevant, a sucker”, then reversed [sent the wrong way] | ||
| 14 | THAI BOXING | Team entering biathlon, fifty missing out on good sport (4,6) |
| XI (team, eleven) inside (BIATHLON minus L (fifty))*, then + G (good) [* = out] | ||
| 18 | PERSIFLAGE | Frivolous talk from servant carrying rifles around (10) |
| PAGE (servant) around (RIFLES)* [* = around] | ||
| 22 | NICKER | Thief in pound (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | TRAP-DOOR | Hole in floor, reverse cross-section (4-4) |
| Reversal [reverse] of: ROOD (cross) – PART (section) What I like here is that both the solution and the fodder are hyphenated, making the clue very neat. |
||
| 24 | IBERIA | Two nations – or one without leader? (6) |
| LIBERIA (a nation) without its starting letter Some may have gone for ‘Siberia’? Two nations? What about Gibraltar, Britain’s pride and joy? In reality, a tax haven for some 30 UK gaming and gambling companies! |
||
| 25 | EDGEHILL | Slowly advance with an inclination for battle (8) |
| EDGE (slowly advance) + HILL (an inclination) Read more about The Battle of Edgehill . |
||
| 26 | GUSHER | Initially, girl guide is well (6) |
| G[irl] + USHER (guide) | ||
| 27 | SOBRIETY | Thus French produce case of therapy in moderation (8) |
| SO (thus) + BRIE (French Produce) + T[herap]Y Seeing that word always reminds me of Tanita Tikaram (Twist in my Sobriety) – where is she nowadays? |
||
| Down | ||
| 1 | MODEST | Around the outskirts of Dundee, not all is quiet (6) |
| MOST (not all) around D[unde]E | ||
| 2 | NUTTER | Ultimate in madmen, say? (6) |
| [madme]N + UTTER (say) This is what we call an &lit. |
||
| 3 | TENNIS | Error clear after a turnaround in sport (6) |
| Reversal [after a turnaround] of: SIN (error) NET (clear) | ||
| 4 | BETTER HALF | Wife – one taking a chance on small beer (6,4) |
| BETTER (one taking a chance) + HALF (small beer) | ||
| 6 | ANIMATOR | Inspiring type partial to foxtrot – am I naturally uplifting? (8) |
| Hidden [partial to] in “foxtrot – am I naturally”, then reversed [uplifting] | ||
| 7 | SEA SNAIL | Wave as saline as a salt-water creature (3,5) |
| (AS SALINE)* [* = wave] | ||
| 8 | CLEAVAGE | Go shortly into jail that’s split down the middle (8) |
| LEAV[e] (go, shortened) inside CAGE (jail) | ||
| 13 | DIDGERIDOO | Old queen pens dirge composed on old instrument (10) |
| DIDO (old queen) around (DIRGE)*, then + O (old) [* = composed] | ||
| 15 | SPINNING | Student’s first securing work on the web (8) |
| S[tudent] + PINNING (securing) | ||
| 16 | CRACKERS | Crazy jokes in these (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 17 | FIRESIDE | I live beneath female domestic (8) |
| I RESIDE (I live) coming underneath F (female) | ||
| 19 | APPEAR | Develop program with attention (6) |
| APP (program) + EAR (attention) | ||
| 20 | NOVICE | Rookie unable to get a grip? (6) |
| If you have NO VICE, you are perhaps ‘unable to get a grip’ on something | ||
| 21 | ORALLY | As medicine taken, zero needing to get better (6) |
| O (zero) + RALLY (to get better) | ||
*anagram
Thanks Mudd and Sil
Got off quickly with the straightforward geography clue at 1a but things did slow up in what was a puzzle a little harder than his usual Mudd offering. There were a lot of the envelope type clues but delivered with the typical JH polish and humour.
I was a Siberia man at 24a (don’t often think about the African country). Entered NUTMEG at 2d (NUT (madman) – M (another man to make men) – EG (say)). Couldn’t parse the ‘ultimate’ bit and eventually found the correct NUTTER. Liked both DIDGERIDOO and CLEAVAGE.
Finished in the SE corner with APPEAR, EDGEHILL and ORALLY the last few in.