Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 27, 2017
Goliath gives us a puzzle with a twist, a set of clues (unidentified and unenumerated) that have a common, unstated definition. While it took me a while to finish the crossword, I got this common definition quickly: it is ‘poison’ and there are six. My clue of the week is 1dn (CELIBACY) and I also especially like 21ac (MOJITO), 5dn (OFFSHORE), 7d (INK) and 15d (FROLICKING).
| Across | ||
| 1, 4 | CARBON MONOXIDE | Brood on Mexican settlement (6,8) |
| Anagram (settlement) of BROOD ON MEXICAN | ||
| 10 | LEGALLY | Member touches partner without breaking the law (7) |
| LEG (member) + ALLY (partner) | ||
| 11 | FRECKLE | It’s a mark of reckless division (7) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 12 | BULL | Its eye is central yet its motion is nonsense (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 13 | ARCHETYPAL | Model gets mixed up with Rob in bachelor party (10) |
| Anagram (gets mixed up with) [b]ACHEL[or] PARTY (i.e. BACHELOR PARTY with the letters of ROB removed) | ||
| 16 | CURARE | Artist in therapy (6) |
| RA (artist) in CURE (therapy) | ||
| 17 | ARSENIC | As if it’s briefly presented (7) |
| I easily guessed this answer from the theme and checked letters but had a tough time figuring out the rest. The solution is that ‘As’ is the chemical symbol for Arsenic. So I should remember that, in a case like this, what one has to solve may not be strictly wordplay at all but a cryptic, second definition. | ||
| 20 | HEMLOCK | Some hair visible beyond end of skirt (7) |
| HEM (end of skirt) + LOCK (some hair) | ||
| 21 | MOJITO | Cocktail’s magic power to convey sex appeal (6) |
| IT (sex appeal) in MOJO (magic power) | ||
| 24 | IMBECILITY | Bimbo stripped Felicity topless, dancing in folly (10) |
| [b]IMB[o] + anagram (dancing) of [f]ELICITY | ||
| 25 | OTTO | German Empire that man abandoned (4) |
| OTTO[man] (empire that man abandoned) | ||
| 27 | CYANIDE | Building in decay (7) |
| Anagram (building) of IN DECAY | ||
| 29 | CHIANTI | Greek character opposed to Italian wine (7) |
| CHI (Greek character) + ANTI (opposed to) | ||
| 30 | NOSEGAYS | Flowers a prominent feature in Cyrano de Bergerac, Oscar Wilde and W. H. Auden, perhaps (8) |
| NOSE (a prominent feature in Cyrano de Bergerac) + GAYS (Oscar Wilde and W.H. Auden, perhaps) | ||
| 31 | POSSUM | Australian resident’s possibly half expressed hesitation (6) |
| POSS[ibly] + UM (expressed hesitation) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | CELIBACY | Abstaining from sex might get you a bicycle (8) |
| Anagram (might get you) of A BICYCLE | ||
| 2 | REGULAR VERB | Starts to go up like a rocket in sound effect to play, croon or chant but not to sing (7,4) |
| G[o] U[p] L[ike] A R[ocket] in REVERB (sound effect) | ||
| 3 | OGLE | Look at objectifying lassie on vacation (4) |
| O[bjectifyin]G L[assi]E | ||
| 5 | OFFSHORE | Seaward horse? (8) |
| Reverse clue: “Off shore” could clue HORSE | ||
| 6 | OVER THE TOP | Excessive to be out of the trenches (4,3,3) |
| Double definition | ||
| 7 | INK | Some undrinkable liquid (3) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 8 | EVENLY | Waugh at last gets promoted fairly (6) |
| EVELYN (Waugh) with ‘N’ (last) moved up a couple of places (gers promoted) | ||
| 9 | LYCRA | Some totally crazy gear for cyclists (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 14 | PHILISTINES | My people insist I help out (11) |
| Anagram (out) of INSIST I HELP. The Biblical Goliath was a Philistine. | ||
| 15 | FROLICKING | Having fun, mostly from tongue action (10) |
| FRO[m] + LICKING (tongue action) | ||
| 18 | SCULLERY | Rower finally happy in a room by the kitchen (8) |
| SCULLER (rower) + [happ]Y | ||
| 19 | POLONIUM | Sport not interesting until Manchester leads (8) |
| POLO (sport) + N[ot] I[nteresting] U[ntil] M[anchester] | ||
| 22 | NIACIN | Vitamin B, A and C twice in mixture (6) |
| Anagram (mixture) of A C IN IN | ||
| 23 | STOCK | Keep cattle (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | LIDO | Lady’s first vow to swim here (4) |
| L[ady] + I DO (vow) | ||
| 28 | ASS | Bum in Massachusetts (3) |
| Hidden word | ||
Thanks Goliath & Pete.
I found most of the poisons without realising that they were the undefined solutions of a kind, but failed to solve several other clues.
In 30 across NOSE is a prominent feature in Cyano de Bergerac. Only Oscar Wilde and W H Auden are the possible GAYS.
Ah, yes, of course. Thank you for pointing this out. Now fixed.
Thanks Pete and Goliath.
What’s your poison?
Great puzzle and really liked CELIBACY too – wonderful surface.
Great stuff.
Thanks Goliath and Pete
Really enjoyable puzzle from this setter again where it took nearly to the halfway mark to get the first of the poisons, CYANIDE. This immediately led to CARBON MONOXIDE and ARSENIC (quite commonly clued with As as the definition). The other three took almost to the end to see.
I was completely lost with 2d – ended up writing in REGULAR HERB because of rocket but could make no sense of it after that – my wayward concentration in English grammar classes coming back to haunt me at long last!!! 🙂
That was my second to last in, followed by the tricky MOJITO as the last.
I think I’m a voice crying in the wilderness. The word (28dn) is ‘arse’, not ‘ass’, which is an Americanism and should be signposted as such in a British-based crossword. Certainly Collins and Chambers say that it is North American. But ‘ass’ is perhaps becoming used more and more by Brits who don’t realise.
There are lots of words in which ASS could be hidden. The choice of Massachusetts indicates the Americanism.
OK. I hadn’t noticed that. That makes it all right, and, indeed, rather a good clue. My apologies to Goliath for the smirch.
Is it true that Britons are becoming used to using ‘ass’ for ‘arse’? I do hope not and am dismayed if so.