Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of June 10, 2017
I found a couple of clues here tricky, namely 3dn (ALAS) and 18dn (STARKERS), and was unfamiliar with the term WASP-WAIST (2dn). My clue of the week is 1a (HOWZAT) and I also very much like 30ac (PETALS).
| Across | ||
| 1 | HOWZAT | The appeal of sport in Oz – what could it be? (6) |
| Anagram (could it be?) of OZ WHAT | ||
| 4 | HOT PANTS | Design of top welcomed by county, tight garment (3,5) |
| Anagram (design of) TOP in (welcomed by) HANTS (county) | ||
| 10 | RESTARTED | Desert rat wearily set off again (9) |
| Anagram (wearily) of DESERT RAT | ||
| 11 | AMIGO | Friend, could I be shot? (5) |
| AM I (could I be) + GO (shot) | ||
| 12 | DAWN | Start relaxation finally, having pile of money in retirement (4) |
| WAD (pile of money) backwards (in retirement) + [relaxatio]N | ||
| 13 | DECATHLETE | All-round competitor having cheated, let off (10) |
| Anagram (off) of CHEATED LET | ||
| 15 | UNIFORM | Same class in higher education? (7) |
| UNI (higher education) + FORM (class) | ||
| 16 | LOOKER | Eye beautiful person (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | STUPOR | State of shock complete in short attack (6) |
| UP (complete) in STOR[m] (short attack) | ||
| 21 | FLEAPIT | Bound to don suit somewhere shabby (7) |
| LEAP (bound) in FIT (suit) | ||
| 23 | PILLOW TALK | A lying couple’s intimate conversation? (6,4) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 25 | SOAR | Fly very many miles, bypassing centre (4) |
| SO FAR (very many miles) with the ‘F’ removed (bypassing centre) | ||
| 27 | NOMAD | Rover, no barking! (5) |
| NO (no) + MAD (barking) | ||
| 28 | TEACHABLE | List containing every one willing to learn (9) |
| EACH (every one) in TABLE (list) | ||
| 29 | LITERARY | Academic rarely moved to admit it (8) |
| IT (it) in anagram (moved) of RARELY | ||
| 30 | PETALS | Time to wear rings, beautiful delicate things? (6) |
| T (time) in PEALS (rings) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | HIRED GUN | US killer touring Edinburgh having rubbed out blockhead (5,3) |
| Anagram (touring) of EDIN[b]URGH | ||
| 2 | WASP WAIST | Certainly no corporation getting filthy paws on effluence, did you say? (4,5) |
| Anagram (filthy) of PAWS + WAIST (homophone of “waste”/effluence). The expression means a very narrow or tightly corseted waist. | ||
| 3 | ALAS | Distanced from world views, leader in Trump, sadly (4) |
| ATLAS (world views) with the ‘T’ (leader in Trump) removed | ||
| 5 | ODDBALL | Occasional party character (7) |
| ODD (occasional) + BALL (party) | ||
| 6 | PEASHOOTER | Toy poodle’s tail blocking dad’s nose (10) |
| [poodl]E in PA (dad) + HOOTER (nose) | ||
| 7 | NOISE | Sound of piano is excruciating (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 8 | SHOWER | Hail despicable lot (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 9 | STREAM | Current energy about right (6) |
| R (right) in STEAM (energy) | ||
| 14 | SOAP POWDER | Cleaner rubbish proposed with 2/5 of waste (4,6) |
| Anagram (rubbish) of PROPOSED WA[ste] | ||
| 17 | EUPHORBIA | Plant first of bulbs in joy (9) |
| b[ulbs] in EUPHORIA (joy) | ||
| 18 | STARKERS | Those looking to cover bottom in shock – nude! (8) |
| [shoc]K in STARERS (those looking). For non-Brits who may be unfamiliar with the term, ‘starkers’ is a very British, mostly colloquial term meaning naked. | ||
| 20 | ROTATOR | Turner that turns (7) |
| Palindrome | ||
| 21 | FULMAR | Bird has some colourful markings (6) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 22 | SPINAL | Bias with almost all of a particular column? (6) |
| SPIN (bias) + AL[l] (almost all) | ||
| 24 | LIMIT | Around 1001 books bound (5) |
| MI (1001) in LIT (books) | ||
| 26 | SHOE | Small tool that’s over a foot (4) |
| S (small) + HOE (tool) | ||
Quick question. How does “shower” equate to “despicable lot” ?
Collins gives as meaning #5 of ‘shower’
[Brit slang] A derogatory term applied to a person or group, esp to a group considered as being slack, untidy, etc
And Oxford has something similar:
[in sing.] [Brit. informal] a group of people perceived as incompetent or worthless: ‘look at this lot — what a shower!’
[not that I was familiar with it]
Thanks Mudd & Pete.
I too found 3 down tricky — the surface reading seems unnatural. Unable to parse it, I thought the solution was AFAR (distanced from).
Regarding ‘shower’, I remember an old movie with that wonderful British comedian Terry-Thomas in which he plays an army officer in charge of a bunch of raw and rather useless soldiers. At one point he tells them, “You’re a shower, an absolute shower!” I wonder if someone can name the film?
I agree 3 down is tricky; it certainly took me some time. I fancy Mudd stretched it a bit far trying to include the reference to Donald Trump.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Started this one close to publication date and also found it quite testing in places as well (including at 3d). Did not know of that definition of SHOWER (which was my last one in) either until looking it up afterwards.
Thought that PILLOW TALK was a typically humorous clue from him.
Pete was that film ‘Private’s Progress’, not that I have seen it? Apparently ‘You’re an absolute shower’ became something of a catchphrase for him, and no doubt it appeared in his later films (I seem to remember it in ‘I’m All Right Jack’) but PP seems to fit what you describe.
Yes, I believe it was. Thanks. Some reviews on IMDB make reference to the expression.
I also had ‘AFAR’ for 3 down, being side-tracked by the notion that there was an association between ‘afar’, ‘a fart’ and Trump. Amusing to consider, but wrong.