Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 22, 2017
I found this to be a fairly typical and easy Mudd. Hard to pick out any exceptional clue but perhaps 20dn (CUE BALL).
| Across | ||
| 1 | BACKSIDE | Get behind the team – as behind! (8) |
| BACK (get behind) + SIDE (team) | ||
| 5 | ASHRAM | Religious retreat in wood on strike (6) |
| ASH (wood) + RAM (strike) | ||
| 10 | EXCEL | Do well with fish, about ten caught (5) |
| X (ten) + C (caught) together in EEL (fish) | ||
| 11 | IGUANODON | I waste positive gesture backing old reptile (9) |
| I (I) + GUANO (waste) + NOD (gesture) backwards. An iguanodon was a massive, herbivorous, bipedal dinosaur. | ||
| 12 | SKINNIEST | Most angular runner, home around the centre of Munich (9) |
| SKI (runner) + [mu]NI[ch] in NEST (home) | ||
| 13 | ICONS | Computer images somewhat basic on screen (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 14 | NEWTON | Old mathematician, modern heavyweight (6) |
| NEW (modern) + TON (heavyweight) | ||
| 15 | DRESSER | One putting things on an item of furniture (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 18 | TALLEST | 100% in exam is most unlikely (7) |
| ALL (100%) in TEST (exam) | ||
| 20 | CANAPE | Does gorilla have the skill to nibble? (6) |
| CAN (does…have the skill) + APE (gorilla) | ||
| 22 | BLEAT | Carp left with coating of batter? (5) |
| L (left) in BEAT (batter) | ||
| 24 | EXECUTRIX | Share a third of riches hoarded by old twins, woman allocating what’s left (9) |
| CUT (a share) + RI[ches] together in EX EX (old twins) | ||
| 25 | ORCHESTRA | Players co-star with her cast (9) |
| Anagram (cast) of CO STAR HER | ||
| 26 | THETA | Put in post, he tagged an old letter (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 27 | NINETY | Figure in film in Manhattan, perhaps? (6) |
| IN (in) + ET (film) together in NY (Manhattan, perhaps?) | ||
| 28 | CLAYMORE | Weapon, something fired further (8) |
| CLAY (something fired) + MORE (further) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BREAST | Article in French city is bust (6) |
| A (article) in BREST (French city) | ||
| 2 | COCHINEAL | Dye, black mineral covering backbone (9) |
| CHINE (backbone) in COAL (black mineral). ‘Chine’ can mean the backbone of an animal, something I had not known. Cochineal is a red dye made from certain insects. | ||
| 3 | SILENT TREATMENT | ‘Listen’ as a result of this quiet punishment? (6,9) |
| Reverse clue: “Silent treatment (6)” would clue LISTEN | ||
| 4 | DRIVE-IN | Split in row, some kind of cinema? (5-2) |
| RIVE (split) in DIN (row) | ||
| 6 | SUNRISE INDUSTRY | Young firm flower in Surrey isn’t going to seed (7,8) |
| INDUS (flower) in anagram (going to seed) of SURREY ISNT. I do not recall ever hearing the term ‘sunrise industry’. Have you? | ||
| 7 | RADIO | Olympic hosts welcoming commercial broadcasting medium (5) |
| AD (commercial) in RIO (Olympic hosts). Rio de Janeiro was the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Some might complain that ‘hosts’ is plural while Rio is singular. | ||
| 8 | MINISTRY | Preaching rabbi’s heading inside home of the little piggies? (8) |
| R[abbi] in MINI STY (home of the little piggies?) | ||
| 9 | GUTTED | Might a fish be so bitterly disappointed? (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | SUPERHERO | Animated character turning sour here, power restricted (9) |
| Anagram (turning) of SOUR HERE P | ||
| 17 | STUBBORN | Tough bit remaining innate (8) |
| STUB (bit remaining) + BORN (innate) | ||
| 19 | TWENTY | Score disappeared during play, though not zero (6) |
| WENT (disappeared) in T[o]Y (play though not zero) | ||
| 20 | CUE BALL | On the table, the white line discussed before party (3,4) |
| CUE (homophone of QUEUE (line)) + BALL (party) | ||
| 21 | EXHALE | Entering river, stop briefly to breathe out (6) |
| HAL[t] (stop briefly) in EXE (river) | ||
| 23 | EX-CON | One’s time has passed, a Tory no more? (2-3) |
| Double/cryptic definition | ||
Sunrise industry refers to new upstarts. Solar energy creation could still described thus; the latest seems to be hydrogen fuel generation. Mobile phone industry would have been one once, if not now. One of Mudd’s that I managed to finish early though I still needed Pete’s explanations for some of the answers. Thanks as ever Pete.
6d. Yes, it has been used quite often in the FT itself. I have just checked and it is defined in their Lexicon.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
This was one of his puzzles that I was able to do in a single sitting in a cafe the day after it was published. Enjoyable way to spend a half hour on a cold Sunday afternoon.
Can’t remember any hold-ups whatever, except having to look up CHINE as the spine of an animal. Hadn’t seen the SUNRISE INDUSTRY term either, but it just had to be … and again quite easily checked off. Whenever I see the INDUS, it always reminds me of a great holiday back in the 80’s when I had the opportunity to be in a white water rafting trip down it – it is one of those experiences that one never forgets!
Never heard of sunrise industry, so wasn’t sure I’d got it right. Thanks Pete