A pretty straightforward, but very enjoyable, prize puzzle this week. There were about 4 clues at the end that we had to think about for a long time before getting the answers.
Across
7. Nothing left in river for sheep (8)
FOLLOWER
O = “Nothing” + L = “left” in FLOWER (something that flows) = “river”
Definition: “sheep”
9. China bearing in the same direction, after a little time (3,3)
TEA SET
E = “bearing” in EAST = “the same direction” after T = “little time” (I spent ages trying to make this with with SET = “in the same direction”, before seeing the E in EAST construction!)
Definition: “China”
10. Heading for trouble, cuddle gorilla (4)
THUG
T[rouble] = “Heading for trouble” + HUG = “cuddle”
Definition: “gorilla”
11. Worked like a phone, perhaps, having screwed up both nuts (4-6)
PUSH BUTTON
(UP BOTH NUTS)*
Definition: “Worked like a phone, perhaps”
12. Duck flew backwards into rat (6)
CANARD
RAN = “flew” reversed in CAD = “rat”
Definition: “Duck”
14. Bird leading fish (8)
STARLING
STAR = “leading” (as in “star employee”, “leading employee”, I guess) + LING = “fish”
Definition: “Bird”
15. Prayer books, whatever (6)
LITANY
LIT = “books” + ANY = “whatever”. This was our last one in – we got hung up on thinking that the N- at the end must be NT for “books”…
Definition: “Prayer”
17. Six short loose dresses, Serbian, perhaps? (6)
SLAVIC
VI = “Six” in SLAC[k] = “short loose”
Definition: “Serbian, perhaps?”
20. Turkey keeps messy room cleaner (5,3)
FLOOR MOP
FLOP = “Turkey” around (ROOM)*
Definition: “cleaner”
22. Right in bear, a little hair (6)
STRAND
R = “right” in STAND = “bear”
Definition: “a little hair”
23. Butcher avid, target fell (10)
GRAVITATED
(AVID TARGET)*
Definition: “fell”
24. Mule, perhaps, finding love in lady (4)
SHOE
O = “love” in SHE = “lady”
Definition: “Mule, perhaps”
25. Animal on a thoroughfare, chicken or mouse? (6)
COWARD
COW = “Animal” + A + RD (road) = “thoroughfare”
Definition: “chicken or mouse?”
26. Ending in Germany, look out (if I were you) for a German sport! (8)
YACHTING
A fun clue, so I won’t be too picky about U / “you” 🙂 [german]Y = “Ending in Germany” + ACHTUNG = “look out […] for a German” but with U (“you”) instead of I
Definition: “sport”
Down
1. Bath fluid filling other half of hood put into storage (8)
MOTHBALL
(BATH)* in MOLL = “other half of hood” (“other half” as in “romantic partner”, and “hood” as in “gangster”). (This was our second-last clue – a nicely deceptive clue.)
Definition: “put into storage”
2. Slimy thing one’s shot (4)
SLUG
Double definition: “Slimy thing” and “one’s shot” (“slug” is also a term for a “ballistic projectile” as Wikipedia puts it)
3. Southpaw’s head rubbed lightly, as hit (6)
SWIPED
S = “Southpaw’s head” + WIPED = “rubbed lightly”
Definition: “hit”
4. Sloth drinking bath, the little thing hammered? (4,4)
STUB NAIL
SNAIL = “Sloth” around TUB = “bath”
Definition: “the little thing hammered?” – a stub nail is a short nail
5. Ingenious brackets against girder fixed at one end (10)
CANTILEVER
CLEVER = “Ingenious” around ANTI = “against”
Definition: “girder fixed at one end”
6. Lion in for horse (6)
HEROIN
HERO = “Lion” + IN
Definition: “horse” (a slang word for heroin)
8. Weather is embraced by spider, perhaps? (6)
RESIST
IS in REST = “spider, perhaps?” (this refers to a spider being a rest used in snooker)
Definition: “Weather” (as in “to weather / resist something”)
13. Vanuatu or Eritrean capital’s diverse style (3,7)
ART NOUVEAU
(VANUATU OR E)* – the E in the anagram fodder was from “Eritrean capital”
Definition: “style”
16. Worm meat done in a stew (8)
NEMATODE
(MEAT DONE)*
Definition: “Worm” – referring to the Nematode worm, Caenorhabditis elegans
18. Shark identified fox (8)
CONFOUND
CON = “Shark” + FOUND = “identified”
Definition: “fox” (as in “to fox someone”)
19. Eating too much, mole suffering with pimples (6)
SPOTTY
SPY = “mole” around OTT (over-the-top) = “too much”
Definition: “suffering with pimples”
21. Young male hogs run over to get a bit of bacon (6)
LARDON
LAD = “Young male” around R = “run” followed by ON = “over”
Definition: “a bit of bacon”
22. Beguile with something to chew up during date (6)
SEDUCE
CUD = “something to chew” reversed in SEE = “date” (as in “to see someone / to date someone”)
Definition: “Beguile”
24. Location of some animals, it emerges (4)
SITE
Hidden in “[animal]S IT E[merges]”
Definition: “Location”
Thanks mhl. ‘Straightforward’ but ‘enjoyable’ were the words I was going to use too. My LOIs were 20a and 21d, don’t know why, they are so obvious now.
Thanks to Paul and mhl. Tough going for me. I did not know LARDON, STUB NAIL, or the link between “rest” and snooker (though I did guess RESIST) and had trouble with LITANY and HEROIN.
An entertaining puzzle from Paul, helped by some relatively straightforward anagrams. I took a while to think of the gangster’s molll, which I thought was a nice clue, once I got it.
A CANARD is also a type of plane with small front wings and no tailplanes, so it can look as if it’s flying backwards. I’m assuming Paul had that in mind, which makes that another rather neat clue.
Thanks to Paul, and mhl.
Thanks to Paul, mhl and previous commentators. I liked this Paul Prize puzzle too; but must admit it wasn’t all straightforward for me; others have touched on similar problems to mine: I couldn’t parse 17a SLAVIC properly [missed the slac(k) fodder], didn’t see the “hood”/”moll” reference in 1d MOTHBALL and didn’t know the name of the “rest” in snooker, the spider, for RESIST 8d.
I really enjoyed the following clues, a couple of which you said you did too, mhl: 7a FOLLOWER, 11a PUSH-BUTTON (I liked “screwed” for the anagrind), 14a STARLING, 26a YACHTING, 5d CANTILEVER (“ingenious!), 13d ART NOUVEAU, and 19d SPOTTY.
Thanks mhl. Just the last three posed any problem, TEA SET meaning China, the 6D horse and finally 15A where like you I got hooked on NT=books; Paul’s clue was nifty.
Thanks Paul and mhl
Another Prize that didn’t detain me long. I loved MOTHBALL. I didn’t know STUB NAIL, but it was easy enough to work out.
I was going to comment on CANARD being an unindicated French word, but KeithS @3 has rescued it.
Although I didn’t find it as straightforward as others I did get there in the end and found it the right level of difficulty for a prize. I like it when I have to leave them and come back to them, and this one went into Sunday morning which was perfect.
My favourites have been mentioned and JinA says much of what I would. What I appreciated about it for a Paul puzzle was it didn’t have any very convoluted clues with extended partial synonyms to be found to parse an answer – all the fodder was in the clue as written.
Maybe if I keep going I’ll get to the stage when puzzles like this become straightforward – but I’m not there yet. Thanks all and have a good weekend.
Thanks both. I took the STAR in 14a to refer to a leading man/lady in the theatre
Nice,workmanlike puzzle from Paul. Not especially difficult but none the worse for that. My LOI was FOLLOWER which delayed me because I was over thinking it- looking for obscure rivers and types of sheep! I don’t think I’ve seen FLOWER as part of an answer; it’s usually part of as clue. Nothing wrong with using it this way,though!
Thanks Paul
I am really surprised by the comments so far.
My bugbear is that too many weekday puzzles have become too difficult for those of us who only have limited time and certainly for tyros trying to get to grips with cryptics. and then on Saturday when I look forward to a real test along comes the easiest Paul I have seen for a long while. Done and dusted in 20 Minutes. Very disappointing. i almost resorted to the sudoku.
Did anyone else notice that Paul had used the solution ‘mothball’ in the FT crossword? As ‘Mudd’ at 1 across he clued ‘mothball’ as ‘Postpone event with dancing in the moonlight?’ It appeared on the same day!
Yes, berny, I did.
But as that is a prize puzzle (with closing date for entries this Wednesday) the policy is that ‘we’ should not say anything about it yet.
I agree, though, that it’s tempting to do so.
Thanks mhl.
In other news – don’t know how well it would go down with more seasoned crossworders such as frequent this site, but as a relative beginner, I thoroughly enjoyed this month’s Genius by Puck, and surprised myself by managing to complete it without external assistance!
[Ben @ 1above
Yes, I finished Puck’s Genius in a couple of sessions — fast for me. Very enjoyable, though, and a clever hint about the Nina, which went over my head till I’d finished the grid. I expect Toots finished it in about 10 minutes.]
The deadline for the Puck Genius is 2nd September. So WTF are Ben and Tony talking about it on here!!!!!!
Not only is it an unexpected place to see posts on the wrong board it is downright rude and breaks the forum rules.
Please use your noggin!
P.S. You’re obviously very clever to complete the Genius. Whoooooooo 😉
TC @10 – you can’t have it both ways. Any puzzle can be easy to those who either make the right connections immediately (OK, perhaps not Imogen, Vlad or Enigmatist). From what I remember I did not find this one any easier than most of Paul’s recent puzzles, but in retrospect everything was clear enough.
For once I agree with BNTO, though the comments don’t actually reveal anything that would help the solver.
Thanks to Paul and PeeDee