Monday Prize Crossword / Aug 28, 2017
Dante as we know him (and liked by many).
That said, there weren’t that many cryptic definitions and only one double definition.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | GOATSKIN | Nanny’s relations supply this material (8) |
| GOAT’S (Nanny’s) + KIN (relations) | ||
| 5 | CHASED | Pursued by two boys (6) |
| CHAS (boy) + ED (and another boy) | ||
| 10 | STAIR | Steps look sound (5) |
| Homophone [sound] of STARE (look) | ||
| 11 | FINANCIER | Expert in money matters, ie in Franc conversion (9) |
| (IE IN FRANC)* [* = conversion] | ||
| 12 | ALERTNESS | Warn head to display vigilance (9) |
| ALERT (warn) + NESS (head) | ||
| 13 | SAY-SO | Verbal, but unwritten, authority (3-2) |
| If you “say so” it is ‘verbal’ and therefore not written. That’s it, I guess. |
||
| 14 | MESHED | She’d follow me and get caught (6) |
| ME + SHE’D That’s easy, isn’t it? |
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| 15 | DIMWITS | Obscure jokers may be stupid people (7) |
| DIM (obscure) + WITS (jokers) | ||
| 18 | ALTERED | Revised tale with a revolutionary ending (7) |
| (TALE)* + RED (a revolutionary) [* = revised] Well, well, a blatant case of double duty! Should and could have been avoided – that’s only what I think. |
||
| 20 | TOP HAT | Work that is about making a capital investment (3,3) |
| THAT around OP (work) | ||
| 22 | INANE | An oriental, well-liked at first, becomes foolish (5) |
| IN (well-liked) + AN + E (oriental, Eastern) | ||
| 24 | REASONING | Arguing, so earning correction (9) |
| (SO EARNING)* [* = correction] | ||
| 25 | LABYRINTH | It has misleading passages (9) |
| Cryptic definition We’re almost finished with the Across clues and this is only the first cd of the day! |
||
| 26 | IRATE | I start to scold, being furious (5) |
| I + RATE (scold) I assume that ‘start to’ here means that “I” comes in front of of “RATE”. |
||
| 27 | SPEARS | Asparagus or fruit on board (6) |
| PEAR (fruit) in SS (on board, a crossword chestnut) Collins gives for “spear” (singular!): A shoot, slender stalk, or blade, as of grass, asparagus, or broccoli. Not sure whether ‘Asparagus’ is a good definition and perhaps the clue needs a question mark as it is a DBE. By the way, Collins has also Britney SPEARS in its dictionary …. bizarre. |
||
| 28 | FRESHERS | Those starting university are more energetic (8) |
| If you’re more energetic you will probably be ‘fresher’. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | GAS-BAG | Yet his talk is far from uplifting (3-3) |
| I guess this is a reversal [uplifting] of: GAB (talk) + SAG (sink, which is not uplifting) The clue as a whole is the definition with special weight given to the word ‘yet’. Quite an intricate construction but I think I like it. Michael’s thoughts @1 are far more convincing than how I looked at this clue. A lot more Rufus/Dante, too. One of my Last Ones In. |
||
| 2 | ABASEMENT | Awfully mean beast causing humiliation (9) |
| (MEAN BEAST)* [* = awfully] | ||
| 3 | STRETCHER BEARER | One helping to remove litter from the field (9,6) |
| Cryptic definition One that I do not fully understand, I don’t see where the ‘litter’ comes in. See comment @1. |
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| 4 | INFIELD | Batting with the opposing players close to the wicket (7) |
| IN (batting) + FIELD (the opposing players) | ||
| 6 | HANDSOME PROFITS | What highly attractive investments may yield (8,7) |
| Attractive (HANDSOME) investments may yield PROFITS. | ||
| 7 | SHINY | Shy about being popular, but bright (5) |
| SHY around IN (being popular) The third time in this crossword that Dante uses an unchanged word to include in the answer (after 14ac and 20ac). |
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| 8 | DORMOUSE | Could be room used at the March Hare’s tea-party (8) |
| (ROOM USED)* [* = could be] One of these half-definitions that I’m not keen on. |
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| 9 | UNUSED | Unaccustomed to being surplus (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | INANIMATE | Foolishly maintain oriental is without vitality (9) |
| (MAINTAIN)* + E (oriental, again!) [* = foolishly] | ||
| 17 | BACILLUS | One invoice in another goes to American – it may produce ill-feeling (8) |
| AC (invoice, account) inside BILL (invoice, another one), then + US (American) | ||
| 19 | DARING | Attorney to call for defiance (6) |
| DA (attorney) + RING (call) | ||
| 20 | TEACHER | A paid informer (7) |
| Cryptic definition Coincidentally quite a topical clue after the Eton mayhem (and beyond). As a (former) long-time teacher, I can tell you two things: it really doesn’t happen very often and it is something of all times – past present and future, like it or not. Oh, and it’s very wrong to do so, of course! |
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| 21 | AGREES | Consents, but will be a long time coming round again (6) |
| AGES (a long time) around RE (again, as a prefix) | ||
| 23 | AMBLE | Walk like a doctor in drink (5) |
| MB (a doctor) inside ALE (drink) | ||
*anagram
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