Monday Prize Crossword / Nov 6, 2017
After Crux’s surprise appearance a week ago, we’re back to ‘normal’.
Especially in the Down clues there were a lot of cryptic definitions.
But no major hold-ups.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | BEWARE | Warning from worker about fight (6) |
| BEE (worker) around WAR (fight) | ||
| 4 | ABSENTEE | Tea’s been set out – one is missing (8) |
| (TEA’S BEEN)* [* = set out] | ||
| 9 | NONAGE | Minority of lawyers give a 90-yr old 50% off (6) |
| Half of NONAGE[narian] (a person who’s in his 90s) | ||
| 10 | ARCHWAYS | Entrances with roguish traits (8) |
| ARCH (roguish) + WAYS (traits) | ||
| 12 | FALL | Take a trip in the autumn (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 13 | BIGHT | Making a loop needs great height (5) |
BIG (great) + HT (height) |
||
| 14 | DOME | Roof party I object to (4) |
| DO (party) + ME (I, the first person, in the objective case) | ||
| 17 | DISAGREEABLE | Released a big eruption – it’s unpleasant (12) |
| (RELEASED A BIG)* [* = eruption] | ||
| 20 | CIVIL SERVICE | Polite assistance from public administrators (5,7) |
| CIVIL (polite) + SERVICE (assistance) | ||
| 23 | UNIT | One upper-class twit (4) |
| U (upper-class) + NIT (twit) | ||
| 24 | CHOIR | Love to be surrounded by unusual rich voices (5) |
| O (love) inside (RICH)* [* = unusual] | ||
| 25 | SMUT | Obscenity that turns stomachs (4) |
| Reversal [that turns] of TUMS (stomachs) It took a crosser to decide whether it should be ‘smut’ or ‘tums’ (although the former was more likely). |
||
| 28 | BLOW OVER | Possible setback with deliveries coming to an end (4,4) |
| BLOW (possible setback) + OVER (deliveries) The part of speech doesn’t seem right to me here. If Dante means ‘coming’ as a gerund, then the answer should be hyphenated. |
||
| 29 | BACKER | Better kind of helper (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 30 | INTEREST | Gain attention without hesitation in trial (8) |
| IN TEST (trial) around ER (hesitation) Two definitions offered by Dante! |
||
| 31 | LEARNS | King gets directions and is wiser (6) |
| LEAR (King) + N,S (directions, north and south) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BONA FIDE | Sincere Latin (4,4) |
| The answer is a Latin expression meaning ‘genuine’ or, possibly, ‘sincere’ | ||
| 2 | WINDLASS | Elevating device that may go over well (8) |
| Straight definition with a cryptic extension | ||
| 3 | RIGA | European capital set up with middle man (4) |
| RIG (set up) + [m]A[n] The capital of Latvia. |
||
| 5 | BIRTHDAY SUIT | First-day cover? (8,4) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 6 | ECHO | A resounding comeback (4) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 7 | TEAPOT | It never rains but it pours (6) |
| Cryptic definition That’s three in a row. |
||
| 8 | ENSUED | Resulted in having to go to law in the finish (6) |
| SUE (to go to law) inside END (the finish) | ||
| 11 | FIRELIGHTERS | Matches possibly made if three girls go wild (12) |
| (IF THREE GIRLS)* [* = go wild] | ||
| 15 | AGAIN | An increase, not for the first time (5) |
| A GAIN (an increase) | ||
| 16 | FLARE | Very light, for example (5) |
| Cryptic definition (or just a straightforward one) A ‘Very light’ is a coloured flare fired from a special pistol (Very pistol) for signalling at night, esp at sea [Collins]. |
||
| 18 | WIGMAKER | He deals in capital investments (8) |
| Cryptic definition I had to wait a while to find out it wasn’t ‘hatmaker’. |
||
| 19 | VENTURES | Opening ruse designed for risky undertakings (8) |
| VENT (opening) + (RUSE)* [* = designed] | ||
| 21 | MUMBAI | I follow mother in getting degree in Indian city (6) |
| I coming after {MUM (mother) + BA (degree)} An infamous example of wrong cryptic grammar. It should be ‘I must follow’, ‘I should follow’, ‘I will follow’ or the like. |
||
| 22 | SIT OUT | Leave the dance-floor to enjoy the sun? (3,3) |
| If you ‘sit out(side)’ you may be enjoying the sun (if there is!) | ||
| 26 | BOAR | Steal up around a wild beast (4) |
| Reversal [up] of ROB (steal) around A | ||
| 27 | LAME | Ineffective material (4) |
| Double definition I had ‘base’ here which wasn’t right. |
||
*anagram
Thanks Dante & Sil.
9 across strikes me as a clever succinct clue; it took me a while to appreciate that “of lawyers” implied a legal definition.
30 across could also be seen as having a third definition “Gain attention”. The rest of the clue might have been easier to understand if expressed as “in trial without hesitation” I think.
Thanks Sil and Dante.
I think 27down is LAME (a dd, as you say).
Sil, are you sure about 13ac? I think it is BIGHT = BIG (great) HT (height). A bight can be a loop in a length of rope.
I also had BIGHT for 13a and LAME for 27d.
Thanks Dante and Sil
This was certainly harder than the normal offering from Dante – as evidenced with the two questionable answers in the blog – I also had BIGHT but ended up not entering anything in at 27d, but agree that LAME looks to be the correct answer.
Some good stuff in there … and some others that with the cryptic / double definition clues made it a lot harder than usual.
My last two that I did actually get were BLOWOVER and BACKER which both took time with the puzzle taking over an hour and was still not completed.
We also had lame for 27d. We prefer bight for 13a. Enjoyable puzzle
Since this blog appeared I was away for over a week without having access to the Internet.
I am afraid I had it all wrong this week with BIGHT and LAME.
Now tweaked.
That said, I found my explanation for 13ac quite original, and 27d so-so.
Thanks everyone for helping me out.