Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of December 30, 2017
A fairly typical Mudd with a few splendid clues, most notably 8d (PETROLEUM) but also 13d (GRENADIERS) and 23d (GREEK).
| Across | ||
| 1 | FACE CREAM | Prophetic fearful cry we hear is cosmetic (4,5) |
| Homophone (we hear) of “fey scream” (prophetic fearful cry) | ||
| 6 | PUT UP | Built to turn this way and that (3,2) |
| Palindrome | ||
| 9 | TIBER | Row around black river (5) |
| B (black) in (around) TIER (row) | ||
| 10 | ESTAMINET | Is team drunk? Then clear the bar (9) |
| Anagram (drunk) of IS TEAM + NET (clear) | ||
| 11 | NAIL-BITING | Exciting and disgusting habit (4-6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 12 | SOLO | Card game very basic, did you say? (4) |
| Homophone (did you say?) of “so low” (very basic) | ||
| 14 | POLENTA | Prison term starts alone, unfortunately – that’s porridge! (7) |
| Anagram (unfortunately) of P[rison] T[erm] ALONE | ||
| 15 | EARLOBE | Award given to peer in a flap (7) |
| EARL (peer) + OBE (award) | ||
| 17 | LATERAL | Some declare talent comes from the right side (7) |
| Reverse hidden word | ||
| 19 | CONFIRM | Establish the accuracy of indefinite figure invested in two companies? (7) |
| CO (one company) + N (indefinite figure) + FIRM (a second company) | ||
| 20 | TART | Tramp is bitter (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 22 | FORBIDDING | Is the purpose of an auction so grim? (10) |
| FOR BIDDING (the purpose of an auction) | ||
| 25 | BALLADEER | Singer, a hoofer joining the party? (9) |
| BALL (the party) + A (a) + DEER (hoofer) | ||
| 26 | ELATE | First step of escalator behind lift (5) |
| E[scalator] + LATE (behind) | ||
| 27 | EARTH | Leader moving to the far right in centre ground (5) |
| HEART (centre) with ‘H’ (leader) moved to the end (far right) | ||
| 28 | SO TO SPEAK | As if drunk, thus lying back on the roof (2,2,5) |
| SOT (drunk) + SO (thus) backwards (lying back) + PEAK (the roof) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | FUTON | Much enjoyment getting around to bed (5) |
| TO (to) in (getting around) FUN (much enjoyment) | ||
| 2 | CABRIOLET | Wreckage of boat, relic that’s convertible (9) |
| Anagram (wreckage of) BOAT RELIC | ||
| 3 | CARABINERO | Design of Arabic emperor in Spanish copper (10) |
| Anagram (design of) ARABIC + NERO (emperor). Carabinero is a Spanish word for a military policeman or a frontier guard. I did not know the word but guessed it from the Italian equivalent (carabiniere) which I did know. | ||
| 4 | ELECTRA | Star in waiting, the sun (7) |
| ELECT (in waiting) + RA (the sun) | ||
| 5 | MATINEE | Show a prong piercing me (7) |
| A (a) + TINE (prong) together in (piercing) ME (me) | ||
| 6 | PUMP | Drain shoe (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 7 | TANGO | Beat journey in Buenos Aires trip? (5) |
| TAN (beat) + GO (journey) | ||
| 8 | PETROLEUM | Part of one’s faithful dog? I’m not sure Rover needs it! (9) |
| PET ROLE (part of one’s faithful dog) + UM (I’m not sure). So ‘Rover’ in the definition refers to a car of that marque. | ||
| 13 | GRENADIERS | Soldiers having nothing to lose, reorganised after mobilisation (10) |
| Anagram (after mobilisation) of RE[o]RGANISED | ||
| 14 | PALATABLE | Savoury food after a lick, thrown up (9) |
| A LAP (a lick) backwards (thrown up) + TABLE (food) | ||
| 16 | ORIGINATE | Odd characters in tour having departed, ignite with a fresh spark (9) |
| [t]O[u]R + anagram (fresh) of IGNITE A | ||
| 18 | LIONESS | Plain female, one above punching subordinate (7) |
| I (one) + ON (above) together in LESS (subordinate) | ||
| 19 | CABARET | Show prowler, assuming undisguised (7) |
| BARE (undisguised) in (assuming) CAT (prowler) | ||
| 21 | RULER | One never deviates as a sovereign (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | GREEK | Tongue licking other bottoms – yikes! (5) |
| [lickin]G [othe]R + EEK (yikes) | ||
| 24 | HASH | Key drug (4) |
| Double definition, the first presumably referring to the hash key on a keyboard. | ||
Thanks for the blog, Pete.
In 24, I think hash refers to the hash (#) key on a keyboard.
Ah, yes! My first thought took me to something I work with. But the hash key should have been obvious. Thank you, Ludwig.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Found this quite a bit tougher than normal from this setter but on looking back it’s hard to see why – maybe just not on his wavelength this time. Liked two of the ones that you did, but GRENADIERS was one of them that gave me trouble.
ESTAMINET was my second one in – always like that word, sounds classy but it is in reality a bit of a dive. Didn’t realise that ELECTRA was a star until having to look it up and check at 4d. SOLO was my last one in and took a while to get.