Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of October 6, 2018
Nothing gave me much trouble in this puzzle although I think the wordplay is generally a little trickier than that of the typical Mudd. No big favourite this time although I do like 29ac (STINGRAY) and 25dn (BENIN).
| Across | ||
| 1 | GREAT APE | Fruit about to feed siamang, say? (5,3) |
| EAT (to feed) in (about) in GRAPE (fruit) | ||
| 5 | BUMPER | Large metal guard (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 9 | DUCKLING | Zero fish for little bird (8) |
| DUCK (zero) + LING (fish) | ||
| 10 | AMAZON | A bloke carrying Australian back, a big woman (6) |
| A (a) + OZ (Australian) backwards (back) in MAN (bloke) | ||
| 12 | OLIVE | All die then, as something in cocktail? (5) |
| O LIVE (all die then) | ||
| 13 | UNDERPASS | Super and smashing southern path (9) |
| Anagram (smashing) of SUPER AND + S (southern) | ||
| 14 | BEACON | Light tone’s back in flesh (6) |
| [ton]E in (in) BACON (flesh) | ||
| 16 | TRIFFID | Looking back, somewhat sad if fir tree killing plant (7) |
| Reverse (looking back) hidden (somewhat) word | ||
| 19 | LANGUOR | Fatigue, primate gulping oxygen (7) |
| O (oxygen) in (gulping) LANGUR (primate) | ||
| 21 | UNDIES | Lingerie, for example, rises from the grave? (6) |
| UN-DIES (rises from the grave?) | ||
| 23 | HEARTLESS | Cruel as a pack of three suits? (9) |
| Double/cryptic definition. If one wanted to be picky, one might say that a pack of three suits should be heartsless, but I am okay with the clue as is. | ||
| 25 | BELLE | Beauty ending in dishabille after a clanger (5) |
| BELL (clanger) + [dishabill]E | ||
| 26 | BLUISH | One in pink, somewhat different in colour? (6) |
| I (one) in BLUSH (pink) | ||
| 27 | CARNIVAL | Four sexy dresses for Brazilian party, say? (8) |
| IV (four) in (dresses) CARNAL (sexy) | ||
| 28 | TOTING | Carrying third of votes, liberal got in (6) |
| [vo]T[es] + anagram (liberal) of GOT IN | ||
| 29 | STINGRAY | Fish, cheese and eggs sent back (8) |
| YARG (cheese) + NITS (eggs) together backwards (send back). [Cornish] Yarg is a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese made in Cornwall. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | GIDEON | French author taking on biblical name? (6) |
| [André] GIDE (French author) + ON (on) | ||
| 2 | EUCLIDEAN | Describing geometry in a clue, declare limits variable (9) |
| Anagram (variable) of IN A CLUE D[eclar]E | ||
| 3 | TILDE | Sign of the Spanish in bed, literally laid up (5) |
| Reverse (laid up) hidden word (in) | ||
| 4 | PENGUIN | Note gull, not half, in bird (7) |
| PEN (note) + GU[ll] + IN (in) | ||
| 6 | UNMARRIED | Single fluid in eardrum (9) |
| Anagram (fluid) of IN EARDRUM | ||
| 7 | PIZZA | Square, not a round dish (5) |
| PIAZZA (square) with first ‘A’ removed (not a) | ||
| 8 | RINGSIDE | Bum residing near the combatants? (8) |
| Anagram (bum) of RESIDING | ||
| 11 | EDIT | Constant changer up for change (4) |
| TIDE (constant changer) backwards (up) | ||
| 15 | COURTESAN | Mistress caught, nature so wanton (9) |
| C (caught) + anagram (wanton) of NATURE SO | ||
| 17 | FREELIVER | Hedonist’s special offer from the butcher? (9) |
| FREE LIVER (special offer from the butcher) | ||
| 18 | ALPHABET | Every character raising a drink to inspire pub during party (8) |
| PH (pub) in (during) LAB (party) in (to inspire) TEA (drink) backwards (raising) | ||
| 20 | RHEA | Bird breed overheard? (4) |
| Homophone (overheard) of REAR (breed). Curiously the answer is also hidden in the clue! | ||
| 21 | UPSTART | Parvenu happy with launch (7) |
| UP (happy) + START (launch) | ||
| 22 | REALLY | Very tense, ultimately, during exchange of shots (6) |
| [tens]E in (during) RALLY (exchange of shots — as in tennis) | ||
| 24 | ADULT | Responsible individual said (bus late), “every second counts” (5) |
| [s]A[i]D [b]U[s] L[a]T[e] | ||
| 25 | BENIN | Peak in African country (5) |
| BEN (peak) + IN (in) | ||
Thanks Mudd & Pete.
Your reservation in 23 across also troubled Andrew in Monday’s Guardian puzzle by Chifonie. His comment was: ‘I was worried about the suit being “spade” instead of “spades”, but Bridge players talk about “the spade suit”, so perhaps it’s ok.’
Thanks, psmith. Although the game holds no appeal for me in the slightest, I have spent considerable time around Bridge players in my life. I don’t recall their referring to “the spade suit” but, given that they do, I now think the clue is okay.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Found this one a bit easier than normal for Mudd as well. A couple of new terms with the YARG cheese and the simiang. Curiously with the simiang, it was defined as a large back gibbon – whilst GREAT APES were defined as a family that included chimpanzees, gorillas, orang-utans and human BUT NOT gibbons !
Didn’t parse ALPHABET properly and failed to see the anagram for RINGSIDE, which was my second to last in. BUMPER was last.
I don’t see a problem with the cards in this case – the pack has no hearts, so it’s heartless.
I think now we have general agreement that ‘heartless’ is fine in the context. Thanks.
On 3 down, the Spanish letter with the twiddle over the n is an integral symbol and is not considered by Hispanohablantes as an n plus a tilde. Unless I am missing some other reference?
I did not think much of “sign of the Spanish” as a definition for ’tilde’. After all the tilde is used in Portuguese and, for all I know, some other languages. But I did not know that the ‘ñ’ in Spanish was considered a symbol in itself. So, thanks for your comment, cantdocrosswords, which tends to reinforce my view. Nevertheless I am willing to give Mudd the benefit of any doubt since definitions in crosswords do not have to be very strict and he does refer to ’tilde’ as a “sign of the Spanish” not a “symbol of the Spanish” and I do not see how one could describe, in English, the twiddly part of this symbol as anything but a tilde.