Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of 27 July, 2019
I sailed through most of this puzzle then got stuck and took some time to get 23 and 29. My favourites are 11ac (TESTERS), 13ac (DRAWBRIDGE), 16ac (DAMSEL) and 4dn (HURDLING).
| Across | ||
| 1 | LOSE IT | Become less attractive and go mad? (4,2) |
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | HURDLING | Daughter into sport negotiating obstacles (8) |
| D (daughter) in (into) HURLING (sport) | ||
| 10 | MOUNT UP | Increase scale, then happy (5,2) |
| MOUNT (scale) + UP (happy) | ||
| 11 | TESTERS | Those posing problems, cryptic setters (7) |
| Anagram (cryptic) of SETTERS | ||
| 12 | ACHE | Hurt as climbing higher, expedition leaders (4) |
| A[s] C[limbing] H[igher] E[xpedition] | ||
| 13 | DRAWBRIDGE | Don’t win game that’s hinged on castle? (10) |
| DRAW (don’t win) + BRIDGE (game) | ||
| 16 | DAMSEL | Miss losing heart in twisted clue, girl 6 down? (6) |
| M[is]S in (in) LEAD (clue) backwards (twisted) | ||
| 17 | PRESUME | Suppose there’s little money to pick up (7) |
| P (little money, i.e. a penny) + RESUME (to pick up) | ||
| 20 | START-UP | Launch pie into drink (5-2) |
| TART (pie) in (into) SUP (drink) | ||
| 21 | SEVERN | River cut off, ending in diversion (6) |
| SEVER (cut off) + [diversio]N | ||
| 24 | LONG JUMPER | Athlete sprinting short distance, thighs warmer? (4,6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | STAR | Feature in forest, a redwood (4) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 27 | WHITMAN | Assassin going after western poet (7) |
| W (western) + HITMAN (assassin) | ||
| 29 | FORTUNE | Appropriate to air bomb (7) |
| FOR (appropriate to) + TUNE (air) with the definition meant in the sense of costing a bomb. | ||
| 30 | RINGSIDE | Phone team watching boxing match closely? (8) |
| RING (phone) + SIDE (team) | ||
| 31 | RACKET | Big noise in criminal activity? (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | LOMBARDY | See poet in my part of Italy (8) |
| LO (see) + BARD (poet) in MY (my) | ||
| 2 | SOUTHAMPTON | City boy covering foul mouth, apt (11) |
| Anagram (foul) of MOUTH APT in (covering) SON (boy) | ||
| 3 | IOTA | Not much I love, I appreciate that (4) |
| I (I) + O (love) + TA (I appreciate that) | ||
| 5 | UNTOWARD | Inauspicious drawn-out plays (8) |
| Anagram (plays) of DRAWN-OUT | ||
| 6 | DISTRESSED | Upset to find first of drawers has locks? (10) |
| D[rawers] + IS TRESSED (has locks) | ||
| 7 | ICE | Decorate some biscotti, certainly (3) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 8 | GASKET | Manage to file request for compressible ring (6) |
| ASK (request) in (to file) GET (manage) | ||
| 9 | SPARE | Extra thin (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 14 | DUMPER TRUCK | US vehicle throwing up dirt onto fresh pile (6,5) |
| MUD (dirt) backwards (throwing up) + PERT (fresh) + RUCK (pile). I believe the more common term for the vehicle in question is DUMP TRUCK but I have heard DUMPER before. | ||
| 15 | HENRY JAMES | US novelist with pair of kings? (5,5) |
| HENRY (one king) + JAMES (a second king) | ||
| 18 | SUMMONED | Married couple, one in the south of France is sent for (8) |
| MM (married couple) + ONE (one) together in SUD (south of France) | ||
| 19 | ANGRIEST | Degradation of inert gas, most furious (8) |
| Anagram (degradation of) of INERT GAS | ||
| 22 | FLOWER | Female further down, rose say? (6) |
| F (female) + LOWER (further down) | ||
| 23 | BEEFY | Strong as an ox? (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | AREA | Place where a bottom gets cut (4) |
| A REA[r] (a bottom gets cut) | ||
| 28 | INN | Roof off European pub (3) |
| [f]INN (roof off European) | ||
I too found this fairly straightforward. Struggled with 29; got the answer but took ages to parse it.
Welcome to the club! (Regarding 29, that is.)
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Done in quicker time than normal for this setter but still as enjoyable as ever.
Took a while to see what was going on with LONG JUMPER, but when it finally hit, it drew a wry grin.
I caused trouble for myself in the SE by writing ABUT in at 26d. Finally got it fixed after getting RACKET. Finished then with the corrected AREA followed by FORTUNE and strangely enough didn’t have to much trouble working out why once it was there.
Would the distressed damsel be Rapunzel?