Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 10, 2019
A typically fine Mudd with a couple of splendid double definitions. My favourite clues are 13ac (STONEMASON), 20ac (POINTER) and 21ac (SOLVER).
| Across | ||
| 1 | COSINE | Function is reversed in dry fruit (6) |
| IS (is) backwards (reversed) in (in) CONE (dry fruit, as in the fruit of a conifer) | ||
| 4 | STAGNANT | Male relative back in rut, still (8) |
| STAG (male) + NAN (relative) + [ru]T | ||
| 10 | NEPTUNE | Record air on new planet (7) |
| N (new) + EP (record) + TUNE (air) | ||
| 11 | NATTILY | In smart manner, girl talking? (7) |
| Homophone (talking) of “Natalie” (girl) | ||
| 12 | TURN | Opportunity to switch (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 13 | STONEMASON | Man soon set to train as builder (10) |
| Anagram (to train as) of MAN SOON SET | ||
| 15 | PRETTY | Quite insignificant touring car at the back (6) |
| [ca]R in (touring) PETTY (insignificant) | ||
| 16 | CARVERY | Where one’s served meals, really on wheels (7) |
| CAR (wheels) + VERY (really) | ||
| 20 | POINTER | Dog clue (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | SOLVER | You finished eating meal finally after seconds (6) |
| S (seconds) + [mea]L in (eating) OVER (finished) | ||
| 24 | REPOSITORY | Sorry poet, I suspect, in store (10) |
| Anagram (suspect) of SORRY POET I | ||
| 26 | BLOC | United Nations berating lots of countries, initially (4) |
| B[erating] L[ots] O[f] C[ountries] | ||
| 28 | BUZZING | Very busy making phone call (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 29 | CORDIAL | Warm, sweet drink (7) |
| Double definition. Curiously, I drank a cordial this week, an elderflower cordial, for the first time in many years. | ||
| 30 | YEARLING | Ludlow’s first hurdled by a grey, in labouring horse (8) |
| L[udlow] in (hurdled by) anagram (labouring) of A GREY IN | ||
| 31 | HEIGHT | Peak figure beyond horrendous at the outset (6) |
| H[orrendous] + EIGHT (figure) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | CENOTAPH | Chap not curious about English monument (8) |
| E (English) in (about) anagram (curious) of CHAP NOT | ||
| 2 | SUPERHERO | Extraordinary character, fantastic Orpheus rescuing queen (9) |
| ER (queen) in (rescuing) anagram (fantastic) of ORPHEUS | ||
| 3 | NOUN | Something possibly common in journo, unfortunately (4) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 5 | TENON SAW | Tool didn’t used to be gripping one from below (5,3) |
| ONE (one) in (gripping) WASNT (didn’t used to be) backwards (from below) | ||
| 6 | GET A MOVE ON | Gone off to collect very old friend that’s come up, don’t be late! (3,1,4,2) |
| V (very) + O (old) + MATE (friend) all backwards (that’s come up) in (to collect) anagram (off) of GONE | ||
| 7 | AMISS | A maiden untrue (5) |
| A (a) + MISS (maiden) | ||
| 8 | TRYING | Difficult linking rings really, at first (6) |
| R[eally] in (rings) TYING (linking) | ||
| 9 | MEATY | My bottles to consume, nourishing (5) |
| EAT (to consume) in (bottles) MY (my) | ||
| 14 | STANDSTILL | Stop bear though (10) |
| STAND (bear) + STILL (though) | ||
| 17 | REVOLTING | Horrid being rebellious (9) |
| Double definition. Which reminds me of the old joke: “The peasants are revolting, the peasants are revolting!” “Yes, they are, aren’t they!” | ||
| 18 | HEPTAGON | Mobile phone carrying label, particular shape (8) |
| TAG (label) in (carrying) anagram (mobile) of PHONE | ||
| 19 | BRACELET | Duo allowed in band (8) |
| BRACE (duo) + LET (allowed) | ||
| 22 | CRABBY | Irritable passenger in the end picked up by driver (6) |
| [passenge]R in (picked up by) CABBY (driver) | ||
| 23 | CRACK | Funny snap (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | PIZZA | A toothy thing standing to bite unknown Italian food (5) |
| Z (unknown) in (to bite) A (a) + ZIP (toothy thing!) backwards (standing) | ||
| 27 | ERSE | Old language in newspaper, Serbian (4) |
| Hidden word | ||
Another splendid offering from Mudd. I particularly liked the &lit surface of 4a (Stagnant) with the clever use of rut.
Logoch, Thank you for commenting.
Yes, 4a is clever. Maybe I should have given it an honourable mention.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
A pretty straightforward solve from Mudd here but with a lot of his entertaining clueing style. Was wondering how to classify 23d – couldn’t make it a pure double definition – ended up having it as a sort of a cryptic definition that involved two different meanings of crack (if that makes sense).
As well as the three mentioned in the blog, also liked PIZZA a lot.
Finished in the NE corner with TENON SAW and NATTILY as the last couple in.