Guardian Prize Prize crossword No 29,990 by Brummie

A straightforward unthemed (unless we’ve missed something) puzzle from Brummie for this week’s Prize challenge.

With a couple of possible exceptions (Sisyphus and “rede” at 20 down) there was nothing particularly obscure or recondite about this puzzle, but it still took us about an hour to complete it. We couldn’t initially parse POMP but it had to be correct; the fact that the letters M and O appear in it was misleading at first. Timon came up with BARGE at 26 across, which fitted both the definition and the wordplay, but was unfortunately wrong as we discovered eventually. I also entered SHOPLIFTER instead of SHOPAHOLIC originally, but that was perhaps less justifiable.

Thanks to Brummie.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
9	NEAR THING	Zero protection for organ (not ball) – almost a disaster? (4,5)
		EAR (organ) inside N(o)THING (zero protection without ball, i.e. O).
10	VAUNT	Relation following victory parade (5)
		V(ictory) AUNT.
11	ROYALTY	Reward of author, King and his ilk? (7)
		Double definition.
12	CAROUSE	English river on right of coach party (7)
		CAR (coach) OUSE (English river).
13	POMP	Male circle backed out of fancy ball ceremony (4)
		POMP(om). A pompom is a fancy ball; omit O and M (male circle, reversed).
14	SHOPAHOLIC	One who might not, however, buy the idea they were compulsive? (10)
		An extended cryptic definition.
16	SINUOUS	Curved air passage round centre of Slough (7)
		(sl)OU(gh) inside SINUS (air passage).
17	GIRAFFE	Blunder, caging wingless bird as a zoo attraction? (7)
		(b)IR(d) (wingless bird) inside GAFFE (blunder).
19	EUROVISION	Songfest combining money with fantasy (10)
		EURO (currency, or money) VISION (fantasy).
22	SNUB	New York’s bottom, turning humble (4)
		BUNS (US slang for the buttocks, rev).
24	SECONDS	Boxer supports another course? (7)
		Double definition.
25	MARSALA	Wine means the world to the French (7)
		MARS (a planet or world) A LA (French for “to the”).
26	NUDGE	Elbow’s exposed outside gown’s opening (5)
		G(own) inside NUDE. We originally entered BARGE (G in BARE), which works just as well, except that it’s wrong!
27	MONOLOGUE	Address of poor mug with one loo (9)
		*(MUG ONE LOO).
DOWN
1	UNPREPOSSESSING	Plain stewed prune being like spirit? (15)
		*PRUNE, POSSESSING (being like a spirit).
2	LADY’S MAN	He fancies his chances as a version of Dylan Thomas (tho’ lacking) (5,3)
		*(DYLAN (tho)MAS).
3	STOLE	Lifted a garment (5)
		Another double definition.
4	SISYPHUS	Offender of Zeus’s son is grimly pushy (8)
		*(S IS PUSHY). We got this from the wordplay; apparently Sisyphus incurred Zeus’s wrath by revealing his abduction of Aegina to the river god Asopus.
5	EGGCUP	Say doctor’s confiscated copper breakfast container? (6)
		EG (say), CU (copper) inside GP (doctor).
6	OVERSHIRT	Past Hirst works that might be put on (9)
		OVER (past) *HIRST.
7	MUTUAL	Misuse of umlaut is common (6)
		*UMLAUT.
8	STRETCHER-BEARER	One who exaggerates agent’s role in getting player off the pitch (9-6)
		STRETCHER (one who exaggerates) BEARER (agent).
15	CONVINCED	Party competed to secure East Coast state? Sure (9)
		NC (North Carolina) inside CON(servative) (party) VIED (competed).
17	GLOAMING	Look into playing online after sundown (8)
		LO(ok) inside GAMING (playing online).
18	FANDANGO	Cooler and relaxed? Try dance (8)
		FAN (cooler) *AND, GO (try). “Relaxed” is the anagram indicator.
20	RECEDE	Old advice about concealed earthworks entrances: ‘Get back!’ (6)
		CE (entrances or first letters of “concealed earthworks”) inside REDE (old word meaning advice). According to Chambers, “recede” can be a transitive verb, meaning “to cede again or back”. I still think that the definition is a little loose.
21	SESAME	Picture framing mother’s climbing plant (6)
		MA’S(mother’s) (climbing in a down clue, so reversed) inside SEE (picture).
23	KRILL	Sailor finally is into top sea food (5)
		(sailo)R inside KILL (to top can mean to assassinate or kill).

Leave a comment