Monday Prize Crossword / Jan 16, 2017
Another friendly start of the week with many ‘cultural’ references, just like in the good old Everyman days.
That said, Colin Gumbrell has turned out to be a more than worthy successor in that Observer spot.
Well, that’s what I think.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | CHARGE CARD | Visa, perhaps, found in vehicle loaded outside (6,4) |
| CAR (vehicle) with CHARGED (loaded) around it | ||
| 6 | ICON | Picture of counterfeit coin (4) |
| (COIN)* [* = counterfeit] | ||
| 9 | BAR-PARLOUR | Labour unduly to get right standard in room in pub (3-7) |
| R (right) + PAR (standard), together inside (LABOUR)* [* = unduly] | ||
| 10 | DRAW | Take out daughter, immature (4) |
| D (daughter) + RAW (immature) | ||
| 12 | SECOND PERSON | Support for each male descendant and you (6,6) |
| SECOND (support) + PER (for each) + SON (male descendant) | ||
| 15 | ALEXANDER | Pope perhaps pointing to a youth who drowned holding cross (9) |
| A + LEANDER (youth who drowned) around X (cross) Alexander Pope (Hero and) Leander |
||
| 17 | DEVIL | Dickens had a life after retiring (5) |
| Reversal [after retiring] of LIVED (had a life) The definition as in ‘what the dickens’. |
||
| 18 | APPAL | Horrify a friend describing parking (5) |
| A + PAL (friend) around P (parking) | ||
| 19 | TIP-AND-RUN | Clue with rugby union implication finally reveals a type of cricket! (3-3-3) |
| TIP (clue) + AND (with) + RU (Rugby Union) + [implicatio]N | ||
| 20 | CASINO ROYALE | Film with a scenario Loy changed (6,6) |
| (A SCENARIO LOY)* [* = changed] James Bond in 1967 or James Bond in 2006. |
||
| 24 | IRON | One runs round centre of Santa Fe (4) |
| I (one) + R (runs) + O (round) + [Sa]N[ta] A really nice clue, very original. |
||
| 25 | MIXED GRILL | Associate with girl led astray making meal (5,5) |
| MIX (associate) + (GIRL LED)* [* = astray] | ||
| 26 | NEST | Comfortable residence in Vine Street (4) |
| Hidden solution [in]: Vine Street | ||
| 27 | HEADSTRONG | Stubborn leader, powerful (10) |
| HEAD (leader) + STRONG (powerful) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | CUBE | Solid figure, bishop, blocking signal (4) |
| B (bishop) inside CUE (signal) | ||
| 2 | AURA | Atmosphere created by girl blowing top (4) |
| LAURA (girl) minus the first letter [blowing top] | ||
| 3 | GRACE DARLING | Blessing dear rescuer (5,7) |
| GRACE (blessing) + DARLING (dear) Grace Darling’s story. |
||
| 4 | CELLO | In small room, old musical instrument (5) |
| CELL (small room) + O (old) | ||
| 5 | ROUND TRIP | Take a tumble supporting cycle tour (5,4) |
| TRIP (take a tumble) coming underneath ROUND (cycle) | ||
| 7 | CHRIS EVERT | Tennis star, Shriver, excited, full of energy entering court (5,5) |
| (SHRIVER)* around E (energy), then going inside CT (court) | ||
| 8 | NEW ENGLAND | What was founded in the North East, initially? (3,7) |
| The solution (New England) initially is NE, which stands for North East It cannot be the other way round as E cannot mean England. |
||
| 11 | LEADING LIGHT | Usherette’s torch perhaps picking out a luminary (7,5) |
| Double definition, the first one slightly cryptic | ||
| 13 | JAMAICA INN | Book country hostelry (7,3) |
| JAMAICA (country) + INN (hostelry) A novel by Daphne Du Maurier. |
||
| 14 | SEX PISTOLS | Topless, six playing in band (3,7) |
| (TOPLESS + SIX)* [* = playing] This band. |
||
| 16 | DETERMINE | Decide to turn off ahead of pit (9) |
| DETER (to turn off) + MINE (pit) | ||
| 21 | YIELD | Return to surrender (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 22 | LIDO | Cover ring and swimming pool (4) |
| LID (cover) + O (ring) | ||
| 23 | FLOG | Beat, fine on record (4) |
| F (fine) + LOG (record) | ||
*anagram
Thanks Crux and Sil
A very straightforward puzzle with no real holdups at all.
Thought that the clue for CHRIS EVERT was very clever by including another tennis star in the anagram fodder and NEW ENGLAND was quite brilliant for not only having the initials given but having the &littish definition in the clue. IRON, with the hiding of the definition within Santa Fe, made it my clue of the day though.
I went looking for popes named ALEXANDER rather than the more logical poet.
Interestingly, finished with JAMAICA INN and GRACE DARLING – one about murdering the shipwrecked crew of boats and the other at great risk to herself helping to save the crew of a stricken ship.
Thanks Falcon and Sil
My minor quibble is that Visa, so far as I know, is not a charge card (where you have to pay the outstanding amount in full each month). It’s a credit card (where if you don’t pay the full amount you ‘attract’ a usurous rate of interest). Ah well…