Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of January 28, 2017
I found this to be another moderately challenging Mudd. My clue of the week is the deftly cryptic 24a (EYELID) and I also particularly like 2d (NAPALM). I am not crazy about Mudd’s clue for GANGSTA RAP (4d) but I like that he dared to include the term.
| Across | ||
| 1 | FANDANGO | Dance with an energy beyond fabulous, initially (8) |
| F[abulous] + AND (with) + AN (an) + GO (energy) | ||
| 5 | SPIDER | Crawler once more swims backwards? (6) |
| RE-DIPS (once more swims) backwards | ||
| 9 | IMPUDENT | This crossword writer’s locked up having stolen Mudd’s heart – that’s shameless (8) |
| IM (this crossword writer’s) + [m]UD[d] in PENT (locked up) | ||
| 10 | STONED | Wasted, like plums and peaches? (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 11 | HOLINESS | Sanctity required by army not quite closing off borders (8) |
| LINES (borders) in (closing off) HOST[t] (army not quite) | ||
| 12 | FORMAL | Short man’s stiff (6) |
| FOR MAL[e] (short man’s) | ||
| 14 | PACESETTER | One temporarily leading talk about to stop, gutted (10) |
| CE[a]SE (to stop, gutted) in PATTER (talk) | ||
| 18 | PROPAGANDA | In discussion, just look for disinformation (10) |
| Homophone (in discussion) of “proper gander” | ||
| 22 | TRICKY | Difficult finding starters served in toilet roll, and disgusting! (6) |
| T[oilet] R[oll] + ICKY (disgusting) | ||
| 23 | THOUSAND | Brownish-yellow on you is grand (8) |
| THOU (you) + SAND (brownish-yellow) | ||
| 24 | EYELID | Papers alongside fish soaking up last of oily batter (6) |
| [oil]Y in EEL (fish) + ID (papers) with a nice cryptic definition | ||
| 25 | HUNTRESS | Turn revolutionary into Nazi, as Artemis (8) |
| Anagram (revolutionary) of TURN in HESS (Nazi) | ||
| 26 | SORBET | Ice hardened around sphere (6) |
| ORB (sphere) in (around) SET (hardened) | ||
| 27 | RESTRAIN | Manacle requires hinge to come down (8) |
| REST (hinge, as a verb) + RAIN (come down) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | FRIGHT | Fear rout, at first, in conflict (6) |
| R[out] in FIGHT (conflict) | ||
| 2 | NAPALM | Bloke about to lick up jelly (6) |
| LAP (lick) in MAN (bloke) backwards (up) | ||
| 3 | ARDENT | Keen to have creative work around the office (6) |
| DEN (office) in ART (creative work) | ||
| 4 | GANGSTA RAP | Criminal group leading old man the wrong way – that sounds aggressive (7,3) |
| GANG (criminal group) + STAR (leading) + PA (old man) backwards (the wrong way) | ||
| 6 | PATHOGEN | Heptagon-shaped virus, perhaps? (8) |
| Anagram (shaped) of HEPTAGON. A rather obvious clue for ‘pathogen’ perhaps but still a very good one. | ||
| 7 | DYNAMITE | Brilliant banger (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | RED ALERT | Warning related to switch under top of roof (3,5) |
| R[oof] + anagram (to switch) of RELATED | ||
| 13 | WENDY HOUSE | Hot in Sweden, you suspect, in children’s home (5,5) |
| H (hot) in anagram (suspect) of SWEDEN YOU | ||
| 15 | SPOTLESS | Impeccable chefs ultimately unable to cook? (8) |
| [chef]S + POTLESS (unable to cook?) | ||
| 16 | DOMINEER | Tower over pit maintained by dynamo (8) |
| MINE (pit) in (maintained by) DOER (dynamo) | ||
| 17 | BACKSIDE | Second plane is behind (8) |
| BACK (second) + SIDE (plane) | ||
| 19 | TUT-TUT | I don’t know a couple of old kings (3-3) |
| TUT (one old king) + TUR (a second old king) | ||
| 20 | FAVELA | Slum preferred over US city (6) |
| FAVE (preferred) + LA (US city) | ||
| 21 | EDISON | Party turning on inventive mind (6) |
| SIDE (party) backwards + ON (on) | ||
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Started this one off and then had left it for a couple of days to finish off the SW corner. Had used MAL(colm) as my ‘short man’ at 12a but think that MAL(e) is probably better.
Typical JH deft clueing but somehow lacking his usual humour for me. Thought that GANGSTA RAP was OK. The one that nitpickingly didn’t sit 100% with me was TUT TUT where it read as if there were two different ‘old kings’ rather than the same ‘old king’ used twice.
Still an enjoyable solve, finishing with the clever EYELID and the tricky TRICKY as the last couple in.