Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 31, 2018
I dont get to blog MUDD often, so glad to get the chance. Straightforward crossword that was mostly made brisk work of, starting with the SE corner, and then expanding from there. A couple of hiccups delayed the full solve just a little bit. Thanks MUDD!!
FF: 8 DD: 8
| Across | ||
| 1 | STINKY | High street, dark (6) |
| ST (street) INKY (dark) | ||
| 4 | ACCUSTOM | Get used to much cost, a new hospital unnecessary (8) |
| MUCh COST A* (without H – hospital) | ||
| 10 | BUSKING | Transport leader playing for change? (7) |
| BUS (transport) KING (leader) | ||
| 11 | ONGOING | Current working, then off (7) |
| ON (working) GOING (off) | ||
| 12 | RILL | Fish’s heading off for stream (4) |
| bRILL (fish, without its first letter) | ||
| 13 | TOUCH AND GO | Bird having bitten hound’s head, mauled dog critical? (5-3-2) |
| TOUCAN (bird) containing H (Hound’s first letter) [DOG]* | ||
| 15 | AVENUE | A place for road (6) |
| A VENUE (place) | ||
| 16 | MOREISH | Heroism not usually appetising (7) |
| HEROISM* | ||
| 20 | STOKING | Right wound’s bandaged – that’s encouraging (7) |
| OK (right) in STING (wound) | ||
| 21 | RUNNER | Competitor’s nose? (6) |
| cryptic def; runny nose | ||
| 24 | OVER THE TOP | Where entrenched soldiers would go is extreme (4-3-3) |
| cryptic def (entrenched soldiers woud go over the top ..) | ||
| 26 | ZINC | A little jazz in crude metal (4) |
| hidden in “..jazZ IN Crude..” | ||
| 28 | MUGSHOT | Picture on police records a warning to coffee drinker? (7) |
| cryptic clue; read as MUG’S HOT (warning to coffee drinker) | ||
| 29 | CHANNEL | Trough, where style icon holding nose at first (7) |
| CHANEL (style icon) holding N (Nose, first letter) | ||
| 30 | SWEEPING | Comprehensive cleaning up? (8) |
| double def | ||
| 31 | INVERT | Still about five flip (6) |
| INERT (still) around V (five, roman numeral) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SIBERIAN | Asian, south European (8) |
| S (south) IBERIAN (european) | ||
| 2 | INSOLVENT | Given fresh coat, first of vases broke (9) |
| V (first of Vases) in INSOLENT (fresh) | ||
| 3 | KNIT | Join wally on the radio? (4) |
| sounds like NIT (wally, slang for an inept person) | ||
| 5 | CHOP-CHOP | Piece of meat doubled at the double? (4-4) |
| CHOP (piece of meat), repeated | ||
| 6 | UNGRATEFUL | Thankless lunge far out, official initially missed foul (10) |
| LUNGE FAR oUT* (without O – Official, first letter) | ||
| 7 | TRIAD | Short hearing, five hundred and three (5) |
| TRIAl (hearing, short) D (five hundred) | ||
| 8 | MAGGOT | Time, perhaps, briefly secured for grub (6) |
| MAG (time, perhaps, magazine) GOT (secured) | ||
| 9 | AGLOW | Shining precious metal, blue (5) |
| AG (precious metal, silver) LOW (blue) | ||
| 14 | BUCKET SHOP | Huge numbers on journey, travel agency offering cheap prices (6,4) |
| BUCKETS (huge numbers) HOP (journey) | ||
| 17 | SENTIENCE | Feeling stretch, one splits (9) |
| SENTENCE (stretch) split by I (one) | ||
| 18 | UNBEATEN | Fresh bun swallowed, though never taken down? (8) |
| [BUN]* EATEN (swallowed) | ||
| 19 | BRACELET | Couple allowed jewellery (8) |
| BRACE (couple) LET (allowed) | ||
| 22 | COSMOS | Universe composed of suns, made of stardust, primarily (6) |
| starting letters of “..Composed Of Suns, Made Of Stardust..” | ||
| 23 | BONCE | Head – top of cerebellum encased by skull, say? (5) |
| C (top of Cerebellum) in BONE (skull) | ||
| 25 | EAGLE | Bird hunter missing originally (5) |
| bEAGLE (hunter, missing first letter) | ||
| 27 | YARN | Story that may unravel? (4) |
| cryptic def | ||
*anagram
Maybe it’s an editorial error, but this is a prize puzzle (at least according to the pdf version).
Hi Andrew,
I just checked – indeed it is. I think its most likely an error. In any case, I will drop a note to Geoff.
Regards,
TL
How do you mean, an error?
Delete this blog immediately and schedule it for tomorrow (12 Apr 2018). Not that difficult, methinks.
Sil @3
I rescheduled the blog for today, the closing date for entries. Why should it be deleted, entries must have been in the post before today. It is not difficult to reschedule a post but a further change is not necessary in this case.
That’s a change compared to how it was.
The PDF of the weekend prize puzzle usually says: …. (prizes) … will be awarded to the senders of the first three correct entries opened on Wednesday ….
The blog however always appeared on a Thursday (around Midnight).
Should’ve been Wednesday then?
Thanks Mudd and Turbolegs
An easier than normal puzzle from this setter with some typical humour in the clues like MUGSHOT and RUNNER mixed with some old chestnuts – 15a, 1d, 19 and 25d. A couple of new terms for me in BUCKET SHOP and BONCE and thought that MAGGIT was quite clever.
All finished over a cup of coffee with that BONCE and SENTIENCE the last couple in.
[interesting with the timing of the blog – even more interesting were the first two posts that were dated prior to the actual publication date of the crossword :-/]