Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 16, 2019
This puzzle gave me a bit more of a challenge than most Mudds. Not much to say about it though. My favourite clue is 23ac (DEICIDE).
| Across | ||
| 1 | DRAG ONES FEET | Battle-axe’s reward to cuddle sweetheart: time to use delaying tactics! (4,4,4) |
| [sw]E[et] in (to cuddle) DRAGONS (battle-axes) + FEE (reward) + T (time) | ||
| 8 | UTTERED | How bread may appear cut initially, it’s said (7) |
| [b]UTTERED (how bread may appear cut initially) | ||
| 9 | ART FORM | Music possibly encapsulated by Mozart, for many (3,4) |
| Hidden words | ||
| 11 | SEALANT | Marine animal and insect getting closer? (7) |
| SEAL (marine animal) + ANT (insect) | ||
| 12 | SEETHED | Clock heads for third hour, egg duly boiled! (7) |
| SEE (clock) + T[hird] H[our] E[gg] D[uly] | ||
| 13 | NITRE | Salt on after egg (5) |
| NIT (egg) + RE (on) | ||
| 14 | GRAND SLAM | Nan and mother, squeezing first of sponges, left wiping the floor with the others (5,4) |
| GRAN (nan) + S[ponges] L (left) in (squeezing) DAM (mother) | ||
| 16 | BRASSERIE | Restaurant in old club welcoming sovereign (9) |
| ER (sovereign) in (welcoming) BRASSIE (old club). A brassie is a type of club used in the early days of golf. | ||
| 19 | CAPRI | Isle in better state (5) |
| CAP (better) + RI (state, i.e. Rhode Island) | ||
| 21 | LEANEST | Home behind field that’s most unproductive (7) |
| LEA (field) + NEST (home) | ||
| 23 | DEICIDE | Most unholy of sins? Choose to embrace one (7) |
| I (one) in (to embrace) DECIDE (choose). ‘Deicide’ is the killing of a god. | ||
| 24 | SMIDGEN | Taste insect in tin (7) |
| MIDGE (insect) in (in) SN (tin) | ||
| 25 | TOPSAIL | Wave spoilt a sheet of canvas (7) |
| Anagram (wave) of SPOILT A | ||
| 26 | PARTICULARLY | Very much in detail? (12) |
| Double definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | DETRACT | Last of sediment hauled up to take away (7) |
| [sedimen]T + CARTED (hauled) all backwards (up) | ||
| 2 | AIR FARE | Price going up? (3,4) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 3 | OLD STAGER | One’s experienced chafing down below wearing tight leotards (3,6) |
| [chafin]G in (wearing) anagram (tight) of LEOTARDS | ||
| 4 | EXAMS | More than one test paper cut up first (5) |
| AXE (cut) backwards (up) + MS (paper, as in manuscript) | ||
| 5 | FATHEAD | Charlie brings articles into fashion (7) |
| A THE (articles) in (into) FAD (fashion) | ||
| 6 | EPOCHAL | Very important office’s opening in new chapel (7) |
| O[ffice] in anagram (new) of CHAPEL | ||
| 7 | NUTS AND BOLTS | Means of securing the basics (4,3,5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | MADEMOISELLE | Parisian girl produced wine, one bottled (12) |
| MADE (produced) + I (one) in (bottled) MOSELLE (wine) | ||
| 15 | ANECDOTAL | Narrative too orderly about European Community, full stop! (9) |
| EC (European Community) + DOT (full stop) together in ANAL (too orderly) | ||
| 17 | ARABICA | America doesn’t need me to drink a black coffee (7) |
| A (a) + B(black) together in (to drink) A[me]RICA | ||
| 18 | SLEIGHT | Cunning insult overheard? (7) |
| Homophone (overheard?) of SLIGHT (insult) | ||
| 19 | CLIPPER | Old ship, one docking? (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 20 | PRIMACY | Mother dear holds precedence (7) |
| MA (mother) in (holds) PRICY (dear) | ||
| 22 | TONIC | Note something invigorating (5) |
| Double definition | ||
Thanks Mudd and Pete
It is 2:40am and still 23 degrees Celsius down here … and two more days of it to come !!
Was a bit like you in that it was a workmanlike Mudd puzzle that seemed to take ages to finish off – started it over lunch time on the following Monday and only got to for short periods over a number of times during the day to get it out.
Looking back over it, can’t really see too many reasons as to why I seemingly struggled with it though.
Finished with ANECDOTAL (which took an age to parse), DEICIDE 9which I quite enjoyed as well) , AIR FARE (after concluding that there was an error at 13a) and then fixed up NITRE (from NITON).