Monday Prize Crossword/Feb 18
Just like puzzles by Dante/Rufus or Falcon/Everyman, Armonie/Chifonie’s crosswords are regarded by many as nearly perfect for those new to Our World of Magic. In my opinion, Armonie is a setter who is a master in using a minimum of devices to a maximum effect. Smooth surfaces, simple constructions, no cryptic definitions. This crossword is once more a good example of that. Enjoyable stuff, for which many thanks to Armonie.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | HIPPOCRATES | Trendy Italian banker boxes celebrated doctor (11) |
| HIP (trendy) + PO (Italian banker, i.e. river) + CRATES (boxes) | ||
| 7 | GOA | Ruminant has tail docked in India (3) |
| GOAT (ruminant) minus its last letter (‘tail docked’) – the definition is a bit loose, but it is clear what Armonie means | ||
| 9 | ASSET | It’s useful when established (5) |
| AS (when) + SET (established) | ||
| 10 | AS IT COMES | A TV programme has opponents however produced (2,2,5) |
| A + SITCOM (TV programme) + E,S (opponents, East and South, in bridge) | ||
| 11 | ANARCHISM | A rich man’s destroyed by insurgency (9) |
| (A RICH MAN’S)* | ||
| 12 | TENOR | Voice intent (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 13 | HALIBUT | Prince only eats one fish (7) |
| {HAL (Prince) + BUT (only)} around I (one) | ||
| 15 | ROUE | Libertine male may love in the French way (4) |
| O (love) inside RUE (the French way, ‘la rue’ = ‘the street’) | ||
| 18 | MARC | Trek endlessly? That’s the spirit! (4) |
| MARCH (track) minus its last letter (‘endlessly’) | ||
| I am quite knowledgeable when it comes to (alcoholic) drinks [no, not excessively 🙂 ] , but I have never come across MARC: a brandy made from grapeskins or other fruit that have been pressed from winemaking. | ||
| 20 | LA SCALA | Place in which Callas represented Norma, ultimately (2,5) |
| (CALLAS)* + [norm]A) | ||
| Chestnut #1. | ||
| 23 | OCEAN | Canoe wrecked in water (5) |
| (CANOE)* | ||
| On the very same day this puzzle was published, Rufus (in the Guardian) had ‘ocean’ clued as ‘canoe’. | ||
| 24 | AUBERGINE | Vegetable popular in French tavern (9) |
| IN (popular) inside AUBERGE (French tavern) | ||
| Chestnut #2. | ||
| 26 | REHEARSAL | Tries interrupting type of tennis practice (9) |
| HEARS (tries) inside REAL (type of tennis) | ||
| Real Tennis is: “the original form of tennis, played with a solid ball on an enclosed court divided into equal but dissimilar halves, the service side (from which service is always delivered) and the hazard side (on which service is received). A similar game was played in monastery cloisters in the 11th century” [Oxford Dictionary of English]. | ||
| 27 | GROVE | Girl to stray in woodland (5) |
| G (girl) + ROVE ((to) stray) | ||
| 28 | ERR | Blunder of German man lacking aspiration (3) |
| HERR (German man) minus its starter H, so ‘lacking aspiration’ | ||
| 29 | ENCHANTRESS | Siren in car sent hens crazy (11) |
| (CAR SENT HENS)* | ||
| Yes, that kind of Siren. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | HEADACHE | Leading a revolutionary is a source of worry (8) |
| HEAD (leading) + A + CHE (revolutionary) | ||
| 2 | PASSABLE | Father’s animal is OK (8) |
| PA’S (Father’s) + SABLE (animal) | ||
| 3 | OPTIC | Choose integrated circuit for measuring device (5) |
| OPT (choose) + IC (integrated circuit, abbreviation) | ||
| 4 | REALIST | One is pragmatic about an inclination (7) |
| RE (about) + A LIST (an inclination) | ||
| 5 | TRIMMER | Garden tool is in better order (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 6 | SECATEURS | They make cuts in the plot and Sue reacts badly (9) |
| (SUE REACTS)* | ||
| 7 | GEMINI | A sign, for example, mounted on a car (6) |
| GE (reversal of EG (for example)) + MINI (a car) | ||
| 8 | ASSURE | Promise beast has energy to circuit old city (6) |
| {ASS (beast) + E (energy)} around UR (old city) | ||
| 14 | BRAINWAVE | Great idea putting supporter on cool white horse (9) |
| BRA (supporter) + IN (cool) + WAVE (white horse) | ||
| A ‘white horse’ is apparently a white-topped wave, something I didn’t know. Hence, this clue gave me some trouble to parse. Nice use of ‘cool’, btw. | ||
| 16 | CAMISOLE | Old king keeps writer in clothing (8) |
| COLE (old king) around AMIS (writer) | ||
| 17 | CATERESS | Food provider made a hole in the salad (8) |
| ATE (made a hole) inside CRESS ((the) salad) | ||
| 19 | CLASSIC | Girl one found in volume of great work (7) |
| {LASS (girl) + I (one)} inside CC (volume, cubic centrimetre) | ||
| 20 | LOBELIA | A bit of ear trouble has arisen in bed (7) |
| LOBE (a bit of ear, literally) + LIA (reversal of AIL (trouble)) | ||
| 21 | HOARSE | Rough stockings worn by Arab (6) |
| HOSE (stockings) around AR (Arab, abbreviation) | ||
| 22 | NETHER | Stone the reptile hides under (6) |
| Hidden solution: [sto]NE THE R[eptile] | ||
| 25 | RIGHT | Terror when losing head is appropriate (5) |
| FRIGHT (terror) minus its starter (‘losing head’) | ||