Monday Prize Crossword/April 15
Nothing too tricky in this typical Dante crossword.
Apart from the odd homophone and the palindrome at 16ac, Dante restricted himself to the standard devices. We were given cds & dds (taken together), envelopes, charades and anagrams in almost equal quantities.
Definitions are underlined wherever appropriate and/or possible.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SUMMONED | Commanded to appear at court? (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| The clue as a whole is one definition, ‘commanded’ on its own the other. For me, these two are too close to find this a convincing start of the puzzle. | ||
| 5 | THAMES | Our flow of capital (6) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| I am not always very keen on cryptic definitions (due to my weakness to write one myself), but when they are well-written, I can appreciate them. I liked this one! | ||
| 9 | MADE IT UP | Fabricated some story and ended the argument (4,2,2) |
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | SPARSE | Not much of a press, perhaps (6) |
| (A PRESS)* | ||
| 12 | LOTUS | Water-lily collection going to America (5) |
| LOT (collection) + US (America) | ||
| 13 | TEA FOR TWO | Far too wet to go out, settle for this instead (3,3,3) |
| (FAR TOO WET)* | ||
| Smooth anagram clue, a winner! | ||
| 14 | ETCHER | He attacks the copper with acid (6) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 16 | DEIFIED | Being raised, either way (7) |
| The solution is a palindrome (‘either way’) | ||
| 19 | MODESTY | Reserve an enclosure, after a fashion (7) |
| MODE ((a) fashion) + STY (an enclosure) | ||
| 21 | UNTIDY | Slovenly in duty, has to be removed (6) |
| (IN DUTY)* | ||
| 23 | SHORTFALL | Not enough money even for a brief trip (9) |
| SHORT (brief) + FALL (trip) | ||
| 25 | CINCH | You can put it on a horse that’s a sure thing (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | HEARTS | He has the skills to make a suit (6) |
| HE + ARTS ((the) skills) | ||
| 27 | CAROUSEL | Girl secures employment in musical (8) |
| CAROL (girl) around USE (employment) | ||
| Carousel is a 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. | ||
| 28 | TRENDY | With it, essay is without conclusion (6) |
| TRY (essay) around END (conclusion) | ||
| 29 | PHARMACY | Abuse found in rapid dispensing of drugs (8) |
| HARM (abuse) inside PACY (rapid) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SIMPLE | Naive politician caught in a web of lies (6) |
| MP (politician) inside (LIES)* | ||
| Unusual anagram indicator: ‘a web of’. | ||
| 2 | MEDITATED | Thought broadcast item dated (9) |
| (ITEM DATED)* | ||
| 3 | OMITS | Forgets it is shortly on order (5) |
| OM (order, Order of Merit) + IT’S (it is, shortly) | ||
| Normally ‘A on B’ in a down clue indicates A+B, not here though. But it’s all right, I guess. | ||
| 4 | EQUATOR | It provides no latitude for the navigator (7) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 6 | HYPNOTIST | One may be entranced by his performance (9) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 7 | MARAT | Revolutionary article found in the market (5) |
| A (article) inside MART ((the) market) – definition: Jean Paul Marat (1743-1793) | ||
| 8 | STEROIDS | Body-builders stride so energetically (8) |
| (STRIDE SO)* | ||
| A very apt anagram indicator. | ||
| 11 | HAND | Help and applause for the worker (4) |
| Triple definition | ||
| 15 | HESITATED | Was not keen to take exam without being warmed up (9) |
| SIT (to take exam) with HEATED (warmed up) being around it | ||
| 17 | INDONESIA | One Asian country with units in another (9) |
| ONES (units) inside INDIA (another Asian country) | ||
| 18 | SMASH HIT | One blow after another makes great entertainment (5-3) |
| SMASH (blow) + HIT (blow) | ||
| 20 | YEAH | Yes, truly an aspiration (4) |
| YEA (truly) + H (an aspiration) | ||
| This was my last entry and although I knew that it had to be YEAH, I didn’t like it very much. YEA as an adverb (or an interjection) is too close to ‘yes’, in my opinion. It’s all too similar (also visually). | ||
| 21 | UNLEASH | Shun ale that distributed free (7) |
| (SHUN ALE)* | ||
| 22 | CHILLY | Unfriendly country, we hear (6) |
| Homophone of CHILE (country) | ||
| 24 | OVATE | Like an egg – so veto a pie (5) |
| (VETO A)* | ||
| 25 | CHOIR | Singers in church set up the port (5) |
| CH (church) + OIR (reversal of RIO ((the) port) | ||
Thanks Sil. A couple I couldn’t work out.
Perhaps you could explain to me why “pie” is an anagram indicator (24A)
And I would be a bit more critical than you regarding 3D. It is shortly is “under” order not “on”. In fact under would work very well and I wonder whether Dante made a typo when he submitted.
John
Pie, pye or pi is defined in Chambers as : a type confusedly mixed (printing): confusion
John @1:
I think the convention re a clue like 3d is:
“A on B” means “B+A” in an across clue and “A+B” in a down clue.
However, the Chambers Thesaurus tells us that “on” can mean “attached to” (which explains the across convention and perhaps justifies its use in a down clue)
John, this is a tricky area.
I would prefer to stick to what I said at the beginning of this post.
But if the surface needs the other interpretation, I would be very tempted to use it, just because Chambers justifies it.
Today, Dante did it.
On other occasions Araucaria did it too.
I think what Dante did is justifiable but not preferable.
Thanks Sil and Ernie
Thanks for the blog, Sil.
Re 9a: Is “made it up” (the second meaning) a primarily British usage? If someone asked me, “Have you ended the argument?”, I might say, “Yes, we made up” (but never “We made IT up.”). Further, we have the expression “kiss and make up” (not “kiss and make IT up”).