Monday Prize Crossword/Jul 22
Elegantly written crossword by Crux. Smooth surfaces as ever with a lot of name-dropping this time, mostly (but not all) referring to Americans.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ANIMATED | Lively Miss Oakley, they say, was married (8) |
| ANI (homophone of ANNIE, Miss Oakley) + MATED (was married) | ||
| Annie Oakley (1860-1926) was a sharpshooter who was featured in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. | ||
| 5 | NOUGHT | A ring that’s a symbol of love (6) |
| Cryptic/Double definition – think O | ||
| 9 | ASSAYERS | Like a crime writer, they test for quality (8) |
| AS (like) + SAYERS (a crime writer, Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957)) | ||
| 10 | STREEP | Oscar winner looks to make a comeback – about time! (6) |
| SREEP (reversal (‘to make a comeback’) of PEERS (looks)) around T (time) – Meryl Streep, of course | ||
| 12 | EXAMS | A male involved in weird sex tests (5) |
| {A + M (male)} inside (SEX)* | ||
| 13 | CARPENTER | Pop in after fish and chips (9) |
| ENTER (pop in) coming after CARP (fish) | ||
| Surely my Clue of the Day (because of the fish ‘n’ chips combination). | ||
| 14 | ACCRUE | A company reported what interest payments do (6) |
| Homophone (‘reported’) of A CREW (a (ship’s) company) | ||
| 16 | AGENDAS | Programmes featuring a tale from the east about death (7) |
| AGAS (reversal (‘from the east’) of SAGA (a tale)) around END (death) | ||
| 19 | UPSHOTS | Results of aiming too high? (7) |
| When one’s aiming too high shots become UP-SHOTS – I am pretty sure I blogged a clue like this before | ||
| 21 | BODEGA | Blond Belgian regularly selected in Spanish store (6) |
| B[l]O[n]D [b]E[l]G[I]A[n] (‘regularly selected’) | ||
| 23 | TRADE WIND | Business spiral shipowners once relied on (5,4) |
| TRADE (business) + WIND (spiral) | ||
| 25 | EYRIE | Look around Central American nest site (5) |
| EYE (look) around [ame]RI[can] | ||
| 26 | MILDEW | Gentle tailless sheep with fungal growth (6) |
| MILD (gentle) + EW[e] (sheep, minus the last letter (‘tailless’)) | ||
| 27 | CELIBATE | Single cable tie comes loose (8) |
| (CABLE TIE)* | ||
| 28 | REBATE | Argue with king not duke for price reduction (6) |
| DEBATE (argue) with D (duke) replaced by R (king, Rex) | ||
| 29 | ASSASSIN | Stupid pair join in, naming the killer (8) |
| ASS ASS (stupid pair, one ‘ass’ (stupid person) and another one) + IN | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | AGATES | A rich man’s jewels (6) |
| A GATES (rich man, Bill Gates) | ||
| 2 | INSTANCES | Examples of incessant manoeuvres (9) |
| (INCESSANT)* | ||
| 3 | ABYSS | Jenny consumed by deep depression (5) |
| ASS (Jenny, a female donkey) around BY | ||
| 4 | EARACHE | Some fear a chest pain (7) |
| Hidden solution: [f]EAR A CHE[st] | ||
| 6 | ON THE MEND | Recovering macho types don’t (surprisingly) go outside (2,3,4) |
| HE MEN (macho types) with (DON’T)* going around it | ||
| 7 | GUEST | Visitor supposed to be heard (5) |
| Homophone (‘to be heard’) of GUESSED (supposed) | ||
| 8 | TOP BRASS | Utmost nerve required by senior command (3,5) |
| TOP (utmost) + BRASS (nerve, impudent agressiveness) | ||
| 11 | ORCA | Donor card held by a killer? On the contrary! (4) |
| Hidden solution: [don]OR CA[rd] – ‘a killer held by donor card’ as indicated by ‘on the contrary’ | ||
| 15 | ROOSEVELT | The Queen loves to cook for the president (9) |
| (ER (the Queen) + LOVES TO)* | ||
| 17 | DOG TRIALS | In which the setter, perhaps, must face the judges (3,6) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 18 | CUSTOMER | US general keeps order – he’s never wrong (8) |
| CUSTER (US general) around OM (order, Order of Merit) | ||
| George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876) was a general who was killed by the Sioux at the Battle of Little Bighorn. | ||
| 20 | SUIT | Become fit (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | BUDGETS | Signs of growth about to become chancellor’s main concern (7) |
| BUDS (signs of growth) around GET (to become) | ||
| 22 | DEMEAN | Humble clergyman takes me to his heart (6) |
| DEAN (clergyman) with ME placed in the centre | ||
| 24 | AD-LIB | A Liberal Democrat joins in freely (2-3) |
| D (Democrat) inside {A + LIB (liberal)} | ||
| 25 | EVITA | Musical key almost essential (5) |
| E (key, a musical note) + VITA (the last letter missing (‘almost’) from VITAL (essential)) | ||
Thanks Sil.
Could you explain to me why nought is a symbol of love?
And why suit equals begin?
@1 John Newman – love = zero in tennis, for example
Suit = become (not begin) eg ‘suits you’ & ‘becomes you’.
I did ok with this but couldn’t get 1d a?a?e? . I guessed it was a (rich man) but could only think of croesus and midas. Gates -of course. Then again hadn’t heard of agate.
Thanks Sil
Fine puzzle and blog Sil. Not like a hob nailed boot in face crossword but a fine thing like an everyman and just right for a train home.