Monday Prize Crossword/Aug 5
Crux has clearly regained his Monday spot given his recent output. I didn’t have too much trouble solving this crossword (apart from what happened around 4d/10ac) but the fact that Crux was once more in an ‘adventurous’ mood did raise some eyebrows at times.
When this much respected setter gets near the Land of Cryptic Definitions, I am not always on his wavelength. While writing the blog I found some clues a bit messier than I experienced them while solving. But all in all a thoughtful and thought-provoking puzzle for which thanks.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | DODGEM CAR | Kansas City host arrives in crash vehicle (6,3) |
| DODGE (Kansas City) + MC (host, Master of Ceremonies) + AR (arrives) | ||
| I couldn’t believe AR = arrives, but yes, it’s in Collins! | ||
| 6 | EUROS | Money made by amateur, ostensibly (5) |
| Hidden solution: [amat]EUR OS[tensibly] | ||
| 9 | CORFU | Island of clubs – four, surprisingly (5) |
| C (clubs) + (FOUR)* | ||
| 10 | DUNCE’S CAP | Headgear worn by one who’s not 3 (6,3) |
| A DUNCE’S CAP is a conical hat ‘formerly worn at school to indicate stupidity’ (Chambers) and therefore not worn by someone who is ‘educatable’ | ||
| I entered here DONKEY CAP but posters below made clear that I was on the wrong track. I still dislike the crossing of two caps in this clue and 7d. | ||
| 11 | SPYCATCHER | Percy acts hard playing security chief? (10) |
| (PERCY ACTS + H (hard))* | ||
| 12 | SPAR | Scrap left over? Not quite (4) |
| Not quite SPARE (left over) because missing the last letter | ||
| 14 | KNOW-ALL | Wise guy not seen in No 10? (4-3) |
| A KNOW-ALL will not be seen wearing a ‘dunce’s cap’ (No 10 – clue 10 across) | ||
| My mistake at 10ac meant that I had to find a better justification for this clue – with apologies to Crux. | ||
| 15 | SPOUSAL | Marriage in America beset by revolutionary cuts (7) |
| USA (America) inside SPOL (reversal (‘revolutionary’) of LOPS (cuts)) | ||
| That’s better! | ||
| 17 | TIDDLER | Violinist switches from foxtrot to tango – you’d hardly notice it! (7) |
| FIDDLER (violinist) with the F (foxtrot) changed to T (tango) | ||
| And another nice one! | ||
| 19 | FIANCEE | Intended to change sex? Cut end off! (7) |
| FIANCEE is female but to ‘change sex’ (ie gender) one has to cut the end off, giving us ‘fiancé’ | ||
| From a cryptic point of view I find the clue not brilliant but the imagery (with some imagination) might be seen by some as Paul at his best. | ||
| 20 | HALT | Pull up, being lame (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 22 | UNDERPANTS | Shorts conforming to European articles? Rubbish! (10) |
| UN, DER (European articles, French and German) + PANTS (rubbish) | ||
| 25 | NECKCLOTH | Kiss and cuddle with Terry, say, in white cravat (9) |
| NECK (kiss and cuddle) + CLOTH (Terry, say – terry (lower case) is an example of a fabric) | ||
| 26 | TITAN | Giant bird on middle of branch (5) |
| TIT (bird) + [br]AN[ch] | ||
| 27 | ROMAN | Old Italian love story the church finally banned (5) |
| ROMANCE (love story) minus CE (the church) at the end | ||
| 28 | FORETASTE | Sample of exotic teas taken in strength (9) |
| (TEAS)* inside FORTE (strength) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | DUCKS | A bat skilfully avoids these birds (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| The first definition refers to a sport I have no knowledge of. Some may even say this a triple definition as DUCKS can be defined by just ‘avoids’. I’m not one of them because I do not like double duty in clues. | ||
| 2 | DIRTY WORD | What profit is to a communist? (Expletive deleted!) (5,4) |
| Double/Cryptic definition | ||
| 3 | EDUCATABLE | English old coin expert ready to learn (10) |
| E (English) + DUCAT (old coin) + ABLE (expert) | ||
| Nothing wrong with this clue but what a strange word. | ||
| 4 | CODICIL | New Testament, maybe; certainly the last part (7) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| Something you add (‘the last part’) to a testament. This testament then becomes ‘(re)new(ed)’, in a way. | ||
| 5 | RINGERS | Almost identical fellows, often lifeless, apparently (7) |
| Straightforward definition made slightly cryptic (?) by telling us that they’re sometimes called DEAD (lifeless) RINGERS | ||
| 6 | EVEN | Happening to waste time in flat (4) |
| EVENT (happening) minus the T (time) at the end | ||
| 7 | RECAP | Military policeman, not dead, is run over again! (5) |
| REDCAP (military policemen) minus D (dead) | ||
| How cruel! | ||
| 8 | SUPERGLUE | Make new rules up eg to find the solution (9) |
| (RULES UP EG)* | ||
| Nice misdirecting use of ‘solution’. | ||
| 13 | BON APPETIT | Words for those starting course in French (3,7) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| I thought this was a good one. | ||
| 14 | KITCHENER | Room the Queen gives the Field Marshal (9) |
| KITCHEN (room) + ER (the Queen) | ||
| Herbert Kitchener (1850-1916), Secretary of State for War at the outbreak of WW I. | ||
| 16 | SICK NOTES | Bilious onset possibly explained by these (4,5) |
| SICK (bilious) + (ONSET)* | ||
| The definition is, I think, the clue as a whole. | ||
| 18 | RING OFF | Finish speaking with band, having cancelled (4,3) |
| RING (band) + OFF (having cancelled) | ||
| ‘Finish speaking’ as in ‘end a telephone call’. | ||
| 19 | FRESHER | More disrespectful new boy at college (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| One of the definitions of FRESHER is ‘cheeky or pert’ which was new to me. | ||
| 21 | LOCUM | Not well treated by this deputy? (5) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| If one’s not well one might get treatment from this stand-in doctor. The solver should take a breath between ‘well’ and ‘treated’. | ||
| 23 | SINGE | Char could be left out of one (5) |
| SINGLE (one) minus L (left) | ||
| 24 | SCAN | Look at baby’s first picture? (4) |
| Double definition | ||
Hi Sil,
Thanks for a very thorough blog and thanks also to Crux.
I think 10 ac is DUNCE’S CAP. Following on from this, a KNOW-ALL would not be seen in such headgear.
Many thanks, Sil & Crux
Like Muffyword, I also opted for DUNCE’s CAP @ 10 ac.
There’s atill time for you to change!
Re 2 Please read ‘still’ for ‘atill’.
Thanks to Sil and Crux. Like the first two posters, I had DUNCE’S CAP (though in my experience I have almost always heard it without the possessive).
5d reminded me of one of my favorite jokes, a version of which can be found here: http://www.jokeindex.com/joke.asp?Joke=1784
Thanks to everyone who put me right re 10ac.
I couldn’t reply earlier as I was visiting my mum this week (so being a kind of ‘outlandish’).
I will correct the blog asap.
To be honest, DUNCE’S CAP is a new ‘word’ to me too (just like, er, ‘Donkey cap’ 🙂 ).
Of course, this has to do with me not being from Great Anglia. That said, I do not want to use it as an excuse as I am perfectly capable of putting dictionaries upside down to filter out the right answer. Alas, this time it wasn’t like that.
Perhaps, it’s due to searching for (6,3) as it is actually (5’1,3).
Anyway, thanks all, I am happy now!