Monday Prize Crossword/Aug 26
Look at that – a Dante crossword with only one cryptic definition!
That clue, at 23ac and my last one in, was situated in the SW of the grid which I found (relatively) the hardest bit of this puzzle. Mainly because of 13ac (OKAPI) and the misdirecting word ‘Initially’ in that clue. [After reading Rufus’ comment @3 I must admit “cleverly misdirecting”] For too long, it prevented me from entering OPERATING at 13d, especially since the solution to that clue was so similar to the one at 3d.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | BABOON | Primate holds sailor in favour (6) |
| AB (sailor) inside BOON (favour) | ||
| 4 | COSMIC | CO in charge set about Sergeant-Major – great! (6) |
| {CO + IC (in charge)} around SM (Sergeant-Major) | ||
| 8 | FAINTED | Was defiant in rout? Hardly! (7) |
| (DEFIANT)* – the clue as a whole is the definition, and slightly allusive | ||
| 9 | TAX DISC | It’s a car owner’s duty to record (3,4) |
| TAX ((a car owner’s) duty) + DISC (record) | ||
| 11 | BOUNDARIES | Limits certain stars (10) |
| BOUND (certain) + ARIES (stars, sign of the Zodiac) | ||
| 12 | ISIS | Divinity is a course at Oxford (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| Isis is an Egyptian goddess hence ‘divinity’. The second definition is a bit naughty. The Isis is how the Thames is called in Oxford, a ‘course’ (river, stream) that flows through or in Oxford, but I wouldn’t say at. One can see why Dante chose ‘at’, um, of course! | ||
| 13 | OKAPI | Initially agreed, a mixed up type of animal (5) |
| OK (agreed) + A + PI (mixed (up) type, in printing) | ||
| ‘Initially agreed’ suggests an A but not here – would have been odd in combination with the A that follows. Therefore, ‘Initially’ is only there to tell us that OK comes first (which it does anyway). Well, it was not like that – see the setter’s comment @3. PI in its meaning here is an alternative spelling for PIE. | ||
| 14 | IN A PANIC | Frightened when I can recall and accept fresh pain (2,1,5) |
| I + {NAC (reversal (‘recall’) of CAN) around (PAIN)*} | ||
| 16 | VERY WELL | All right for light and water? (4,4) |
| VERY (light – Very or Verey light, a coloured flare fired from a pistol) + WELL (water – well, where the water is!) | ||
| 18 | MILAN | The Italian man about town (5) |
| MAN about IL (the, in Italian) | ||
| 20 | FAKE | Only pretend to coil a rope (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| The second definition was new to me. A nautical term which is good hands with Dante, the expert. | ||
| 21 | TASKMASTER | Teacher after a job for a demanding employer (10) |
| MASTER (teacher) coming after TASK (a job) | ||
| I first went for ‘postmaster’ which suits the construction but not really the definition. Although, you’ll never know at a Post Office …. | ||
| 23 | BIDDERS | They want lots (7) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 24 | IN-HOUSE | Heinous confusion within a company (2-5) |
| (HEINOUS)* | ||
| 25 | GO DOWN | Leave university party in appropriate attire (2,4) |
| DO (party) inside GOWN (appropriate attire, i.e. when graduating) | ||
| 26 | TSETSE | Back trial bearing on source of sleeping sickness (6) |
| TSET (reversal (‘back’) of TEST (trial) + SE (bearing, South East) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BEANO | Be on a wild binge (5) |
| (BE ON A)* | ||
| 2 | BONANZA | Unexpected rich windfall may be mine (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| Bonanza can be a ‘windfall’, an unexpected gain or other piece of good fortune. It can also be a rich mine such as one with gold or silver. That said, for me, Bonanza is in the first place a TV series from the sixties (and early seventies) – remember the Cartwrights? | ||
| 3 | OPERATIVE | Skilled worker in force (9) |
| Double definition | ||
| 5 | ORALS | Our hall is regularly used for exams (5) |
| O[u]R [h]A[l]L [i]S (‘regularly used’) | ||
| Quite a nice surface. | ||
| 6 | MADEIRA | Admire a refined wine (7) |
| (ADMIRE A)* | ||
| 7 | CASTILLIAN | Figure Italians upset a Spaniard (9) |
| C (figure, 100) + (ITALIANS)* | ||
| 10 | CIVIL LIST | Polite inclination to support royalty (5,4) |
| CIVIL (polite) + LIST (inclination) – definition is “something to, etc” (as if they need it) | ||
| 13 | OPERATING | Cutting and running (9) |
| Double definition | ||
| ‘Cutting’ as in an emergency room where surgeons sharpen their knives. ‘Running’ as in ‘up and running’. | ||
| 15 | ARMAMENTS | Munitions produced by man and master (9) |
| (MAN + MASTER)* | ||
| 17 | YIELDED | Gave way under pressure and resigned (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | LAST OUT | Keep on going when all the others have gone (4,3) |
| When all the others have gone you will be the last one to leave: (the) last (one) out | ||
| 21 | THROW | Make a pot worth ordering (5) |
| (WORTH)* | ||
| ‘Worth’ can indeed mean ‘make a pot’, literally, on a potter’s wheel. | ||
| 22 | ENSUE | Follow directions and prosecute (5) |
| E,N (directions, East and North) + SUE (prosecute) | ||
Sil, although I didn’t get to do this one I just checked and this blog is rendering fine on phone and computer, so whatever you did differently worked for me, thanks.
Phil
SW the problem for me to0 -couldn’t get 20a, 23a or 17d -pity as I’d sailed through the rest of it.
Hi Sil. Many thanks for another very comprehensive blog.
Re 13 ac, OKAPI. My idea was that “Okay” = “agreed”, but needs to be used in its initial form, i.e. O.K.
Dear Rufus (aka Dante, of course), thank you for clearing this up.
Indeed, it makes perfectly sense now.
I admit, I was misled but happily so as it is a rather clever kind of misdirection (in hindsight).
Thanks, flashling, for giving me information on the readability of the blog (on iPhones, in particular). I think I know what caused the problems in some recent blogs.
Please, keep me informed when something goes wrong again.