Monday Prize Crossword/Oct 21
Some solvers complain about Dante using too many cryptic and double definitions, but here we have no less than 14 straightforward charades (A+B(+C)) – outnumbering the CDs, DDs and full anagrams (even when taken together!). The usual gentle start to the week.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ANGELENO | One supplying finance backs one man from LA (8) |
| ANGEL (one supplying finance) + ENO (reversal (‘backs’) of ONE) | ||
| 5 | SCRAPS | Battles for what’s left (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 9 | REACTION | Response of soldiers being introduced to battle (8) |
| RE (soldiers) + ACTION (battle) | ||
| 10 | FEDORA | The Iron Lady’s hat? (6) |
| FE (iron) + DORA (lady (name of)) | ||
| 12 | SIDLE | Slide about the sidewalk (5) |
| (SLIDE)* | ||
| 13 | DEFAULTER | He fails to show up the defect in the return pipe (9) |
| FAULT ((the) defect) inside DEER (reversal (‘return’) of REED ((the) pipe) | ||
| 14 | JALOPY | Bird crop seen inside old crate (6) |
| LOP (crop) inside JAY (bird) | ||
| The ‘old crate’ is an old car here. | ||
| 16 | AIRCREW | High-fliers at work? (7) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 19 | CALIBRE | Means of gauging a boring job (7) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| ‘Calibre’ can mean the diameter of the bore of eg a tube – that kind of ‘boring’. | ||
| 21 | KIDNAP | Billy has hot tip, might make gangster’s fortune (6) |
| KID (Billy, the Kid) + NAP (hot tip, in horseracing) | ||
| 23 | PROVISION | In favour of seeing prior measures made (9) |
| PRO (in favour of) + VISION (seeing) | ||
| 25 | APHID | A degree – being without one is a pest (5) |
| A + {PHD (degree) around I (one)} | ||
| An ‘aphid’ is a plant louse that sucks its juices. | ||
| 26 | RAGTAG | Cheap paper to identify with the common people (6) |
| RAG (cheap paper) + TAG ((to) identify) | ||
| 27 | APTITUDE | Tied up at work, reaching capacity (8) |
| (TIED UP AT)* | ||
| 28 | SENIOR | No rise for those more advanced in service (6) |
| (NO RISE)* | ||
| Just ‘for’ to indicate the anagram? | ||
| 29 | INTEREST | Profit from hobby (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | ARREST | Stop, having a right to a break (6) |
| A + R (right) + REST (break) | ||
| 2 | GUARDRAIL | Safety device to protect bird (9) |
| GUARD ((to) protect) + RAIL (bird) | ||
| 3 | LATHE | The bilingual machine (5) |
| LA (the, in French/Italian) + THE (the, in English of course) | ||
| 4 | NOONDAY | Small number performing for 24 hours – 12 in fact (7) |
| NO (small number, no.) + ON (performing) + DAY (24 hours) | ||
| 6 | CHEQUERED | Squared up with money order overdrawn (9) |
| CHEQUE (money order) + RED (overdrawn) | ||
| 7 | ABOUT | Not exactly up and doing? (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | SPARROWS | Birds seen in spring by river banks (8) |
| SPA (spring, a mineral spring) + R (river) + ROWS (banks) | ||
| 11 | OFFA | King of Mercia is of some note (4) |
| OF + FA ((some) note, the one between mi and sol) | ||
| 15 | OBBLIGATO | It’s essential in performance (9) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| The more I think about it, the less cryptic it becomes. See also Keeper’s comment @4. | ||
| 17 | ROADHOUSE | Way home from the inn (9) |
| ROAD (way) + HOUSE ( home) | ||
| 18 | SCEPTRES | Insignia of royalty in other respects (8) |
| (RESPECTS)* | ||
| 20 | ERIN | About turn in Old Ireland (4) |
| ER (reversal (‘turn’) of RE (about)) + IN | ||
| 21 | KINGPIN | Pink gin ordered for a VIP (7) |
| (PINK GIN)* | ||
| 22 | ADVENT | The arrival of a commercial airway (6) |
| AD (a commercial) + VENT (airway) | ||
| 24 | ORGAN | An ear – for music? (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| Both by example, therefore perhaps the question mark. | ||
| 25 | ALIVE | Quick article, as it happens (5) |
| A (article) + LIVE (as it happens) | ||
Thanks Sil
I too thought that there was little indication of an anagrind for 28A.
I was also rather mystified with the addition of ‘up’ in 6D apart from the surface reading. ‘Squared’ on its own = chequered.
‘Square up’ suggests to settle an account and ‘square up to’ is to face an opponent.
Indeed, ernie, I wasn’t sure either what to do with ‘up’.
On second thoughts, I now have removed the underlining of ‘up’.
I thought this was anything but a gentle start.
I thought that 4d was halfday (ie 12 hours)which didn’t help with
1a where I had angel?h?
9a where I had r?a?t?l?
I couldn’t get anywhere with 14a where all I had to go on was ?????y
19a eluded me with only the first letter to assist.
For 2d I got the guard bit but had never heard of a rail bird.
I don’t get 15d – http://www.thefreedictionary.com/OBLIGATO doesn’t seem to give any sense of essential.
To add to my woes I also couldn’t get 20d.
Thanks, Sil.
15d should be OBBLIGATO (you’ve dropped a B).
Bamberger @3: “It” can be an abbreviation for “Italian”, so I read 15d as “It’s essential” to mean “essential in Italian” – hence, OBBLIGATO.
Oops, now corrected, Keeper.
BTW, that’s an original look at 15d!
But if you don’t mind I would like to stick to my CD.
[unless you will get massive support …. 🙂 ]
Chambers, OBBLIGATO (adj.): “That cannot be done without, that must be used in performance”, hence ‘essential’.