An enjoyable enough prize puzzle from Maskerade; I had a few minor grumbles, but bar a couple of clues with unfamiliar references we found it a pretty easy solve. 1d was my favourite clue, I think.
Sorry about the delay in publishing this – I’d accidentally scheduled it to be published on Friday morning instead of Saturday, and apparently messed up rescheduling it when I realised…
Across
1. Crisis time — my fish supper costs less (3,5,3,4)
THE CHIPS ARE DOWN
Double definition: “Crisis time” and “my fish supper costs less” (because the chips in fish and chips are cheaper)
9. Set meals? (2,7)
TV DINNERS
Cryptic definition: “Set” referring to a TV set
10. Always after street guide (5)
STEER
E’ER = “Always” after ST = “street”
Definition: “guide”
11. English county town loses ring — one by a pottery factory (7)
ETRURIA
E = “English” + TRUR[o] = “couty town” without O = “ring”, followed by I = “one” + A
Definition: “pottery factory” (or the whole clue? not sure how “ring” would fit into that) – this refers to the town of Etruria in Staffordshire, built around one of the Wedgwood pottery factories
12. Astronomer putting sign on old boat, we’re told (7)
GALILEO
GALI sounds like “galley” or “old boat”, followed by LEO = “sign”
Definition: “Astronomer”
13. Could be rock and roll (3)
BUN
Double definition: “Could be rock” (i.e. a rock bun) and “roll” (as in a bread roll)
14. Prevents progress of some slim pedestrians (7)
IMPEDES
Hidden in “[sl]IM PEDES[trians]”
Definition: “Prevents progress of”
17. Squealed about tune for drink (7)
SANGRIA
SANG = “squealed” (as in someone who informs to the police) + AIR reversed = “tune about”
Definition: “drink”
19. Insects with antenna set askew (7)
HORNETS
HORN = “antenna” (I was a bit dubious about this, but Chambers gives “a feeler or horn in insects, crustaceans and myriapods” for “antenna”) and (SET)*
Definition: “Insects”
22. Otherwise expressed — sullied (3-4)
ILL-USED
(SULLIED)*
Definition: the whole clue (&lit)
24. Beard having a couple of points (3)
AWN
A followed by W and N (which are “points” of the compass)
Definition: “Beard” (e.g. of barley)
25. Poor actor’s part as expressed on picnic menu (3,4)
HAM ROLL
HAM = “Poor actor” + ROLL sounds like “role” = “part”
Definition: “on picnic menu” (minor grumble)
26. Assembly’s advice overheard (7)
COUNCIL
COUNCIL sounds like “counsel” or “advice”
Definition: “Assembly”
28. Less than two articles abroad (5)
UNDER
UN and DER = “two articles abroad” (UN is the French masculine indefinite article, DER is the German masculine definite article)
Definition: “Less than”
29. Unresting revolutionary — certainly! (9)
INSURGENT
(UNRESTING)*
Definition: the whole clue; I feel this would be better without the “certainly”, making it a true &lit.
30. Lag who wouldn’t! (7,8)
ESCAPED PRISONER
A LAG is a convict; if they’d escaped from prison and were being pursued, they wouldn’t want to lag in the sense of “fall behind”
Definition: the whole clue
Down
1. Eliot thought she edited novel (2,3,10)
TO THE LIGHTHOUSE
A brilliant clue: (ELIOT THOUGHT SHE)* – the surface suggesting George Eliot
Definition: “novel”
2. Prior or Prebendary (5)
ELDER
Double definition: (not totally sure about this – I’m sure someone else can explain…) but perhaps both are church elders? (I don’t think “prior” in the sense of “earlier” is a good enough synonym for “elder”)
3. C for “county division” (7)
HUNDRED
Double definition: C (the roman numeral) and “county division”: Chambers says a “hundred” is “a division of a county in England orig supposed to contain a hundred families (chiefly hist)”
4. Low-cost homes preferred by sailors (7)
PREFABS
PREF = “preferred” (not sure where this abbreviation is used) and ABs (able-bodied seamen) = “sailors”
Definition: “Low-cost homes”
5. Transfers a shilling to Marks (7)
ASSIGNS
A + S = “shilling” + SIGNS = “Marks”
Definition: “Transfers”
6. Letter from Minneapolis one man left out (7)
EPSILON
(MINNEAPOLIS without I MAN = “one man”)*
Definition: “Letter”
7. How Father Time surveys chieftains (9)
OVERLORDS
Apparently “Old Father Time” is a weather vane overlooking Lord’s cricket ground
Definition: “chieftains”
8. King of Arms moving Arnold to nursery (6,3,6)
NORROY AND ULSTER
(ARNOLD TO NURSERY)*
Definition: “King of Arms” – far too obscure for me; I’d be interested if that was the case for others…
15. From whom injured camper gets aid (9)
PARAMEDIC
(CAMPER AID)*
Definition: the whole clue
16. Amphibian with feet under earth (3)
EFT
E = “earth” + FT = “feet”
Definition: “Aphibian” – an EFT is a juvenile newt
18. Fall ill, having bad weather in the East End (3)
AIL
HAIL might be pronounced “‘ail” in the East End
Definition: “Fall ill”
20. In Latin, I stumble over exercise that’s self-absorbed (3,4)
EGO TRIP
EGO = “In Latin, I” + TRIP = “stumble over”
Definition: “exercise that’s self-absorbed”
21. Top soldiers joined forces and set out (7)
SALLIED
S[oldiers] = “Top soldiers” + ALLIED = “joined forces”
Definition: “set out”
22. Almost 2.54cm, bit of iron’s on gold tooth (7)
INCISOR
INC[h] = “Almost 2.54cm” + I[ron]’S = “bit of iron’s” + OR = “gold”
Definition: “tooth”
23. Types of window allowing smoke to escape (7)
LOUVRES
I’m not really sure about this: you can get louvred windows and louvred smoke vents, but I’m not sure how to read the clue.
Definition:
27. The Macnabs, say, taking ecstasy. No! (5)
CLEAN
CLAN = “The Macnabs, say” around E = “ecstasy”
Definition: “No!” in the context of the clue – if you’re taking ecstasy you’re not “clean” in the sense of “drug free”
Thanks, mhl.
Nothing much to add except that Chambers gives this for LOUVRE: (2) A turret-like structure on a roof for the escape of smoke or for ventilation so it’s just a double definition.
The good old eft appears – unknown outside crosswordland!
I enjoyed this one, but completed it in two hours, which for me, for a Guardian prize, is pretty quick. So, perhaps a bit easier than usual.
I found this to be on the easy side for a Guardian Prize but I seem to remember I enjoyed it. NORROY AND ULSTER was my LOI after I decided it was the most likely arrangement of the anagram fodder, and I was pleased to see that it was correct when I checked it post-solve.
I agree with NeilW@1 that 23dn is a DD, and I also agree with mhl that the clue for TO THE LIGHTHOUSE was excellent.
Thanks, mhl.
I agree with you about 8d. It was the only one I hadn’t heard of. It was possible to solve the anagram with the crossers, but the resulting word didn’t mean anything to me.
Many thanks mhl & Maskarade
This was ever so easy for a Prize Puzzle – except for 8d which I managed to get eventually.
I was on a brief holiday, so I solved this without any electronic help (although I had to check NORROY AND ULSTER when I got home). It therefore shows how easy it was that I managed to start and finish it over breakfast – a longer one than I usually have at home, admittedly, but still very quick for a prize.
Thanks mho. Antenna for HORN made me think of the discovery of cosmic background radiation.
Try mhl. I suspect my computer of autocorrection (and an interest in science).
… and my hyperlink is wrong. Mark 2: cosmic background radiation.
Thanks mhl. Unlike Maskerade’s previous offering I didn’t have too much trouble with this one. 3 reminded me of the Chiltern Hundreds which I saw rather a long time ago and I note Wikipedia says the name derives from a division that could raise one hundred fighting men for the Crown, which may well approximate to the same number of families.
I share your doubt about 2, both can certainly be church elders and I suppose PRIOR can be ELDER (or more appropriately OLDER) but I don’t like it much.
The setter clearly started with the excellent 1dn. It’s usually wise to fill long slots before short one’s and 1ac and 30ac are also nicely clued, so it looks like they came next. That makes 8dn difficult to fill. It may be that his solution was one he had prepared earlier, so to speak, and he used it to annoy us. I would have much preferred NATURAL DISASTER.
Quite a passable prize with some nice clues.
The only problem was 8D which was my LOI. Unfortunately I have never heard of a “King of Arms”. The anagram fodder was pretty obvious and with the crossers “AND” was obvious.
However I still found it impossible to complete. As soon as I looked up “King of Arms” it was obvious that NORROY AND ULSTER was the required answer. Not really gettable if you hadn’t come across this even with all crossers and the anagram! So not particularly fair in my opinion and I suspect the opinion of others. We shall see.
Thanks to mhl and Maskarade
2d. is extremely dodgy. Chambers explains that prebendarys receive a prebend, namely a retaining fee. Elders are governing members of a congregation and work solely in a voluntary capacity. Added to this the use of elder to mean prior doesn’t work for me either. Both relate to time but prior means before and elder means older – tenuous….
Can someone explain about the use of abbreviations/initialisation in crosswords too. 2ac is TV dinners – so is Tv considered a word in its own right?
As far as I remember this was quite straightforward until NORROY AND ULSTER, which defeated me since I didn’t really know what to look up – I did see Ulster as a possibility from the anagram fodder but I couldn’t get the rest to look plausible and NORROY never occurred to me, nor did the phrase King of Arms mean anything to me. Still it’s good to see that Maskarade is getting some non-holiday slots.
Thanks to Maskarade and mhl
I thought a good puzzle overall – thanks to Maskarade and to mhl for the blog.
I agree with 1d as the star clue, but I thought 1a was pretty good too.
Had to work hard to get 8d – strictly speaking the clue should have said “King at Arms” but that might have been too obvious.
Defeated by 9ac – should have seen the ‘set’ reference, but it didn’t come – giving the word count as 1,1,7 might have helped, or made it too easy.
Mac Ruaraidh Ghais @16
Apparently King of Arms is the correct title with “at” being an alternative. (See SOED) Both being pretty obscure. The answer being even more so.
Smoz @14
TV is a word in it’s own right. Well according to the SOED which also cites TV Dinner
Not convinced this was easy as is suggested. Finished it apart from 9ac and 2dn. Thought 2dn was ELDER – could just about accept it as “prior” but didn’t like the equation of the Anglican prebendary with the nonconformist elder.
TV DINNERS completely escaped me but great clue.
Re 27 It is probably serendipitous that MacNabs was a well established cleaning and dry cleaning company in Edinburgh during the first half of the 20th century.
Thanks Maskarade and mhl
I also found this quite straightforward for a prize puzzle.
ELDER was my last in with similar reservations to others. I use freedictionary.com as my first source of checking … and was able to find an entry that had ” of former times; earlier” so the prior works. Still a bit of a stretch to get prebendary to equate still! I guess that they are loosely both church officers of sorts. Liked what he was trying to do … maybe presbyter may have worked better.
Was unaware of the Wedgewood factory (Etruria) and the town built around it before looking it up – you’ve got to love what you learn from crosswords!
Felt even as a double definition as Neilw explains, LOUVRES was a bit soft.
1d was very clever.