Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 29, 2014
I found this a good puzzle with a few challenging clues. My favourites are 4a (TORTILLA), 16a (GEE-GEE), 6d (OPERATOR) and 26d (INCH). I also like the unusual wordplay element in 19d (BRIGHTER). I fail to understand the definition in 13a (PENALTY BOX), perhaps because I know little about sports, and no doubt someone will provide an explanation.
ACROSS
1 Chicken fighting, punching fish (6)
COWARD – WAR (fighting) in COD (fish)
4 Spanish food given to artist – dig in! (8)
TORTILLA – TO (to) + TILL (dig) in RA (artist)
10 Sail around track in superior position (7)
VANTAGE – TAG (track) in VANE (sail)
11 Wake, as it happens, in centre of Chennai (7)
ENLIVEN – LIVE (as it happen) in [ch]ENN[ai]
12 Sweet music? (4)
ROCK – double definition
13 Spot container on plate by unusual spot marker? (7,3)
PENALTY BOX – anagram of ON PLATE BY + X (spot marker). It seems that “spot container” must define PENALTY BOX but I do not see how that works. (See comment #1 below for the explanation.)
16 Nag at nagger’s heart? (3-3)
GEE-GEE – [na]GG[er] spelt out
17 Bound to take in a child away from home (7)
BOARDER – A (a) in BORDER (bound). I found this clue very difficult — in spite of the fact that I went to boarding school!
20 Second taken to interrupt drink in bank robbery (5-2)
STICK-UP – TICK (second) in SUP (drink)
21 Painter getting on with black, as he’d say? (6)
RENOIR – RE (on) + NOIR (black)
24 Caribbean island rolling in it with outstanding brand (10)
MARTINIQUE – anagram of IN IT in MARQUE (brand)
25 Old dynasty, one biting back (4)
TANG – GNAT (one biting) backwards
27 Tramp spoiling parties (7)
TRAIPSE – anagram of PARTIES
29 Horse boxes in front of tall tower in the Middle East (7)
MINARET – IN (in) in MARE (horse) + T (tall)
30 Speed – break sticks with it (8)
CELERITY – IT (it) in CELERY (sticks)
31 Hunter’s search getting out of hand (6)
CHASER – anagram of SEARCH
DOWN
1 Geriatric ultimately too old for publicity (8)
COVERAGE – [geriatri]C + OVER AGE (too old)
2 Snake and cat, say, in jacket (11)
WINDCHEATER – WIND (snake) + CHEATER (homophone of “cheetah”)
3 Route travelled, by the sound of it (4)
ROAD – homophone (“rode”)
5 Surgeon beginning to observe a report that’s unreliable (8)
OPERATOR – O[bserve] + anagram of A REPORT
6 A couple of kings, utterly drunk, discuss matters seriously (4,6)
TALK TURKEY – anagram of A K K UTTERLY
7 Private place in short where European beheaded (3)
LAV – [s]LAV (European beheaded)
8 Old queen entertaining old bit on the side? (6)
ANNEXE – EX (old) in ANNE (old queen)
9 Ship launcher viewed through the lens (5)
HELEN – hidden word. “Ship launcher” obviously refers to Helen of Troy.
14 Capital getting busier as one circulates (6,5)
BUENOS AIRES – anagram of BUSIER AS ONE
15 Ship transported lace into truck (3,7)
TEA CLIPPER – anagram of LACE in TIPPER (truck)
18 The weakest should save money – that’s basic (8)
RUDIMENT – DIME (money) in RUNT (the weakest)
19 End of four months about perfect, more sunny (8)
BRIGHTER – RIGHT (perfect) in BER (end of four months)
22 Quote me the wrong way – that’s a sickener? (6)
EMETIC – CITE (quote) + ME (me) all backwards
23 Card game with an alcoholic taste? (5)
RUMMY – double definition
26 Piece of cake but no icing? Just a bit? (4)
INCH – [c]INCH (piece of cake but no icing)
28 Within local, lager is everything (3)
ALL – hidden word
13A In football the penalty box is an area in front of goal which is lined out. If an infringement is committed inside this area a penalty is awarded to the opposing side. The area contains the ‘spot’, place
from which the resultant penalty is taken.
Thanks to Pete and Mudd
Much obliged, ernie. Thanks.