Monday Prize Crossword/Aug 4
A familiar Monday solve. Only a couple of the cryptic definitions in the mid-east held me up (but not for too long). 23ac was a new word to me, so I learnt something today!
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SCARCE | Rare panic shown about China’s capital (6) |
| SCARE (panic) around C[hina] | ||
| 4 | DOLDRUMS | Barrels found around ancient dumps (8) |
| DRUMS (barrels) around OLD (ancient) | ||
| 10 | NEVER MIND | Don’t let it bother you that you’ve always been inattentive (5,4) |
| Double definition | ||
| Not so sure about the precision of the second part of the clue. | ||
| 11 | TRADE | Business deal (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 12 | EONS | Long times in the onslaught (4) |
| Hidden solution (‘in’): [th]E ONS[laught] | ||
| 13 | COPPERHEAD | Police chief is a snake in the grass (10) |
| COPPER (police) HEAD (chief) | ||
| I think “in the grass” is mainly there for the surface. There are several kinds of copperheads, all quite different, none however especially keen on a grassy area. | ||
| 15 | COURAGE | Bottle company prompt coming about midday (7) |
| CO (company) + {URGE (prompt) around [d]A[y] (mid/day)} | ||
| 16 | SWINGS | Their losses may get roundabout compensation (6) |
| Cryptic definition – swings and roundabouts | ||
| 19 | PEKING | Girl entertaining relatives needs capital (6) |
| PEG (girl) around KIN (relatives) | ||
| 21 | ELEVATE | Leave scribbled note offering lift (7) |
| (LEAVE)* + TE (note) | ||
| 23 | DIAPHANOUS | Light and delicate piano had us quite excited (10) |
| (PIANO HAD US)* | ||
| 25 | KING | Its mating call comes from the other side (4) |
| Cryptic definition [I initially entered “hind” due to misspelling 18d’s “hedgehog” – many thanks to ernie @1 who gives a full explanation of the solution too] | ||
| 27 | SIDLE | Try to walk like a crab and slide about (5) |
| (SLIDE)* | ||
| 28 | HOPSCOTCH | Game that’s bound to go with whisky (9) |
| HOP (bound) + SCOTCH (whisky) | ||
| 29 | APPETITE | A quiet little craving for food (8) |
| A + P (quiet) +PETITE (little) | ||
| 31 | TOERAG | Despicable person possibly got time inside (6) |
| (GOT)* with ERA (time) inside | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SENTENCE | Just a few words will be fine (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| A nice little clue. | ||
| 2 | ADVENTURE | Coming upon a river may be exciting (9) |
| ADVENT (coming) + URE (river) | ||
| 3 | CURT | Short cut that’s about right (4) |
| CUT around R (right) | ||
| 5 | OEDIPUS | He was in a marital mix-up in a work about Edward I (7) |
| OPUS (work) around ED (Edward) I | ||
| 6 | DETERMINED | Decided to be resolute (10) |
| Double definition | ||
| 7 | USAGE | Employment of university man of learning (5) |
| U (university) + SAGE (man of learning) | ||
| 8 | SPEEDY | Fast river traps journalist (6) |
| SPEY (river) around ED (journalist) | ||
| 9 | DIPOLE | Aerial I’d put back on a post (6) |
| DI (reversal (‘put back’) of I’D) + POLE (post) | ||
| 14 | BANISHMENT | Exclusive treatment for a political offence (10) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 17 | GLADIATOR | At one time he fought in spectacles (9) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 18 | HEDGEHOG | Restrict dangerous driver – he’s often flat out on the road (8) |
| HEDGE (restrict) + HOG (dangerous driver) | ||
| Not a very nice definition – moreover, a hedgehog doesn’t have to be a “he”, just as a dangerous driver can be a “she”. | ||
| 20 | GUNSHOT | Firing range (7) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 21 | EQUIPS | Sallies follow a direction to arms (6) |
| E (a direction, East) followed by QUIPS (sallies) | ||
| 22 | ODESSA | Write poems to the Salvation Army in Ukraine (6) |
| ODES (poems) + SA (Salvation Army) | ||
| 24 | ADD UP | Make sense of a clergyman at university (3,2) |
| A + DD (clergyman+ + UP (at university) | ||
| 26 | ECHO | Classical maid who always had the last word (4) |
| Cryptic/Double definition | ||
I had a different answer for 25A namely king as in the chess-piece with mating call coming from ‘checkmate’ as pronounced by one’s opponent.
Did you spell hedgehog correctly in your grid?
Oops!
You’re right, ernie, I misspelt HEDGEHOG in my grid.
So, indeed, my 25ac must be wrong while yours is surely right.
Can’t see what else it can be.
Now corrected.
Thanks Dante and Sil
Found this a bit harder than normal for this setter – and failed with KING. I had an unparsed wing – kicking myself because the chess mate did cross my mind. Still a hard cryptic definition to get from the -I-G lights.
Didn’t realise that HEDGEHOGS were such a high road casualty – the second highest behind rabbits at 16% of all animals apparently.