Financial Times 14,721 – Dante

Monday Prize Crossword/Sep 8

A Dante crossword without too many difficulties to overcome.

Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.

Across
1 FRINGE Enclosure surrounded by iron border (6)
    FE (iron) around RING (enclosure)
     
4 KEYBOARD Two things a lodger may require with a computer (8)
    A lodger may require a KEY to get in and BOARD (i.e. food) – the definition is something that is required ‘with a computer’
     
9 RATION Share it with Nora, perhaps (6)
    (IT + NORA)*    [* = perhaps]
     
10   MOUNTAIN Man out in storm reaching peak (8)
    (MAN OUT IN)*   [* = storm]
     
12 ACRIMONY Bitterness shown by army CO in trouble (8)
    (ARMY CO IN)*   [* = in trouble]
     
13 BONSAI Such trees may be different but there’s no great variety (6)
    Cryptic definition
    I have come to appreciate good cryptic definitions but I cannot say this is one of the very best ….
     
15 ODIN God of love, not harmony (4)
    O (love) + DIN (not harmony)
     
16 BROOMSTICK Sweepstake? (10)
    Cryptic definition
    …. however this one is!
     
19 DOWN AT HEEL Loathed new fashion – looks slovenly (4,2,4)
    (LOATHED NEW)*   [* = fashion]
     
20 CROP Cut the corn (4)
    Double definition
     
23 AGEING Throw out an egg I found no longer fresh (6)
    (AN EGG I)*   [* = throw out]
     
25 PROSPECT A possible customer survey (8)
    Double definition
     
27 INTERVAL A pause in travel abroad (8)
    (IN TRAVEL)*   [* = abroad]
     
28 CERISE With passion returning during exam, see red (6)
    ERI (reversal (‘returning’) of IRE (passion)) inside CSE (exam, Certificate of Secondary Education)
     
29 TRAPPIST He’s not on speaking terms with his brothers (8)
    Cryptic definition
    While they’re not speaking they make damn good beer, especially in Belgium!
     
30 ALBEIT A student has to live with it though (6)
    A + L (student) + BE (to live) + IT
     
     
Down
1 FARRAGO A medley of jazz music in Portuguese resort (7)
    RAG (jazz music) inside FARO (Portuguese resort)
     
2   INTERVIEW Put in a grave opinion during a TV investigation (9)
    INTER (put in a grave) + VIEW (opinion)
     
3 GLOOMY Dark blue (6)
    Double definition
     
5 ETON English style school (4)
    E (English) + TON (style)
     
6 BANJOIST Plucky player shut out supporter (8)
    BAN (shut out) + JOIST (supporter, a beam)
     
7 AMASS A collection in a church service (5)
    A + MASS (collection), or: A + MASS (church service)
    Does anyone see a definition here?
     
8 DUNKIRK Dingy church has a place in modern history (7)
    DUN (dingy) + KIRK (church, mainly Scottish)
     
11   ANARCHY Chief required in some lawless state (7)
    ARCH (chief) inside ANY (some)
     
14 VOYEURS Love to take part in new survey of peeping Toms (7)
    O (love) inside (SURVEY)*
     
17 ISRAELITE Trial, I see, is translated in Hebrew (9)
    (TRIAL I SEE)*   [* = is translated]
     
18 RAINDROP Spot of wet weather (8)
    (not so) Cryptic definition
     
19 DIARIST His work increases day by day (7)
    Cryptic definition
     
21 PATIENT He has a complaint, but [he] is prepared to wait (7)
    Double definition
     
22 AS WELL A dandy, too (2,4)
    A + SWELL (dandy)
     
24   EXTRA Actor in a run (5)
    Double definition
     
26 PASS Go by a mountain road (4)
    Double definition
     
     

3 comments on “Financial Times 14,721 – Dante”

  1. brucew@aus

    Thanks Dante and Sil

    Thought that this was Dante in good form today (well actually late last night when I did it).

    Funny how different we are … BONSAI was my last one in …. and I thought the play on ‘great’ was very clever.

    Also liked BANJOIST, KEYBOARD and BROOMSTICK.

  2. bamberger

    I guessed bonsai but couldn’t parse it. Is it because one bonsai tree looks much the same as another? Or is there something else to it?
    Couldn’t get 19d and while I guessed ire for 28a, I had forgotten about CSEs. O levels in Mudd’s offering and CSE’s in Dante’s offering. Coincidence.

  3. brucew@aus

    Hi bamberger

    What Dante is sayng is that a BONSAI is a dwarf plant – that is, it is not great (big). :). He also plays with variety (as in a type) as compared with a difference.

    That’s why I thought that it was a clever clue !!!

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