Monday Prize Crossword/Sep 15
This is indeed last week’s Prize Crossword but it wasn’t published in the newspaper itself. The FT mistakingly printed off a repeat of IO’s lovingly made tribute to Robin Williams. So, for those who missed this Dante, it’s available on the FT website and here: Dante 15 Sep 14. A mild warning though, as Dante lives up to his reputation with more than half of the clues being CDs and DDs.
Starting at 26ac, there is even a string of six of them in a row. I must also say that half of the CDs were less than convincing, not being very cryptic. But if you’re into Dante’s style, there’s still enough to enjoy on the whole.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SLIGHT | Trivial cause of offence (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | AFRICA | CIA and RAF in collusion over territory (6) |
| (CIA + RAF)* [* = in collusion] | ||
| 8 | VOLCANO | Mount that is dangerous when active (7) |
| (Not so) Cryptic definition | ||
| 9 | AUTOPSY | A spy out making a personal inspection (7) |
| (A SPY OUT)* [* = making] | ||
| 11 | GRANNY KNOT | It doesn’t really make fast relative speed (6,4) |
| GRANNY (relative) + KNOT (speed) | ||
| 12 | DRAW | Sort of lottery nobody wins (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 13 | PIECE | No conflict, we hear, for a bit (5) |
| Homophone (‘we hear’) of: PEACE (no conflict) | ||
| 14 | WAGERING | We take a call about silver speculation (8) |
| {WE + RING (take a call)} around AG (silver) | ||
| 16 | CONJUROR | Magician demonstrates trick to member of a panel (8) |
| CON (trick) + JUROR (member of a panel) | ||
| 18 | NEVER | Royal Navy set back with female entry? Not at all (5) |
| EVE (female) inside NR (reversal (‘set back’) of RN (Royal Navy)) | ||
| 20 | COLT | Gun runner? (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| A colt can be a horse, therefore ‘runner’. | ||
| 21 | CONFORMIST | Not a Free Church member? (10) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 23 | CICADAS | Not birds, but they chirp and fly (7) |
| (Not so) Cryptic definition | ||
| This is more a general knowledge question than a cryptic clue. If you’re never heard of these insects, you’re never going to find the answer. My LOI. | ||
| 24 | ADMIRER | One who loves being unhappily married (7) |
| (MARRIED)* [* = unhappily] | ||
| 25 | NOD OFF | Small number remove clothing and fall asleep (3,3) |
| NO (number, small i.e. abbreviated) + DOFF (remove clothing) | ||
| 26 | BRIEFS | Underwear sought by lawyers (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SCOUR | Polish range (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| It’s more to range over or to range about than just to range. | ||
| 2 | INCENSE | Smouldering anger? (7) |
| Double definition, the first one being “something that’s smouldering” | ||
| 3 | HONEY BEAR | Hirsute one going for a comb (5,4) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 5 | FAULT | A service call? (5) |
| Cryptic definition – this is almost too cryptic, one has to think tennis | ||
| 6 | IN ORDER | Tidy – as a monk will be (2,5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 7 | ABSTAINER | Type that’s rarely in bar seat (9) |
| (IN BAR SEAT)* – the clue as a whole is the definition [* = rarely] | ||
| 10 | ANSWERING | Responding to a phone call about disturbing news (9) |
| A RING (a phone call) around (NEWS)* [* = disturbing] | ||
| 13 | PROMOTION | In favour of moving to get a better job? (9) |
| PRO (in favour of) + MOTION (moving) | ||
| 15 | GUNPOWDER | Explosive magazine article (9) |
| Definition plus Cryptic extension | ||
| 17 | JUTLAND | Settle on a project – a naval battle (7) |
| JUT (project) + LAND (settle) | ||
| A First World War naval battle between the British and the Germans (May 1916). | ||
| 19 | VAMPIRE | Batman after one’s blood? (7) |
| (Not so) Cryptic definition | ||
| 21 | CHAFF | Banter in which affection takes a part (5) |
| Hidden solution (‘takes a part’): [whi]CH AFF[ection] | ||
| 22 | SEEDS | Good players can make bloomers too (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| Players as, for example, in tennis players – Djokovic is the No 1 seed. | ||
Thanks Dante and Sil
Found this quite banal with no standouts at all.
Was surprised to see the use of RING in adjacent clues at 14a and 10d.
As another blogger for the Guardian puzzle, George, often commented – Completed !!!
I failed on 23a and have nothing more to say on this .
Sil’s right: once you know Dante’s style there’s not much to complain about (I deduced ‘bolt’ rather than ‘colt’ in 20ac, which I think fits Dante’s style too!). Thanks to Sil and Dante.