Monday Prize Crossword/Nov 17
For some reason I didn’t find this Dante crossword as enjoyable as its predecessors. Hard going in the CD department and occassionally things that I found a bit debatable. A pity that the J is missing, otherwise this puzzle would have been a pangram.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | CASHED | Bounder took female in – obtained money (6) |
| CAD (bounder) around SHE (female) | ||
| 4 | BARGAINS | Cheap items don’t allow profits (8) |
| BAR (don’t allow) + GAINS (profits) | ||
| 9 | PSALMS | Job is finished, and these songs start (6) |
| (Cryptic) definition | ||
| 10 | ALLIANCE | Daughter abandons flirtation for marriage (8) |
| DALLIANCE (flirtation) minus D (daughter) | ||
| 12 | BOWL OVER | Surprise an enthusiastic archer? (4,4) |
| An enthusiastic archer may be a BOW LOVER | ||
| 13 | ESPRIT | Wit of an animated priest (6) |
| (PRIEST)* [* = animated] | ||
| 15 | EZRA | Book the last waltz in time (4) |
| [walt]Z inside ERA (time) | ||
| As one may know by now, I am not a great fan of ‘the last’ as it is used here. | ||
| 16 | DON QUIXOTE | Assume ten love being held by rather a chivalrous character (3,7) |
| DON (assume) + {X (ten) + O (love) together inside QUITE (rather)} | ||
| 19 | COSTA RICAN | Latin American (5,5) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| How cryptic is this? Or am I missing something? | ||
| 20 | STEP | Stage favourite’s backing (4) |
| Reversal (‘backing’) of: PET’S (favourite’s) | ||
| 23 | EXTRAS | They won’t top the bill, in any form (6) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| Without crossing letters I would never have thought of ‘extras’ but it had to be it. | ||
| 25 | PLEASURE | Meadows seen in unspoilt delight (8) |
| LEAS (meadows) inside PURE (unspoilt) | ||
| 27 | TALK OVER | Discuss when the lectures finished? (4,4) |
| TALK (lecture(s)) + OVER (finished) | ||
| ‘Talk’ is singular and ‘lectures’ is plural. I assume the clue should have read: lecture’s? | ||
| 28 | BAUBLE | A pretty useless object (6) |
| (Cryptic) definition | ||
| My last one in – luckily I had a B as a crossing letter, otherwise …. | ||
| 29 | SENTIENT | Aware ten is ten? Could be! (8) |
| (TEN IS TEN)* [* = could be] | ||
| 30 | FERRET | Animal hunt (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | CAPABLE | Accomplished complete island uprising (7) |
| CAP (complete) + ABLE (reversal (‘uprising’) of ELBA (island)) | ||
| I am afraid I cannot see why ‘cap’ = ‘complete’. See comment #6. | ||
| 2 | STALWARTS | It might be the last straw for loyal supporters (9) |
| (LAST STRAW)* [* = it might be (the)] | ||
| 3 | EXMOOR | Rex seen around about low part of Devon (6) |
| (REX)* around MOO (low) [* = (seen) around] | ||
| 5 | ABLE | A Blue, not with university, showing talent (4) |
| A BLUE minus U (university) | ||
| 6 | GAINSAID | Wins support when opposed (8) |
| GAINS (wins) + AID (support) | ||
| One gain crossing another (4ac). | ||
| 7 | INNER | Private hotel used by monarch (5) |
| INN (hotel) + ER (monarch) | ||
| 8 | SHEATHE | She is given two articles in a case (7) |
| SHE + A (one article) + THE (and another one) | ||
| 11 | NEPOTIC | Relatively favourable (7) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| Another difficult cd, in my opinion. | ||
| 14 | EQUALLY | Uniformly gusty with initial change of direction (7) |
| SQUALLY (gusty) with the S at the beginning replaced by E (i.e. initial change of direction, South to East) | ||
| 17 | OUTNUMBER | Be more than an issue after being made public (9) |
| NUMBER (an issue) coming after OUT (being made public) | ||
| 18 | MACARONI | Italian product, a Marconi creation (8) |
| (A MARCONI)* [* = creation] | ||
| 19 | CREATES | Makes a fuss when a secret is found out (7) |
| (A SECRET)* [* = found out] | ||
| 21 | PREVENT | Stop before opening (7) |
| PRE (before) + VENT (opening) | ||
| 22 | PALACE | Site includes a splendid residence (6) |
| PLACE (site) around A | ||
| 24 | TALON | Claw used in fight along with teeth (5) |
| Hidden solution (‘used in’): [figh]T ALON[g (with teeth)] | ||
| I understand that the surface needs something along with ‘along’ but, for me, ‘with teeth’ is close to padding. | ||
| 26 | SEWN | Stitched up in news broadcast (4) |
| (NEWS)* [* = broadcast] | ||
Did this on the plane, got Costa Rican but dammed if I can see more to it.
Thanks Sil, I had much the same experience with this one.
I actually found this Dante more challenging than its predecessors making it more enjoyable and satisfying to complete. Agree with your comments on Bauble and Nepotic (the latter being my last one in). Many thanks Sil and to Dante.
I got 19a as it couldn’t be anything else but it could have been a straight clue.
I don’t get 9a at all . With p?a?m? nothing else fits but where does job come in?
Bamberger
“I don’t get 9a at all . With p?a?m? nothing else fits but where does job come in?”
Think of the Old Testament 😉
Thanks Dante and Sil
For some reason I found this one of the easiest Dante puzzles for ages. Didn’t have grief with either BAUBLE (which I got with just the A) or NEPOTIC (where I had the E and O) – think that it must have something to do with wavelength !!
I think that ‘A great vintage port capped off a pleasurable dinner party’ gives the ‘complete’ context in 1d.
Thanks all for your comments.
Bruce, I couldn’t find any justification for ‘cap’ in the dictionaries I have access to.
In your example ‘complete’ = ‘cap off’ (which is not ‘cap’).
Hi Sil
I use freedictionary.com which seems to link to a number of dictionaries and Wikipedia
It lists:
cap tr. v.
4. To apply the finishing touch to; complete: cap a meal with dessert.