Monday Prize Crossword / Aug 17, 2015
Dante on a Monday. Nothing new under the sun.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | PRECIS |
Summary is not quite accurate (6)
PRECIS[e] (accurate, not quite) |
| 4 | SHOEHORN |
Something helpful that may get you into Oxford (8)
Cryptic definition #1 |
| 9 | RECIPE |
Kitchener’s formula for success? (6)
Cryptic definition #2 |
| 10 | SWASTIKA |
Many Nazis were armed with this (8)
Cryptic definition #3 |
| 11 | MEAGRE |
Many agree it’s new and in short supply (6)
M (many, 1000) + (AGREE)* [* = (it’s) new] |
| 12 | SENTINEL |
Guard dispatched one with a half-nelson (8)
SENT (dispatched) + I (one) + NEL[son] |
| 13 | TAR |
Pitch of the road (3)
‘Pitch’ can mean “the black shining residue of distillation of tar, etc” (Chambers). And one may ‘tar the road’. |
| 14 | DEMEAN |
Humble cleric takes me in (6)
DEAN (cleric) around ME |
| 17 | LOCATES |
Places drawn roughly to scale (7)
(TO SCALE)* [* = (drawn) roughly] |
| 21 | REPAIR |
Go about two (6)
RE (about) + PAIR (two) |
| 25 | PIE |
A bird that is after quiet (3)
I.E. (that is, id est) coming after P (quiet) |
| 26 | MANDARIN |
Chinese fruit (8)
Double definition |
| 27 | TRAGIC |
Unfortunate soldier trapped in reversing vehicle (6)
GI (soldier) inside TRAC (which is a reversal of CART (vehicle), indicated by ‘reversing’) |
| 28 | RAILLERY |
Mocking bird with tips of tail blue or grey (8)
RAIL (bird) + [tai]L [blu]E [o]R [gre]Y (tips, i.e. last letters) My favourite clue today. |
| 29 | SHUT UP |
Reduced to silence when imprisoned (4,2)
Double definition |
| 30 | LIEGEMEN |
Chaps from Belgium are loyal subjects (8)
MEN (chaps) from LIEGE (a town in Belgium) |
| 31 | BEIRUT |
From around the globe I ruthlessly acquire capital (6)
Hidden solution, indicated by ‘from’: [around the glo]BE I RUT[hlessly] |
| Down | ||
| 1 | PYRAMIDS |
PM’s diary sets out high points of NE African tour (8)
(PM’S DIARY)* [* = sets out] |
| 2 | EXCLAIMS |
Cries on seeing awful climaxes (8)
(CLIMAXES)* [* = awful] |
| 3 | IMPERIAL |
Risk including a kind of measure (8)
IMPERIL (risk) around A |
| 5 | HAWSER |
Saw distress in her cable (6)
(SAW)* inside HER [* = distress] |
| 6 | ERSATZ |
Not the genuine article from bankers at Zurich (6)
Hidden solution, indicated by ‘(article) from’: [bank]ERS AT Z[urich] |
| 7 | ORIENT |
Possibly tore in from the east (6)
(TORE IN)* [* = possibly] |
| 8 | NEARLY |
Almost a point too soon (6)
N (a point, North) + EARLY (too soon) |
| 12 | SALADIN |
A land is devastated by ancient Muslim warrior (7)
(A LAND IS)* [* = devastated] Salah-ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub (1137-1193), sultan of Egypt and Syria. |
| 15 | NOR |
Get neither number right (3)
NO (number, i.e. short for numero) + R (right) |
| 16 | PER |
For the returning traveller (3)
Reversal, indicated by ‘returning’, of: REP (traveller) One of these ambiguous clues that I don’t like very much. It could just as easily have REP as the solution. I am also not happy with ‘for the’ defining PER. |
| 18 | SEARCH ME |
Examination on this writer I don’t know (6,2)
SEARCH (examination) + ME (this writer) |
| 19 | DAUGHTER |
Guard the stupid girl (8)
(GUARD THE)* [* = stupid] |
| 20 | CRACKPOT |
He’s crazy to pocket ball at end of break (8)
POT (tp pocket ball, in snooker) coming after CRACK (break) |
| 22 | AMORAL |
It’s not just perfume that’s upset and left (6)
AMORA (which is a reversal of AROMA (perfume), indicated by ‘upset’) + L (left) |
| 23 | ENTIRE |
The whole country is full of conservationists (6)
EIRE (country) around NT (conservationalists, National Trust) The word ‘the’ at the start of the clue seems a bit out of place. |
| 24 | BAILIE |
False alibi initially excluded by Scottish magistrate (6)
(ALIBI)* + E[xcluded] [* = false] |
| 25 | PIERCE |
I creep around and force a way in (6)
(I CREEP)* [* = around] |
Thanks Sil & Dante.
I think this just about qualifies as my fastest ever solve.
I did have to wait for the crossers to see whether 16 was PER or REP – but you always expect some ambiguity in a Dante.
PIE for a bird is also curious. The answer was obvious but I haven’t come across that short name for a Magpie before. Doesn’t the Pie part of the name represent a shortened version of PIED anyway?
Thanks Dante and Sil
A very straightforward Dante which I did on the day and have only now had a chance to check off.
Nothing much to add … just as with Hamish, it was approaching one of the fastest solve times for this setter.