Monday Prize Crossword / Sep 14, 2015
I’m afraid that I cannot remember much of what I felt when solving this Dante crossword. When writing the blog, I wasn’t particularly bewitched by many of the inevitable cryptic definitions.
Definitions are underlined whenever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | TONGUE |
A bit of body language (6)
Double definition A good one to start with, as ‘body language’ has to be split. |
| 4 | CALORIES |
Coal rise affected heating units (8)
(COAL RISE)* [* = affected] |
| 9 | EXCUSE |
Pardon and release (6)
Double definition |
| 10 | BASTILLE |
French fortress, HQ until captured (8)
TILL (until) inside BASE (HQ, i.e. Headquarters) |
| 11 | ASTERS |
Bloomers made by teachers having lost their head (6)
MASTERS (teachers) minus the starting letter M |
| 12 | CIVIL WAR |
Very serious internal trouble (5,3)
Cryptic definition Dante/Rufus had written better cryptic definitions than this one, in my opinion. |
| 13 | ERA |
Maybe many decades are viewed in retrospect (3)
Reversal, indicated by ‘viewed inretrospect’, of ARE |
| 14 | LEEWAY |
One not going straight will have to make this up (6)
‘Make up the leeway’ , meaning ‘struggle out of a bad position’ (ODE) – another Cryptic definition |
| 17 | MAJORCA |
Island’s chief accountant (7)
MAJOR (chief) + CA (accountant, i.e. short for ‘chartered accountant’) |
| 21 | ENCAGE |
Get out the cane, for example, or put into confinement (6)
(CANE + EG (for example))* [* = (get) out (the)] |
| 25 | WEB |
Flycatcher (3)
Cryptic definition Another cd that leaves me cold, I’m afraid. |
| 26 | POWDERED |
Made up ground (8)
Double definition |
| 27 | CENSOR |
One who cuts corners – only one right turn (6)
(CORNE[r]S)* [* = turn] I liked this one as one has to separate ‘cuts /corners’. |
| 28 | SEDATIVE |
Drug could have bearing on the case (8)
SE (bearing, i.e. South East) + DATIVE (case) |
| 29 | STATUE |
Not a figure of speech! (6)
Cryptic definition |
| 30 | SANITARY |
A tray’s in use – should be clean (8)
(A TRAY’S IN)* [* = use] |
| 31 | BY JOVE |
My job envy lacks point, somehow (2,4)
(JOB ENVY minus N (point, North))* [* = somehow] A clue with a great definition but a bit unfortunate that the E (of ENVY) can also indicate ‘point’. |
| Down | ||
| 1 | TOENAILS |
Basic tips for humanity (8)
Cryptic definition Once more a cd that doesn’t set my soul on fire. |
| 2 | NICETIES |
Refinements of elegant neckwear (8)
NICE (elegant) + TIES (neckwear) |
| 3 | UPSTREAM |
At university, eccentric master is against the current trend (8)
UP (at university) + (MASTER)* [* = eccentric] |
| 5 | ACACIA |
Two bills I stuck on a tree (6)
AC (bill #1) + AC (bill #2) + I + A |
| 6 | OUTWIT |
Be too clever for Oxford University idiot (6)
OU (Oxford University) + TWIT (idiot) |
| 7 | IN-LAWS |
They join the family after the match (2-4)
Cryptic definition My first one in (and a cd!!!). |
| 8 | SHERRY |
Drink sounds dear to the French (6)
Homophone, indicated by ‘sounds’, of: CHERIE (dear, in French) Stevie Wonder once had a hit with ‘My Cherie Amour’. ‘Cherie’ didn’t sound like ‘Sherry’ when he sang it – in ‘Cherie’ the second part was stressed, in ‘Sherry’ the first part is. I will leave this to the Homophone Police. 🙂 |
| 12 | CROOKED |
There’s no straight solution to this clue (7)
Cryptic definition |
| 15 | YAP |
Wage rise? Just talk (3)
Reversal, indicated by ‘rise’, of: PAY (wage) |
| 16 | ACE |
It’s impossible to connect with this service (3)
Definition plus a cryptic extension |
| 18 | ANCESTRY |
Awkward ascent on railway line (8)
(ASCENT)* + RY (railway) [* = awkward] |
| 19 | FALSETTO |
It sounds highly unnatural (8)
Cryptic definition It is not my cd day, I’m afraid. |
| 20 | RETRIEVE |
Dog loses tail – get it back! (8)
RETRIEVER (dog) minus the last letter R |
| 22 | SPASMS |
Wells started writing in sudden bursts of activity (6)
SPAS (wells, plural noun) + MS (writing, i.e. manuscript) My last one in. |
| 23 | SWEDEN |
Japanese copper married in the country (6)
SEN (Japanese copper, i.e. money) around WED (married) |
| 24 | BEAT IT |
Dismissive order to a drummer perhaps (4,2)
Definition plus a cryptic extension |
| 25 | WEAVER |
We assert he is a craftsman (6)
WE + AVER (assert)
|
I enjoyed it – sometimes Dante’s gentler FTs are just the ticket if you’re not in the mood for a chewy headache of a puzzle.
As for the homophone, you should hear how Stevie pronounces café in the same song! Seriously, I think the homophone is fine. In My Cherie Amour the emphasis is skewed to fit the melody, and possibly with a touch of the US accent’s exaggerated version of the natural French stress (mer-lot, Go-dot etc).
Thanks Sil and Dante.
You must be having a grumpy day Sil – as I often do.
My LOI was also Spasms – almost a different style. Do I detect an Editor’s influence?
The only CD which I thought was above average was TOENAILS – not sure why – just appealed to me for some reason.
Thanks Dante and Sil
Pretty much the same experience as others here … including having SPASMS as the last one in. CROOKED was the cd that I liked least. Originally wrote in CASTILLE at 10a, but after not finding any support from dictionaries with it, went looking again to find BASTILLE.
Sil, there seems like a little glitch with your 14a explanation.
Having “cryptic” for 12d seemed plausible but messed up 17a , 25a and 26a .
Only got 30a in the SW . I didn’t think much of this generally
Too many cds for me.