Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 21, 2015
Here we have another anniversary puzzle from Gaff and I have so far identified two different anniversaries that are included. The first is the 20th of Toy Story, Pixar’s ground-breaking animated movie. The other is the 70th of Slinky. Are there more that I have missed?
The Toy Story anniversary is marked by 20d,12a (BUZZ LIGHTYEAR) a spaceman toy whose catch phrase is 1a,5 (“to INFINITY and BEYOND”), 24a (WOODY) a cowboy figure who is voiced by 13a (Tom HANKS), and 30a (ALLEN KEY) alluding to Tim Allen who provided the voice for Buzz. And, as I discovered late, there are five more — see comment #5 below from the man himself. (Actually I did also catch the SCUD reference but somehow forgot to include it.) I am very impressed by the number Gaff managed to squeeze in.
My clue of the week is 4d (TAIL END). I also especially like 11d (TREX) for its snarky surface but have some reservation about its use of a branded product name.
| Across | ||
| 1 | INFINITY |
Isn’t it common to eat fish starters close to city limit? (8)
FF (fish starters) in IN’N’IT (isn’t it common) + [cit]Y |
| 5 | BEYOND |
Old readers turned in agent on the other side (6)
YE (old readers) backwards in BOND (agent) |
| 9 | PARANOIA |
Suspicion a denial penned by outcast’s inconclusive (8)
A (a) + NO (denial) together in PARIA[h] (outcast’s inconclusive) |
| 10 | TRADER |
Returned some battered articles to shop-keeper (6)
Reverse hidden word |
| 12 | LIGHT-YEAR |
Fair cut short long, long journey (5-4)
LIGHT (fair) + YEAR[n] (cut long short). I am not sure I like the definition here. True, a journey of a light-year would be a long one from most points of view but still a light-year is a measure of distance, not a journey. |
| 13 | HANKS |
Cheats admitted needlework ends in coils (5)
N[eedlewor]K in HAS (cheats) |
| 14 | SCUD |
In revolution, French nobility run with the wind (4)
DUCS (French nobility) backwards |
| 16 | X FACTOR |
Show talent? Quite the reverse! (1,6)
I can interpret this clue only as a cryptic definition. However, as such, it seems to have barely enough crypticness to qualify. |
| 19 | LONG NAB |
Scarborough head sustained arrest (4,3)
LONG (sustained) + NAB (arrest). Long Nab is a promontory at one end of the town of Scarborough. I had to look this up. |
| 21 | SIDE |
On which cheat may have a bit left, maybe (4)
Double definition |
| 24 | WOODY |
Tough putting a lot of colour on court (5)
WOO (court) + DY[e] (a lot of colour) |
| 25 | ZINFANDEL |
Upset Anfield with New Zealand wine (9)
Anagram of ANFIELD NZ |
| 27 | ARMOUR |
Lover holds hand for protection (6)
R (hand, i.e. right) in AMOUR (lover) |
| 28 | LISTEN IN |
Bug messed up its linen (6,2)
Anagram of ITS LINEN |
| 29 | KARATE |
Duchess eats a first rate sort of chop (6)
A (a) + R[ate] in KATE (duchess) |
| 30 | ALLEN KEY |
Desperately keen that friend keeps tool (5,3)
Anagram of KEEN in ALLY (friend) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | IMPALE |
Gaff’s white stick (6)
IM (Gaff’s) + PALE (white) |
| 2 | FORAGE |
In favour of period look for food (6)
FOR (in favour of) + AGE (period) |
| 3 | NONET |
Useless tennis court’s lack of players (5)
NO NET (useless tennis court’s lack) |
| 4 | TAIL END |
Asian without aspiration to give money back (4,3)
T[h]AI (Asian without aspiration) + LEND (give money) |
| 6 | EARTHWARD |
Returning astronaut’s way to treat hard water (9)
Anagram of HARD WATER |
| 7 | ORDINATE |
Speech describes racket of measurement in plane (8)
DIN (racket) in ORATE (speech). ‘Orate’ is a verb. Can ‘speech’ also be a verb. My Chambers says it can although such usage is old. |
| 8 | DERISORY |
Mocking father raised on board boat (8)
SIRE (father) backwards in DORY (boat) |
| 11 | TREX |
Dinosaur that’s short and fat (4)
I find it hard to decide how this clue should be interpreted. My preferred one is to take “dinosaur that’s short” as wordplay and “fat” as definition. Then the wordplay gives T[yrannosauros] REX. One could also see it as a double definition but that raises the problem that the enumeration (4) fits only one of the two. For those who may not know, Trex is a trademarked brand of shortening. |
| 15 | CANDYTUFT |
Knows how to adjust duty on paper flower (9)
CAN (knows how) + anagram of DUTY + FT (paper) |
| 17 | CLAW BACK |
Recover some of withdrawal charges? (4,4)
Reverse hidden word |
| 18 | INFORMER |
Playing well with her headless rat (8)
IN FORM (playing well) + [h]ER |
| 20 | BUZZ |
Possibly saw excitement (4)
Double definition |
| 21 | SUNDIAL |
Island U-turn casts shadow for hours (7)
Anagram of ISLAND U |
| 22 | GDANSK |
Polish port off and get kingsize sore heads (6)
Anagram of AND G K S
|
| 23 | SLINKY |
Clinging and maybe well content in secret (6)
INK (maybe well content) in SLY (secret) |
| 26 | ANTRE |
Cave woman trembling slightly (5)
AN (woman) + TRE[mbling]. Antre is a word I did not know that means a cavern. |
Thanks Gaff and Pete
16ac: The cryptic bit here is that “Quite the reverse” of “Show talent” is “Talent show”.
21ac: This is a double definition: A cheat (in a relationship) may have a bit on the side, and then “left, maybe” is the second definition
22dn: We seem to be missing the explanation here; anagram of AND G K S
Also Tim ALLEN in 30ac. Thanks Pete Maclean and Gaff.
Thanks Pete and Gaff.
I was so focussed on the Toy Story theme that I entered SUDS at 21ac expecting enlightenment on the parsing here – I hasten to add that this was my only failure and I’m mortified.
In terms of what anniversary it is, I don’t think that one clue – SLINKY – constitutes a theme when that is also a Toy Story character.
Which is odd because – according to my wiki friend – the film was released in March 1995. Given that we kept our celebrations of the signing of Magna Carta to the few days in June around the 800th anniversary of it’s signature, celebrating the 20th anniversary of a film 8 months late strikes me as odd.
Pelham, Thanks for your help. I did understand the cryptic element of 16ac, I just thought it was weak. Should have seen that 21ac was a DD! I have no idea how the explanation of 22dn disappeared. These are now corrected.
ilippu, Many thanks to you too. Yes, I missed that Tim Allen did the voice of Buzz Lightyear.
Great blog as always Peter – nothing to add to the explanations.
For the real Toy Story fans, there are a few more characters referenced : (t)REX is one of the toys, SCUD is the vicious dog next door belonging to SID(e), who operates the CLAW(back) to capture Buzz and Woody, who both belong to (c)ANDY(tuft). Hmmm – I’m starting to sound nerdy, I fear!
Hamish@3 , I’m pretty sure that November 22nd was the release date – it was a Christmas film – and I can’t find the March reference in wiki that you mention.
Thank you, Gaff! I should perhaps have mentioned that I am a Toy Story fan. I saw the original when it was in release and also caught 2 and 3. And I have just noted that there is a Toy Story 4 in the works.
I found this very hard and got less than half but not for want of trying. I was a bit put off by “An anniversary puzzle” as usually I can never get the theme even if I complete the puzzle. Here I got “lightyear” , “woody” and “infinity” before anything else and actually spotted it. I looked in vain for Jessie and I was amazed that she was missing as was Potato Head and Bullseye.
Despite having been to Scarborough many times, I’ve never heard of Long Nab.
I didn’t know that dory was a boat, hadn’t come across candytuft or antre.
http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Toy_Story confirms 22 November
Thanks for coming back Gaff.
I looked again – I must have been going cross-eyed!
Please accept my apologies and enjoy your Christmas.
Thanks Gaff and Pete
Only got to this one today and was able to finish it in two shortish sessions. I always do a pretty extensive final parsing run when I finish … and it was only after I finished that, that the theme dawned on me !!! (Did have to check when the Apollo program started / finished first though). Was then able to find all of the listed characters apart from Andy and Sid.
Guess that makes it a very good theme that didn’t interfere with the solving (or parsing) experience !
Good quality clueing throughout. With 16a, saw it as the X FACTOR being a ‘special talent’ as well as the talent show – it did work for me. Had come across LONG NAB not all that long ago in either another crossword or the Polymath (it stuck as an unusual name and that I’d spent a lot of my working life at NAB over here).
A couple of new learnings with TREX (the brand of the vegetable fat product) and ANTRE.
Finished in the SE corner with the clever ALLEN KEY, the previously unknown ANTRE and SIDE (which raised a grin as it fell) the last one in. Very enjoyable !
Only one or two quibbles this time. Gaff is evidently improving ! But he or she has repeated the mistake made before, and it is a mistake I’m quite sure, of saying (29ac) that first rate = r. And I had 21ac wrong, or was it wrong? Perhaps I had an alternative solution: CODA. cheat = cod (yes doubtful I know, but no more doubtful than first rate = r) then a. Definition ‘bit left, maybe’, which a coda is. 54
So 21dn was a problem.
I thought Long Nab was a bit much. Never been to Scarborough and never heard of it.
Sorry, I don’t know what that 54 is doing.