Monday Prize Crossword / Nov 23, 2015
A pleasant crossword from Falcon in his over-familiar style.
Nothing too tricky, although I had to confirm the politician(s) at 7,16 . I also needed some time to crack my LOI, 26ac.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ALPACA |
A record, third in chart, about woolly animal (6)
A + LP (record) + [ch]A[rt] + CA (about, circa) |
| 5 | SIDE ARMS |
Team members producing weapons (4,4)
SIDE (team) + ARMS (members) |
| 9 | SERENADE |
Commercial breaking into cool piece of romantic music (8)
AD (commercial) inside SERENE (cool) |
| 10 | NO LESS |
Number lower, would you believe! (2,4)
NO (number, numero) + LESS (lower) |
| 11 | GALAXY |
Splendid gathering happy to be shown round Los Angeles Times? (6)
GAY (happy) around {LA (Los Angeles) + X (times, as in multiplications) |
| 12 | TROPICAL |
Very hot part – coil defective (8)
(PART + COIL)* [* = defective] |
| 14 | DELICATESSEN |
Eats bananas in specially licensed premises selling food (12)
(EATS)* inside (LICENSED)** [* = bananas] [** = specially] |
| 18 | LIVER SAUSAGE |
As a rule, gives free savoury paste (5,7)
(AS A RULE GIVES)* [* = free] |
| 22 | HANDBALL |
With book in college defining game (8)
{AND (with) + B (book)} inside HALL (college) |
| 25 | SHERRY |
Slip up in attempt to get drink (6)
ERR (slip up) inside SHY (attempt) |
| 26 | FORMER |
Old prior departed long ago (6)
Triple definition Or do I have to split ‘departed long ago’ to make it four? Apart from ‘prior’ (which can be something else, a clergyman) the definitions are rather one of a kind. |
| 27 | CHOP SUEY |
Dish cut into pieces, the old American recalled (4,4)
CHOP (cut into pieces) + SUEY (reversal, indicated by ‘recalled’, of: YE (the, old) + US (American)) |
| 28 | FEAST DAY |
Fine – new date, say, for a religious celebration (5,3)
F (fine) + (DATE + SAY)* [* = new] |
| 29 | TENDER |
Kind offer (6)
Double definition |
| Down | ||
| 2 | LEEWAY |
Room in shelter on course (6)
LEE (shelter) + WAY (course) |
| 3, 23 | ALEXANDRE DUMAS |
Writer of sexual drama, end horrific (9,5)
(SEXUAL DRAMA END)* [* = horrific] |
| 4 | AMARYLLIS |
Plant a girl put on shelf tipped over (9)
A + MARY (girl) + LLIS (reversal, indicated by ‘tipped over’, of SILL (shelf)) |
| 5 | SCEPTIC |
Infected having caught cold? I may doubt that (7)
SEPTIC (infected) around C (cold) |
| 6 | DINGO |
Wild dog daughter, at home, shot (5)
D (daughter) + IN (at home) + GO (shot) |
| 7, 16 | ADLAI STEVENSON |
US politician needs salvation, possibly (5,9)
(NEEDS SALVATION)* [* = possibly] The solution may refer to Adlai Stevenson (1835-1914) who was the 23rd Vice President of the USA. Or perhaps to a later family member Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965) who was Governor of Illinois and became a US Ambassador to the United Nations. The latter had a son, also named Adlai, born in 1930, who is also a (Democratic) politician from Illinois. |
| 8 | MUSCADET |
Wine, extremely drinkable, in Oman’s capital (8)
D[rinkabl]E inside MUSCAT (Oman’s capital) |
| 13 | POE |
US writer of verse, crack shot (3)
POETRY (verse) minus, I am not 100% convinced by the indicator here. After comment #1, I am. Looked at this clue the wrong way. |
| 15 | TRANSPORT |
Carriage entrance (9)
Double definition |
| 16 |
See 7
|
|
| 17 | PINAFORE |
Adult in favour of wearing long apron (8)
{A (adult) + FOR (in favour of)} inside PINE (long) |
| 19 | ROB |
Steal from some characters in Cairo bar (3)
Hidden solution, indicated by ‘some characters in’: [cai]RO B[ar] |
| 20 | UNLUCKY |
Unfortunate, a French girl swallowing potassium (7)
UN (a, in French) + LUCY (girl) around K (potassium) The chemical symbol for potassium is K. In my native country K represents kalium, K being its abbreviation.
|
| 21 | GREENE |
Recited flourishing novelist (6)
Homophone, indicated by ‘recited’, of GREEN (flourishing) |
| 23 |
See 3
|
|
| 24 | ACRID |
Help receiving little credit could make one bitter (5)
AID (help) around CR (credit, abbreviated) |
Hi Sil
Just looking in, but in 13dn I think “crack” is the synonym for TRY, and “shot” the removal indicator.
You are right, PB.
That’s it.
I will adjust the blog.
Thanks sil for explanations. Got Poe, but had no idea why! Had to Google American politicians before I could be sure that what I had was real!
Thanks Sil and Falcon.
So many Aldai Stevenson’s to choose from – I suspect the first since he rose to VP. But pretty obscure all the same. Fortunately I was able to work out Stevenson from the crossers and anagram fodder so the required research was limited but obscure or what?
I had 26ac as a quadruple.
Favourite was GALAXY.
Thanks Falcon and Sil
Not as straightforward as usual from Falcon and completed it over a few short stints. Had POE but didn’t understand how he was derived until coming here.
Finished in the SW corner with HANDBALL (which took a while to work out the word play), PINAFORE and FORMER (which was really four identical definitions).