Monday Prize Crossword/Nov 4
I didn’t find this Dante crossword easy at all. The left hand side was OK but the rest was much harder. For me, this was Dante-one-level-up.
I particularly liked the full anagrams in this puzzle as they were part of very good natural surfaces. Thanks Dante, once more, for the entertainment.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | OXTAIL | Kiss in love story being broadcast, makes a neat ending (6) |
| X (kiss) inside {O (love) + TAIL (homophone of TALE (story)} | ||
| A very nice clue to start with, also one that Rufus recently (Oct 28) used in the Guardian. ‘Neat’ should be regarded as ‘cattle’ here. | ||
| 4 | GOOD NEWS | Goes down the wrong way? We’re glad to hear it (4,4) |
| (GOES DOWN)* | ||
| One of today’s splendid anagram clues. | ||
| 9 | ALSACE | Lorraine’s companion in France (6) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| Lorraine and Alsace are neighbours in the east of France. | ||
| 10 | PROPOSAL | A union offer? (8) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 12 | EXPOSURE | A photographer’s hypothermia? (8) |
| And another one ….. | ||
| 13 | COAXED | Induced firm to cut down (6) |
| CO (firm) +AXED (cut down) | ||
| 15 | SOLD | Initially supplied secondhand, now disposed of (4) |
| S[upplied] + OLD (secondhand) | ||
| 16 | OCCUPATION | Business residence (10) |
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | OUTFIELDER | One who is deep in the letters of Freud and Eliot (10) |
| (FREUD + ELIOT)* | ||
| Think cricket. | ||
| 20 | SPAR | Hits back in fight (4) |
| Reversal (‘back’) of RAPS (hits) | ||
| 23 | PARIAH | Outcast with a song in his heart (6) |
| In the middle (‘heart’) of the solution is ARIA (a song) | ||
| 25 | DIVIDEND | Benefit from investment is cut about a quarter (8) |
| DIVIDED (cut) around N (a quarter, North) | ||
| 27 | SHORTAGE | Curtailed a long period of deficiency (8) |
| SHORT (curtailed) + AGE (a long period) | ||
| 28 | POLICE | Control river pests (6) |
| PO (river) + LICE (pest) | ||
| 29 | RETURNED | Honoured by the electorate, dishonoured by the bank (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 30 | ORDERS | Sends away for books (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | ONAGERS | Oranges mashed up for wild animals (7) |
| (ORANGES)* | ||
| 2 | TEST PILOT | One who is often up for trial (4,5) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 3 | IN CASE | Those vanquished by the Spanish head east as a precaution (2,4) |
| INCAS (those vanquished by the Spanish) + E (east) | ||
| 5 | OKRA | Cook rarely includes this vegetable (4) |
| Hidden solution: [co]OK RA[rely] | ||
| 6 | DIPLOMAT | Award given to the top negotiator (8) |
| DIPLOMA (award) + T[he] | ||
| 7 | ESSEX | County, favourite of Elizabeth I (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| One of Fifteensquared’s posters and one who sets crosswords too as Trailman just published a book with 25 walks in Essex, simply called “Walking in Essex”. As a keen walker I had to think of it seeing this clue. | ||
| 8 | SALADIN | In error, a boy becomes a Muslim warrior (7) |
| A LAD (boy) inside SIN (error) | ||
| 11 | DRACULA | A blood count? (7) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 14 | TUNED IN | Made sure of a good reception (5,2) |
| Double definition | ||
| 17 | IMPRECISE | Approximate price semi may make (9) |
| (PRICE SEMI)* | ||
| 18 | DISASTER | Doctor said rest can cause terrible trouble (8) |
| (SAID REST)* | ||
| 19 | OPPOSER | He doesn’t agree with work problem (7) |
| OP (work, opus) + POSER (problem) | ||
| 21 | REDRESS | Remedy may be to change gear (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 22 | VIGOUR | Potency of port, half-an-hour later (6) |
| VIGO (port, in the NW of Spain) + [ho]UR | ||
| 24 | ROOST | Nonsense written about very large perch (5) |
| ROT (nonsense) around OS (very large) | ||
| 26 | OGRE | A monster spiller of gore (4) |
| (GORE)* | ||
In 23a where does the ph come from? thanks
Agreed this was tough and that the rhs was harder than the lhs though now I see the answers they don’t appear too hard.
1d I’d never heard of onagers.
7d I guessed essex but I still don’t get the favourite of Liz 1 -why did she like Essex rather than ,say, Berkshire?
I can’t help with 23a though I’m sure I worked it out at the time.
Ah yes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH
23A The ph is not defined in this clue. Aria (song) simply appears in the middle of the answer.
7d refers to the 2nd Earl of Essex (and not to the county).