Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 7
I found parts of this Mudd puzzle challenging. I am unsure if I have 8D correct and do not understand the wordplay of 28A. No doubt someone will fill me in. I especially like 6D.
Across
1. CAPARISON – A (a ) + PARIS (capital city) in CON (take for a ride)
6. DWARF – D (died) + WAR (fighting) + F[ade]
9. MOOSE – homophone (“mousse”)
10. ROSE-WATER – AWE (fascination) backwards in ROSTER (duty list)
11. ANTIMATTER – TIM (boy) in A (a) + NATTER (chat)
12 FRET – double definition
14. PHANTOM – H (husband) in PAN (god) + TOM (man)
15. GLASSES – G (good) + LASSES (girls) with a nice cryptic definition
17. CHELSEA – ELSE (otherwise) in CHA (the drink)
19. TILLAGE – LAG (convict) in TILE (hat)
20. YARD – cryptic definition (referring to Scotland Yard)
22. SLEAZINESS – S (small) + [femal]E in LAZINESS (sloth)
25. EAVESDROP – E (English) in anagram of AS PROVED
26. IDYLL – t[IDY] (near but for its first) + LL (couple of lines). Good one.
27. MANGE – G[row] in MANE (animal hair)
28. EVERGREEN – ???. “Tree whose left-25 throughout the year!” How does the wordplay work here?
Down
1. COMMA – double definition
2. PROSTRATE – R (river) in PROSTATE (gland)
3. RHEUMATISM – anagram of IM HURT SAME
4. STRATUM – TART (dessert) backwards in SUM (problem)
5. NEST-EGG – double definition
6. DAWN – cryptic definition
7. ASTER – [m]ASTER
8. FORETASTE is the only word I can find to fit here but I cannot fit it with the clue. And it seems unlikely to be right since “taste” is an explicit part of both clue and this word.
13. NAIL-BITING – double definition
14. PACHYDERM – ACHY (hurting) + D (daughter) in PERM (some style)
16. SPARE TYRE – double/cryptic definition
18. AT LARGE – anagram of REAL TAG
19. TRAIPSE – anagram of A PRIEST
21. RAVEN – RAVE (dance) + N (pole)
23. SALON – hidden word
24. ASHE -A (ace) + SHE (woman)
Just like you, I found this quite challenging.
Certainly harder than the usual Mudd.
Lots of very clever clues, with indeed 26ac as a highlight.
Re 8d:
This surely must be a mistake of Mr Halpern.
It is SATE (fill) upwards (up) in FORTE (strong), so FORETASTE.
Funny that the editor didn’t see the double use of TASTE either.
As to 26ac:
left-25 = L+EAVESDROP = LEAVES DROP
But do EVERGREEN trees drop their leaves throughout the year?
I am not a biologist.
Of course, I meant, “As to 28ac”.
>> But do EVERGREEN trees drop their leaves throughout the year?
I don’t know.
Thanks, Sil, for the explanations.
I do not think I agree with the definition for “evergreen”. These plants bear leaves all the year round, only shedding when the new foliage is fully formed.
Dear Pete
I found this very hard also and I still have difficulty with some of the clues. There were many tricks – like “holding desert up”. As a down clue I expected the “holding up” simply to mean that dessert would be the top few letters.
10A – how do you get backwards from ebbing?
15A – Are glasses really apparel?
19A – I simply could come up with nothing for this. What hat is a tile? And I have not heard of the word lag from convict.
6D – remains a mystery to me. Please let me have what you think here?
8D – Whatever the reasoning it is a poor clue isn’t it?
Strange for me, “evergreen” was one of the first clues I filled in. At first I wondered a little, but yes, they drop leaves all year round – much to the chagrin of gardeners (especially here in Singapore).
cheers
John
>> 10A – how do you get backwards from ebbing?
One of my dictionaries defines ebb as meaning to recede which, in turn, is defined as to move backwards. So I think this works.
>> 15A – Are glasses really apparel?
Strictly speaking, perhaps not. But this is a liberty I am happy to accept for what I think makes a nicely devious clue.
>> 19A – I simply could come up with nothing for this. What hat is a tile?
I accepted this because I had come across it before although I was unsure of the exact connection. I have looked it up now and ascertained that it is a Scottish word for a hat, particularly a top hat.
>> And I have not heard of the word lag from convict.
Interesting. It is fairly common usage in my experience. Maybe it is very British.
>> 6D – remains a mystery to me. Please let me have what you think here?
Dawn is a girl’s name. There was a Dawn in my primary school class and then there is the comedienne Dawn French. Then there is also the dawn chorus referring to the sounds of nature at sunrise.
>> 8D – Whatever the reasoning it is a poor clue isn’t it?
Yes, definitely.
I also have some doubts about 1D because breathtaking does not mean breath taking. In fact, it means almost the opposite!