LAST SUNDAY’S ANSWERS

ACROSS

2. CASTLE not cattle. The reference to “it,” which is in the singular form, fits well with CASTLE, but not with the plural noun cattle.

5. NOTES not votes. NOTES is best. Strictly speaking, the flaw would have been in the procedure related to the vote count.

6. SHEARS not spears. SHEARS can “be dangerous” when handled by a “clumsy” person. A weapon is classified as “dangerous,” and a spear is a type of weapon, making spears redundant as an answer.

9. CHAT not chap. The content of the CHAT might well circulate in “rumour” form “among HR staff,” “causing discontent.” But a “highly critical” chap “circulating among HR staff” would likely be dealt with quickly by management rather than continuing to circulate freely, possibly causing a toxic workplace environment.

10. GET not let. The clue word “authorities” indicates the matter is a legal one, which fits well with being allowed to go free (i.e. GET “off”). To be let “off” doesn’t necessarily mean the criminal has been apprehended. He could have simply been stopped temporarily or held back momentarily.

12. TOY not try. TOY is a direct match with “a kid.” It’s not just kids, but adults, too, who might be upset if they were “eager for a” try at something new and weren’t allowed to do so.

13. HIDING not aiding. HIDING is apt. The clue words “helpful international media coverage” makes aiding superfluous.

16. PLACES not plates. Setting PLACES at the “tables” would include plates, dishes, cutlery, etc. Therefore, PLACES is a comprehensive answer.

17. TEN not men. TEN “jurors” is best. There is no idication of the gender or sexual orientation of any of the “jurors” or the “defendent.”

DOWN

1. ROBE not rope. The clue words “I don’t think it’ll be a big problem” suggests there might be a certain degree of trouble when “fixing it,” which fits well with a ROBE that would have to be hemmed. Usually, it’s not considered difficult to simply cut or knot a rope in order to shorten it.

3. AXE not ape. Acting idiotically with an AXE “could” cause an injury. But an ape would probably be in an enclosure with no direct physical contact with the “brother,” therefore posing no threat.

4. TOUCH not torch. TOUCH is best. Torch is too vague since there’s no indication as to the time of day and whether it was nighttime, which is when he would have had to rely on it. But there could be instances in the light when TOUCH might be necessary (i.e., climbing, handling dubious objects) as well as in the dark.

6. SHOOT not shout. It’s possible to shout “someone down” with the immediate “resolution” being silence or an end to an argument, but to SHOOT “someone down” usually involves multiple lengthy legal procedures.

7. ARMY not arms. “Poorly equipped” matches up best with ARMY. “Equipped” is superfluous with arms, which are a type of equipment.

8. DEED not feed. Inviting the family for “a good” meal (e.g., feed) would be an example of “a good” DEED, making DEED all-encompassing.

11. LESS not mess. The clue is comparing “one musician” to another; therefore, the comparative word LESS fits well. A “musician can” make a mess of “a piece” regardless of how well “another” “musician” performs.

15. RING not king. An “ancient” relic such as a RING would likely be of great “interest” to “an archeologist.” Finding out valuable information about a previously unknown king would be of special interest to an historian.