LAST SUNDAY’S ANSWERS

ACROSS

2. FILM not firm. The reference to “someone connected to it” fits well with a FILM, which involves many types of professions (e.g., agents, casting directors, publicists etc.) not directly employed by the producers of the FILM. Regarding a firm, one usually refers to people working for it.

5. CUE not due. A person can be completely unaware that he has been “given his” due (e.g., good things are said about him, despite possible flaws) since the remark could be made to others instead of him directly. However, a performer knows the importance of “his” CUE, so naturally, if it isn’t “given,” he would feel “let down.”

6. LOCKER not locket. The clue indicates there are numerous items (i.e., “contents”) inside, which matches up well with a LOCKER. Often, a locket contains a single photograph.

8. DEFY not deny. To deny the “neighboring country’s demands for non-aggressive behavior,” the dictatorship is, in essence, DEFYING those “demands,” making DEFY all-encompassing.

9. RUG not rag. By definition, a rag is “old and wornout”; it doesn’t become so the way a RUG might, making RUG a better answer.

11. AID not add. AID is a comprehensive answer because, by adding numbers (i.e., increasing), it would be AIDING the organization.

13. LONG not song. LONG is a good answer. Song is redundant due to the references to “hip-hop” and “singer.”

14. DAUNTED not haunted. Haunted means to think too often about something negative in one’s past, and there’s not enough context in the clue to explain what experience might be causing the haunted feeling. DAUNTED is a better choice.

15. CURIOUS not furious. Being a “first”-time experience, the onlooker would probably not have the knowledge of its meaning and origin to classify it as furious. CURIOUS is apt.

16. SKIN not skid. The reference to “bad” SKIN has a direct link to acne, which often afflicts “teens.” Although a vehicle that skids can have dire consequences, many “teens” don’t own motorized vehicles and, therefore, might not pay much attention to the “advertisement.”

DOWN

1. BORDER not bolder. A BORDER “pattern” fits the clue’s context. Bolder needs further explanation since it’s a comparative adjective, but no comparative is given.

2. FILLY not folly. A startled or injured FILLY that stumbles or falls might well cause the “loss” of the “event.” But the magnitude of the level of athleticism, being a “world-class” “event,” makes foolishness (i.e., folly) a highly unlikely attribute of the “rider.”

3. REACTED not reached. The “baby” might REACT to the “dangled” “toy,” but he would reach for it.

4. NEARLY not nearby. If the “teen” is “running late,” it makes more sense to use a phrase describing time rather than location.

7. CALL not cell. “All his attention” might well be “focused on a particular” phone CALL. However, it would likely be an item or an occupant of the “prison” cell that would get “his attention,” not the cell itself.

10. DANCER not danger. There are many types of dangers that don’t involve payment of any sort, but usually “great” DANCERS are professionals and, therefore, are paid to perform.

12. BANDS not banns. BANDS is best. When wedding banns are read “in church,” it is traditional to invite the congregation to raise any objection. The clue’s reference to inviting “feedback” is, therefore, superfluous with banns.