LAST SUNDAY’S ANSWERS

ACROSS

5. DAUGHTER not laughter. A “newfound” DAUGHTER makes a good answer. Laughter is, in itself, an expression of “happiness.”

6. WIT not wig. WIT is apt. Grammatically speaking, you wear a wig as opposed to using it.

8. LEAD not head. Since turning a bend in a “worldclass” “race” would take a matter of seconds, the fact that the “racer” was angry (i.e., “loses his” head) might go unnoticed by the “spectators.” But “losing his” LEAD might well be obvious.

9. WAY not day. One of the WAYS “out of a harsh environment” is to escape from the stress with a day “out” on the town or to the country. Therefore, a WAY “out” would include a day “out.”

13. WARY not warm. “It took” him “a while” during “his relationship” to find this “out,” which fits well with WARINESS, which can be a characteristic people try to hide for fear it might show a lack of confidence. A warm personality often takes no time at all to discover.

14. NAME not fame. The clue word “renowned” is redundant with fame. NAME makes a stronger choice.

18. NOTE not vote. They might well be “ranting over” a controversial NOTE. It would not be the vote itself, rather the discussion before or after the vote that would have a “menacing tone.”

19. DECENT not recent. The reference to “just finished” makes recent unnecessary. DECENT is a good answer.

DOWN

1. BAND not bang. A bang is a noise, making the mention of the word “sound” in the clue unnecessary. BAND is a good choice.

2. THROAT not threat. THROAT is best. A threat is, by its very nature, a “problem.”

3. FEE not bee. “A big” FEE “is a pain” he could “do without,” but it’s the sting from a bee, not simply “a big” bee, that would cause him “pain.”

4. PINK not sink. “A deep” PINK could “be an unusual” color “choice” in terms of the room’s decor. However, a sink might have little to do with decor, but instead be a practical choice.

7. DARE not care. The ominous nature of “threats” links up well with the fear a “bullying” victim feels, and the fact that they “don’t” DARE “to face” the bully. “Don’t” care doesn’t have the same seriousness of tone, which the context of the clue calls for.

10. PRISONER not poisoner. PRISONER is apt. The clue would have to refer to the poisoner as the defendant or the accused since the court “case” is still ongoing and the man accused in the “case” has not yet been found guilty of being a poisoner.

11. CARS not wars. The clue word “enabling” has a positive connotation that matches up well with CARS and the ease in mobility that they offer. People do indeed leave their “countries” due to war, but the move is generally a negative reaction to impoverishment or violence.

12. CAPTION not caution. CAPTION is best. Not all effective warnings (e.g., cautions) are “quick and succinct.” They may include safety measures, for example, with numerous steps to follow.

16. DAME not date. There is no need to refer to a date since the clue already references a “rendezvous.” DAME is apt.