1. JUG
Times 25628: Maybe go through mood changes of criminal: prison worried (9) CONJUGATE
CON (criminal) JUG (prison) ATE (worried)
2. STIR
Times 25775: Create revolutionary movement in prison (4) STIR
Double definition; 'stir' is slang for prison.
On the history and possible origin of this meaning of 'stir', Grammarphobia has an interesting write-up.
3. COOLER
FT 14540 (Orense): Wake up cooler (4) STIR
Double definition; 'cooler' refers to prison, usually meant for the more dangerous criminals.
4. CAN
Indy 8876 (Phi): Prison Director guided to reduce light (6) CANDLE
CAN (prison) D (director) LE[d] (guided to reduce i.e. cut short)
[Not to forget, 'can' means other things too.]
5. NICK
Times 25869: Nick — adolescent making a mess (7) CANTEEN
CAN (nick - slang for prison) TEEN (adoloscent)
You'll usually find 'nick' on the clue's surface dressed as a proper noun, or as a verb meaning 'steal' or 'cut'.
6. BRIG
Times 25964: Remove a key from prison outfit (3) RIG
BRIG (prison) – B (key, of music)
'Brig' is a military prison, especially in a navy ship.
7. CAGEFT14791 (Bradman): Imprisoned maiden? That gets media treatment (8) COVERAGE
OVER (maiden, as in cricket) imprisoned i.e. put inside prison (CAGE)
8. POKEY
FT14184 (Jason): One in pokey with excellent natter (6) CONFAB
CON (one in pokey - slang for prison) FAB (excellent)
Guardian 26203 (Rufus): Jug can clink (6) PRISON
Triple definition
10. TIME
Indy 8775 (Phi): Event enabling you to live out of time? (9) JAILBREAK cd
To 'do time' is to serve a prison sentence.
11. BIRD
Sunday Times 4622 (Jeff Pearce): Fool can get drunk in bar (9) BIRDBRAIN
BIRD (can i.e. prison) (IN BAR)*
'Bird' can mean prison, a term in prison, or a prison inmate (short for jailbird). The word comes from bird-lime, rhyming slang for 'time'. Often used in the phrase 'do bird', which means 'do time'.
12. PORRIDGE
Similar to 'bird', 'porridge' can mean prison or a term in prison, especially in the phrase 'do porridge' (serve a prison sentence). The word gained wider currency with the BBC TV series Porridge, a sitcom about prison inmates.
FT14822 (Monk): Bishop, one putting on fat in time (8) PORRIDGE
RR (bishop - Right Reverend) I (one), putting on i.e. inside PODGE (fat). The definition 'time'
Wikipedia attributes this usage of 'porridge' to the staple diet of porridge in UK prisons.
13. SLAMMER
Times 25303: One violently smashing lip has for a start to be imprisoned (12) SLEDGEHAMMER
EDGE (lip) H ('has', for a start), to be 'imprisoned' i.e. to be inside SLAMMER
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With such diversity of synonyms, it's not uncommon to find multi-definition clues associated with 'prison'. Till a while back, the maximum count of definitions that I'd seen in a single clue was in this clue for SET. Then in Dec 2014, I came across this outstanding 7-definitional:
Indy 8797 (Hieroglyph): Nick Cage can stir porridge inside big house in the States (6)
'nick', 'cage', 'can', 'stir', 'porridge', 'inside', 'big house' (in the States) - all mean prison.
Any other interesting prison terms you can think of? Add to the list in the comments section.
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Update (23-Jun-2015) Bhala suggests more terms: QUOD, CHOKEY.
Times 26132: Briefly stir drink: that's enough to achieve motion? (6) QUORUM
QUO[d] (stir, briefly) RUM (drink)
Solve These
More clues that play on words referring to 'prison'. Have fun solving!
Sunday Times 4584 (Dean Mayer): A handle for jug, all in enamel (8) N_______
Times 25900: Fine golden bird on toy stall (4,3,4) P___ ___ ___E
Indy 8647 (Dac): Tough jailbird shown round a prison (4-4) C___-____
Times 24571: Cooler name rejected by psychologist (3)
Related Posts:
- What "Bodyguard" Could Mean in Cryptic Clues
- Counting the Ways of Using COUNTER
- Wanting a Clue Study?
- Have No Enemy But Time
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9 comments
I CAN solve only 3 :(
Sunday Times 4584 (Dean Mayer): A handle for jug, all in enamel (8) N_______
NICKNAME [NICK(jug) e(NAME)l ]
Times 25900: Fine golden bird on toy stall (4,3,4) P___ ___ ___E
4,3, TIME
Indy 8647 (Dac): Tough jailbird shown round a prison (4-4) C___-____
CAST IRON [CON(jailbird) round A STIR (a prison)]
Times 24571: Cooler name rejected by psychologist (3)
JUG [JU(n)G]
Apart from the more straightforward terms, 'Chokey' and 'Quod' come to mind.
Do believe that 'Porridge' refers to the time done in prison, not prison per se
Thanks Bhala. I guess due to the uncommon letters and lack of alternate meanings, these two terms aren't seen as much in crosswords as the rest.
Chambers says this for 'porridge':
jail, or a jail sentence, esp in the phrase do porridge, to serve a jail sentence (slang)
Times 24571: Cooler name rejected by psychologist (3) JUG = cooler, and JU{-N}G
Times 25900: Fine golden bird on toy stall (4,3,4) P___ ___ TIME?
Here's another one, though I'm not sure if it's strictly an Americanism:
Joint advertising is working (6)
The answers:
Sunday Times 4584 (Dean Mayer): A handle for jug, all in enamel (8) NICKNAME
NICK (jug) NAME (all in 'eNAMEL')
Times 25900: Fine golden bird on toy stall (4,3,4) PLAY FOR TIME
F (fine) OR (golden) BIRD (time) on PLAY (toy). 'stall' (verb) is the definition.
Indy 8647 (Dac): Tough jailbird shown round a prison (4-4) CAST-IRON
CON (jailbird) around A STIR (prison)
Times 24571: Cooler name rejected by psychologist (3) JUG
JUNG (psychologist) - N (name)
@Lakshmi: The one you got later was the trickiest. So well done :-)
@Krishna: Yes. In my early days of solving, I had imagined that 'cooler' might be 'jug' because a jug keeps drinks cool!
@Chesterley: Thanks for sharing that. Can't recall this use from crosswords. I see "(the joint) North American Prison" listed in Oxford Dictionaries, though Chambers only has "a disreputable bar or other meeting-place (US slang)" as the closest definition.
Yes Shuchi . Thought the TOY STALL the definition :P
@Bhala: Came across a clue using QUOD, in the Times today. Added it to the main post.
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