NTSPP – 089 (Review)

Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle – 089

A Puzzle by Hieroglyph

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Hieroglyph makes a return to the NTSPP with a themed crossword.  All of the across clues’ answers relate to the theme of {CHEESE}.  The trick with this type of theme is to make the answers easily solvable from the wordplay so that even if the answer is a word of which you have never heard, you can be reasonably confident that you have arrived at the right answer before checking it.  Here, I think Hieroglyph has succeeded.

Favourite clues are highlighted in blue.

Across

8a Insect leaps around inside (3,5)
{BEL PAESE} – A busy insect contains an anagram (around) of leaps to give this Italian form of the theme.

9a Hypocrisy displayed by a Liberal (6)
{CANTAL} – A word for hypocrisy followed by an A and the abbreviation for Liberal gives a French form of the theme.

10a Spaceman or alien? (10)
{MASCARPONE} – An anagram (alien) of spaceman or gives an Italian form of the theme used in making Tiramisu.

11a Made out (4)
{EDAM} – An anagram (out) of made gives a Dutch form of the theme.

12a Playing the villain? (6)
{ASIAGO} – Another Italian form of the theme comes from a phrase for someone playing the villain in Othello as in he appears ** **** in this play.

13a Setter’s turned crazy (8)
{EMMENTAL} – Reverse (turned) a word that represents the setter and add a word meaning crazy to find a Swiss form of the theme.

14a Before the Spanish game (7)
{CHESSEL} – Not the product but something used in making the themed product comes from the name of a board game followed by the Spanish for the.

16a Smell almost like a bear (7)
{BOURSIN} – A spreadable French form of the theme comes from a word for smell (from an unwashed person perhaps) followed by a word meaning bearlike with the final letter removed (almost).

ARVE Error: need id and provider

20a Elf principally found in part of Ireland (8)
{MUENSTER} – A form of the theme from the USA (bet you did not know that they had noted varieties) comes from putting the first letter of Elf inside a part of Ireland.

23a Until sitting, to an extent (6)
{TILSIT} – A Prussian-Swiss form of the theme is hidden inside unTIL SITting.

25a Iron shirt at the beginning of April (4)
{FETA} – A Greek form of the them comes from the chemical symbol for Iron, a letter that describes a type of shirt and the first letter (beginning of) April.

26a Sweet coffee? (10)
{DOLCELATTE} – An Italian form of the theme comes from the Italian for sweet followed by a type of milky coffee.

27a Pointless example? (6)
{CASEIN} – Something used in making the theme product comes from an expression (4,2,5) meaning an example from which the final word (point) has been removed.  Join the first two words together to find the answer.

28a Turn over a hundred (8)
{CHURNTON} – At last a UK form of the theme.  Take a word meaning turn over and follow it with a word for a hundred, often used in describing speed to find the answer.

Down

1d Exercise can start to strain nuts (6)
{PECANS} – These types of nuts come from taking a two letter word for exercise followed by the CAN from the clue and the first letter of strain.

2d Particulars of plaice dish served on board (8)
{SPECIALS} – The plats du jour that may be on the board comes from putting an anagram of plaice inside the designation of a steamship.  I am not sure that this clue quite works.

3d Listener’s fonthead appears, at first, thus; setter is intimidating (8)
{FEARSOME} – A word for intimidating comes from a three letter word for a listener with an F (font-head) before it.  Follow this with a word (two letters) meaning thus and a two letter word representing the setter to find the answer.

4d Dear, is nothing sacred at last? (8)
{BELOVED} – A word meaning dear (as a term of endearment) comes from a two letter for is, a word using to describe nothing or nil in tennis and the final letter (at last) of sacred.

5d Sunday best is a riot (6)
{SCREAM} – A word for something that may be described as riot comes from an S for Sunday followed by a word meaning best (as in the top).

6d Jail fashionable bird (6)
{INTERN} – A word meaning to jail comes from a word meaning fashionable followed by a kind of bird.

7d Seafood obtained by priest boarding vehicle on an island (8)
{CALAMARI} – This type of seafood comes from putting the name of a Tibetan priest inside the usual type of vehicle and adding the abbreviation for island at the end.

15d Linesman, reportedly, a medical 6 (8)
{HOUSEMAN} – A linesman (a poet) is a homophone of the answer, the description of a medial student working as a 6d in a hospital.

ARVE Error: need id and provider

17d Affront her unknowingly, concealing outlaw’s position (2,3,3)
{ON THE RUN} – An outlaws position is hidden inside the phrase affrON/T HE/R UNknowingly.

18d Brushes up on King’s Knight Opening to succeed (8)
{RELEARNS} – A word meaning brushes up on comes from a word meaning on or about followed by the name of a Shakespearean King, an abbreviation for Knight and the first letter of the word succeed.

19d Bishops caught in action replay (7)
{PRELACY} – A collective term for bishops comes from putting an abbreviation for caught inside an anagram (action??) of replay.

21d Order new starter, having dined (6)
{NEATEN} – A word for order (as in make tidy) comes from the first letter of new followed by a word meaning having dined.

22d Oddly, third Home Guard leader being carried away in the main (6)
{TIDING} – A word for being carried away in the main comes from the doo letters of ThIrD followed by a word meaning home (as in he is at home) and the first letter of guard.

24d Italian nationalist’s to revive old songs, originally beginning with these? (6)
{INTROS} – The opening parts of a song or other pieces of music comes from the initial letters of the first six words in the clue.