NTSPP – 094 (Review)

NTSPP – 094 by Chaz

An accident waiting to happen

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Chaz returns to entertain us with another crossword that reveals his reading habits!  Favourite clues are highlighted in blue.  Let us what you liked and disliked in the comments below.

Across

1a Striking event (8)
{INCIDENT} – A cryptic definition of a collision or other form of accident.  If like me you confidently wrote in accident as the answer, you score bonus points.

5a Instruction to leave ship by internet provider’s twitter (6)
{GOSSIP} – A word for twitter (as in chat incessantly) comes from a to letter word meaning leave, the abbreviation used to describe a ship followed by the abbreviation for an internet provider.  Strictly speaking, the abbreviation for an internet provider is an ISP and IP is given in Chambers as the abbreviation for Internet Protocol.

10a Sun god drinks a martini as side dish? (5)
{RAITA} – This side dish eaten with an Indian meal comes from the name of the Egyptian sun god around (drinking) the letter A and the way by which martini is referred when being mixed with gin.

11a Distinctive quality of absurd nonviolent environmentalism (9)
{MANNERISM} – This is a subtractive anagram.  A word meaning distinctive quality comes from an anagram (absurd) of EnviRoNMeNtAlISM after removing the letters in VIOLENT (non-violent).  Strictly speaking where the letters to be removed are not in order in the main word, this should be indicated in the clue.

12a Act of sidestepping a vacancy in a benefice (9)
{AVOIDANCE} – A word meaning an act of sidestepping comes from the first A in the clue followed by a word meaning vacancy or absence of something followed by another article like A followed by CE.  I don’t think the benefice (one church) is a fair indicator for CE (the Church of England as a whole). a vacancy in a benefice or church – Thanks to BD for pointing out the correct wordplay.

13a Even left fielder recalled old computer game (5)
{ELITE} – This old computer game (which was cutting edge for its time and I remember playing) comes from taking the even letters of lEfT fIeLdEr and reversing them (recalled).

ARVE Error: need id and provider

14a The French lady of the night loses direction in Pakistan (6)
{LAHORE} – A city in Pakistan comes from the French feminine form of the followed by another word for a prostitute (lady of the night) from which the first (not the last) direction has been removed.  Do you think that in Pakistan is a fair definition for a city in Pakistan?

15a Steady increment of fantasy author’s insides (7)
{RATCHET} – A word meaning steady increment comes from the inside letters of the surname of the fantasy author who created the Discworld series.

18a Crawler follows old car manufacturer and football’s inner sphere (7)
{BLADDER} – The name for the inner sphere of a football comes from the initial letters of the old British Leyland followed by the name of a snake (crawler).

20a/23d 7 author, Prince Consort and Little Richard holding knight (6,1,4)
{PHILIP K DICK} – The author of the book referred to in the entries for 3d / 6d, who wrote in the genre indicated by 23d comes from the name of the current Prince Consort (an honour recently bestowed on him by the Queen) followed by the diminutive name (little) of Richard inside which is put one of the abbreviations for a knight.

22a Questioned when board’s man met paper’s boss (5)
{ASKED} – A word meaning questions comes from a word meaning when followed by the abbreviation for a King when used in chess notation (board’s man) followed by the usual abbreviation for the boss of a newspaper.

24a Poet’s organ for detecting smell of bird’s tailpiece (5,4)
{POPE’S NOSE} – Another name for the part of the chicken at the rear comes from the name of a poet (forename Alexander) and the name of the organ for detecting smell.

25a Schedule sex appeal in age-lines (9)
{ITINERARY} – A word for a schedule comes from a word sum of a two letter word for sex appeal followed by the IN in the clue, a three letter word for age (as in a period of time) and the abbreviation for railway (lines).

26a Splendid success in reversal of mental cessation (5)
{ECLAT} – A word meaning splendid success is hidden inside and reversed in menTAL CEssation.

27a Fiancée’s kimono ensnares Yupik? (6)
{ESKIMO} – Yupik is the name of the indigenous Siberian people who may incorrectly be referred to as the word hidden inside fiancéES KIMono.

28a Tending to embrace a pick entering low place (8)
{ADOPTIVE} – A word meaning tending to embrace comes from putting a word meaning pick or chose inside a description of a disreputable bar or club.

Down

1d Small Japanese box to plug encroachment (6)
{INROAD} – A word for encroachment comes from a word sum of the name for a small Japanese box followed by the abbreviation for a plug (as in advertisement).

2d Sausage-flavoured drink smothers trendy volunteers (9)
{CHIPOLATA} – A type of sausage comes from putting a word meaning trendy inside the proprietary name of a fizzy drink and following this by the abbreviation for volunteer soldiers.

3d/6d Haphazard research operations ceded odd film book by 20a, 23 (2,8,5,2,8,5)
{DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP} – The title of a book by the author referred to in 20a, 23d comes from an anagram (haphazard) of RESEARCH OPERATIONS CEDED ODD FILM.  Trivia time.  The book was the basis of the cult film Blade Runner.  Having got the answer to 7d already I was luck to solve the anagram with only two checking letters having remembered the book from my youth!

4d Pit in no way put him forward? (7)
{NOMINEE} – A person who may be put forward as a candidate comes from putting another word for a pit inside the NO from the clue and a way (as in one of the points of the compass).

6d See 3 down

7d 20a, 23d’s genre has origins in social change in foreign institutions (3-2)
{SCI-FI} – The genre of the book and author forming the theme in the crossword comes from the initial letters (has origins in) Social Change In Foreign Institutions.

8d Randomly emit pion from red pepper (8)
{PIMIENTO} – A type of red pepper comes from an anagram (randomly) of EMIT PION.

9d Bring closer to final feature (6)
{ENDEAR} – A word meaning bring closer to comes from a word meaning final followed by a facial feature of which Spock in Star Trek had three (the left ***, the right *** and space the final frontier).

16d Hard two-bit choice twice encapsulating vote of the masses (3,6)
{HOI POLLOI} – A phrase for the masses comes from the abbreviation for Hard and a two bit choice (bits here being the binary numbers I or O) repeated.  Inside put another word for a vote to find the answer.

17d Possibly what to use when declining a rabid live bat (8)
{ABLATIVE} – One of the declensions of a noun (those who studied Latin will recall only too well) comes from the A in the clue followed by an anagram (rabid) of LIVE BAT.  My Latin master taught us a mnemonic to remember the names of the various declensions.  Naughty Virgins Always Give Dirty Answers.

19d Formally annul law about sound of bells (6)
{REPEAL} – A word meaning formally to annul a law comes from the two letter Latin for about followd by the sound of bells.

20d Sailor man died staring with amazement (3-4)
{POP-EYED} – A word meaning staring with amazement comes from the name of a a spinach loving sailor followed by the abbreviation for died.

21d Type of chips found in price condition (6)
{FETTLE} – A word meaning condition comes from a word for price around an abbreviation for a type of electronic chip fully referred to as Transistor to Transistor Logic.  Chambers does not give this abbreviation in the main dictionary. 

23 See 20 across