NTSPP – 112 (Review)

Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle – 112

A Puzzle by Hieroglyph

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Sorry about the delay in posting the review.  I have spent most of the day digging in the garden and am now as stiff as a board!  When I have the energy, I will add some pictures but here are the hints and solutions.

Across

1 8s are found amongst crabs in the sea (9)
{ABSINTHES} – Hidden in the words CRABS IN THE SEA is the name of a drink (in the plural) also described by the answer to 8a.

6 Shop around for spice (4)
{POSH} – An anagram (around) of SHOP gives the name of one of the Spice girls.

8/9 Cryptic crossword with 6 ac., 12, 20, 23, and 24 briefly in prison (8,6)
{WORMWOOD SCRUBS} – An anagram (cryptic) of CROSSWORD and the letters that may represent the answers to 6a, 12, 20, 23 and 24 give the name of a prison.

10 Characterise evidence of shark dwelling in river (6)
{DEFINE} – A word meaning characterise comes from what might be evidence of a shark inside the name of a river.

11 Sin may be of 23’s vocation (8)
{OMISSION} – Take the letter represented in the NATO phonetic alphabet and a move meaning vocation to give another word for sin.

12 Told to serve food for mass (6)
{WEIGHT} – A word for mass (I know physicists will argue that mass and the answer are not synonymous) comes from a homophone (told) of the verb to serve.

15 Arduous book about painting (8)
{TOILSOME} – Put the name of a large book around a word describing some paintings to give a word meaning arduous.

16 Weapon made from fissile material (8)
{ARMALITE} – A type or make of weapon comes from an anagram (fissile) of MATERIAL.

19 Starters of Northern Irish beurre blanc lobster, eaten in a bite (6)
{NIBBLE} – The first letters (starters of) Northern Irish Beurre Blanc lobster give a word meaning eaten in a bite.

21 Putting on idiot to show hesitation in goal-mouth (8)
{ASSUMING} – A word meaning putting on comes from a word meaning an idiot, a word for a hesitation, the IN in the clue and the first letter (mouth) of goal.

22 Poet often seen with economist in Buckinghamshire (6)
{MILTON} – The name of a Buckinghamshire town often associated with concrete cows is made up of the name of an economist (first name Maynard) and this poet who wrote Paradise Lost.

24 Girl’s fellow catches fish (6)
{MAIDEN} – A generic term for an unmarried girl comes from putting a word meaning fellow or male around the name of a fish.

25 Headphone echo’s a recipe for disaster (8)
{EARPIECE} – An anagram (disaster) of E [echo] A RECIPE gives the name of a headphone.

26 Airhead touching Rudolf’s nose, following return of St. Nicholas? (4)
{TSAR} – Nicholas is an example of one of these Russian rules.  Reverse the ST in the clue and follow this by the first letter of air (airhead) and the first letter (nose) of Rudolf.  LikeGateshead to indicate G, Airhead to indicate A is a device you will love or hate.  I will leave it to you to decide!

27 One who performs with pride (4-5)
{LION TAMER} – A mild cryptic definition of a circus performer who work with animal who collective are described as a pride.

Down

1 Love trouble – Romeo’s head over heels, at heart (5)
{ADORE} – A word for love comes from a word meaning trouble or bother followed by the first letter (head) of Romeo and the middle letter (at heart) of Heels.

2 6 ac. is into S&M – merciless character’s an exemplification (7)
{SUMMING} – Take the letter that is used to represent the answer to 6a and put it inside the S&M from the clue (ignoring the &) and follow it by the merciless character from the Flash Gordon comics to give a word meaning exemplification.

3 Snare 23, having picked up scent outside? (5)
{NOOSE} – A word for a snare comes from the letter represented by the answer to 23d with a word meaning scent around it.

4 Scribbled the I.O.U. around the start of Dragon’s Den (7)
{HIDEOUT} – An anagram (scribbled) of THE IOU put around the first letter (start of) Dragon’s gives a word for a den.

5 South American private investigator, caught one on the basis of investigation? (9)
{SUSPICION} – What may lead to an arrest during an investigation comes from the abbreviation for South and abbreviation for American and abbreviation of Private Investigator, the abbreviation for caught, an I (one) and the ON from the clue.

6 Reads through applications (7)
{PERUSES} – Put together a word meaning through and a word meaning applications to give a word meaning reads.

7 Payment before golfer drops one at the last – top of leader-board’s under par (9)
{SUBNORMAL} – A word meaning under par comes from a word for a payment (often used for membership fees), the name of a golfer (first name Greg) with the final letter removed ) drops one at the last followed by the first letter (top of) leader-board’s.

13 Actress – new 6 ac. in play for old people (9)
{ETRUSCANS} – An anagram (new) of ACTRESS an N [new] and the letter used to represent the answer for 6a give the name of an old race of people that inhabited the area that is now known as Tuscany.

14 Instructive ablution – it’s splashed when 20’s absconded (9)
{TUITIONAL} – A word for instructive comes from an anagram (splashed) of ABLUTION ITS after removing the letter that represents the answer to 20d.

17 Separate, like a couple of foreign articles (7)
{ASUNDER} – A word meaning like followed by a French article and a German one gives a word meaning separate.

18 Artist’s papers omitted from collection of Coleridge (2,5)
{EL GRECO} – An anagram (collection) of COLERIDGE after removing the letters ID (papers) gives the name of an artist.

20 Country tramp pockets marbles, dropping an unknown number (7)
{BELGIUM} – The name of a country comes from another word for a tramp inside which (pockets) you put the name of some famous marbles (that Greece wants returned) with the N removed (dropping an unknown number).

22 Revolutionary’s hurt having a bath, letting out an expression of contempt (5)
{MARAT} – A word meaning hurt (or spoil) followed by the A in the clue and the word BATH after removing all but the third letter (letting out an expression of contempt).

23 Monster truck award? (5)
{OSCAR} – A film award comes from a word meaning monster (as in very large) followed by another name for a truck.