Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle – 130
A Puzzle by Radler
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
A review of this puzzle by Prolixic follows.
Who do you think you are kidding …?
Radler returns to entertain us with a devious and delightful crossword which I found to be one of his tougher creations. All the clues were perfectly fair but disguised the wordplay wonderfully.
On top of this, the first and last rows reveal a Nina which is relevant to the answer to 16a. Add the fact that it is a pangram to boot and you have a cracking Saturday afternoon crossword.
Across
9 Old Tory like Jeffrey Archer? (2-3)
{EX-CON} – An prefix meaning old followed by the abbreviation for Conservative gives a description of someone, like Jeffrey Archer, who has spent time in prison.
10 Do it hurriedly after I scream reminder (5,4)
{IDIOT CARD} – A phrase for a reminder used in TV and on stage comes from an anagram (hurriedly) of DO IT after the I in the clue than followed by a word meaning scream (as in a funny person).
11 Mania originally seen with first note of Goodies Funky Gibbon (7)
{SIAMANG} – An anagram (funky) of MANIA with the initial letters (originally and first note of) of Seen and Goodies gives the name of a gibbon.
12 Sprinkling and showing naughty bits, am taking a pee (7)
{BAPTISM} – An anagram (naughty) of BITS AM and P (pee) gives a word for sprinkling (as in a ceremony performed at a font).
13 Quits cooking with rice pans (9)
{CRITIQUES} – An anagram (cooking) of QUITS and RICE gives a word meaning pans (as in gives an adverse review).
14 You texted in to keep cool (5)
{SUAVE} – A word for cool comes from putting a U (you texted) inside a word meaning keep.
16 Order for mum and mischievous child to split up, revealing instruction from Captain (4,4,3,4)
{DON’T TELL HIM PIKE} – Look across the top and bottom rows of the crossword to find a Nina. This question asked in Dad’s Army elicited the response from Captain Mainwaring that is the answer to this clue. The wordplay is a phrase (4,4) indicating an order to be quiet or mum followed by putting a word for a mischievous child inside a word meaning up (as a verb).
19 Sir Robin’s pronounced dead at sea (5)
{DAZED} – A homophone (pronounced) of the surname of the late TV interviewer Sir Robin followed by the abbreviation for dead gives a word meaning at sea or confused.
21 Pork pie at noon stops girl’s liquid lunches? (9)
{JULIENNES} – Put a word meaning pork-pie (in rhyming slang) and an N for Noon inside a girl’s name (keeping the S from the ‘s in the clue) to give a type of clear soup that may be eaten for lunch.
22 Associate with Italian finesse (7)
{CONTACT} – A word meaning associate comes from the Italian word for with followed by a word meaning finesse or diplomacy.
24 Sin, pervertedly groping excited short randy organs (7)
{INNARDS} – An anagram (pervertedly) of SIN inside which (groping) you put another anagram (excited) of RAND[Y] removing the Y first (short) gives a generic word for organs.
26 Craft surface as a tribute to Garland(9)
{AFTERDECK} – This part of a boat (craft surface) if split 5,4 might describe a tribute to a garland or festoon (ignore the misleading capitalisation in the clue).
27 Dance and pirouette like a master (5)
{SAMBA} – This dance comes from reversing (pirouette) a word meaning like followed by a description of someone who has a master’s degree.
Down
1 Those voting for drug bust perhaps taken aback (4)
{YEAS} – A word for those voting in favour of something comes from reversing a word meaning perhaps or for example inside which (bust) you include a one letter abbreviation for a drug.
2 Right said Simon, lacking heart for celebration (8)
{OCCASION} – A word for a celebration comes from a homophone of OK (right said) followed by the word SI[M]ON without the middle letter (lacking heart).
3 Global administration organised state aid, but still not satisfied (10)
{UNSATIATED} – A word meaning still not satisfied comes from the abbreviation for a global body followed by an anagram (organised) of STATE AID.
4 Group strain opening device (4,4)
{RING PULL} – Put together words meaning group and strain to find an opening device found on beer cans.
5 Glory over in less than 60 seconds (6)
{NIMBUS} – A word for glory as in a shining cloud comes from reversing (over) a phrase 3-3 that means under a minute.
6 Higher than the first 16? (4)
{ATOP} – Look at the position of the first 16 clues in this crossword. Something higher than them would be this.
7 Fancy port? Maid hoisted end of flagon (6)
{MARINA} – A word for a posh port or harbour comes from taking the first name of a well known maid (of Robin Hood fame) and lifting (hoisted) the final N (end of flagon) by one place.
8 It’s formed round dairy product (4)
{EDAM} – This Dutch dairy product comes from a word meaning formed or created that has been reversed (round).
13 Expressed euphemistically, gave up love for a drug (5)
{CODED} – A word for expressed euphemistically comes from a word meaning gave up replacing the first E (drug) with an O (love).
14 Gravity in US state without alcohol grips millions (10)
{SOMBERNESS} – Put the abbreviation for millions inside (grips) an American word for being without alcohol to find a word meaning gravity or seriousness.
15 Makes the same odds (5)
{EVENS} – A double definition of a word meaning makes the same and odds (as would be seen on a race course).
17 Capital decline in unending spiral (8)
{HELSINKI} – The capital of Finland comes from a word meaning decline or sink inside a word for a spiral with the final X removed (unending).
18 Resign, or a minority will expose these fools (8)
{INGNORAMI} – These fools are hidden inside (will expose) RESIGN OR A MINORITY.
20 Religious school, one nearly the optimum (6)
{ZENITH} – A word for optimum comes from the name of a religious philosophy or school (often associated with motorbike maintenance), an I (one) and the first two letters (nearly) of TH[E].
21 Elite travellers and yours truly in Francegetting check-up (3,3)
{JET SET} – This phrase for elite travellers comes from the first person pronoun (your truly) inFrance followed by a reversal (up) of a word meaning check or examine.
22 Scrabble rule underpins use of Chambers at the outset (4)
{CLAW} – A word meaning scrabble comes from a word for a rule under (underpins) the first letter (at the outset) of Chambers.
23 Hearing or a feeling (4)
{AURA} – A homophone (hearing) of OR A gives a word meaning a feeling.
25 Hit squad (4)
{SWAT} – A final &lit double definition of words meaning Hit and Squad which together may also describe the function of this police unit.
Thank you to Radler for another nice crossword. It took me about the same time as an ‘easier’ toughie, and it is definitely a lot easier to solve than some of his puzzles! Some very nice d’oh moments, my favourite clue being 9a.
I have found (am finding) this REALLY difficult. I haven’t, yet, resorted to any hints but just thought I’d have a quick look. I’ve read the introduction and now that I know it’s a pangram (cheating or what?) and that there is a nina I might have another look tomorrow, armed with that information! I’ve done just over half. I think it is FAR more difficult than the prize puzzle. Back tomorrow!
Enjoyed this one so many thanks Radler. If you’d visited some of the 7d’s that I have you wouldn’t be defining them as ‘fancy’ ports
Thanks also to Prolixic for an excellent review.
I may be wrong here… but with regard to 13d:
13 Expressed euphemistically, gave up love for a drug (5)
Should noy the clue be:
13 Expressed euphemistically, gave up drug for love?
i.e. remove the letter for “a drug” and replace with a letter for “love”?
Thank you Radler & Prolixic for a fantastically cunning (and very tricky!) crossword and splendid review.
Welcome to the blog Adam
I think that the clue is correct. “Gave up” gives us the word CEDED and “love for a drug” tells us to replace an E with an O. Gave up is not the instruction to remove the letter otherwise it would be doing double duty as defining CEDED and acting as a deletion indicator.
Many thanks for the comments, and of course to Prolixic for his entertaining review