NTSPP – 182

NTSPP – 182

A Puzzle by Windsurfer

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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.

Windsurfer is the alias that regular fifteensquared poster Robi uses on this site.
He has had one previous puzzle published in the NTSPP series (as Robi).

A review of this puzzle by Prolixic follows.

It is good to welcome Windsurfer back to the NTSPP fold with an excellent crossword.  I found it tricky to start with but once I hit his wavelength, it went in smoothly and I wondered why I had struggled to begin with (the sign of a good setter).

Across

1 Crash accommodation of Penny like a beehive? (5,2)
{PILED UP} – … as a description of the hairstyle.  The abbreviation for an old penny goes inside (accommodation) another word for a crash involving several cars.

5 Star politician crossing city used for film-making, maybe (7)
{SUNLAMP} – … or getting a fake tan!  The name of our star and the usual abbreviation for a politician goes around (crossing) the abbreviation for a west coast city in America.

9 Spheres of atmospheric gases not including oxygen (5)
{ZONES} – Remove (not including) the first O (oxygen) from a word describing atmospheric gasses that form a layer depleted by CFCs.

10 Dullard may almost disregard a detailed Clio, for example (9)
{IGNORAMUS} – Remove the last letter (almost) from a word meaning disregard, add the A from the clue and follow this with a Greek mythological figure of whom Clio was an example with the final letter removed (detailed).

11 Sporting contest in restricted race of course (5,5)
{LOCAL DERBY} – … between neighbouring teams perhaps.  A word meaning restricted is followed by the name of a classic horse race.

12 Drive away from brief fire (4)
{SHOO} – Remove the final letter (brief) of a word meaning fire (as in a gun).

14 Base and difficult period in East End of London zone (8,4)
{STANDARD TIME} – … a chronological zone.  A five letter word for a base is followed by a phrase meaning a difficult period as a cockney might pronounce it (in East End).

18 Indication or disposition to remove the fug (3-9)
{AIR-CONDITION} – An anagram (disposition) of INDICATION OR.

21 Starters – ultra-green large Indian fruit (4)
{UGLI} – The initial letters (starters) of U[ltra]-G[reen] [L]arge I[ndian].

22 Spooner’s sharply pointed carbuncles in danger areas (5,5)
{BLIND SPOTS} – A spoonerism of spined (sharply pointed) blots (carbuncles).

25 European keeps cats initially (and dogs) coming back from Charleston, for example (5,4)
{DANCE STEP} – The first letter of C[ats] goes inside the name of a person from Denmark (European).  This is followed by a reversal (coming back) of a word for the kind of animals represented by dogs.

26 Sounds as if she likes alcohol and acid (5)
{ESTER} – … a chemical compound.  A homophone (sounds as if) of a woman’s name (think That’s Life or a book of the bible).

27 Wanted! You are immature Scottish hooligan (7)
{YEARNED} – The old word for you followed by ARE with the final letter removed (immature) and three letter Scottish word for a hooligan.

28 Metal smell emerging (7)
{NASCENT} – The chemical symbol for sodium (a metal) followed by another word for smell.

Down

1 See 19

2 Folly of girl guarding an uprising (6)
{LUNACY} – Revere (uprising) the AN from the clue inside (guarding) the name of a girl (think I Love ???? or Miss Lockett from the nursery rhyme).

3 Abandoned river, ordeal is not abject misery (10)
{DESOLATION} – An anagram (abject) of ORDEAL IS NOT with the R removed (abandoned river).

4 See 19

5 Clean where letters are finally found in bus & minicab? (9)
{SANDBLAST} – … used to clean stonework on buildings.  Split 1, 3, 1, 4 the answer describes the position of the final letters and their location in bus and minicab.

6 Wisdom, say, lacking an exemplar (4)
{NORM} – Remove the AN from the end of the old comedian Mr Wisdom who was a big hit in Albania.

7 A small room for tea primarily in relatively comfortable surroundings, perhaps (8)
{ARMCHAIR} – … surroundings to sit in.  The A from the clue is followed by the abbreviation for room, another word for tea and the first letters (primarily) of I[n] R[elatively].

8 Easy thing    to floor (8)
{PUSHOVER} – A double definition.

13 Profound dislike of brief, weird promises to Head (10)
{ODIOUSNESS} – Remove the final letter from a word meaning weird (brief) and follow this with the word that indicates promises to pay and a word meaning head (in the geographical sense).

15 Knobbly, certainly not bloated, I was replaced by you (9)
{NODULATED} – A word indicated a refusal (certainly not) is followed by a word meaning bloated or expanded with the I replaced by a U.

16 See 19

17 Liar sank junk in Asian state (3,5)
{SRI LANKA} – An anagram (junk) of LIAR SANK.

19/16/4/1 Luther, dizzy poet with pure stanza collection here (3,3,8,5,6)
{NOT THE SATURDAY PRIZE PUZZLE} – … as in what you are solving.  An anagram (collection) of LUTHER DIZZY POET PURE STANZA.

20 Verve of Puck at last climbing to top (6)
{ESPRIT} – A word describing Puck (as a creature in Midsummer’s Night Dream) with the final letter put first (last climbing to to)

23 Enter this way or that (3,2)
{NIP IN} – The answer is a palindrome (reads the same forwards as backwards).

24 David, slim, may rest (4)
{LEAN} – Triple definition for the film producer, David, a word meaning slim and a word meaning rest.