Monthly Prize Puzzle – 051
August 2016
A Puzzle by Radler
This Radler puzzle was one of his more difficult, so many congratulations to our August winner Crucifer who can choose one of the Daily Telegraph Puzzle Books published by Hamlyn as their prize.
The completed grid will reveal a question and, with a little searching, its answer. The question, found in the letters of the top row – WHODUNIT – was easy to find, the answer took a lot longer to be discovered. If you haven’t found it yet, have a look at the grid at the end of the review.
Across
9a A vessel starting to show small cracks (3-6)
ONE-LINERS – ONE (a) LINER (vessel) S (‘starting’ to show)
10a Jerk evades justice producing Daisy’s bag (5)
UDDER – Daisy being one of the names one might give to a cow. Remove the J (justice) from JUDDER (jerk)
11a Overlooked wife wearing fleece, flip-flops, and no uniform (7)
DWARFED – W (wife) ‘wearing’ a reversal (flip-flops) of DEFRAUD (fleece) without the U (no Uniform)
12a Outlining British Bobby’s brief: completion of enquiry … into this? (7)
ROBBERY – Almost all of ROBERT (Bobby’s brief) ‘outlines’ or goes round B (British) the result followed with the ‘completion’ of enquiry
13a Being relatively unsuccessful, managed by playing to audience (15)
UNDERPERFORMING – UNDER (managed by) PERFORMING (playing to audience)
16a/20a Means excuse to get curtains (3,3)
THE END – double definition – the end justifies the means – or death (curtains)
18a Faithful in congregation due out by Sabbath (7)
DUTEOUS – An anagram (in congregation) of DUE OUT followed by S, the abbreviation for Sabbath.
20a See 16
21a Tender derrière gets sun abroad (10,5)
REGISTERED NURSE – An anagram (abroad) of DERRIERE GETS SUN
24a Realise everything about Bishop’s activity in court (7)
NETBALL – NET ALL (realise everything) goes ‘about’ B (bishop)
26a Half stripped dress off to tackle shower (7)
FLASHER – An anagram (off) of HALF and dRESs (dress ‘stripped’)
27a Case handle gripped hard (5)
SHELL – SELL (handle) ‘gripped’ H (hard)
28a Supermarket hierarchy (4,5)
FOOD CHAIN – double definition.
Down
1d I fell from boat pursuing Sir Henry (10)
WOODCUTTER – Someone who fells or cuts down trees. WOOD (Sir Henry of Promenade Concert fame) CUTTER (boat)
2d News reporter trapped by peripheral damage (6)
HERALD – Lurking in (trapped by) peripHERAL Damage
3d Heating system worked hard, lost temperature, timber’s restricted (3-5)
OIL-FIRED – FIR (timber) is restricted by tOILED (worked hard, once you’ve removed the T for temperature)
4d One found by the wayside fallen on bug (4-6)
DEAD-NETTLE – DEAD (fallen) NETTLE (bug, irritate)
5d Employer‘s bluster, wanting sandwich (4)
USER – Remove (wanting) the BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) sandwich from bluster
6d Brown note placed on counter (6)
NUMBER – N (note) is placed on or before UMBER (brown)
7d One track mind about sex! I feed it lines (4,4)
IDÉE FIXE – Reversed (about) and hidden (lines [the inside of]) sEX I FEED It
8d Flat conveyer‘s endeavour to house one (4)
TRAY – Something flat that conveys! TRY (endeavour) houses A (one)
14d Set menu? (6,4)
FROZEN FOOD – A cryptic definition
15d Devout die and grief unleashed (3-7)
GOD-FEARING – GO (die) plus an anagram (unleashed) of AND GRIEF
17d Any young person in speaking for majority (8)
EIGHTEEN – A homophone (in speaking) of A TEEN (any young person)
19d Much of Sabbath in essence, one’s church provides religious ceremony (3,5)
SUN DANCE – SUNDAy (much of Sabbath) [O]N[E] (one ‘in essence’ or in the middle) CE (Church of England)
22d Could be done by you, informally dressed in black (6)
SUABLE – U (you ‘informally’) ‘dressed in’ or inserted into SABLE (black)
23d How are the groups getting ready to eat again? (6)
REHEAT – An anagram (how… groups) of ARE THE
24d Reflective light-sensitive screens put one inside another (4)
NEST – Another hidden (screens) and reversed (reflective) lurker – to be found in lighT–SENsitive
25d Sentence, primarily factual, opening fiction (4)
LIFE – The primary letter of Factual opening LIE (fiction).
Once again, many thanks to Radler, BD and Mrs BD, without whom….. To see the completed grid
I thought that this was a super puzzle so many thanks to Radler and to CS for the write-up and congratulations to Crucifer.
I can just about remember looking for the answer and finding Beet lurking in the NE corner. Then I thought no, she can’t have dun it, she’s not that sort. So I looked further to find a far more likely culprit.
‘One of his more difficult’? When did Radler ever produce one that was easy!
Many thanks, CS – you’re working extremely hard for us all at the moment.
Never did come up with the right answer for 7d although I justified ‘idle time’ quite well to myself.
I do hope that Radler pops in as I refuse to believe that my answer of Ernest Cline appeared purely by coincidence in the grid.
Congratulations to Crucifer – enjoy your well-deserved prize.
I did come up with the correct answer to the question, but fell by the wayside on 4D. I thought dead beetle was pretty good, myself. Thanks again to Radler, and to CS for the review.
Jane, I can see the Cline (now that I know what 4D should be) but where’s the Ernest?
The last two letters of 1d plus the answer to 24d.
I thought I’d been so clever……….
Congratulations Crucifer.
As someone who owned VWs in the 1960’s and 70’s I still think that DEAD-BEETLE is a better answer to 4d than the correct one. It made absolutely no difference solving the puzzle or answering the question either. A bit of research this morning shows me though, that the plant option justifies the hyphen in the enumeration but it is one I had not met before.
Thanks again Radler and CS.
Congratulations Crucifer
Thank you to Sue for the review and to all who provided feedback.
Jane – Ernest Cline was a complete coincidence, and I’m not so sure that he would really be the prime suspect in a Who-dun-it. However, I like the idea of red herrings…
Oh my goodness – your puzzles are sufficiently diabolical without you getting any ideas like that in your head!