MPP 067 – Review

MPP 067 – Review

In Memoriam by Alchemi

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

The instructions were to find the name of Alchemi’s late cat.  Hidden in the grid where Kavanagh, Farewell, and Nice Puss.  Any entries which included any or all of the hidden words, as long as one of them was Kavanagh, were accepted.  By the way, the picture of Kavanagh was, of course, provided by Alchemi.

Congratulations to Jane on her second success, her last one was back in August 2015, and she wins her choice of a Daily Telegraph Puzzle Book.

Across

1a    Sailors in the Seychelles are a bit mad (6)
SCREWY: CREW, a ship’s company (sailors), inside the IVR code for the Seychelles

5a    Progress on raid unclear (6)
INROAD: an anagram (unclear) of ON RAID

10a    Woodlander‘s verbal instruction to sweetheart in boat? (3,4)
ROE DEER: sounds like (verbal) “row, dear” (an instruction to a sweetheart in a boat)

11a    Get high spreading oil around city (7)
TRIPOLI: TRIP (get high on drugs) followed by an anagram (spreading … around) of OIL

12a    Empty space filled by pensioners with a lot of French chalk (9)
SOAPSTONE: drop the inner letters (empty) from S[pac]E and then insert (filled by) OAPS (pensioners) and TON (a lot of)

13a    Cinque Port, for one in conflict, is comparatively humorous (5)
WRYER: RYE (Cinque Port) replaces (for) the A (one) in WAR (conflict)

14a    Bill gets angry cycling around mountain-dwellers (6)
OREADS: AD (bill) and SORE (angry) with the last 3 letters moved to the front (cycling around)

16a    It’s normal to be restraining drinking and dancing probably (8)
PARTYING: PAR (normal) followed by TYING (restraining)

19a    Travelling shows, not just in France and Sweden (8)
FUNFAIRS: UNFAIR (not just) between the IVR codes for France and Sweden

20a    Improve on old way of giving medicine (6)
ORALLY: RALLY (improve) preceded by (on in an across clue) O(ld)

22a    Artist receives shocking treatment in back passages (5)
RECTA: RA (artist) around (receives) ECT (ElectroConvulsive Therapy, shocking treatment)

24a    Beast reportedly seen in South Africa by short and stocky child (9)
SASQUATCH: the abbreviation for South Africa followed by SQUAT (short and stocky) and CH(ild)

26a    Metal with external shielding is an exception (7)
OUTLIER: the chemical symbol for lithium inside (with … shielding) OUTER (external)

27a    Old-fashioned tea round the bend? Contrariwise! (7)
ARCHAIC: not CHAI (tea) around ARC (bend), but the other way around (contrariwise)

28a    Meals for loud bridge players (6)
FEASTS: F (musical notation for loud) followed by EASTS (bridge players)

29a    One or the other to draw back where sides are disappearing (6)
EITHER: The reversal (back) of TIE (to draw) followed by [w]HER[e] without its outer letters (sides are disappearing)

Down

2d    Flying aces join 14th Field Section (9)
CAESAREAN: an anagram (flying) of ACES followed by AREA N (14^th Field)

3d    Straightens figure with top displaced (5)
EVENS: SEVEN (figure) with its first letter (top) moved to the end (displaced)

4d    Fret over holding a herb (6)
YARROW: the reversal (over) of WORRY (fret) around (holding) A from the clue

5d    Naked female encased in fashionable marble (2,3,3)
IN THE RAW: HER (female) inside IN (fashionable) and TAW (a large marble)

6d    I want rare collection which falls from the sky (9)
RAINWATER: an anagram (collection) of I WANT RARE

7d    Work through some excruciating pain (5)
AGONY: GO (work) inside (through) ANY (some)

8d    Country singer in fancy skirt continues to present (13)
KRISTOFFERSON: an anagram (fancy) of SKIRT followed by OFFERS ON (continues to present)

9d    Foreign characters price so highly when under review (13)
HIEROGLYPHICS: an anagram (when under review) of PRICE SO HIGHLY

15d    Play down god’s nervous reactions (9)
DRAMATICS: D(own) followed by RAMA (an incarnation of Vishnu / God) and TICS (nervous reactions)

17d    Kept in until late, a servant gets uncomfortable (3,2,4)
ILL AT EASE: hidden (kept) inside the clue

18d    Times conceals certain cuts (8)
ERASURES: ERAS (times) around SURE (certain)

21d    Getting out key to advanced exercise (6)
ESCAPE: ESC (key on computer keyboard) followed by A(dvanced) and PE (Physical Exercise)

23d    Some meat that’s a dish (5)
CUTIE: CUT (some meat) followed by IE (id est / that is /that’s)

25d    A French film director’s order remains intact (5)
UNCUT: UN, the French for “a”, followed by CUT (film director’s order)

Thanks to Alchemi for the puzzle and to Mrs BD for her deft clicking of the mouse to select the winner.

To see the completed grid

---