NTSPP – 431

36 comments on “NTSPP – 431”

1. As I wasn’t really feeling like crosswording today, I was rather hoping for a missable ntspp, but nope – couldn’t pass up a Gazza puzzle.

   Every bit as brilliant as expected, but I found it pretty tough. Didn’t help myself by missing the ‘s in the clue for 6d and confidently inputting the wrong answer. Argh. Loved it though.

   So many pennies dropped (like the zip malfunction of 6a) that, collecting them now, it’s hard to select the shiniest but I have narrowed my list of favourites to 7a, 13a and 2d.

   Thanks to Gazza for the fun and in advance to CS for the review.

   1. Gazza is not a nationally-published setter and so convention dictates that Prolixic can do the review this week

      1. Ah yes of course. Well then, thanks to Prolixic.

      2. I know he isn’t but Gazza should be a nationally published setter – he’s an awful lot better and more fun than some others.

         1. 

2. Kitty took the words out of my mouth – so many pennies dropped here that I’m flat broke!
   Choose a favourite or even make a short list – absolutely no chance.

   Many, many thanks, Gazza – and lucky Prolixic to get to review this one.

3. Currently stuck in the SE corner & I may have to do few reveals to complete this excellent puzzle. Favourite clue is 6a just for the imagery it brings to mind. Thanks Gazza & to Proilxic in advance

4. Loved the whole puzzle, but the 13a/19a combo stood out for me. LOL

   Still struggling with the definition of 6a but I understand the wordplay.

   Many Thanks to Gazza!

   1. I’m still struggling with the 6a – definition.

      Zip malfunction? Help, please!

      My failure to understand it is becoming rather boring.

      1. Zip as in energy, verve or enthusiasm malfunctioning could lead to ennui!

      2. Zip as in zest, energy, pizzazz, vitality, liveliness.

      3. Thanks to you both. Much appreciated.

5. Congratulations Gazza on this brilliant pangram

   It wasn’t easy, but very rewarding. Some absolutely fantastic penny drop moments of which 7a and 13a were my favourites. Also really liked 12a, 25a, 6d, 17d

   I did think 1a was a bit too clever and I had to read “grasping father to go” several times. I thought “Tour de France” would have been perfectly acceptable.

   I did need my brb for a few (e.g. 21a, 24d)

   Excellent entertainment, many many thanks Gazza

   1. oops not 1a, 6a

6. I think this was probably the trickiest Gazza puzzle I’ve tackled, but I was determined to finish without any electronic assistance, even if it took twice the normal time. I’d be interested to know if our setter consciously upped the difficulty level this time?

   Excellently clued and very rewarding to solve as always. My podium threesome comprised 13a (I got it before 19a!), 2d and 6d.

   Many thanks indeed, Gazza.

7. Gazza that was a very tough pangram but great fun with pennies dropping all over the place.

   I have bunged in 27a but I can’t parse my answer, and I have given up completely on 21a despite being very sure that I have four of the required seven letters. The rest though were all brilliant and my short list is 6a (great definition), 7a, 13a & 2d but that’s not to say that any of the others didn’t deserve a mention.

   Well done again, Gazza, and thank you. You’ve helped me to pass away a miserably wet afternoon. Thanks too in advance to Prolixic.

   1. P.S. I meant to add that I don’t think 13d means “policies”. For me, 13d are opinions not courses of actions . I have found the equivalence in a online Thesaurus but my BRB doesn’t seem to support this definition.

      1. 13d. Chambers Thesaurus: Viewpoint (a) = Stance (b). Policy (c) = Stance (b). So, a = b and b = c. But does a = c? They both also mean “position”. I’ll let others decide.

         1. PS. For the record, I think this clue is OK.

8. Plenty to like, 13a stood out for me but it is in very good company. Thoroughly enjoyable.

   Thank you Gazza for a great puzzle.

9. Had I not spotted that today’s NTSPP was set by Gazza I might have done ‘useful stuff’ instead but I had to do this one – I always love his crosswords.
   I thought it was more difficult than his usually are but that could very easily be one of those ‘just me then’ things as my brain is not fully operational at the moment.
   It has taken me a very long time (but I have cut the grass as well) and there are a couple of answers where I think I’m missing something.
   I can’t do 24d even though I have the first and third letters – dim or what?
   My favourite(s) have to be the 13a/23a combination – that’s what I call devious! There are too many other good ones to pick out any in particular.
   With very many thanks to Gazza and, in advance, to Prolixic for tomorrow’s review.

10. Thank you for a great puzzle, Gazza!

11. Classy stuff, and quite hard.
    To pick a couple – opt for porridge, FOI, and subject of selfie, LOI. In between, French papers brilliant.
    Thanks, really enjoyed it.

12. Much too difficult for me which is a shame as I have much time on my hands this weekend as (the soon to be) Mrs.Hoofit is away.
    Looking forward to going through the hints as I always do.

    1. How exciting, Hoofit – when’s the big day?

       1. Hi Jane. It’s the14th June.
          I think all is on track for the big day, I am off on a ‘stag day’ on Thursday with my two sons to watch Sussex play Kent at cricket, so I will probably have to give Giovanni a miss next Friday.
          Looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday.

13. Excellent puzzle, thanks Gazza. Lots to like, super smooth surfaces and a pangram to boot! Particularly liked 6a, 7a, 12a, 13a, 3d and, biggest penny-drop, 6d.

14. Many thanks for finding time to post the review in amongst all the other commitments, Prolixic – much appreciated as always.

    Thanks again to Gazza for the puzzle.

15. Thanks to all who commented and to Prolixic for the decipherment (I’m rather hurt that you considered 20d to be tripe ).
    To answer silvanus’s question – I didn’t consciously intend to up the difficulty level, though I do find it very difficult to gauge the difficulty of my own puzzles.

    1. Apologies- now corrected.

16. Finallt got round to this after a gruelling session scraping mouldy silicone from round the shower and resealing it. Needed plenty of hints to finish but loved most of them. 6a 2d and 6d get my vote but a case could be made for many others.
    I needed the hint to parse 27a and then as well as the 7 letter word with father removed I noticed the answer is a rekrul in the first two words!
    Sweet-talk back gardens to go for a drink (5) is not as good as Gazza but pleased me.

17. Very late commenting. We were away all day yesterday and although we made an early start to solving had to put it aside until we returned home last night. Excellent puzzle and a considerable challenge which we thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed.
    Many thanks Gazza and Prolixic.

18. Ah – 27a – if in doubt and you can’t explain your answer look for a lurker, or a reversed one, even if there’s no indication that it might be (grasping, perhaps) . . . . oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I know that I miss them but when I invent them I know it’s getting bad. and

19. Phew! I sparred sporadically with this over the past couple of days, finally completing this morning over my breakfast porridge. I got all the answers but there were 2 which I couldn’t parse fully. Very tough but very enjoyable – a like an occasional “war of attrition”. A cracking puzzle!

20. PS. 27a. This is one of those “deletion” clues which also contains a (accidental?) reverse lurker. Did you notice that when you composed it, Gazza? I’m sure you did…

    1. I didn’t notice it at all until John Bee pointed it out (comment #16 above).

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