NTSPP – 451

31 comments on “NTSPP – 451”

1. Some nifty clues which I enjoyed, fave probably the relatively simple 6a or the boob.

   I am not a fan of themed (names etc) puzzles, or multiple cross-references so this one is not really my cup of tea, sorry to say.

   However, I do appreciate that this is a well put together crossword, so well done and thank you Italicus

2. Thanks Italicus; nice setting to get in all the themed entries. Inevitably, one ends up with some slightly unusual words, like 9.

   I got into the theme via 8d and luckily I had a list of 24s, otherwise I might have got a bit stuck, especially with 30.

   Some very nice clues; I ticked 15, 19 & 29 although there were many other good ones.

3. I was looking forward so much to another puzzle from a setter whom I think is one of the brightest stars to have come out of Rookie Corner in recent times but, on this occasion, I was to be rather disappointed.
   I’m not a fan of inter-related clues in a puzzle as the whole solve can revolve around the solver’s ability to crack one particular clue. In this case it was 24a and I confess to not knowing either that or one of the other 24’s in the grid.
   My other problem came with the 20d/3d combo. ‘Girl writing’ in the former led me to an author (one whose work I love but is perhaps not as appealing to the male contingent on the blog!) but I know that her other half is not 3d so the clue for that meant having to look for another 20a – not one I’ve come across previously.

   Fortunately, there were still some touches of the setter I’ve come to admire – 11,12,19&21a went up on my podium today.

   Thanks to Italicus and apologies for not really appreciating this one.

   1. Hi Jane,
      please don’t apologise for not enjoying this! You are always more than generous in your comments about my puzzles, so I’m sorry this one wasn’t up your street. I tend to pick themes that are close to my heart (or perhaps liver, in this case), so I realise they won’t necessarily appeal to all. Anyway, glad there were a few clues in there that you enjoyed. I’m curious to know who the author you referred to is. Is the surname Riley?

      1. Hi Italicus,
         Yes indeed – and her husband’s name is Stephen which sadly didn’t fit either the definition or the enumeration of 3d!

4. Many thanks Italicus, and well done on the theme. I appropriately solved this in the pub with a friend earlier. Like windsurfer, I got the theme from 8d, my second one in after 6a. I did wonder whether 13a might originally have been destined as another 24 theme clue?

   I knew 30a but could I spell it? hell no. I had first entered CA (about) for the first 2 letters of 22a – corrected as soon as it was clear what 14d had to be. I’d never heard of 5d or 8d – but very clearly clued.

   I think my favourite clue is 15a. I was’t sure of my answer to 21d – i expect it is right. 3d has a different font for some reason – assumed this was editing rather than anything significant.

   Great stuff, thanks again

   1. Hi Dutch,
      glad you enjoyed the theme. You are right about 13a, I had tried to link it in with something about ‘measure by eye’, but couldn’t get a decent surface out of it. As for the font change in 3d, that is probably my fault. I’m still struggling to get my head round the Crossword Compiler software and copied in a few clues from a Word document. Glad you liked 15a. Wasn’t sure if ‘Hispanic’ was a fair synonym.
      Off to the pub myself now to enjoy a few pints!

5. I believe Italicus knows that I am a great admirer of his puzzles, but like LBR and Jane, I’m not a huge fan of too many inter-related clues either, and this meant that the enjoyment factor for me was less than I’d hoped. You can’t win ’em all I suppose!

   The theme didn’t become clear to me until I’d got 1a (about half way through the solve). I had never heard of 9d or 30a before.

   Despite not being as enthused as I usually am with an Italicus creation, I still thought there were many great clues, and my pick of the crop were 6a, 13a, 19a and 22a, which I thought was really excellent.

   Many thanks, Italicus.

6. Another one here who is not too partial “first you have to solve this…” puzzles. My “in’ was also 8d, which I like but only once or twice a year. I generally don’t do the sweet drinks. I’m just a plain old whisky girl. Anyhoo…if I have to choose a favorite I’d go with 16D. Overall, not really my cup of bootleg gin, but I kinda sorta mostly liked it, so thanks Italicus.

   Oh…and 30A was a bung it. Never heard of it. I may request it at my local redneck bar just for the hell of it.

7. Been away for the weekend so very late getting on to this one. We were making snails pace progress for ages, working through the non-themed clues to try and get a few checkers to point us in the right direction. Finally it was 14d that opened up the whole puzzle for us and plain sailing from there on. Plenty to enjoy.
   Thanks Italicus.

8. A nice afternoon puzzle to take me up to wine o’ clock. I personally quite like this style of themed cryptic so long as the ‘key’ is not too obscure. I raise my glass to 6a, 11a, 29a and 8d. 30a eludes me still…I will await the review. Thanks, Italicus, for another fine piece of work.

   (As a footnote, I was listening to BH on radio 4 over the summer. Paddy O’ Connell was doing a feature on cocktails, during which his guest expert revealed the origin of the word ‘cocktail’…most interesting…and the funniest bit of radio I had heard for some time! )

9. I found it rather frustrating to get into this because of all the cross-references but once the theme identified itself I enjoyed the puzzle – thanks Italicus. I’d never heard of 30a or the 20d/3d couple but the wordplay makes them gettable (although I’m not sure about ‘writing’ in 20d).
   Is Hazard not doing double duty in 28a or have I misunderstood the clue?
   The clues I liked best were 19a and 22a.

10. Thanks Italicus
    I liked the extra tariff provided by the linked clues. I also like carriages and Carey so found it all very enjoyable. My way in was 1a, which I hadn’t heard of but got from the anagram and then looked up. 25 and 28 needed a bit of thought at the end, both quite satisfying.

11. Many thanks for the review, CS – interesting to learn that you are another of us who doesn’t particularly favour this type of puzzle construction.
    I didn’t have a ‘double duty’ problem with 28a simply because I’ve never heard of the footballer you mentioned – I just got there from the definition of hazard, a ‘girlfriend’ and HM.
    Of course I used an anagram solver for 30a – with an unchecked first letter and the fact that I hadn’t solved 21d at that point it seemed by far the easiest route to take!

12. Very enjoyable, despite some unknowns, the only one ungettable from wordplay being the unusually spelt 30a which I finally succumbed to Reveal to get. The other unknowns were the book, which didn’t matter in the end (got OSCAR from ____R + def), “bits of flax” (got it from “loom”), NUMIDIA (wordplay crystal clear, interesting to learn of) and BAROUCHE, which I did recognise once construct from wordplay.

    I don’t see the problem with 28a: Hazard = WAGER = WAG (gf, say) + ER (the Queen).

    Loved the Faustian non-swearing anecdote, Sue.

    Favourite was the relatively simple 29a, YALE for its surface.

    Really clean cluing throughout Thanks, Italicus.

13. Many thanks to CS for the review and apologies to those of you who don’t enjoy this type of puzzle. I think that perhaps it depends on the accessibility of the topic. For example, the puzzle I did on ‘Bears’ worked on exactly the same principle, but there were far fewer complaints about it.
    As for the double duty in the Hazard clue, I guess it depends if you see WAG as an abbreviation ‘Wives And Girlfriends’ (as in a male only party invitation – No WAGs), or more in the tabloid sense ‘a footballer’s wife or girlfriend’ . I used it in the first sense. The fact that Eden Hazard is a footballer, I thought, just added to the surface reading.
    All the best to one and all

    1. Chambers only has wag as an abbreviation in the sportsman sense.

    2. Hi Italicus,

       I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here regarding accessibility. The “Bears” puzzle contained far fewer, if any, obscurities, whereas this one would have required quite a bit more Googling or consulting lists of 24s etc.

       If a puzzle is to be themed, I much prefer a ghost theme or one which doesn’t depend on solving a particular clue first to identify the theme, but I shall always look forward to solving a puzzle of yours in whatever style you choose!

14. Quite an enjoyable puzzle even though I don’t go for 24s myself (I prefer real ale) and I thought the clue to 14dn should have referred to 24, not 17. The only one I needed an anagram solver for was 30ac; I’d not heard of it before but was interested to learn its Brazilian origin. The name, by the way, comes from a Brazilian Portuguese word that can be roughly translated as ‘country bumpkin’ or ‘hillbilly’ and is used in that sense to describe the ‘Little Train’ in one of the Bachianas Brasileras by Villa-Lobos. Oh, and I couldn’t parse 25dn so thanks, CS, for the explanation. Clue of the day was 20dn. Nice one, Italicus.

15. Gazza,

    Oxford online has it, as wag3.

    1. Yes, but like Chambers it defines it as an abbreviation for a wife or girlfriend of a sports player not just as an abbreviation for a wife or girlfriend.

       1. That’s quite a sharp point, and technically sound. I can only say that it didn’t give me any trouble, though I did get to it from the def first and I’m not sure I would have got to WAG just from girlfriend.

       2. I don’t know a lot of footballers by name but I did know this one to the extent that I thought Hazard – footballer – girlfriend – WAG plus Her Majesty. The realisation that it meant that hazard was also the definition was the second part of the solving process

       3. Even so, it’s in the dictionary as wife and girlfriend, so ‘girlfriend, say’ can stand alone to indicate it. Hazard is a helpful nudge but it’s not doing double duty to the extent that the clue is deficient without it.

          1. In this case it seems my ignorance of the football world was an asset!

16. Just got an email from Wire, very kindly letting me know that one of my clues from the Indy was featured as ‘Clue of the Week’ in The Week magazine!.What an honour!

    1. Congratulations, Italicus! What was the clue?

       1. Opportunity to take cash prize on the radio (6)

          1. I still haven’t solved this ‘clue of the week’ despite staring at it sternly in a vain effort that it might give itself up. congratuations on both counts – i thought the puzzle was most enjoyable.

             1. Window (Win dough)

                1. Doh! Thank-you.

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