NTSPP – 513 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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NTSPP – 513

NTSPP – 513

A Puzzle by Windsurfer

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.

Parts of 8 solutions are recalled as seen in a 9th, ignored at the outset

Another NTSPP setter we haven’t seen for a while returns with a crossword relating to next Thursday!

I’ve looked and looked but I can only find seven links to the solution to 15d without its first letter (ignored at the outset).   I’ll add the links I’ve found at the end of the review

Across

1a Completely non-fattening? Consumes roll only at night (9)
NOCTURNAL An abbreviated way of saying completely non-fattening ‘consumers’ a synonym for roll in a verbal sense

6a Starts to mull over problems eventually depressed (5)
MOPED The starts of Mull Over Problems Eventually Depressed

9a Characters from Goethe at repertory here (7)
THEATRE Some of the characters from GoeTHE AT REpertory

10a Article describing German and Britisher’s last rumble (7)
THUNDER A British definite article goes round (describing) the German word for and, the result followed by the last letter in Britisher

11a Writersdrafts (4)
PENS Double definition, the first a noun, the second a verb

12a Dictator’s becoming close after son is insulting (8)
SNEERING A homophone (dictator’s) of a synonym for become close goes after the abbreviation for Son

15a Could be scampi tails ultimately guy will search for (9)
SHELLFISH The ‘ultimate’ letter of tails, a way of saying a guy will and a verb meaning to search for in a hidden place

16a 10s in these gardens in a westerly direction (5)
RAGES A synonym for the solution to 10a plus an S (10 S) is lurking in reverse (in a westerly direction in an Across clue) in theSE GARdens

17a Round parts from dresses changing hands (5)
LOBES Change the R for Right hand at the start of some dresses to an L for Left

19a Receiver damaged on helipad (4,5)
DIAL PHONE An anagram (damaged) of ON HELIPAD

21a Type of bug species coming after endless stomach pain (8)
COLIFORM A bacillus of the colon apparently – another word for species follows some stomach pain without the final letter (endless)

22a Notice charge account (4)
BILL Triple definition

26a Mean swine needing no introduction in front of peer (7)
IGNOBLE Remove the first letter (needing no introduction) from a (animal) swine and place in front of another word for a peer or someone of high social rank

27a Fake airmail regularly received by gallery (7)
IMITATE The regular letters of aIrMaIl followed by the name of one of several art galleries

28a Good endowment primarily kept for relation (5)
NIECE The primary letter of Endowment ‘kept’ by a synonym for good

29a Orderly cool on board – chap essentially exercises (9)
SHIPSHAPE A word meaning cool or fashionable goes inside the abbreviation for a ship (on board), followed by the ‘essential’ letters of cHAp and an abbreviation for the sort of exercises we did at school

 

Down

1d Umpire’s call to perform when rising (3,2)
NOT UP A reversal of a two-word way of saying ‘perform’

2d Sterilise with chlorine bleach Centre given spotless outcome finally (7)
CLEANSE The chemical symbol for chlorine, the letters in the centre of blEAch and the final letters of giveN, spotlesS and outcomE

3d Cannot begin to afford old till (4)
UNTO An archaic way (old) of saying till or as far as.   Remove the first letter (cannot begin) from a two-word way of saying afford

4d Want report struck (4)
NEED A homophone (report) of a way of saying struck with a particular part of the body

5d Old environmentalists having passion for the means to change state (6,4)
LATENT HEAT A way of saying old or happening in the past, the abbreviation for some environmentalists and a synonym for passion

6d Second gins without milk or cheeses (10)
MOUSETRAPS An abbreviation for a second or small period of time, some gins (snares not alcoholic refreshments) into which is inserted (without) part of a verb meaning to milk or take advantage of

7d Sweet potato scratched originally, sound as a bell (7)
PUDDING Remove the initial letter (scratched originally) from an informal term for a potato and add the sound a bell makes

8d State controlled site with rigid organisation (9)
DIRIGISTE An anagram (organisation) of SITE with RIGID

13d Braless figure’s half embarrassed in rugged material (5,5)
GLASS FIBRE An anagram (embarrassed) of BRALESS and the first half of FIGure

14d Desert director and head (10)
WILDERNESS The surname of a film director and actor followed by a headland

15d Choice the Spanish taken in part (9)
SELECTION The Spanish definite article inserted into a part

18d Short stick, weapon, is surplus (7)
BALANCE A stick without its final letter (short) and a weapon

20d Asian city fine during a brief conflict (7)
OKINAWA The abbreviated way of saying fine, another way of saying during a and almost all (brief) of a conflict

23d Master to rest for example aboard (5)
LIEGE The abbreviated way of saying for example goes ‘aboard’ a verb meaning to rest

24d Mike initially impatient, overturns smart car (4)
MINI The letter represented by Mike in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, the initial letter of Impatient and a reversal (overturns) of a way of saying smart or fashionable

25d Soldier vacuously tails annoying old people (4)
GITS An American soldier and the outside letters (vacuously) letters of TailS

Removing the first letter of 15d gives you ELECTION. In reverse (recalled) in 1a you have CON, 11a SNP, 12a GREEN, 19a PLAID, 22a LIB, 7d DUP and 18d LAB – there is supposed to be an eighth related reference but I’m blowed if I can see it


21 comments on “NTSPP – 513

  1. There is a rider printed at the top of the .pdf file but it is not shown on the interactive version.

    It says: ‘Parts of 8 solutions are recalled as seen in a 9th, ignored at the outset.’

  2. What a relief after a couple of iffy back-pagers to find a nicely challenging and very enjoyable puzzle, even though I am still struggling to understand the relevance of the preamble. I’ll keep worrying away at that conundrum.

    Many thanks to Windsurfer, and in advance to Prolixic/CS [delete whoever is not applicable].

    1. It will be me, but not until considerably later today, as I have a number of other things to do this morning before I even sit down and print off the crossword to solve it

  3. Having read, and failed to understand, the special instructions I was unsure whether to have a go at the puzzle. I’m glad I did it because I enjoyed it, though even with a full grid I’m no wiser about what I’m supposed to find in it.
    My top clues were 5d and 7d.
    Thanks Windsurfer.

  4. I always struggle to get onto Windsurfer’s wavelength and this proved to be no exception. Despite eventually getting a completed grid I still haven’t got the faintest idea what we’re meant to see from the ‘special instructions’! Oh dear – this is proving to be a tough weekend in crosswordland……….

    Thanks Windsurfer and apologies for not being able to ‘catch your drift’.

  5. The instruction is a bit arcane – as a hint you need to think about what is happening next week.

  6. Another with a full grid but none the wiser beyond that
    Thanks for the puzzle Windsurfer

  7. … and to get you started, try ”recalling” the first part of 1A – that’s one of the 8.

  8. We’ve filled the grid and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and the penny-drop moments.
    We delayed commenting while we searched for the hidden extra part.
    We had got as far as working out that 15d was possibly the ‘9th word’ and recalled meant reversed. We’ll give ourselves a pat on the back for getting that far but suspect that some of the references would be just too arcane for us.
    Thanks Windsurfer.

  9. That was a bridge too far for me I’m afraid but thanks anyway Windsurfer & to CS for her forthcoming enlightenment.

  10. Really enjoyed solving the puzzle. Favourites were 10a, 5d, 20d and 25d. Got seven of the eight parts referred to in the preamble, but needed Windsurfer’s hints above to get me started.

    Thanks Windsurfer, and thanks in advance to Sue for the review.

  11. Unusually for a Windsurfer crossword I started off really well and thought I might be winning – I should have known better!
    Ended up with only about half the answers – never mind, it’s a lot more than I usually manage with this setter.
    Thanks to Windsurfer – one day I will manage to finish one – and thanks to CS too for managing to do the review after the day she had yesterday.

  12. Needed the blog to understand what to look for and only spotted a few of the three letters abbreviations of the main parties. Didn’t realise I could jump letters.
    Really enjoyed the solve and learned a few things along the way.
    Thanks to windsurfer for the fun and to CS for the review.

  13. I think that the eighth that Sue couldn’t spot might be in 6a but has to be compounded with the one in 22a.

  14. Thanks again to Windsurfer and thanks to CS for the review.
    If we’re allowed to jump letters (to quote J-L) how about SF (Sinn Fein) for 15a?

  15. Many thanks to CS for a super pictorial blog. I did mean GREENS, but that’s a small point.

    Interesting idea from Gazza @16 but the missing one is 25 – do you remember those folk who left CON and LAB parties? I believe they’re still a party in this election [https://voteforchange.uk/]. They’re sometimes referred pejoratively as the Tiggers.

    I thought with the date and SELECTION that people would cotton on but the reversal and in some cases missing letters made this quite tricky. Thanks to all who tried and to the kind comments.

  16. P.S. You’ll see the Brexit party is missing – I couldn’t think of a good reversal, and in any case I’m quite pleased to see that they are not present.

  17. Many thanks for the review, CS, particularly coming hard on the heels of your gruelling exercise yesterday.
    I’d just about managed to sort out the various political parties but failed when it came to the Tiggers – who knew!
    Frankly, I’ll be very glad when Thursday is over – although I doubt that will be an end to it, more like a beginning to the next round of mud-slinging.

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