Monthly Prize Puzzle (Dec 2020)
A Sum of Money by Alchemi
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Why not have a go at our latest Monthly Prize Puzzle?
The winner will receive their choice of any of the Telegraph Crossword Books.
Please note that, due to punitive postal charges, while the competition is open to all, the prize is only available to UK solvers.
A review will follow after the closing date (19th December 2020).
The competition is now closed
The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
Please read the instructions carefully.
I’ve left this post open for comments, but if you don’t want your comment to be deleted then do not provide any help for other solvers or mention any detail about the puzzle, especially references to individual clues, until after the closing date.
My paper arrived very late today so I was delighted to find this month’s MPP posted early.
This was Alchemi in a relatively benevolent mood even though I do still have two answers which are not fully parsed. He managed to incorporate a lot of currencies in the grid, several of which I had never heard of, but he did this without resorting to over-complicated cluing.
Many thanks, Alchemi. This was great fun and I very much enjoyed the nostalgia of our quirky historic British currency system.
Really enjoyed this once I got the hang of it! Amazing how many currencies I’d never heard of – think there was also one unknown country.
When it came to the arithmetic, it was so nice to be back in the world of ‘real’ money – same sort of relief that comes from measuring things in feet and inches.
Thank you, Alchemi, that was very good fun.
Very enjoyable, I really liked 21a and 28a.
However, given my previous problems with (mis-)counting exercises to solve MPP riddles, I will save this one until after today’s rugby marathon is finished.
Thanks Alchemi.
Many thanks to Alchemi for this enjoyment coupled with learning. I got to know some more names of currencies of the world and also the name of one Caucasian country. Although I liked 2d and particularly the inter-linking of 11a and 12a, I was truly fascinated by 28a. While doing the addition, I took a trip down memory lane of 1967, the year when I was 7 years old and learning the arithmetic of farthings, pence, shillings and pounds at Joseph Day School in Calcutta. However, before sending in my answer, I have to be sure whether it is required to be given as three different numbers respectively in pounds, shillings and pence after the addition, or whether it is required to be given as one number in pence only.
Hi Rahmat, I think the last sentence of the preamble does state quite specifically how your answer is to be submitted.
Good luck!
Yes, indeed. Thank you so much, Jane.
We really enjoyed this puzzle and the maths involved – took us back to proper money. Favourites were 13a, 16a, 21a, 25a, 28a, 8d, 20d. Really good fun and kept us occupied on a dreary, cold afternoon. Very many thanks Alchemi.
I had several ‘surely not’ moments that became ‘well I never’ after a quick check in BRB. All eventually came together and just hope I got the maths right.
Good fun.
Thanks Alchemi.
Thanks all. I hope no-one thinks I knew all those currencies before I set the puzzle. 28a is a glorious name for a currency.
Learned quite a bit from this crossword and not just currencies but also expressions in 10a and 19a.
2d was also new to me but the clues were very fair and only had to check the answers from the parsing.
Thanks to Alchemi.
The initials of the money being French, I shall post my answer in that language.
Surely it’s Latin, JL?
Livres, sols or sous and deniers.
Blame it on Guillaume le conquérant.
Think I’ll stick with Librae, Solidi, Denarii if it’s all the same to you!
Are you saying that these Romans invaded France. Well I never! 😉
Love you, JL
That was fun, just one I’m struggling to parse. So many currencies I’d never heard of. Plenty of favourites. I think we lost some of our heritage on decimalisation – but it did make life easier.