Monthly Prize Puzzle (Jan 2021)
A Puzzle by Prolixic
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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 (16th Jan 2021).
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.
That was fun. Got a couple of the long ones quite early in the solve and this gave plenty of checkers and a taste of how the clues worked.
thanks Prolixic.
I don’t think I have ever been able to say this before – a Prolixic MPP, including the riddle, that I have been able to solve pre-caffeine on my Saturday morning!
It looks as though I had the same ‘solving experience’ as KiwiColin.
Thanks Prolixic.
Nice straightforward puzzle. I thought the clue for 1A was excellent.
That was fun and cleverly done, thanks Prolixic
A really fun start to the new year. Many thanks, Prolixic.
All the very best for 2021 to everyone who passes through this excellent blog; it has certainly kept me going through some difficult times. Stay safe and well.
First time doing the MPP & enjoyed it very much. Not sure about my answer to/understanding of 16a but that aside a problem free solve though 13a was a new word on me. May look at the riddle part of it later.
Thanks Prolixic
Got there but I’d be lying if I said that I’ve satisfactorily parsed every one of my answers! Will keep worrying at those otherwise it feels a bit like cheating.
Thanks to Prolixic for the first MPP challenge of the year.
First of all, I would like to wish everyone a Very Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year 2021.
It was real fun. Although my grid is complete and I have the question, I have not been able to parse 16a to my satisfaction, which, in any case, did not affect the formation of the question. For quite a long time, I kept staring at 1a. Now I have the answer. Very cleverly done, so many thanks to Prolixic. I liked particularly 13a and 18a.
Thanks Prolixic, that was fun. Like Jane I am not 100% parsed but confident enough to submit an answer. A couple of words new to me 13a 16a but it was a pleasant way to while away the evening while the snow fell.
Outrageous, Prolixic! I’ve never seen so much surface padding in one puzzle.
Only kidding.
This was very clever and a lot of fun, although I still have one answer unparsed.
Many thanks, Prolixic.
Loved the fact that the extra words didn’t alter the surface of the clues and even made them more relevant in some cases. A real tour de force. Everything parsed successfully and now ready to post my answer.
New word for me was 25a.
Favourite is the superb 1a.
Thanks to Prolixic for the great fun.
Practically perfectly pitched puzzle posted by Prolixic. The extra words went in seamlessly, several being clever decoys. From the many contenders 1a, 3d and 14d particularly appealed to me. My answer is now posted and my fingers are crossed
Great fun, not been able to parse all our answers but had a go nevertheless. Favourites were 20a,13a and 14d. Enjoyed removing the ‘padding’ to work out the question. Thank you Prolixic for the puzzle and Big Dave for such a brilliant site.
I thought this tricky but good fun, with very few of the extras “sticking out like a sore thumb”, so very adroitly put together.
Luckily I got three of the four long perimeter clues quite quickly, which obviously helped a lot. Can’t claim to have fully parsed it all but I have an answer.
Many thanks Prolixic.
I also am not sure of all the parsings, but I think I have the question and the answer.
Many thanks for an interesting evening.
Great fun, while it lasted, with lots of clever clues. So now it’s continuing with the huge backlog of NTSPP’s for me.
I have finally been able to parse 16a to my satisfaction. It was the hardest one for me then. Now I realise it should have been the easiest one.