Monthly Prize Puzzle No 112– Review
September 2021
A Puzzle by Prolixic
We were asked to say how many solutions have all their letters in alphabetical order. The answer was eight. This month’s winner of a Daily Telegraph crossword book of her choice is Nina John-Clement.
Across
1 Pretty well nothing’s held by charity trustees at first(6)
ALMOST O (nothing) held by ALMS (charity) and T (the first letter of Trustees)
4 Entry of old tax on account (6)
ACCESS – CESS (old tax) goes on or after AC (account)
9 Man’s tense in prison (4)
STIR – T (tense) in SIR (man)
10 Successor reportedly ending the provision of emergency relief (10)
AIRLIFTING – AIR (a homophone, reportedly, of HEIR, successor) LIFTING (ending)
11 Mark‘s seen in cardiac centre (6)
ACCENT – Hidden in cardiAC CENTre
12 Birch tree swapped by first scientist (8)
BOTANIST – TAN (birch) and BO (tree) swap places and are followed by IST (first)
13 To look at again could be prescient (9)
REINSPECT – An anagram (could be) of PRESCIENT
15 Childishly articulate a computer language (4)
LISP – Double definition
16 After twelve hours awake travelling west see mountain lion (4)
PUMA – AM (twelve hours) UP (awake) all reversed (travelling west)
17 Hired gun goes ofF stealing money in fast car? (9)
HUMDINGER – An anagram (goes off) of HIRED GUN into which is inserted (stealing) M (money)
21 Quavering, a chorister embraces head of music (8)
ATREMBLE – A TREBLE (a chorister) ’embraces’ the head of Music
22 Police officer returns wave (6)
BILLOW – BILL (slang term for the police) and a reversal (returns) of WO (warrant officer)
24 Order exhibited by concerti or arias (10)
CERTIORARI – Exhibited in conCERTI OR ARIas
25 Heartless rule creates hurt (4)
MAIM The ‘heart’ of MAxIM (rule) is removed
26 Life group class finally finishes with medical procedure (6)
BIOPSY – BIO plus P plus S and the finish of finallY
27 Struggle with piece of work (6)
EFFORT – Double definition
Down
1 This could be the piece leader rejected (7)
ARTICLE – Reject the ‘leader’ of pARTICLE (piece)
2 Join work unit in Maine (5)
MERGE – ERG (work unit) in the abbreviation for the State of Maine
3 Begin to incite traitors in revolt (7)
START UP – A reversal (in revolt) of PUT (incite) RATS (traitors)
5 Material advice visiting Czechia (6)
CHINTZ – HINT (advice) ‘visiting’ CZ (Czechia)
6 Delay directly from stress (9)
EXTENSION – EX (directly from) TENSION (stress)
7 Makes fun of sentences (5,2)
SENDS UP – Double definition
8 A Cumbrian earl arranged 4 maybe (6,7)
ARABIC NUMERAL – An anagram (arranged) of CUMBRIAN EARL
14 Group’s time with old second in command (6,3)
NUMBER TWO – NUMBER (group) T (time) W (with) O (old)
16 Penny has trouble cycling with Rosemary? (7)
POTHERB – P (penny) with BOTHER where the B cycles to the end
18 Journalist’s written up short question (7)
DEBRIEF – A reversal (up) of ED (journalist) followed by BRIEF (short)
19 For example Love Island heartens teetotal narcissist (7)
EGOTIST – EG (for example) O (love) and IS (island) inserted into (heartens) TT (teetotal)
20 Shrinks away in horror from a black tailless horse (6)
ABHORS – A (from the clue) B (black) HORSe (tailless horse)
23 Member meets deacon dancing this dance (5)
LIMBO – LIMB (member) meets an anagram (dancing) of DEACON to produce the O and Dance
Thanks to all concerned
Many thanks for yet another review, CS, what a tireless blogger you are! Also, congratulations to Nina on winning the prize, hope we get to see comments from you on the blog.
Thanks also due to Prolixic for the puzzle and the BDs for organising the MPPs and keeping control of the electronic hat!
Mrs BD is still in hospital (8 weeks today) so I drew the winner.
I’m so sorry to hear that – I do hope that there’s at least some improvement in her condition?
Congratulations, Nina John-Clement, and thanks to CS for the review. I identified all the component elements of the answer to 23d but my reading of the clue still can’t make the whole the sum of the parts! Anyway, this was a very enjoyable MPP from Prolixic with many fine clues; 8d being my favourite with 22a and 16d sharing the podium. I was intrigued to discover how few words have all their letters in alphabetical order. Thank you, as always, to our hosts and I look forward to the next MPP challenge.
Humdinger of a puzzle! Thanks Prolixic and CS for the blog! I too left LIMBO unparsed (my notes have this: “(deacon)*=(o,dance)*, o=this?”
With any unparsed clue in a Prolixic puzzle it is always worth looking for a compound anagram. You were so nearly there.
yes of course! i was being obtuse
Congratulations Nina.
I did get the correct answer and seem to remember that it had kept me out of mischief for quite some time.
Thanks to all concerned.
It’s really sad to learn that Mrs BD is still in hospital. Hope there is some improvement in her health. However, I will continue to pray to the Almighty for her speedy recovery.
I chose the last day of submission to think over and over again whether or not to take into account those words which have the same letters appearing consecutively, before sending in my entry and now I am relieved to note that I did send the correct answer.
Thanks once again to Prolixic for setting such a highly entertaining puzzle, to CS for such a wonderful review and to BD for hosting the event. I look forward for the next Monthly Prize Puzzle.
Lastly, heartiest congratulations to Nina John-Clement on winning the prize puzzle of this month.
Well done Nina, and what an apt name for a crossword fan!
I submitted the wrong answer as I couldn’t convince myself that double letters fitted the criterion of alphabetical order. In the end I tossed a coin and got it wrong,
Thanks to all, and my best wishes to Mrs BD.
Super puzzle, Prolixic, many thanks – and to CS for illustrated review. Get well soon Mrs BD.
Missed this last week, so belated congratulations to Nina. (Great crossword name.) And belated get well soon wishes to Mrs BD.
Happy to say I got the right answer…always a source of joy for me.
Thanks to Prolixic and to Crypticsue