Quarterly Prize Puzzle No 123 – Review
February 2023
Toilet Humour by Prolixic
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Congratulations to Senf who is the winner of QPP 123. As an “overseas correspondent”, he will have to bask in the Honour and Glory of winning, rather than receiving a Telegraph Crossword Puzzles book.
Twelve solutions (on their own or in combinations) make homophones of six different words for toilet
THROWN = THRONE
SOUP + EARL + OOH = SUPERLOO
PORTER + LOOSE = PORTALOOS
CAR + ZEE = KHAZI
LAVER + TORIES = LAVATORIES
DONE + KNEE = DUNNY
Across
1 Move in a strange way (8)
TELEPORT – A cryptic definition of a strange way of moving
5 Korean singer with revolutionary spirit (6)
PSYCHE – PSY (South Korean singer) CHE (revolutionary)
9 Composer‘s heading off on journey (5)
RAVEL – Take off the heading of tRAVEL (journey)
10 Lusting is abnormal for dragomen? (9)
LINGUISTS – An anagram (abnormal) of LUSTIN IS
12 Value half of Duke of Devonshire’s estate (5)
WORTH – The second half of chatsWORTH, the estate of the Duke of Devonshire
13 English reaction over quote (4)
CITE – A reversal (over) of E (English) TIC (reaction)
14 Finished opening of dirty joke (4)
DONE – D (the opening of Dirty) ONE (joke – have you heard the one about… ?)
17 Learns again of socialist island’s reports (11)
REDISCOVERS – RED (socialist) IS (islands) COVERS (report
18 American character features in prize essay (3)
ZEE – Hidden (features) in priZE Essay
19 Express admiration over debuts in opera house (3)
OOH – O (over) and the ‘debuts’ in Opera and House
20 Stuart comes around to see group leader (11)
SCOUTMASTER – An anagram (around) of STUART COMES
22 Cordelia’s father’s cycling with member of the nobility (4)
EARL – Cycle LEAR (Cordelia’s father)
23 Against Amnesty International stocking books (4)
ANTI – AI (Amnesty International) “stocking” NT (New Testament, books)
24 Northern accommodation, essentially digs with bare floor (5)
IGLOO – the essential letters of dIGs and the inside (bare) letters of fLOOr
27 Healthy food – chocolate dessert containing a drop of rum (5,4)
BROWN RICE – BROWN (chocolate coloured) ICE (dessert) into which is inserted R (a drop of rum)
29 Doctor of information technology’s right (5)
DROIT – DR (doctor) O (of) IT (information technology)
30 Attempts to hold ball for politicians (6)
TORIES – TRIES (attempts) to ‘hold’ O (ball)
31 Hold grass back for ruminants (8)
REINDEER – REIN (hold) and a reversal (back) of REED (grass)
Down
1 Baffled by settlement involving personnel department (6)
THROWN – TOWN (settlement) ‘involving’ HR (personnel department)
2 Large vessel for washing
seaweed (5)
LAVER – Double definition
3 Form of pylon Herod designed (10)
POLYHEDRON – An anagram (designed) of PYLON HEROD
4 Announced fashion accessory for Bangkok resident (3)
TAI – A homophone (announced) of TIE (fashion accessory) – the solution being an alternative spelling of THAI (Bangkok resident)
6 Refit this kitchen with pink touches (4)
SOUP – An anagram (refit) of PINK TOUCHES produces SOUP KITCHEN
7 County’s players wearing pants for one of their backers (9)
COSPONSORS – COS (counties) NS (bridge players), the latter ‘wearing’ POOR (pants in the sense of rubbish)
8 Vegans regularly missed local sources of water (3)
EAS – The even (regularly missed) letters of vEgAnS – a dialect (local) word for rivers
10 Insults a doc broadcast gives a right bring legal action (5,6)
LOCUS STANDI – An anagram (broadcast) of INSULTS A DOC
11 Patriot snubbed European to make property publicly owned (11)
NATIONALISE – ‘Snub’ or truncate NATIONALISt and add E (European)
15 Time away from school for a head (4)
EACH – Remove the abbreviation for Time from tEACH (school)
16 Description of winning horse in dressage was mounted (10)
BESTRIDDEN – A winning horse could be described as BEST RIDDEN
17 Note control mechanism I take into store (9)
RESERVOIR – RE (musical note) SERVO (control mechanism) I (from the clue) R (take)
18 Section of revolutionary engine nozzle (4)
ZONE – Hidden in reverse (revolutionary) in enginE NOZzle
21 Stout hospital worker (6)
PORTER – Double definition
25 Licentious spectacles hosted by university (5)
LOOSE – OO (spectacles) ‘hosted’ by LSE (university)
26 Leaders of Kenyan navy enjoy evening bender (4)
KNEE – The leaders of Kenyan Navy Enjoy Evening
27 Cricket player‘s bill is rejected (3)
BAT – A reversal (rejected) of TAB (bill)
28 Adult entering councillor’s vehicle (3)
CAR – A (adult) ‘entering’ CR (councillor)
Thanks once again to Prolixic and Mr K
Well done, Senf. Good to know that your knowledge of the subject matter is impeccable.
Thanks to CS for the review.
Thanks RD (I think). Thanks to CS for the, as usual, comprehensive review and thanks to Prolixic for, for me, the unusual combination of puzzle and riddle that were both solvable without too much head scratching.
I did find all the toilets but one of them courtesy of my phone-a-friend so thought it would be cheating somewhat to enter my total.
Well done indeed to Senf who can now impress all his friends with his knowledge of lavatory arrangements!
Thanks to Prolixic and to both Mr K and CS for their parts in bringing us this QPP.
Congrats to Senf.
Many thanks to Prolixic for the puzzle and CS for the review.
I failed miserably in the NE corner.
6d Is there a technical term for this type of clue?
Devious :wink:
Compound anagram
CS, Thanks for the reply.
Congratulations to Senf, or perhaps I could say, “Well dunny!”
Actually, on the latter topic, I had opted for DONE+EAS rather than DONE+KNEE, but that is rather a moot point.
Thanks again to Prolixic for a fine QPP and to CS for the nicely illustrated review. Am I right in thinking that 17d is in the Elan Valley? Its been a while since I visited there but it looks like it may be the right style of architecture.
It’s Derwent Reservoir dam in Derbyshire – of Dambusters practise fame.
Thank you, Jose. It looks like it might be a great place to visit and tour with our bikes one day :thumbs:
[And we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for low flying aircraft…]