NTSPP – 072 (Review)

Not the Saturday Prize Puzzle –  072

A Puzzle by Prolixic

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***

I test-solved this crossword back in the April heat wave, but according to my notes at the time, I solved it in a deckchair in the hot sunny garden, found the top easier than the bottom and, with only a couple of queries, enjoyed the crossword very much.

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Across

8a           Call for two measures (4)
{YELL} – a loud piercing cry is a charade of the abbreviation for yard, three feet to us old-fashioned measurers, plus  an obsolete measurement of length measuring about 45 inches.

9a           Tip for channel’s output (3, 7)
{END PRODUCT} – Another charade – the result of one’s output is another word for tip (3), a preposition meaning for (3)  and a type of channel, usually a tube or a shaft that accommodates pipes(4).

10a         Publisher in endless slog for company (6)
{TROUPE} – A company of actors or performers is found by inserting the initials of the Oxford University Press into a synonym for slog/long walk with its last letter removed as instructed by the clue (endless)

11a         Batty old dear with nothing in fabulous city? (8)
{ELDORADO} – The famous city of gold searched for by the Conquistadors – an anagram (batty) of OLD DEAR plus O (with nothing).

12a         Draw the banks of scenic river (8)
{SCRIBBLE} – To draw in a hasty or illegible manner – the outside letters (banks) of SceniC followed by a river which has its source in Yorkshire.

14a         Briefly polite after losing nothing (6)
{CURTLY} – Remove O (losing nothing) from a synonym for polite or refined in manner to get an adverb meaning shortly or concisely.

16a         Duke entertained by amateur woman(4)
{LADY} – Insert D (duke) into a word meaning amateur or non-professional to get a polite name for a woman.

17a         Hears husky material in part of a church (5)
{CHOIR} – A homophone of the fibre from the husk of a coconut sounds like the part of the church where the singers sit.   When I test solved this crossword I was not sure, and remain unconvinced,  that that these two words do sound the same when said aloud.

18a         Stink around loud bull! (4)
{GUFF} – Reverse (around) a hot, stale atmosphere and follow this with the usual abbreviation for ‘Loud’ in musical notation.

19a         Order Thebes to be rebuilt (6)
{BEHEST} – An old fashioned word for an order or earnest request is obtained from an anagram (rebuilt) of THEBES.

21a         Facial hair I look for it’s said (8)
{EYEBROWS} – The hairy bits above your eyes – I plus a word  which sounds like another which  means look for, for example when window shopping  [it’s said indicates that a homophone is required)

23a         Rare find’s staggering for branch of astronomy (8)
{INFRARED}  An anagram (staggering) of RAREFIND produces a branch of astronomy of which I was unaware until I met this crossword – the study of radiations from space in a particular region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

26a         Set pitch (6)
{GROUND} – A double definition –   to land and remain fixed or set and/or a pitch on which a game such as football is played.

27a         Crew member has to leave after drink with queen and Charles (10)
{SUPERCARGO} – An officer in a merchant ship who supervises commercial matters and is in charge of the cargo –  a charade of alternative words for drink (3), the abbreviation for Queen (2), CAR (Charles) and leave (2).

28a         Necessary to return and be fruitful (4)
{TEEM} – Reverse (return) an archaic adjective meaning proper or suitable to get a verb meaning to be fruitful or abound.

Down

1d           Deeply regret taking one lower (10)
{DEPRECIATE} – Take a verb meaning to regret or express disapproval of and insert an I (taking one) will  make another verb meaning to reduce or decline in value or price.

2d           Purley is dreadful for disorder (8)
{PLEURISY}  Purley wasn’t that bad in the 1950’s!!  It probably isn’t now either – Prolixic is just using dreadful as an anagram indicator! Rearrange PURLEY IS to get a chest infection characterised by pain on breathing and coughing.

3d           Note resistance returns in musical device (6)
{REVERB} – An electrical device that creates artificial acoustics –  reverse (returns) a musical note  plus the  abbreviation for resistance.  My technical adviser and erstwhile rock group member insists that the clip will demonstrate the music device.   I leave you to make your own minds up!. [gnomethang’s note – Eric Johnson is a complete superstar and this song has the effect all the way through. The fact that a flanger is also often employed is not my concern – he has always been a pedal-jumper! ;-) ]
ARVE Error: need id and provider

4d           Personality the French find worthless (4)
{IDLE} – An adjective meaning worthless, inactive or lazy. Start with ID (the primitive instincts and energies of the unconscious mind) and follow with the French word for the.

5d           Deep Purple get stick writing for one who records their word (8)
{PRODUCER} – Someone involved in the business of recording music is an anagram of PUCE (a colour varying from deep red to dark purplish brown) with a stick inserted and followed by the (“incorrect” in this case!) abbreviation for one of the three cornerstones of learning.

6d           A practical person describes King for worshipper (6)
{ADORER} – Someone who worships or loves intensely.   Insert R (describes R(ex),  King)into a word for some who actively or energetically does something.

7d           Cut first to last like a cake? (4)
{ICED} – Move the first letter from a word meaning to cut into small cubes to get description of a cake that has been decorated.   Isn’t Gnomey’s sister-in-law clever?!

13d         Call to cancel rector leaving (5)
{EVOKE} – Remove (leaving) R for Rector from a synonym for cancel or rescind to get a verb meaning to call up a memory from the past.

15d         Threads remain for Spooner and Scargill (4,5)
{LEFT WINGER} – If the Reverend Spooner was trying to describe the yarn woven across the width of the fabric  and following it with a verb meaning to remain in place and prolong departure– he may well have confused the words and ended up with the political bent of Arthur Scargill.

17d         High speed editing of picture’s a bargain (3, 5)
{CUT PRICE} – A term for a bargain item available at a price below the standard cost is an anagram (editing) of PICTURE  placed after the letter that denotes the fastest possible speed in the universe.

18d         Wire Bishop to replace leaders of vicars in dance (8)
{GARROTTE} – A wire used to execute by strangulation – Remove V (the leader of Vicars) from a type of dance in quadruple time and replace it with RR (Right Reverend – the formal way of referring to a Bishop)

20d         Fear nerves may constrain something nice and little (6)
{EARNER} – Hidden in fEAR NERves is a which when added to nice and little means something that will bring in a good lot of income when promoted and sold.

22d         Say medal’s returned for drink (6)
{EGGNOG} – A drink often consumed at Christmas by grannies!   The abbreviation for example (i.e. say) and a reversal (returned) of a slang term for a medal.

24d         Anti-American judgement! (4)
{NOUS} – A noun meaning judgement, mind or reason is a charade of a word meaning anti and the initials used for American.

25d         Dutch banker quits Surrey town – the fool (4)
{DORK} – A slang term for a stupid, inept or foolish person – remove the Dutch bank ING from  a town in  Surrey.

My favourite clues were 5d, 7d, and 20d.   It is always a pleasure to solve a Prolixic puzzle, as they are very entertaining and I always learn something new.    At this point I usually say roll on the next one, but I have test-solved the next two, so I shall just say ‘keep them coming’!