NTSPP – 079 (Review)

NTSPP – 079 (Review)

A crossword by Gazza

BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****

Apologies for the delay in reviewing but I had assumed that Prolixic would be doing his usual duty and only remembered in the early hours this morning that he was on his holidays.  I feel the best way to recommend this great Gazza puzzle is to copy what I said to him when I test solved it “This is without doubt the best crossword I have solved today (I would even go so far as to say for several days)….   It has just the right amount of brain-stretching, d’oh moments and some really great clues.”   I hope you all enjoyed it too.

Across

7              9 raids repulsed (5)
{STOOL}  The first themed clue.   A reversal of a synonym for raids and plunders produces this backless example of 9.

8              How obnoxious roofer goes about making killing (9)
{SLAUGHTER}  A man who uses a certain type of roofing material with an expression of disgust (3) inserted produces a noun meaning wanton or inexcusable killing.

10           Determined vampire slayer introduced in scary writer’s 9 (6)
{POUFFE}   The most mispronounced type of 9!    Remove the first and last letters of the young TV female vampire slayer and insert the result into the surname of a writer of scary fiction.

11           Sober quality evident in Attlee and Mitterand (8)
{TEETOTAL}  An abbreviation for someone who doesn’t drink, ie is sober, is found in both these names.  You need the full word for the solution.

12           Robin, say, takes over hugging a foreign bird (8)
{COCKATOO}  A term for a male bird is often applied to a robin, follow this with A (hugging A) and then an adverb meaning over or extremely to get a type of crested parrot.

13           Public appeal for the old to be housed in Australia (4)
{OYEZ}  The public appeal here is the cry made by a town crier.   A colloquial term for Australia into which is inserted the old-fashioned way of saying the.

15           9 land on head (7)
{BEANBAG} A large cushion used as a 9 –  an informal term for the head followed by a term for the quantity of fish or game landed.

17           Reactionary military group adopting French word for 9 (7)
{OTTOMAN}  A reversal of the acronym for the international military alliance into which has been inserted the French word for word produces a type of backless stuffed 9.

20           9 characters featured in works of Asimov (4)
{SOFA}  Another of the themed words is hidden in workS OF Asimov.

22           9 jolly children in a song (8)
{ARMCHAIR}  Another 9 – a charade of A (from the clue), an abbreviation for a sailor, sometimes known as a jolly, a two letter abbreviation for children, and a song or tune(3).

25           Rubbish golfer?   A danger to kids (8)
{BOGEYMAN}  A man who shoots one over par at hole on the golf course could also be said to be a frightening being with whom to threaten children.

26           Inflict on 9 (6)
{SADDLE}  A double definition.   A 9 that goes on a horse or to inflict a burden on someone.

27           Stern’s bid is floundering in the soup (5, 4)
{BIRDS NEST} An anagram (floundering) of STERNS BID gives a soup usually found in a Chinese restaurant.

28           Ill-natured like Mrs Norris? (5)
{CATTY}   Here it helps if you remember your Harry Potter!   A term for spiteful or backbiting is also an epithet that could be applied to a creature like Mrs Norris (the pet of the caretaker in the Harry Potter stories).

Down

1              Repair to stove door’s postponed (5,4)
{STOOD OVER} A term meaning postponed is an anagram (repair) of STOVE DOOR.

2              Are these wild dogs?  Hide! (8)
{WOLFSKIN} Double definition.   Relations of a type of wild dog or leather (hide) made from them.

3              Film philosopher at work (7)
{PLATOON}  A 1986 war film directed by Oliver stone – the name of a Greek philosopher followed by ON (working).

4              9’s works out at 3 (4, 4)
{CUBE ROOT}  One of the sneaky not a theme 9s.    In mathematics, 3 is this of 9.

5              9’s reportedly confused (6)
{THRONE}  The type of 9 used by a king of queen sounds like (reportedly) a term meaning perplexed or confused.

6              Free really odd savage (5)
{FERAL}   The odd letters of FrEe ReAlLy are an adjective meaning savage, wild or untamed.

9              Estate car (4)
{SEAT}  The Theme!    A double definition – Lord So and So’s country **** or a marque of car which originated in Spain.

14           Go hot then cold, getting queasy in desert (9)
{VACILLATE} To waver or not make your mind up –  it helps to note that desert here means leave somewhere (not a sandy place as I thought when test solving) into which should be inserted a three letter word meaning queasy or poorly.

16           Marginal deviation can be ominous (8)
{ALARMING} An anagram (deviation) of MARGINAL  makes an adjective meaning ominous or frightening.

18           Python, for example, took cover in dilapidated piano (8)
{OPHIDIAN}  One of the genus of snakes, of which a python is an example – insert a three letter word meaning took cover into an anagram (dilapidated) of PIANO.

19           English composer being imprisoned by French is serious (7)
{EARNEST}  An adjective meaning serious or intent –  Insert the surname of the composer of Rule Britannia into the French word for is.

21           Exaggerate celebration after a few balls (6)
{OVERDO}  A term meaning to exaggerate or carry too far –  a cricketing term for six balls bowled followed by a two letter term for a party, feast or celebration.

23           Obligatory cover-up hurts umpire (4)
{MUST}  A verb meaning that something is obligatory is reversed and  hidden (cover-up) in hurTS UMpire.

24           Mounting 9 in bed could be fatal (5)
{TOXIC} We finish with another sneaky non-themed 9.   Insert the Roman ‘numberals’ for 9 into a baby’s bed and reverse the lot to get an adjective meaning poisonous, which could, of course, be fatal.

One of the many pleasures in life is getting an email in your inbox from Gazza asking you to test solve his latest puzzle.   I look forward to receiving the next one soon.   (No pressure there then!).