Monthly Prize Puzzle No 7 (December 2012) by Gazza
In association with Hamlyn Books,
the publishers of Telegraph Crossword Books
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Welcome to the review of December’s Prize Puzzle set by Gazza. The person whose name was drawn from the electronic hat as this month’s winner was Claire Peat. Congratulations to her. There will be a new monthly prize puzzle in the New Year.
This month, solver’s had to identify the Olympic event identified in the grid (in blue below) and provide the missing event given the others identified in the grid (in red below). The missing event was shooting.
Many thanks to Gazza for an enjoyable crossword. As the Christmas season approaches may I wish you all a very joyful and peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year.
As always, thanks to our sponsors, Hamlyn Books. Do take a moment to look at some of their publications below.
Across
1 It may be thrown underhandedly when enjoying a day off (6)
SICKIE – A cryptic definition of feigning illness to have a day off work.
4 Stop Fife turning into a high risk area on the decline (3-5)
OFF-PISTE – An anagram (turning) of STOP FIFE.
10 Repetition of appeal against European quota (9)
ITERATION – Another word for sex appeal followed by the abbreviation for European and another word meaning a quota or allowance.
11 Orange button (5)
NAVEL – Double definition for a type of orange and another word for your belly button.
12 Trio of handicapped runners detailed in children’s narrative? (4)
MICE – A cryptic definition of three animals who had an unfortunate encounter with a farmer’s wife wielding a carving knife.
13 Leave it all to somebody else (10)
DISINHERIT – A cryptic definition of what you would do if you replaced one beneficiary with another in your will.
15 Top Indian baker’s city? (7)
NANKING – This Chinese city, if split 3-4, could describe the best person at making nan bread.
16 Container for spare tyre held right back internally (6)
GIRDLE – What might hold in your stomach is hidden and reversed (back internally) inside HELD RIGHT.
19 Innovative second service secures first couple of deuces (6)
MODERN – The first two letters of DEUCES inside a word meaning second and the abbreviation for Royal Navy (service).
21 Management standing for office one after the other (7)
RUNNING – A triple definition
23 The plant grows wild on part of track and field (10)
PENTATHLON – An anagram (grows wild) of THE PLANT followed by the ON in the clue.
25 Model Tory’s terse admission? (4)
ICON – How a Conservative might tersely describe his or her political affiliation.
27 Weed, a foul-smelling predator (5)
SKUNK – A double definition for a type of cannabis and an animal renowned for its terrible scent.
28 People of Enfield have ways to provide racy entertainments (9)
PEEPSHOW – How Harry Enfield’s character Stavros referred to people followed by a word meaning have ways to.
29 Bead producers in Guernsey and Jersey? (8)
SWEATERS – Those who produce beads of perspiration and two names of types of knitwear.
30 Kept in reserve but got ready for the audience (6)
CACHED – A homophone (for the audience) of a word meaning obtained money (got bread).
Down
1 Forceful feminists occupy outskirts of Strasbourg making a splash (8)
SWIMMING – Wimmin (forceful feminists) inside the outer letters of Strasbourg.
2 College roundly censored for increase in noise (9)
CRESCENDO – The abbreviation for college followed by an anagram (roundly) of CENSORED.
3 Leaders of Islamic revolution anticipated nuclear state (4)
IRAN- The initial letters (leaders of) Islamic Revolution Anticipated Nuclear.
5 Evasively parrying questions about palisade? (7)
FENCING – A double definition.
6 The worse for wear after buffet, having taken one too many? (5- 5)
PUNCH DRUNK – A word meaning the worse for wear (having had too much to drink) after a word meaning buffet.
7 I’m putting something by bar, right? (5)
SAVER – Another word for bar or except followed by the abbreviation for right.
8 Striking effects of bouncy castle … (6)
ECLATE – An anagram (bouncy) of CASTLE.
9 … up in Yorkshire area (6)
RIDING – A double definition for being in the saddle (up) and an old administrative district of Yorkshire.
14 Mae West‘s biography gives boost to Spielberg film (4,6)
LIFE JACKET – Another word for a biography followed by another word for boost or lift up and the famous phone home film produced by Spielberg.
17 Joint corps reluctant to provide cover for privates (9)
LOINCLOTH – A word for a joint of meat followed by the abbreviation for corps and a word meaning reluctant.
18 Wrestled in seedy San Diego (8)
AGONISED – An anagram (seedy) of SAN DIEGO.
20 Upgrade phone or one looks like a loser (2-5)
NO HOPER – An anagram (upgrade) of PHONE OR.
21 Old colonialist‘s pronounced ways (6)
RHODES – A homophone (pronounced) of roads (ways).
22 Father’s constrained by text messaging in short bursts (6)
SPASMS – A two letter word for father with an ‘s added inside (constrained by) the abbreviation for the system that allows text messaging.
24 A load of rubbish found in Northern river (2,3)
NO USE – The abbreviation for Northern followed by the name of a river.
26 Motoring club secures positive response in Italy and elsewhere in continent (4)
ASIA – The Italian (and the countries) word for yes inside the abbreviation for the Automobile Association (motoring club).
Hi Claire, let me be the first to congratulate you on your success. This was a very well crafted puzzle and only a proficient solver would have completed. Unless you have a different alias as your name, i do not believe the blog has had the privilege of your comments before?. I hope that now you have been introduced, you will not be a stranger. Many thanks to Gazza for the puzzle and Prolixic for the review.
I’d like to be the second to congratulate you. I thought it was a great puzzle but the print out (can’t do it any way except on paper) seems to have gone the way of all things in our chaotic house – ie I can’t find it now but I do remember it very well. Are you a regular commenter – if so what is your alias? Whatever, well done! :smile:
I was lucky enough to win in October (I think). It was another of gazza’s puzzles. The prize books are great but the kudos was, to me, far more important and valued.
Belated thanks to Prolixic for the write-up and to all who commented and congratulations to Claire.
There are a couple of typos in the answers – 28a should be plural (i.e. PEEPSHOWS) and 8d is ECLATS.