NTSPP – 301
Crumpled Heap by Vigo
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
This is Vigo’s first NTSPP puzzle since her debut in The Independent.
A review of this puzzle by crypticsue follows:
Vigo’s introduction said: “Crumpled Heap is named in honour of the first clue I ever wrote that crypticsue put a star next to when she test-solved it. (I treasure them when they do appear!).”
I can’t find the crossword with this particular clue in it, but I did find the first one I ever test-solved for Vigo back in October 2013 and, far be it from me to call her a fibber, but there were two clues meriting a * in that one too!! This week’s NTSPP is an enjoyable pangram which I solved all over again as I couldn’t find the original test grid, before giving the week’s ‘crumpled heap’ my full attention.
Across
1a Angus’s regular treatment of acne makes little difference (6)
NUANCE The regular letters of aNgUs followed by an anagram (treatment of) ACNE.
4a Work place back in use (6)
OFFICE Split the workplace 3,3 and you get an expression meaning the opposite of postponed (back in use)
8a Twist in groin results in crumpled heap in need of attention (7)
IRONING An anagram (twist) of IN GROIN.
9a Rifle continued to fire (7)
RANSACK Another way of saying continued plus a word meaning dismiss (fire).
11a Thorough police force has one copper with tortured soul (10)
METICULOUS The abbreviation for the police force in London, the letter that looks like a number one, the chemical symbol for copper and an anagram (tortured) of SOUL.
12a Sense negative energy surrounding Scotland’s leader (4)
NOSE The word used when being negative, and the abbreviation for Energy, ‘surround’ the leading letter of Scotland.
13a Colourist holds right to salon equipment (5)
DRYER Insert an R (holds right) into someone who stains something a different colour
14a An A & E gown growing bacterium from septic tank? (8)
ANAEROBE AN A E (all from the clue) and a gown.
16a I have a partner that’s flawed (8)
IMPAIRED Combine the words used when you’d say you had a partner.
18a Kiss damaged flesh (5)
GRAZE To pass lightly along the surface of (kiss) or a scrape on the surface of the skin.
20a Idiot takes in quietly dangerous creatures (4)
ASPS The musical abbreviation meaning to play quietly inserted into an idiot.
21a City scoundrel suffering in Post Office slip-up (10)
PECCADILLO A trifling misdemeanour – Insert into the abbreviation for Post Office, the letters used in the postcode of the area of London where the ‘city’ can be found, a scoundrel and another way of saying ailing (suffering).
23a Intended to suppress initial naughtiness and be an angel (7)
FINANCE These angels back theatrical ventures – insert the first letter (initial) of Naughtiness into a lady’s “intended”.
24a Capacitor endlessly churned out farinaceous substance (7)
TAPIOCA Remove the ends of CAPACITOR and make an anagram (churned out) of the letters you have left.
25a Bashful about blunder making drink (6)
SHERRY Insert a way of saying blunder or mistake into an alternative for bashful.
26a Flies in the morning finding rubbish (6)
JETSAM Travels by plane (flies) and the abbreviation used to indicate morning.
Down
1d Fibrous cord within inner ventricle (5)
NERVE Hidden within inNER VEntricle
2d Night in Paris following an unknown payment (7)
ANNUITY AN (from the clue) followed by the French (in Paris) word for night and a mathematical unknown.
3d Champion to take in queen and queen’s men (9)
CONQUEROR A slang term meaning to take in, an abbreviation for queen, the regnal cipher for our current queen, and the two letters used to mean ordinary ranks of soldiers (men).
5d ` Female fish unravels (5)
FRAYS The abbreviation for Female and some flat-bodied fish.
6d Containers lacking firm and robust base spill out more nuts (7)
INSANER Remove the abbreviation for company (lacking firm) and the ‘base’ of robust from CONTAINERS and then make an anagram (out) of the remaining letters.
7d Old guy takes in American minor (9)
EXCUSABLE A prefix meaning former (old) and a rope (guy) into which is inserted the abbreviation for the United States.
10d Commanding Officer cut after battle shows lack of valour (9)
COWARDICE The abbreviation for Commanding Officer, a state of conflict (battle) and a verb meaning to cut into small cubes.
13d Servants‘ disagreements (9)
DOMESTICS House servants or an informal term for some disagreements
15d Drive up the wall using tank found in dilapidated garage (9)
AGGRAVATE A large vessel or tank inserted into an anagram (dilapidated) of GARAGE.
17d Cool down cooked sausage (7)
ASSUAGE An anagram (cooked) of SAUSAGE
19d Friendships barmaid regularly restricts (7)
AMITIES The regular letters of bArMaId followed by a verb meaning restricts
21d One taking steps to go over backwards (5)
PACER A reversal (backwards) of a verb meaning to go over the chief points again.
22d Alternate site, lacking finish, starting to moulder (5)
LOCUM Remove the final letter (lacking finish) of a Latin word meaning site and replace with the ‘start’ of Moulder.
Super puzzle and a pangram to boot – thanks Vigo. The surface readings are excellent. My last answer was 14a because I was trying to use septic tank as rhyming slang. Best of some excellent clues for me are 8a, 23a and 3d.
Very nice Vigo
and yes, 8a stands out as a favourite! My last one in was 16a, also very nice. The puzzle wasn’t overly taxing and had lovely aha moments, beautiful surfaces and cleverly disguised definitions. I liked 21a (post office slip up), 1d (treatment of acne making little difference), 23a (intended to suppress initial naughtiness and be an angel), 2d (night in paris…), 7d (american minor) and much much more.
And I noticed the pangram for once
Many thanks Vigo, lovely stuff.
Lovely stuff – thanks Vigo. Just the right level of difficulty to provide an enjoyable diversion on this dismal wet and grey day.
Farinaceous was a new or forgotten word for me, and 7d was my last in.
My favourite is 16a, narrowly beating off 23a.
11a and 21a are up there too, and of course, the titular 8a.
Many thanks Vigo, and thanks in advance for the review.
Thanks Vigo and CS in advance.
Good straightforward puzzle with characteristic smooth surfaces. I got a little stuck in the NE corner; the definition for 7d seemed a bit odd but it’s in Chambers, so perhaps it’s just me being odd.
Lots of nice clues; I think my favourites were 23, 7 & 9 with honours also to 8. The pangram helped me with 26.
How many favourites?! You’ll be in trouble when Kath gets here.
I blame the Web
I too was held up a bit in the NE corner, but overall this was a lovely pangram which was not too difficult. I very much enjoyed it all – except for 6d, which for me was rather too convoluted. 14a made me laugh, and I thought 8a, 9a, 23a, 7d, & 13d were excellent.
Well done Vigo and thanks for the entertainment.
That was delightful, Vigo, thank you very much.
Quite happy to admit that I had to consult Mr. G about farinaceous substances and stuff that grows in septic tanks, but that didn’t detract from the enjoyment.
List of potential favourites is ridiculously long so I’ll content myself with mentions for 4,8,11&16a plus 2&10d.
Off to deal with my own ‘twist in groin’ now!
Too clever by half for me I am obviously in the minus entry level, got a few answers but have no idea about pangram roll on the decode tomorrow when my stupidity will be revealed. OH has given paper back so I will see what sort of a mess I can make of that.
Can I just ask, before you give up with the NTSPP and indeed the other puzzles and resort to your box of tissues, have you tried putting the crossword down for an hour or so and seeing how you get on again when you come back to it? There is a part of your brain tucked away at the back somewhere that carries on working out the clues while the rest of your brain concentrates on something else entirely. Why not give it a go – it’ll save money on all those tissues.
I absolutely agree with your advice. There’s been many a time when I think I will never solve a particular clue and I sleep on it only to find the answer pops into my head as I’m waking up. I also get inspiration in the shower!
Silly me I have just reread the definition of pangram again in FAQs to realise that I had effectively forgotten what it was and was looking for the wrong thing. Perhaps I am not that bad. Thank you for advice.
Just super! Loads of favorites, including 8A, 14A ( I actually knew the word!), 21A, 6D, 7D, and 22D. Coincidentally 24A also appears in a DT puzzle today. Thanks, Vigo, especially for the quirkiness! I thoroughly enjoyed the unraveling process.
Excellent stuff that we really enjoyed. 7d and 14a were our last two in and we’ll vote for 14a as our favourite. We had picked the pangram.
Thanks Vigo.
Very enjoyable, I was listing all my likes but in truth them all really.I am going to pick 7d as my favourite.
Thanks Vigo.
Great stuff. Consistently high standard of clues which makes it hard to pick a favourite.
Vigo, you’re clearly an expert at the daisy chain style of charade clue – like 11a, 14a, 21a, 3d and 10d; each subtly different in construction style and each with a smooth surface, but, apart from the clue in the title, I’d give my vote to 9a – straightforward wordplay with a completely deceptive surface – perfect!.
Absolutely brilliant, Vigo.
Not as difficult as I was expecting, and as others have said it was full of excellent constructions and flawless surfaces. Music to my ears!
Especially nice to see your “crumpled heap” featuring in one of the clues. The “farinaceous substance” in 24a also appeared in Friday’s Giovanni backpager coincidentally.
Difficult to choose a favourite, but I’ll plump for 23a.
Many thanks for a superbly entertaining crossword.
Many thanks for the excellent review CS. Reading all the clues again highlighted the exquisite surface constructions. A joy and an inspiration.
Thank you, CS – goodness knows how you find the time to test solve/review so many puzzles!
Any particular clues that earned a * from you this time?
Thank you CS for confirming that despite my initials fears I had solved this little masterpiece also for your encouraging words. In future I will take your advice and not panic but set aside and come back. Thanks also to Vigo look forward to next one.
Sorry email address went in wrong
Already sorted!
Thank you.
Thanks to CS for the review – due to computer meltdown I don’t have a record of the original puzzle in which the crumpled heap featured but it is he first star I remember getting on a test solve. Thank you also to everyone for your comments and, of course, to Big Dave for being such a wonderful host!
V x
I’ve just sent you (and CS) a copy of Vigo 2.
Thank you. I’m not sure I’ll actually be able to solve it though! First read through I could only see three answers. V
We could argue about this all day – I think Vigo 2 must be on my work computer but at home I have my solved grid of Vigo 1 dated 20 October 2013 with stars by both 4d and 17d.
I believe you. It’s obviously not just my computer’s memory that’s failing…
Many thanks to Vigo for this very refreshing and well deserved break as the whole country seems to be at a standstill.
The NE corner gave me a lot of problems as I put ” inanest” in 6d.
CS seems to have made the same mistake in her review.
The pangram helped as I was still missing K, Z, X,and B.
Agree that the surface was wonderful and favourite is 8a.
Thanks to Vigo for cheering me up and to CS for the review.
Well spotted – I have corrected my undeliberate mistake now.
A bit late here today but just had to whizz in quickly to say how much I enjoyed this one.
It just shows how a crossword doesn’t need to be so difficult as to make all of us tear our hair out to be enjoyable.
I knew what farinaceous meant and had met 14a before.
I was slow with 21a.
I liked 1a and 13d. My favourite was the crumpled heap.
With thanks and congratulations to Vigo for setting such a good crossword and to CS for the review.