Monthly Prize Puzzle – 048
May 2016
A Puzzle by Radler
Congratulations to Nigel F who successfully managed solve this tricky Radler puzzle, see the Nina that ran from the first letter of 9d diagonally down to the final letter of 32a – FRUIT AND NUTS – and realise that the solution to 1a was BANANAS. This enabled him to enter the competition and, as he was the lucky person picked from the electronic ‘hat’ by Mrs BD, Nigel can now claim a Hamlyn Telegraph Crossword Book as his prize.
I did smile at all the comments about what a beast the NW corner was. When I first met this crossword, I had four goes at it, including asking both Mrs Bradford and the Chambers Crossword Dictionary for assistance, and sent it back to our deviously difficult setter with the NW corner unfilled apart from one solution. Interestingly, the final version only had one clue changed in that corner, so well done to all the people who finished the crossword and submitted an entry.
Do tell, after all the struggle to solve the crossword and find the answer to submit to the competition, how many people actually noticed it was a pangram?!
Across
1a See preamble (7)
BANANAS – a word that can mean either a fruit or nuts in the sense of crazy.
5a A long way from politically correct… pinching bottom! (6)
PARSEC – PC (politically correct) ‘pinching’ an ARSE (bottom)
11a Sly Max reserved funds to divorce wife (7)
ARCHEST – The most (max) sly – ‘divorce’ the W (wife) from a WARCHEST.
12a Conceivably quaint, conclusively vintage (7)
ANTIQUE – An anagram (conceivably) of QUAINT plus the concluding letter of vintagE
13a This country’s all about Open Society (5)
SYRIA – A reversal (all about) of AIRY (open) and S (society)
14a Iris radically customised Morris Motor, spending thousands (5-4)
ORRIS-ROOT – An anagram (customised) of MORRIS MOTOR, once you have removed the Ms (spending thousands in Roman numerals).
15a Hide jacket and collars (3)
TAN – Hidden in (collars) jackeT ANd
16a Patch puncture after leaving race in pole position (5)
PIECE – The letter R is in pole position in the word Race – it should be removed from PIERCE (puncture) to give us the solution.
17a Reminder for day (4)
PROD – PRO (for) D (day)
18a Without finishing beer, compare skirts below the knee (4)
CALF – CF (compare) ‘skirts’ or goes round ALe (unfinished beer)
20a Just a day before the first of November (4)
EVEN – EVE (a day before) N (the first of November)
22a Note, not quite thigh-length (4)
MINI – Not quite a MINIm (note)
23a Beaming pedestrian overtakes characters on roundabout (2,3)
ON AIR – Hidden and reversed (roundabout) in pedestRIAN Overtakes.
26a Opening speech “The European Dung Beetle” (3)
DOR – A homophone (speech) of DOOR (opening)
27a Adult on Ecstasy pickets church, returning damned (9)
EXECRATED – X[-]RATED (adult) goes on or after E (Ecstasy) and pickets (surrounds) a reversal (returning) of CE (Church of England).
28a Shoulder joint (5)
ELBOW – Double definition, the first one meaning to push someone out of the way.
29a Illicit? Japanese school subject (7)
CITIZEN – The ? indicates that you are to make an anagram (ill) of ICIT and then follow it with ZEN (a Japanese school).
30a With it you bet right, I guarantee (7)
INSURER – IN (with it, SURE (you bet) R (right)
31a Lessen from head doctor (6)
SHRINK – Another double definition, the second one being an informal term for a psychiatrist.
32a Spun long story outlining mission plans (7)
AGENDAS – SAGA (long story) reversed and put outside END (mission)
Down
2d Prosecutor raised hand to condemn (7)
ACCURSE – ‘raise’ the R (right) hand in ACCUSER or move it further back in the word
3d Experts admitted flavour lacking soupçon of sea salts (8)
ACETATES – ACES (experts) admitted or had inserted TASTE without the S that is a ‘soupcon’ of sea.
4d Anticipating no changes to Jackson’s work (6,8)
ACTION PAINTING – An anagram (changes) of ANTICIPATING NO gives us the type of painting for which Jackson Pollock is known.
6d Arthur’s time as a performer (6)
ARTIST – ART IS (abbreviated Arthur, extended ‘s) T (time)
7d This, having elephantine trunk, providing quasi eco case for evolution (7)
SEQUOIA – A really really large (elephantine) tree is obtained from an anagram (providing for evolution) QUASI and EO (the latter being the case or outside of ECO)
8d American Bureau makes shrewd forecast (5,2,7)
CHEST OF DRAWERS – What an American would call a bureau is an anagram (makes) of SHREWD FORECAST
9d Misrepresentation overlooks nurses regularly sloshed before 10 (5,9)
FALSE PRETENCES – FACES (overlooks) goes round (nurses) the regular letters of sLoShEd and PRE-TEN (before 10)
10d Adequate air to male choked by use of strings (4,2,8)
FAIR TO MIDDLING – AIR TO (from the clue) M (male) choked by, or inserted into, FIDDLING (use of strings)
19d Danish chemist burning with just 2/3 of burner (8)
SORENSEN – SORE (burning) with the last two thirds of a buNSEN burner.
21d Leaving seat, run away from someone in denial (7)
EJECTOR – Remove the (run) from a REJECTOR (someone in denial)
24d Last bear in wild, migrated from South American province (7)
ALBERTA – An anagram (wild) of LAST BEAR without the S (migrated from South)
25d Saucy strip requires epilation at front for naked Lilian (6)
BRAZEN – BRAZILIAN (a waxing process that makes one’s eyes water just to think about it) needs the E (epilation ‘at front’) in place of the ILIA (the inside or naked letters of lILIAn
Thanks to Radler and Mr and Mrs BD for their parts in this MPP production.
In my original comment about this tough but excellent puzzle, I said that I had three questions and three half-parsed answers. Many thanks to CS for resolving all of those for me.
I also mentioned that one of the answers involved a pet hate of mine. There should be no such word as “agendas” which is a plural of a plural. Sadly it has become such common usage that, to misquote Winston Churchill slightly, it is something up with which I will have to put.
:cry:
I remember having this discussion with Gazza but he quoted the BRB. Nothing can be done now.
Congratulations to Nigel F.
Got the last two in 11a and 2d with a little big help from a friend. But missed the NINA totally.
Didn’t enter the prize.
Thanks again to Radler for the brain teaser and to CS for the review.
Never did settle on the answers for 11a&2d, despite the fact that both of the words that turned out to be correct appeared in my scribbles along the way. The most galling thing is that, whilst I was attempting to get 2d to begin with ‘AD’ for a raised prosecutor, I did pencil in ‘bananas’ as a potential for 1a! Without the vital R & U of fruit, I couldn’t spot the hidden clue so that was the end of any hope of the prize.
Thanks (I think!) to Radler and congratulations to Nigel F.
Much appreciated the review, CS – particularly the parsing of 18a and that wretched reverse hidden in 23a. As for the pangram – totally missed it!
Congratulations Nigel F. A really challenging prize puzzle and I remember a very satisfied feeling when I eventually got it all sorted.
Thanks again Radler and Sue for the review.
Thank you Sue and Congratulations to Nigel
In hindsight, I should probably have taken account of the missing checking letters from 1 across and compensated by providing slightly easier clues in that quadrant. However, BD told me that he received a lot of correct entries, so well done to everybody who completed the puzzle. (And apologies to those of you who were cursing me.)