Monthly Prize Puzzle 085 – Review

June 2019

A Puzzle by Radler

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Congratulations to our June winner – Letterboxroy – who wins  a Telegraph crossword book of his choice 

He successfully solved this particularly tough Radler, and that included deciphering the instructions before even starting on the clues!

In the completed grid, the cells along the top and bottom rows will contain the jumbled letters of the first five words (3,3,6,2,2) of a six-word expression. The sixth word is one of the answers. A clue to the entire expression may be found in one of the diagonals (13 letters).

The diagonal running from top to bottom of the grid says “That’s all I need”. The six-word phrase “I’ve got enough on my plate” is obtained from an anagram of the letters across the top and bottom of the grid, followed by the solution to 15a

Across

9a    Depot at end of the strip (5)
ETAPE – E (the end of thE) TAPE (strip)

10a    Head surgeon hides worker outside theatre (9) 
TREPANNER – TANNER (a worker of leather hides) goes outside REP (repertory theatre)

11a    Mother touring Latin American state (7)
BELARUS – BEAR (have a child, mother) ‘touring’ L (Latin), the result finished with US (American)

12a    Veto takes over year to satisfy one abroad (7)
NULLIFY – A reversal (takes over) of Y (year) FILL (satisfy) UN (French – abroad – indefinite article)

13a    Fashionable guy returns ladies’ dresses (9)
GARNISHES – A reversal (returns) of IN RAG (guy or teaser) followed by SHES (ladies)

15a    Illustration showing Penny after bedtime (5)
PLATE – P (penny) LATE (after bedtime)

16a    Translate: “un gluant à la gare” (possibly French) (7,8)
NATURAL LANGUAGE – An anagram (translate) of UN GLUANT A LA GARE

19a    Souvenir of priest entering church? (5)
RELIC – ELI (priest) inserted in RC (Roman Catholic church)

21a    Without shrinking volts and amps, supply drops power (9)
VALIANTLY – V (volts) A (amps) pLIANTLY (supply drops p for power)

23a    In Cadillac? I don’t recall getting from point to point (7)
NODICAL – A reversed (recall) lurker found in cadilLAC I DON’t

24a    Inches from rear, separated boy from girl guides (7)
INDEXES – IN (inches) and a reversal (from rear) of SEXED (separated boy from girl)

26a    Ground of Western area of England (3,6)
NEW FOREST – An anagram (ground) of OF WESTERN

27a    Blinking fishy? (5)
RUDDY – Fishy like a rudd?

Down

1d    What’s taught in Grammar class? (4)
VERB – Cryptic definition – taught being an example of a verb

2d    Russell’s picture showing lady’s entrance into foreign harem (6)
MAHLER – An anagram (foreign) of HAREM into which is inserted the L that is the ‘entrance’ of lady

3d    With more enthusiasm he’s less Philistine (8)
HEARTIER – HE (from the clue) ARTIER (less Philistine)

4d    Written about stuff in Platonic letters (4)
ETAS – Greek letters (as used by Plato) are obtained from a reversal (about) of SATE (stuff)

5d    Bouncer sent in building before dance (6,4)
TENNIS BALL – An anagram (building) of SENT IN before BALL (dance)

6d    Seal performing in a pool, finally ended (4,2)
NAIL UP – An anagram (performing) of IN A, plus L (pool ‘finally’) and UP (ended)

7d    Restricted restraint if adaptable, provides resistance (8)
INTIFADA – Lurking in (restricted) restraINT IF ADAptable

8d    Poem old Americans say in cathedral (5,5)
GRAYS ELEGY – GRAY (how American’s might spell a word meaning old) followed by EG (say) inserted into ELY (cathedral)

13d    Workers rebuilt inner gallery originally in decay (10)
GANGRENING – GANG (workers) and an anagram (rebuilt) of INNER followed by G (the original letter of Gallery)

14d    Stroke, holly leaf very prickly hollyleaf (4,6)
HALF VOLLEY An anagram (prickly) of HOLLYLEAF and V (very)

17d    Be patronising to instruct pilot (4,4)
TALK DOWN – double definition

18d    Fine wine and piano gets workers in voice (5,3)
GRAND CRU – GRAND (piano) gets a homophone (in voice) of CREW (workers)

20d    Gaga and one fostered by singer (6)
CUCKOO – A slang term meaning crazy or a bird that uses a songbird to rear its chicks

22d    Day before party, rings unknown DJ (6)
TUXEDO – TUE (day) before DO (party) ‘rings’ X (mathematical unknown)

24d    One’s not mad, but crazy about… (4)
INTO – I (one) and an anagram (mad) of NOT

25d    Spot first one to go, yet last to leave (4)
STYE – Remove the I (one to go) from 1ST (first) and take the last letter away from YEt

Thanks to Radler and Mr and Mrs BD for their parts in the June MPP process