QPP 124 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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QPP 124

by Mr K  

Quarterly Prize Puzzle (Jul 2023)

Just Saying by Radler

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Why not have a go at our latest Quarterly Prize Puzzle?

The winner will receive their choice of any of the Telegraph Crossword Books the glory of winning, at least until new financial arrangements for running the blog are in place.

A review will follow after the closing date (15th Jul 2023).

The competition is now closed

The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.

Please read the instructions carefully.

I’ve left this post open for comments, but if you don’t want your comment to be deleted then do not provide any help for other solvers or mention any detail about the puzzle, especially references to individual clues, until after the closing date.

9 comments on “QPP 124”

  1. What a nice surprise it was to receive notification of this puzzle last night. Not only an MPP/QPP but a Radler to boot – so much to anticipate! And true to form, Radler did not disappoint and has set us a very challenging puzzle (for me, at least). Several clues held me at bay as I was unfamiliar with the words, and in a couple of these part of the wordplay too! However, checkers and the bits of wordplay I could fathom out helped me to complete the grid, albeit 13d took a couple of attempts before the dictionary agreed with my proposed answer. I have picked out three favourites from each direction: 1, 20 & 27 across and 3, 15 & 23 down (15d despite not being a subscriber – but it has become almost folklore in the UK :smile: ). I don’t speak Italian, but 6d did make me chuckle. The only query left on my printout is a piece of 9a which I am not familar with. Once the grid was filled, the nicely constructed riddle did not take long to unravel, so my answer will be submitted shortly.
    Many thanks to Radler for setting us this highly entertaining poser.

  3. Obviously been far too long since we last wrestled with the Radler fiend and I am currently wading through treacle which will no doubt greatly amuse him!
    Thank goodness I’ve got a bit of time to get my act together……..

    1. I hope you’re doing much better than I am, Jane. I’m finding it exceptionally tough… and exceedingly slow to yield.

  4. It was a long slow process working through the grid fill and then another long slow process of staring at the shaded cells.
    Eventually EUREKA.
    Thanks for the fun Radler.

  5. My goodness that was tough. Jane’s use of the epithet “fiend” for Radler fits the bill perfectly. This took several sittings over several days to complete and I still have two answers not fully parsed. However I did enjoy the challenge and felt a sense of great satisfaction when I ended up with a full grid.

    The final step of identifying the well-known saying was thankfully more straightforward.

    Thanks very much, Radler. This was devious and very clever.

    1. More straightforward? I’ve been sitting for most of the afternoon staring at a jumble of letters……….

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