QPP 124 (Review)

Quarterly Prize Puzzle No 124– Review

July 2023

Just Saying – A Puzzle by Radler

Many congratulations to David Broatch, who can bask in the honour and glory of being this quarter’s winner.

Radler made us work hard before we could submit a competition entry but eventually it was possible to see that the shaded letters reveal A CHUM IN NEED EQUALS A MATE so the saying required is A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND IN DEED

Across

1a    Radler’s one funny pun does well retrospectively (9)
PSEUDONYM – An anagram (funny) of PUN DOES followed by a reversal (retrospectively) of MY (an interjection of surprise (well))

6a    Just when party’s beginning on social media, I see jelly (5)
ASPIC – AS (just when), the letter at the beginning of Party and IC (an abbreviated way (as used on social media) of writing I see)

9a    Point of eccentric path Dad retraced with his daughter (5)
APSIS – A reversal (retraced) of PA (another name for dad) with SIS (Dad’s daughter would be your sister)

10a    Had pet rat fed nut (9)
CANOODLED – CAD (rat or terrible person) ‘fed’ NOODLE (an informal term for an idiot (nut))

11a    Riddles after cross-dresser image surfaces at home (2,7)
TV SCREENS – SCREENS (riddles) follows TV, an abbreviation for a cross-dresser

12a    Use a disguise on the telephone (5)
AVAIL – A (from the clue) and a homophone (on the telephone) of VEIL (disguise)

13a    Running through last letter with regions (5)
ZONED – ON (working or running) inserted  into ZED (the last letter of the alphabet)

14a    Stick around Sally, Charlie’s left supplies (9)
EQUIPMENT – cEMENT (stick without the C -Charlie’s left) goes around QUIP (sally)

16a    Low-fat pack hides refinement (9)
POLITESSE – LITE (low-fat) is hidden in POSSE (pack)

18a    Celebrity hugging student’s disgusting (5)
GLORY – GORY (disgusting or distasteful) ‘hugging’ L (student)

20a    E.g. upright pitcher and beer cask on counter (5)
TUNER –  TUN (beer cask) and a reversal (counter) of RE (the usual on the subject of)

22a    Under attack, strike melted plastic seals (9)
EMBATTLED – An anagram (plastic) of MELTED ‘seals’ BAT (strike)

25a    With congestion affecting delivery, attorney probes Gulf oil (9)
ADENOIDAL – DA (abbreviated district attorney) ‘probes’ ADEN (place in the Arabian Gulf) and OIL (from the clue)

26a    Fake documentation not able to be changed (5)
RIGID – RIG (fake) ID (documentation)

27a    This ox did play strangely (5)
ODDLY – This refers to the relevant letters in Ox DiD pLaY

28a    Now tomorrow‘s confirmed, eat dry nuts (9)
YESTERDAY – YES (confirmed) and an anagram (nuts) of EAT DRY

Down

1d    Whence aim and ultimately pocket? (5)
PLANT – A reference to the game of snooker – PLAN (aim) and the ultimate letter of pockeT

2d    Gradually introduces drugs in speech at function (5,2)
EASES IN – A homophone (in speech) of Es (drugs) followed by SIN (a trigonometrical function)

3d    Shame about booze, music, endless sex (9)
DISCREDIT – RED [wine] (booze) inserted between DISCo (‘endless’ music) and IT (an informal word for sex)

4d    Fulfilling position shared by platonic heterosexuals (5)
NICHE – Hidden in (shared by) platoNIC HEterosexuals

5d    Fine take on appalling clue (9)
MINUSCULE  – MINUS (take) goes on (in a Down solution) an anagram (appalling) of CLUE

6d    Fragranza alla capitale? (5)
AROMA – How an Italian might refer to the smell of their capital city

7d    Chopper using field south of river, needs gas (7)
POLEAXE – PO (Italian river), LEA (field) XE (chemical symbol for the gas Xenon)

8d    Comforter duty combined sadly with cold end to holiday (6,3)
CUDDLY TOY – An anagram (sadly) of DUTY combined with COLD followed by the ‘end’ to holidaY

13d    Heel tapping hare devoured stew (9)
ZAPATEADO – A lively Spanish dance involving much stamping of the heels – ZAP (hare or move quickly)), ATE (devoured) ADO (stew in the sense of a lot of fuss)

14d    Cooking ready, eats feast (6,3)
EASTER DAY – An anagram (cooking) of READY EATS

15d    Messenger modelled there (4,5)
PAGE THREE – You probably have to be a certain age to remember when Melinda Messenger modelled for a particular newspaper and where her photograph was to be found – PAGE (messenger) and an anagram (modelled) of THERE

17d    North Sea reported drilling top oil source (7)
LINSEED – The abbreviation for North and a homophone (reported) of SEA ‘drilling’ or going inside LID (top)

19d    Bound book describing adult patrolling lake (7)
OBLIGED – OED (Oxford English Dictionary, book) goes round (describing) BIG (adult), the latter ‘patrolling’ or going round the abbreviation for Lake

21d    Generously cut shrubby bush at front away (5)
ROOMY – Remove the first letter of Bush from the front of bROOMY (shrubby like a broom bush)

23d    Hurriedly eats pair of nuts (5)
BOLTS – Hurriedly eats or what goes with nuts to make a pair

24d    Unknown adult involved with daughters, one with child (5)
DADDY – An anagram (involved) of Y (a mathematical unknown), the abbreviation for Adult and three lots of the abbreviation for Daughter