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NTSPP 713

by Prolixic  

A Puzzle by Meles

+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - +

The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.

A review by Prolixic follows:

Across

9a  Completely agreed with international body over stopping hatred (9)
UNANIMOUS: The abbreviation for United Nations (international body) followed by the abbreviation for over inside (stopping) a six-letter word for hatred.

10a  Big spender in casino with empty beer (5)
WHALE: The outer letter (empty) of with followed by a three-letter word for beer.

11a  French newspaper not for French, it's considered useless (5)
LEMON: The name (2, 5) of a French newspaper without (not) the French for “for”

12a  Quietly despised being paraded (9)
PRESENTED: The musical abbreviation for quietly followed by an eight-letter word meaning despised.

13a  Maintain part of day to put away underwear on the counter (7)
HARBOUR: The 24th part of a day includes (to put away) a three-letter word for an item of ladies underwear reversed (on the counter).

14a  Get over a bit of standard family lying (7)
BASKING: A three-letter word meaning to get or capture around (over) the first letter (a bit) of standard and a three-letter word for family.

17a  Thing crawling around when it's dark (5)
NIGHT: An anagram (crawling around) of THING.

19a  Play from Stoppard, mostly unknown (3)
TOY: The first name of the playwright Stoppard without the final letter (mostly) followed by a letter for an algebraic unknown.

20a  England's lead revolutionary is someone who cares (5)
NURSE: A reversal (revolutionary) of the abbreviation for England (maintaining the ‘s) and a three-letter word meaning lead or manage.

21a  Tell stories about son's spaceship (7)
SLANDER: The abbreviation for son followed by a six-letter word for a spaceship.

22a  Pick up backing instrument, for once right, in concert (7)
COLLECT: The once and abbreviation for right in the word concert are replaced by a reversal (backing) of a five-letter musical instrument.

24a  He's buying absurd supercar, the ultimate symbol of wealth (9)
PURCHASER: An anagram (absurd) of SUPERCAR H (the last letter – ultimate symbol – in wealth).

26a  Hit this to break part of egg (5)
WHITE: Double definition of what you hit to begin a game of pool or snooker and part of an egg.

28a  Endangered animal captive in prestige resort (5)
TIGER: The answer is hidden (captive) in the final two words of the clue.

29a  Business leader valued being loathed (9)
EXECRATED: A four-letter word for a business executive followed by a five-letter word meaning valued.

Down

1d  Steer heavy machinery without people dropping off (4)
BULL: A type of heavy earth moving machinery without a six-letter word describing people dropping off to sleep.

2d  Restrict power going to mass field event (6)
HAMMER: A six-letter word meaning to restrict with the P (power) being replaced by M (mass).

3d  Showed the way to go by vaguely doing steps (10)
SIGNPOSTED: An anagram (vaguely) of DOING STEPS.

4d  A good conductor has two pianos amid core movement (6)
COPPER: The abbreviation for piano twice inside (amid) an anagram (movement) of CORE.

5d  Manufacture gathering (8)
ASSEMBLY: Double definition.

6d  Overly sentimental material lacks depth (4)
TWEE: A five-letter word for a type of material without (lacks) the abbreviation for depth.

7d  This rock that is essentially emerald, but less refined (8)
EARTHIER: The five-letter word describing out planet (this rock) followed by the abbreviation for id est (that is) and the middle letter (essentially) of emerald.

8d  Chief ladies at sea? (4)
HEAD: Double definition, the second being a nautical word for a toilet.

13d  Name this oddball providing clues (5)
HINTS: An anagram (oddball) of N (name) THIS.

15d  Solar energy provider develops sources of oil (10)
SUNFLOWERS: A three-letter word for a star (solar energy provider) followed by a seven-letter word meaning develops.

16d  When speaking, annoy Major (5)
GREAT: A homophone (when speaking) of grate (annoy).

18d  Party becomes tedious when first American takes off party clothes (4,4)
GLAD RAGS: A four-letter word for a party or fete followed by a five-letter word meaning becomes tedious from which letter you remove (takes off) the first A (American).

19d  3 keeping quiet over run which separates the wheat from the chaff (8)
THRESHER: The spelling of the word 3 includes (keeping) a two-letter word meaning quiet all followed by the abbreviation for run.

22d  Mini cat, perhaps Persian? (6)
CARPET: A three-letter vehicle of which a Mini is an example followed by a three-letter word describing a domesticated animal such as a cat.

23d  Formal instructions from Chambers and Collins online? (6)
EDICTS: Split 1-5, these are on-line dictionaries.

24d  What leads you beyond depression and shame? (4)
PITY: The initial letter (what leads) of you after (beyond) a three-letter word for a depression.

25d  Shave the tip off something pointy to get... something pointy (4)
HORN: A five-letter word for something point on a rose for example without the first letter (tip off).

27d  Stops broadcast after news finally hits rock bottom (4)
ENDS: A four-letter word meaning broadcast with the S (news finally) moved to the end.

22 comments on “NTSPP 713”

  1. Great entertainment for lunchtime – many thanks to Meles.
    I’m not sure that I’ve parsed 26a correctly – if I have it’s a very subtle clue.
    10a is a new meaning for me but it’s in Collins.
    Top clues for me were 22a, 1d, 7d, 18d and 22d.

  2. What a brilliant puzzle, Meles. This was nicely challenging and a joy to solve with a lot of very clever clues. 22a took me an age to parse before the penny finally dropped.

    For once, I even spotted the theme.

    My only doubt relates to 11a as I can’t recall from my somewhat limited knowledge of French that “de” can mean “for”.

    I’ve never heard of that meaning of 10a before. It is not in Chambers but it is in Collins.

    With ticks littering my page, my top picks are 1d, 8d & 22d.

    Many thanks, Meles. Please do keep them coming.

    1. Thanks RD for the kind comments. I think you are right on 11a, that needs to be from (or maybe by?). Apologies for the oversight, I’m (clearly) not a linguist so should probably avoid such clues!

    3. I think you are OK with 11a Meles. For example, my somewhat ancient Harper-Collins-Robert translates ‘It is time for dinner’ as, with dinner being masculine in French, ‘C’est l’heure du dîner’.

    4. Thanks Gazza & Senf, that’s good to know! As the saying goes, it’s better to be lucky than good 🙂.

  3. It took me a while to ‘break’ into the puzzle so I was beginning to think it was caffeine required but then everything went swimmingly (a hint to the theme?) and the caffeine became an accompaniment.

    Smiles for 11a, 21a, and 23d.

    Thanks Meles and thanks in advance to Prolixic(?).

  4. Thanks Meles, top stuff. Spotted the theme, nicely done … favourite maybe the clever 22a but also 26a as it took so long for the penny to drop. (I’m surely being a bit thick as no-one else has mentioned it but struggling to parse 20a) Thanks again!

  5. Big smiles when the penny dropped on 26a, 8d and 22d. Same thoughts as Rabbit Dave on 11a.

    Great puzzle, thanks Meles.

  6. I had quite a few fights on my hands with this one and I’m not sure I’d have filled in all the little squares had it not been for picking up on the theme courtesy of 14a.
    Some of the parsing remains a mystery so I’ll be anxious to read the review.

    Thanks to Meles despite it being a bit too challenging for me!

  7. We spotted the theme when we were about three quarters through and this was a big help towards a completion.
    A very enjoyable solve and much appreciated.
    Thanks Meles.

  8. Despite a blindingly obvious theme (well it is once you’ve been alerted to the fact there is one) it passed me by. Struggled a bit to get on wavelength & a couple still to parse but enjoyed the solve aided by a single letter reveal. Rather wish I’d tackled it earlier when a bit more with it. Re the 10a meaning I first got to know the term in relation to the losses sustained by Kerry Packer in Crockfords casino in Mayfair in the late 90s – he lost over 15 million quid in 3 days.
    Thanks Meles

  9. I failed to notice a theme (as usual) but did get my teeth in this last night and ‘fin’ish it off without too many scary moments. Of the many good clues, the ones that rocked my boat were 9a, 24a and 1d. Thanks for a very enjoyable puzzle, Meles, and thanks to Prolixic for a nicely illustrated review.

  10. Many thanks for the very well illustrated review, Prolixic. Thought I was reasonably au fait with shark types but there were three here that caught me out. Well done indeed for fitting so many into the grid, Meles.

  11. Thanks again to Meles for the entertaining puzzle and thanks to Prolixic for the explanations and excellent pictures (I had no idea that there were so many themed entries).
    For 20a I can’t find any confirmation that E is an acceptable abbreviation for England (as opposed to English).

    1. Yes I’ll hold my hands up on 20a. It’s listed as American in Collins online so that was a bit careless – will watch out for that in future!

  12. Thanks to everyone for the comments and to Prolixic for the wonderfully illustrated review. Well done for getting all the sharks, there were certainly a few in there I hadn’t heard of before setting this one!

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