NTSPP 714 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

NTSPP 714

A Puzzle by Chalicea

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

The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.

One of Chalicea's least "ghostly" themed crosswords

Across

1a    Closely interwoven mass gathering for dancing (4)
BALL Double definition

3a    `Stress involving legwear from time to time and dress principally for airline attendant (10)
STEWARDESS STRESS (from the clue) 'involving' the even (from time to time) letters of lEgWeAr and the principal letter of Dress

10da    Practical joke's period of calm about, say, beginning of prank (3-4)
LEG-PULL A period of calm goes 'about' the abbreviation meaning say, for example, and the beginning of Prank

11a    Refuse to go along with and treat with contempt old Turkish governor (7)
DISOBEY A slang verb meaning to treat with contempt, the abbreviation for old and a Turkish governor

12a    Doctor returns holding essentially stoutish can for depositing (7)
PUTTING A reversal (returns) of an abbreviated doctor 'holding' the essential letters of stoUTish and a can

13a    Some poverty-stricken co-religionists call for more (6)
ENCORE Hidden in strickEN CO-REligionists

15a    Border of a projection cut short (5)
APRON A (from the clue) and a truncated (cut short) projection

16a    Sadly balsa rots; oppressive and inescapable fact (9)
ALBATROSS An anagram (sadly) of BALSA ROTS

18a    Every one different; what couples have (4,5)
EACH OTHER Every one separately considered and an adjective meaning different

21a    Urge along river in steep descent (5)
DRIVE The abbreviation for River inserted into a steep descent

23a    Bride troubled about one little flier (6)
BIRDIE An anagram (troubled) of BRIDE into which is inserted I (one)

25a    Common cornfield weed's infesting insect and destruction (7)
BUGLOSS An infesting insect and some destruction

27a    Drunkenly reeling, giving a sly look (7)
LEERING An anagram (drunkenly) of REELING

28a    Stunning article we to such an extent note (7)
AWESOME A (indefinite article) WE (from the clue), an adverb meaning to such an extent and a musical note

29a    Many labels muddled, of course (2,3,5)
BY ALL MEANS An anagram (muddled) of MANY LABELS

30a    Heroic deed of inferior members, we're told. (4)
FEAT A homophone of some 'inferior' members of the body

Down

1d    Dance musician? He takes the field (10)
BALLPLAYER A dance and a musician

2d    Less heavy flat-bottomed barge (7)
LIGHTER Double definition

4d    Newspaper's system for distance communication (9)
TELEGRAPH Double definition

5d    Wide border of type of shoe heel (5)
WEDGE The abbreviation for Wide and a border

6d    Somewhat prosecutable configuration of gemstones (4-3)
ROSECUT Hidden in the second word of the clue

7d    Ban insane mob rage (7)
EMBARGO An anagram (insane) of MOB RAGE

8d    Oddly spot unknown article, a bean (4)
SOYA The odd letters of SpOt, a mathematical unknown and an indefinite article

9d    Trouble for member of British students' club (6)
BUNION The abbreviation for British and a club for students

14d    Evaluation of men's assets reshuffled (10)
ASSESSMENT An anagram (reshuffled) of MENS ASSETS

17d    Porridge with grain I included for nitwit (9)
BIRDBRAIN An informal term for a prison sentence (porridge) with a type of grain into which is inserted I (from the clue)

19d    Idle fancy of harmony with artist (7)
CHIMERA To sound in harmony and the usual abbreviation for artist

20d    Out of date invoice for the men in blue (3,4)
OLD BILL The nickname for the police force – out of date plus a bill

21d    Canine limb's sharp bend (6)
DOGLEG A canine and a limb

22d    Atomic variant of an element is nothing to emptily propose (7)
ISOTOPE IS (from the clue) the letter representing nothing, TO (from the clue) and the outside (emptily) letters of ProposE

24d    Hound, losing head for majestic flier (5)
EAGLE A type of hound with (losing) its first letter

26d    Set clue not completely second rate (4)
CLUB Almost all of CLUe and the letter representing something second rate

 

 

16 comments on “NTSPP 714

  1. I reported that today’s SPP was light and fun. This NTSPP was even lighter but equally good fun.

    A couple of the anagrams involved a very minimal change of the fodder, and my repetition radar made a very tiny squeak with “some” and “somewhat” both being used as lurker indicators.

    I didn’t know 25a but it was easily derivable from the clue.

    I think I found 11 theme items.

    Many thanks to Chalicea and in advance to CS.

  2. Enjoyably completed accompanied by the first caffeine of the day. It was needed to sort out the, previously unknown to me, 25a which caused a ‘slowing down’ in the SE. I was a little surprised that 1d started with 1a.

    Smiles for 10a, 12a, 21d, and 22d.

    A word of caution – if you refer to an airline attendant as a 3a these days you might end up needing some medical treatment!

    Thanks to Chalicea and in advance to CS.

  3. Not my day today. Put picker in at 1d (seemed to fit the theme – I drive one on the range) which threw a spanner into the works & couldn’t get 15a as a result. Pressed check then saw my error. I’ve 10 themed one with 11 if you include 1d. Very enjoyable.
    Thanks to Chalicea & in advance to CS

  4. Think I’ve found 12 themers but it wouldn’t surprise me if Chalicea’s personal thesaurus has come up with more!
    Nice wordplay in 10a and 22d but I wondered whether 1d needed the addition of ‘to’ in the second part of the clue?

    Many thanks to Chalicea for a light and bright NTSPP.

  5. Really enjoyable, thank you Chalicea. Mr T says, like Senf, he was surprised that 1d started the same as 1a. We found 11 items. We look forward, as always, to Chalicea’s next offering. Thank you also to CS.

  6. Thanks Chalicea, good fun g relatively straightforward – 25a LOI & new to me, nicely clued. 9d favourite. The theme’s not my bag but I think I’ve spotted 11. Thanks again :-)

  7. Late getting on to this but well worth the wait.
    Spotted the theme early on which helped.
    All good fun.
    Thanks Chalicea.

  8. As usual I completely missed the theme but that did not spoil my enjoyment of a really good puzzle. Thanks Chalicea and more of the same soon please.

  9. I am usually poor at spotting themes, but there were enough links here to set me on course :wink:
    I don’t know if it was intentional by Chalicea, but perhaps 6d added an additional 2 to a list of more conventional theme members? Overall, I thought this was a very enjoyable puzzle. I particularly liked 16a and 18a, and I required only one reference – for 25a. I often find that Chalicea’s thematic puzzles require many more references to check out some obscure alternate meanings!
    My thanks to Chalicea for the pleasant entertainment, and also to CS for her review.

    1. The image of the solved grid was sent by Chalicea to Mr K when she sent him the crossword for publication, so I’d say 6d was just a coincidence

  10. Many thanks for the review, CS. Looks as though I invented a couple of ‘themers’ but that makes a change from missing some out!
    Thanks again to Chalicea for the puzzle.

Comments are closed.