A Puzzle by Jeemz
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
Welcome to the wonderful world of the NTSPP to Jeemz.
Across
1a You'll want to use your loaf to open this money box perhaps (5,3)
BREAD BIN: Cryptic definition of where a loaf may be kept that might also indicate a money box.
5a How head bangers court? (6)
KOWTOW: Cryptic definition of old Chinese court etiquette that required someone presented to the emperor to kneel and tap their forehead on the ground nine times.
9a Most modest youngster having siesta starkers (8)
TEENIEST: A four-letter word for a youngster followed by the inner letters (starkers) of siesta.
10a Chime with sound ringing around East and West of London (6)
BELONG: A four-letter word for the ringing sound of a bell or gong around the abbreviation for East and the first letter (west) of London.
11a Old actor and reveler Luciano and I played together (8,7)
LAURENCE OLIVIER: An anagram (played together) of REVELER LUCIANO I.
13a Transport's fetching cycling and river rowing crew (10)
AIRFREIGHT: A four-letter word meaning fetching or reasonable with the letter cycled around followed by the abbreviation for river and the number of people in a rowing crew.
17a Needing no introduction now new record's making a bomb (10)
INCENDIARY: A five-letter word meaning now without the first letter (needing no introduction) followed by the abbreviation for new and a five-letter word for a daily written record.
21a Criminal, one like Fagin, having know-how involving ID fraud (10,5)
CONFIDENCE TRICK: A three-letter word for a criminal followed by a five-letter word for a person who, like Fagin, receives stolen goods and a five-letter word for know-how or a knack for doing something into which you insert (involving) the ID from the clue.
22a All about heartless males gaining bit of attention with these animals (6)
LLAMAS: Reverse (about) the ALL from the clue and follow with the out letters (heartless) of males into which you then insert the first letter (a bit) of attention.
23a Mimic firm fist, tattooer regularly demonstrates (8)
IMITATOR: The even letters (regularly demonstrates) of the second to fourth words of the clue.
24a American footballer, state registered (6)
RUSHER: A homophone (registered) of RUSSIA (state).
25a In which to prepare classy pancakes with no of hint of ketchup! (8)
SAUCEPAN: An anagram (to prepare) of U (classy) PANCAKES without the first letter (with no hint) of ketchup.
Down
1d Preserve essential pieces of chattels in trunk (6)
BOTTLE: The middle letters (essential pieces) of chattels in a four-letter word for the trunk of a tree.
2d Just manage taking lead off dog in the wind (3,3)
EKE OUT: A four-letter word for a type of dog without the first letter (taking lead off) followed by a three-letter word meaning “in the wind” or afoot.
3d Thawed cold current receding through river delta (2-4)
DE-ICED: The abbreviations for cold and current reversed (receding) inside (through) a three-letter name of a river and the letter represented by Delta in the NATO phonetic alphabet.
4d It's nice iced cocktail and will do for cricket say (11)
INSECTICIDE: An anagram (cocktail) of ITS NICE ICED.
6d A Titanic side-splitter? (3-5)
ONE-LINER: A three-letter word meaning A followed by a five-letter word for a type of ship such as the Titanic.
7d Stolen goods turning up in Grammar School's decorative works (8)
TOOLINGS: A four-letter word for stolen goods reversed (turning up) followed by the IN from the clue and the abbreviation for grammar school.
8d Compensation level curiously grew at A&E (4,4)
WAGE RATE: An anagram (curiously) of GREW AT AE.
12d Such punctuation's displayed by "parentheses, dashes, and brackets" (6,5)
OXFORD COMMA: The whole clue represents the particular use of this punctation mark and describes the final mark before the and in the clue.
14d A likely feature of postman's delivery round (8)
CIRCULAR: A postal delivery worker’s round is likely to be this shape and the postal delivery worker might also deliver this.
15d Shocking reports about wearing hippy footwear (8)
SCANDALS: The single letter abbreviation for about inside (wearing) a seven-letter word of the type of footwear worn by hippies.
16d Record label's inviting Queen to sign (8)
INDICATE: A five-letter word for a type of non-aligned record label includes (inviting) a three-letter word for a type of animal that may be called a queen.
18d Electricity deficit at substation not wholly over (6)
STATIC: The answer his hidden (not wholly) and reversed (over) in the second to fourth words of the clue.
19d Word to the wise spinner's outstanding (6)
TIPTOP: A three-letter word for a hint or word to the wise followed by a three-letter word for a child’s toy that spins.
20d Could be red or blackcurrant drink welcomed by setter (3,3)
SKI RUN: A three-letter word for an alcoholic blackcurrant drink inside (welcomed by) something that sets each evening.
An enjoyable lunchtime puzzle – thanks to Jeemz.
I had to reveal letters to get 24a and the homophone doesn’t work for me. I don’t really undertsand 5a.
The clues I liked best were 12d, 15d and 18d.
[I think that a rogue ‘of’ has crept into the 25a clue]
Welcome to the NTSPP Jeemz. Caffeine definitely required along with some e-help. Quite a challenge to start my Saturday morning. I will need Prolixic to explain the parsing of my bung ins.
Smiles for 1a, 1d, 15d, and 19d and an extra large smile for 12d.
There seems to be a surplus ‘of’ (before hint) in 25a.
Thanks Jeemz and thanks in advance to Prolixic.
Welcome to your new BD home, Jeemz. I didn’t find this a particularly easy solve in that some of the parsing took a bit of sorting out but there were a few nice ‘smilers’ to lighten the tone. The American footballer required assistance from Mr G – what strange names they have, some of them rather intimidating!
Biggest ticks went to 1a & 14d (do they bring anything else these days!) and I also liked 12&15d.
Many thanks for bringing this one to us.
Thanks Jeemz! Needed a couple of reveals in the SW but got there in the end. Really liked 4d (nicely entertaining misdirection) and other favourites were 23a, 5d, 14d, 15d, 19d 👍🍻
I enjoyed this interspersed with watching cricket – thank goodness I had something to enjoy! Let’s hope the second part of the double-header with SA today is not so one-sided… :unsure:
The puzzle was quite tricky in parts, but I managed to resolve enough checkers to enable me to make steady progress. I definitely needed all the checkers for my last two in – 5a and 24a. The 12d punctuation was not something I had come across before but once I had figured it out I appreciated the clever cluing. All my favourites were down clues, in addition to 12d there were ticks for 7, 14, 15, 16 & 20.
Thanks, Jeemz, and I hope to see you again soon in the NTSPP slot :good:
Am looking forward to this …
Many thanks everyone for the feedback and the welcome to NTSPP. Glad some clues raised a smile or two. Apologies for the errant “of” in 25a – not sure how it got there.
Gazza, 5a is meant to be a cryptic, if whimsical, definition of what people who kowtow do and the reason why (to court favour).
Late response from me as we are on a cruise ship in the Med at the moment with erratic internet connections. Hope this gets through!
Thanks, Jeemz, and thanks for the fine puzzle.
On the subject of fine puzzles, Gazza, I want to thank you for your NTSPP-262 which I turned my attention to yesterday evening after the rugby had finished. It cheered me up no end!
Thanks, Spartacus. Your comment made me search for the puzzle only to discover that I’d forgotten all the clues so it was like coming across a totally new puzzle!
Pleased to see you in NTSPP, Jeemz. An enjoyable solve for us although we did struggle with a few and needed to check a couple of letters. We had kowtow but didn’t understand why from the clue and we had de-iced but couldn’t parse it until we read Prolixic’s explanation. We had to reveal 24 across. We look forward to your next puzzle – and enjoy the rest of your cruise. We are there next week.
Belated thanks Jeemz (and to Prolixic too), much enjoyed. 12d, 14d & 19d faves.
Thanks to Prolixic for the review & explanations & to Jeemz for a pretty demanding puzzle. Can’t say I ever felt like I was quite on wavelength which somewhat impacted my enjoyment in the solve & succumbed to a couple of letter reveals to get me over the finish line. Completed it yesterday & forgot to comment but reckon I appreciated the merits of it much more reading back through it today with the benefit of the review.
Look forward to your next one in this slot.
Thanks Prolixic for the review- love the punctuation illustration!
Many thanks for the review, Prolixic, Jeemz is off to a good start in the NTSPP slot.
Warmest congratulations on your promotion to the NTSPP Jeemz.
I found this puzzle rather tough and found difficulty getting onto the right wavelength. The pennies were ridiculously slow to drop — and when they did I wondered why they had taken so inordinately long!
Nonetheless, I found much to enjoy. My fave was 21a, followed by 1a, 22a, 6d, and the anagrams 11a and 4d. I chuckled at the homophone 24a.
Many appreciative thanks for a lot of headscratching entertainment. Jeemz. Personally, I would really like something a little less tough next time…
Much appreciation to Prolixic for the excellent review, especially for the explanation of my answer to 5d. Most interesting. Lovely illustrations…