NTSPP 744 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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NTSPP 744

by crypticsue  

A Puzzle by Chalicea

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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.

Although the theme was fairly obvious right from solving the first clue, there were a couple of solutions that I didn’t immediately recognise as being ornithological. Should there have been a warning not to check 14d and 15d in the BRB if you were eating lunch?

Across

1a  Slightly dotty one who appears at fixed times? (6)
CUCKOO: An informal name for a slightly silly (dotty) person or something that appears at fixed hours of the day

5a  Having a squint, locally make a mess of covers of every edition (4-4)
BOSS-EYED: A dialect (locally) word meaning to make a mess of and the ‘covers’ of EverY followed by the abbreviation for edition

9a  Act of hearing statement of account I regularly join (8)
AUDITION: A statement of account, I (from the clue) and the regular letters of jOiN

10a  Keenness of vision of university in a large town (6)
ACUITY: The abbreviation for University inserted between A (from the clue) and a large town

11a  Containing an explanation of shine on a monetary unit of Iran (10)
GLOSSARIAL:  A shine on the monetary unit of Iran

12a  Dwell with satisfaction on Conservative wrangle (4)
CROW: The abbreviation for Conservative and a verb meaning to wrangle

13a  Glaring about length of piling protecting bridge pier (8)
STARLING: A synonym for glaring goes about the abbreviation for Length

16a  One who makes cloth, we affirm (6)
WEAVER: WE (from the clue) and a synonym for affirm

17a  Part of bumper sickness related to Iran in the past (6)
PERSIC: Hidden in part of bumPER SICkness

19a  Spooner's parent gambles money owing that is unlikely to be repaid (3,5)
BAD DEBTS: Spooner’s male parent gambles

21a  Symbol of peace plunged in the Pentagon (4)
DOVE: The American word (as used in the Pentagon) for plunged

22a  Over-hearty property of unwonted obtrusiveness I've abandoned (10)
ROBUSTNESS: An anagram (unwonted) of OBSTRUiveNESS once you have ‘abandoned’ the IVE

25a  Wizard part of summer lingerie (6)
MERLIN: Hidden in the last two words of the clue

26a  Authority of cricket ground's cool (8)
LORDSHIP: A London cricket ground plus S and cool in the sense of following the latest trends

27a  One specialised in properties of shapes of moth or caterpillar, say (8)
GEOMETER: A person specialising in a branch of maths dealing with the properties of points, lines, surfaces and solids (shapes) or a type of moth or caterpillar

28a  Simpleton's casual glance (6)
GANDER: A simpleton or a slang casual glance

 

Down

2d  Regularly buys out all one's favourite tipple (5)
USUAL: The regular letters of bUyS oUt AlL

3d  Draws together foolish people, we hear (5)
KNITS: A homophone (we hear) of some foolish people

4d  Japanese art or leader of island magi turning up (7)
ORIGAMI: OR (from the clue) and a reversal (turning up) of the ‘leader’ of Island and MAGI (from the clue)

5d  Losing line, making dull flags for street decoration (7)
BUNTING: Remove the abbreviation for Line from a way of making dull

6d  South-western permit for drink (7)
SWALLOW: The abbreviation for South-Western and a verb meaning to permit

7d  Aunt and niece together, surprisingly speak clearly (9)
ENUNCIATE: An anagram (surprisingly) of AUNT and NIECE

8d  Unusual text involving wanderer, an outgoing person (9)
EXTROVERT: An anagram (unusual) of TEXT ‘involving’ a wanderer

14d  Surprisingly temper one bacterium (9)
TREPONEME: An anagram (surprisingly) of TEMPER ONE

15d  Rising mullets or top of tapeworm's head (9)
ROSTELLUM: Hidden in reverse (rising) in words two and three of the clue

18d  Ornamental headdress is part of decor on etagere (7)
CORONET: Hidden in the last three words of the clue - what a beautiful looking member of the theme

19d  Baby, mostly, starts to bawl like every ratty one who jabbers incessantly (7)
BABBLER: Most of BABy and the ‘starts’ to Bawl Like Every Ratty

20d  Haul about one small hospital cloth for drying utensils (7)
DISHRAG: A verb meaning to haul goes ‘about’ the Roman numeral for one, and abbreviations for Small and Hospital

23d  Part of first season is an ecclesiastical month (5)
NISAN: The seventh month of the Jewish calendar is hidden in seasoN IS AN

24d  Criticism of twisted spine (5)
SNIPE: An anagram (twisted) of SPINE  And yes, the solution is a noun as well as a verb!

 

 

20 comments on “NTSPP 744”

  1. Very enjoyable, accompanied by first caffeine of the day to keep my eyes open not to ‘fuel’ my brain.

    Smiles for 10a, 19a, 3d, and 8d – the latter for the ‘correct’ spelling! (of course, it had to be to go with 12a.)

    Thanks to Chalicea and CS.

  2. The usual smattering of new words to learn from this setter and the occasional bit of dialect, but there were plenty of birds flying around so I was happy with them!

    Thanks to Chalicea for her latest NTSPP creation.

      1. That’s what I assumed. Think I also counted 11 but it won’t surprise me to be told I’ve missed the odd one – nothing surprises me where Chalicea’s concerned!

        1. Jane, I’ll see your 11 and raise you 1…
          I was only familiar with 10 of them, though, the other 2 being what I thought to be likely candidates.

  3. The theme flew at me from the grid after starting out with 5d & 6d and, for once, helped me out with an answer as I’d never heard of the 13a piling protection. That’s not the only thing I hadn’t heard of and my printout is covered in question marks and exclamation marks! I was able to reference all the (for me, at least) obscurities after figuring out the word play, apart from 5a where the ‘local’ term eludes me. I did check for an archaic Scots word – often a source of inspiration for Chalicea, but perhaps not this time..? My favourite today was the Spoonerism.
    Thanks, Chalicea, and I will look forward to our reviewer’s sage advice tomorrow.

  4. For the first time ever, I spotted the theme in this delightful guzzle although I did not know 15d. Neither had I heard of the bridge pier. Still, it was a wonderful and satisfying solve.

    Thank you for the fun, Chalicea.

  5. We found 11 birds in this enjoyable puzzle. Thank you Chalicea. Lots to enjoy, some new words also. Thanks also to CS.

  6. I had actually sneaked 12 in there but it’s only to give solvers a bit of fun spotting the theme. You really don’t need to see them all or even any of them to complete the solve. I am so glad you enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the review, too.

  7. This was great fun with a theme that even I could spot and I was delighted to see the clever American indicator in 21a. A few new words for me but all easily derived and checked in the BRB.

    Isn’t “first” in 23d surface padding?

    Many thanks to Chalicea and to whomever for the review.

    1. Re: 23d – that was my first thought too, but after looking it up I think the ‘first’ perhaps qualifies it as an &lit clue as well..? Given Chalicea’s customary accuracy I think the benefit of any doubt must go to her! I, too, enjoyed the American indicator :good:

  8. A couple of new words to learn and at the finish an enjoyable search for the avians.
    Excellent Sunday morning entertainment for us.
    Thanks Chalicea.

  9. Most enjoyable, with an easily spotted theme. 14dn and 15dn were new to me, but getteble from the wordplay, and despite having spent a lot of my career in a civil engineering environment I waqsn’t aware of the ‘piling’ meaning of 13ac.
    Thanks, Chalicea and CS

  11. Many thanks for the review, CS. All birds present and correct although in fairness I did get a nudge for one of them.
    Anybody know which dialect uses ‘boss’ for ‘make a mess of’ – that rather amused me!

    Thanks again to Chalicea – a theme that was right up my street.

  12. Thank you for the review, CS, and the lovely illustrations of our theme. Collins also describes 23d as ‘the first month of the year according to biblical reckoning’, which is why I thought ‘first’ in the clue was justified. Can you tell me where the first part of 5a is dialect for ‘make a mess of’? I haven’t been able to pin it down. Thanks!

    1. Definition 5 in the BRB: (dialect and slang) vi to make a mess of (origin unknown)

  13. CS, I always love your illustrations and these are special – especially those little swallows. Many thanks.

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