A Puzzle by Fez
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
On the 19th August last year, I wrote “We don't appear to have had an NTSPP from Fez since last year. This one was both tricky and enjoyable”. Cutting and pasting from that review saves me from having to say the same thing again, although I should add that this crossword is a pangram
Across
1a One fashionable original pair of Dior trousers ... a great deal? Au contraire! (6)
MODIST: The opposite (au contraire) of how the clue reads – the first pair of DIor are trousered by a great deal of something
4a Pet project, it's designed to take care of someone else's issue (4-3)
BABY-SIT: A pet project and an anagram (designed) of ITS
9a In which you might enjoy satisfying penny-drop moments among the lights? (9,6)
AMUSEMENT ARCADE: A brightly-lit place where you might win once the penny has dropped into the machine. How many other people wrote in CROSSWORD PUZZLE and then found none of the Down solutions worked?
10a Listened to Disney's "Once Upon A Dream"? (5)
WALTZ: A homophone of Mr Disney’s forename. A song from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, One Upon A Dream was based a [solution] composed by Tchaikovsky
11a Crystal meth? Chuck it – wine's cooler (3,6)
ICE BUCKET: A slang name for crystal meth and a verb meaning to chuck it [down]
12a Doubt sources of data indicating something beyond Earth – alien life? (9)
DISBELIEF: The sources of Data Indicating Something Beyond Earth and an anagram (alien) of LIFE
14a Revolutionary European name, say, that's passed on from father to daughter? (4)
GENE: A reversal (revolutionary) of the abbreviations for European and Name and the abbreviation meaning for example (say)
16a Get round of drinks delivered (4)
COAX: A homophone (delivered) of some fizzy drinks
17a Broadcaster with assorted old-fashioned jumpers (9)
SKYDIVERS: A well-known broadcaster and an archaic (old-fashioned) word meaning assorted
20a Unfortunately missed most of Dune, creating confusion (9)
MUDDINESS: An anagram (unfortunately) of MISSED and most of DUNe
22a Only recycled nuclear material (5)
NYLON: An anagram (recycled) of ONLY followed by the abbreviation for Nuclear
23a Perhaps the last place you'd visit on holiday abroad? (7,8)
AIRPORT TERMINAL: A cryptic definition of the last place you’d visit when ending your holiday abroad
24a Regressive communist accepting former East German's papers (7)
DOSSIER: A reversal of the colour associated with a communist ‘accepting’ a citizen of the former East Germany
25a Host forgetting number arranged beforehand (6)
PRESET: A verb meaning to host ‘forgetting’ the abbreviation for Number
Down
1d Sounded like Tom was enthusiastically decorating, primarily covered with Farrow & Ball? (7)
MIAOWED: The primary letters of Was Enthusiastically Decorating ‘covered’ in a Down solution with the forename of Ms Farrow, the actress and a ball-shaped letter
2d After Spitting Image special, Dad rants about hypocrisy (6,9)
DOUBLE STANDARDS: A spitting image of someone followed by (after) the abbreviation for Special and an anagram (about) of DAD RANTS
3d Somehow realizes it's more corrupt (8)
SLEAZIER: An anagram (somehow) of REALIZES
4d Flower's opening welcomed by bee and completely different insect (9)
BUTTERFLY: The ‘opening’ of Flower ‘welcomed’ by the letter that sounds like bee and a synonym for completely
5d Extravagantly decorated, no ordinary ship (6)
BARQUE: Remove the abbreviation for Ordinary from a word meaning extravagantly decorated
6d Avoiding any shock, essentially, at sea – a snorkeller hopes to, with these? (5,10)
SHARK REPELLENTS: An anagram (at sea) of A SNoRKELLER HoPES To once you have removed all the appearances of the letters found ‘essentially’ in the word shOck
7d The cheers echoed about, following performance here? (7)
THEATRE: THE (from the clue), a reversal (echoed) of an informal word of thanks (cheers), and the usual two-letter about or on the subject of
8d Force expert out of retirement for part in inside job (4)
JEDI: Hidden in reverse in the last two words of the clue
13d I check out reported pub ghost (9)
INSPECTOR: Homophones (reported) of a pub and a ghost
15d An inappropriate term, to a degree: capitalism is no meritocracy (8)
MISNOMER: Hidden in the last three words of the clue
16d Constant mantra: money and power (7)
COMMAND: The abbreviation for Constant, a sacred symbol or mantra, the abbreviation for Money and AND (from the clue)
18d Carol Vorderman's belly hidden by low tension underwear (7)
SINGLET: A verb meaning to sing (carol) and the middle letter (belly) of vordErman, the latter ‘hidden’ by the abbreviation for Low Tension
19d Polish dumplings off for starters – good when coated in spicy sauce? Not half! (6)
PIROGI: The starter of Off and the abbreviation for Good ‘coated’ in the first half of a spicy sauce (the second half is the same word, if that helps)
21d Duck's owner must put up with the odd dropping (4)
SMEW: A reversal (put up) of the even (odd dropping) letters of oWnEr MuSt
Great stuff – many thanks to Fez.
I presume that 9a is deliberately worded to make us think of ‘crossword puzzle’ – I’d have definitely fallen for that if I hadn’t already written in the 1d answer.
I have loads of ticks on my printout including 17a, 5d and 8d with my favourite being the clever 6d.
As is usually the case for me with this setter’s puzzles, I spent far longer wrestling with the parsing than entering the answers!
Finished up with so many ticked clues that it would be silly to mention them all but I certainly enjoyed the challenge.
Thanks to Fez for the entertainment.
Another cracker from Fez full of cunning misdirection and smooth surfaces. Plenty of ticks for me including 17a, 22a, 1d, 4d, 5d, 15d, 18d and 21d but I could easily have ticked as many again.
Thanks Fez.
Some of the clues in this pangram were rather too wordy for my taste. The homophone in 10a doesn’t work for me and, even though both are accepted by the BRB, I don’t much like either the predominantly American spelling used in 3d or the “bee” in 4d.
That said, there was a lot to enjoy with ticks for 11a, 16a, 22a, 23a, 25a, 1d, 5d & 15d.
19d was a new word for me and possibly one for Terence to put on THE LIST.
Many thanks to Fez and in advance to whomever (CS?)
I remember Fez commenting that he’s a fan of verbose clues so I suppose we have to be grateful that he restricted himself to some extent!
Wish we had noted the potential pangram earlier so we would not have spent so long staring at 16a.
Lots and lots of excellent clues and really good fun to solve.
Thanks Fez.
I needed help for the dumplings; I had heard of them but just couldn’t remember what they are called. Otherwise all solved to my satisfaction but I shall have to wait for the review for some of the parsings.
Thanks, Fez and whoever is reviewing.
Thanks for all comments & thanks CS for lovely illustrated review 🙂
Went to sleep last night with a couple in the SW corner still to solve. I needed reference works to hand this morning to check the East German and then to word-search the dumpling! The comments mention ‘verbose’ but I thought the surfaces were really good all round, so if a degree of verbosity was needed it has achieved its aim. I thought the 4 letter answers were very clever and all received ticks, but my podium places went to the other end of scale with 15 letter answers: 9a, 2d & 6d. I didn’t spot the pangram but still managed to 16a the answer out from the 16a clue! I would have been quicker had I spotted the pangram…
Many thanks to Fez, please come back soon – although your puzzle was worth the long wait. Thanks also to CS for the hints and the picture of the obscure dumplings – possibly akin to oddly-shaped samosas..? I’ll ask in our local Polish shop, which stocks lots of interesting and flavoursome goodies
Many thanks for the review, CS, I’d managed OK apart from the last letter of 1a which had left me with a parsing problem……….
Thanks again to Fez – see you next time!