NTSPP 755 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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NTSPP 755

by StephenL  

A Puzzle by Madcap

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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.

Madcap's turn to give us an alternative to today's enjoyable SPP with an enjoyable (if a tad confusing) NTSPP so many thanks to him.

Across

1a 1D water perhaps (7)
SOLVENT: Double definition

5a On reviewing drab centrepieces of von Trapp… (6)
ABOARD: Anagram of DRAB and the central letters of vOn trApp.

10a …some of tune quality is out of balance (7)
UNEQUAL: Hidden in the clue (some)

11a See 16D (2,5)
OF MUSIC:

12a Hepatectomy performed and completed successfully? (9)
DELIVERED: Cryptic/double definition, the first whimsical

13a One making 1D is, without any hesitation, killer returning (4)
DRUM: Remove two instances of an interjection expressing hesitation from a synonym of a killer and reverse the result Not this one!

15a Sick after unlimited buns, you and I must gain pounds (6)
UNWELL: The inside letters of bUNs, a first person plural pronoun and two single-letter abbreviations for pounds.

16a I’m not able to kiss on introduction - keep me away from lips! (8)
TOXICANT: To from the clue plus a texted kiss plus another way of saying I'm not able. I like the wordplay here

17a Stigmatise failure to carry on (8)
DEMONISE: A failure “carrying” ON from the clue.

20a A penny over my highest point (6)
APOGEE: A charade of A from the clue, P(enny), O(ver) and an exclamation of surprise (my)

22a Rogers and Hammerstein at the outset - very big characters (4)
RHOS: The initial letters of the composers plus an abbreviated OverSize

23a Ought, I hear, to plug damaged canoes as they go under water (9)
OCEANAUTS: A three-letter word? that sounds like ought (I hear) plugs or goes inside an anagram of CANOES

27a Idiotic like 19 (7)
ASININE: A synonym of like as a conjunction, the letter that looks like the number one plus the second half of 19 as a word. Very smart.

28a Doctor in the house misplacing tablet follows recipe to make lozenge (7)
RHOMBUS: An abbreviated Bachelor of Medicine inside an anagram of HOUSe once the “tablet” or drug has been removed all follow an abbreviation for Recipe

29a 1D 1D of 1D (6)
STRAIT: A homophone of straight.

30a Where you might find milk, right? Yes! (3,4)
TEA TRAY: If we split the solution (a means of carrying something which could include milk) 4/1/2 we can see the elements of the wordplay

Down

1d See 16D (5)
SOUND:

2d Betrayed thematic girl with pained expression stays hidden (4,3)
LIES LOW: The given name of the eldest Von Trapp daughter and an exclamation indicating pain

3d Ignoring first half, eleven tequila drunk - certainly not 10! (10)
EQUIVALENT: Anagram (drunk) of eleVEN TEQUILA. The 10 refers to 10a.

4d Surface layer is about to set on fire from below (5)
TILER: A reversal (from below) of the usual about and a word meaning set on fire.

6d Barons maintaining order making a lot of money (4)
BOMB: An insertion of an Order of Merit into two abbreviations of Baron

7d Unmarried Maria’s entertaining sometimes upset her homeland (7)
AUSTRIA: m(ARIA) (unmarried) around (entertaining) UpSeT.

8d Deter mice, freakishly almost four inches! (9)
DECIMETRE: Anagram (freakishly) of DETER MICE

9d Magic! Victory finally earned as part of four-ball (6)
VOODOO: The abbreviation for Victory followed by the the last letter of earneD inside four of the round letters.

14d International greetings to welcome Spain arranged in island of Haiti (10)
HISPANIOLA: Two greetings “welcome” an anagram (arranged) of SPAIN

15d They’re down in the mouth from casting of Julie Andrews - no lie! (5-4)
UNDER-JAWS: Anagram of JUlie ANDREWS (No lie)

16d & 1D & 11 Show strain? (3)
THE: Double/ cryptic definition, the obvious one the theme, the other referring to a tune.

18d Nothing in broadcast of Do-Re-Mi gets more emotional (7)
MOODIER: Insert the letter that represents nothing or zero into an anagram (broadcast) of Do-Re-Mi

19d Sprinkler that's hot inside? (6)
SHOWER: A sprinkler (of seeds) perhaps around the abbreviation for Hot for an extended definition.

21d Thematic boy who delivers arresting note - a low one (7)
GRUBBER: The Austrian delivery boy in the theme of the puzzle placed around a musical note.

24d Thematic girl not completely supporting the last one taking flight (5)
EGRET: Remove the last letter from the youngest child in the film and place below (supporting in a down clue) the final letter of thE.

25d Saucy behind wearing saucy clothes (5)
SASSY: An informal behind or backside “wears” or goes inside the clothes of SaucY. Very neat.

26d I’m in elaborate dress (4)
MINI: Anagram (elaborate) of the preceding two words

 

 

 

15 comments on “NTSPP 755”

  1. Never having seen the theme I had to complete the puzzle with a relevant page open on my screen. This didn’t detract from my enjoyment of a fine puzzle with smiles galore – many thanks to Madcap.
    I have lots of ticks on my printout including 13a, 16a, 27a, 30a, 9d and 25d.

  2. Had it not been so lovely out in the garden, I might well have given up and gone indoors to find another crossword as to start with I did find all those 1D references quite off-putting. There is some clever stuff in the mix so I think in the end I’ll conclude that I did enjoy this just-right-for-a-lunchtime solve.

    Shouldn’t 11a say ‘See 16d 1d’?

    Thanks to Madcap and, in advance, to Stephen

  3. You are certainly confirming your reputation as a setter of tough puzzles, Madcap! Fortunately I recently watched the theme film with one of my granddaughters. I am not keen on puzzles which involve a lot of cross-referencing, but I did enjoy this one on the whole. I suspected a pangram as I was nearing completion, but a couple of letters failed to materialise.

    I must protest about 25d. Not only are the answer and one of the elements of the wordplay American, the answer is only word I have ever failed to solve on Wordle so ruining my 100% score!

    I think it is the recognised practice to include the full enumeration for a multi-word clue as part of the clue for the first word(s). So, 16d should show (3,5,2,5) with no enumeration for 1d & 11a.

    In 4d, the wordplay seems to lead to an unwanted H, i.e. an anagram of Spain inserted into HI and HOLA. Although HOLA is pronounced with a silent H, “ola” doesn’t appear in either Chambers or Collins.

    “The” in 28a looks to me like surface padding.

    There was a lot of inventive clueing here, and the challenging effort involved in solving paid off. I had a lot of ticks on my page with 16a, 2d & 9d my top picks.

    Many thanks for the entertainment and the brain mangling, Madcap.

    1. (Clutching desperately at straws). Ola in Spanish means “wave” and a wave is a form of greeting used internationally.

  4. A generally fine and enjoyable NTSPP, which I rarely tackle. Just a few incidental observations. I might have an immovable brain freeze but I can’t help thinking that “Sprinkler” in 19d is doing double-duty – both as the definition and also a synonym (sower) that the H (hot) is inserted into. Or is it just a cryptic definition of an internal domestic appliance? When referring to clue numbers surely the convention is to use lower case letters – 1d, 16d, etc. It might be just me but I find 1D, 16D rather irksome. 12a, a medical fact that’s always amazed me. You can have up to 2/3 of your liver removed and as long as the remaining part is still healthy it will grow back to its original size!

    1. Jose, I think 19d is an “all-in-one” with the whole clue being both definition and wordplay.

  5. A generally fine and enjoyable NTSPP, which I rarely tackle. Just a few incidental observations. I might have an immovable brain freeze but I can’t help thinking that “Sprinkler” in 19d is doing double-duty – both as the definition and also a synonym (sower) that the H (hot) is inserted into. Or is it just a cryptic definition of an internal domestic appliance? When referring to clue numbers surely the convention is to use lower case letters – 1d, 16d, etc. It might be just me but I find 1D, 16D rather irksome. 12a, a medical fact that’s always amazed me. You can have up to 2/3 of your liver removed and as long as the remaining part is still healthy it will grow back to its original size!

  6. Caffeine and some of the SPP’s 20as required! Checking as I went and some e-help required – for example, even though I had identified the theme from 16d/1d/11a I still had to e-search for 21d and 24d. One of those challenges where I was on the point of throwing down my pencil several times but each time another clue ‘surrendered’ so I continued.

    Solving of 20a hampered by using the ‘other’ ending to 8d!

    Smiles for 12a, 15a, and 4d.

    Thanks Madcap but I will seriously think about passing on your future puzzles and thanks in advance to SL.

  7. I always groan when faced with inter-connecting clues, so much rides on getting one particular clue correctly solved at the outset.
    Miss Andrews did prove to be a big help even though I needed a memory nudge with regard to a couple of characters – must be almost 60 years ago that I saw that film. Top clues for me were 15a plus 4&9d.

    Thanks to the really Madcap!

  8. Thanks for the puzzle Madcap. Having only a very cursory knowledge of the theme, I eventually allowed myself a list of thematic boys and girls, otherwise I was stranded. Completed it with no other assistance though.

    Highlight was 25d, despite the Americanisms… 27a and 30a were also favourites.

  9. We had enough knowledge of the theme to get most of the relevant clues although the surname of the delivery boy did challenge us somewhat.
    Great fun to solve.
    Thanks Madcap.

  10. I found this quite easy. Although I’ve never seen the film I’d heard enough about it to guess the theme at once and other references in the clues meaqnt that 16dn/1/11 was a write-in to start me off. The various references to 1dn were a bit tricky but didn’t hold me up too long. I didn’t know the thematic boy and girl but they were easily guessed so I was able to complete the grid without any real problems.
    Thanks, Madcap, for a pleasant diversion, and to SL(?) in advance for the blog.

  11. Lots of clue cross-references generally make my heart sink, but this puzzle quickly yielded up its theme. 2d was what betrayed it to me, although there was a fair sprinkling of hints in the cluing! I had a similar reaction to 14d as RD, and tried to justify I (international) HOLA (greetings) in a partially indirect anagram. Lots of ticks appear on my printout: 5, 12, 17 & 27 across and 7, 8, 9 & 16 down (16d for the overall theme). 25d also raised a smile!
    Thanks, Madcap, and my thanks also to StephenL – who corrected me on 1a, where I had bunged in SALIENT to fit with the checkers without first checking whether a watery one existed… [The dictionary refers to ‘landform’]

  12. Thanks for the review, Stephen. I suspect that only you could have come up with one that made no mention at all of any of the songs used in the film!

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