Quarterly Prize Puzzle No 127– Review
October 2024
MDCLXVI by Radler
This time our entrants had not only to solve yet another extremely difficult Radler crossword, but they then had to do a lot of sums to find the answer and enter the competition
Congratulations to our winner – Gazza, who wins a Telegraph Crossword Book of his choice –
The instructions read:
Every answer contains at least one of the letters MDCLXVI. After completing the puzzle, determine the value of the Roman numerals in each answer:- Where adjacent characters occur, the combined value should be used. E.g. The value of “FIVE” is 4 and the value of “SIX” is 9. If other letters separate them, the two Roman characters should be summed. E.g. The value of “SIEVE” is 6. (The answers don’t contain any invalid combinations like “LL” or “IC”.)- Characters contributing to both an across and a down answer should be counted in both. Which answer holds the highest value?
The solution with the highest value was 31a DEMOTES with a value of 1500
Roman numerals with a blue background are in Across answers. Those with a green background are in Down solutions. Those with a red background are in both a Down and an Across solution so contribute to the sum twice.
Across
1a Victory by Union with quibble over split (5,2)
CARVE UP – CARP (quibble) goes over V (Victory) by EU (Union) Value: 105
5a Classic sets again featuring things originally written about (2,5)
ST LEGER – RE-GELS (sets again) ‘featuring’ the first (original) letter of Things Value: 50
9a Recording of hit seventies band (5)
SLADE – A homophone (recording) of SLAYED (hit) Value: 550
10a Mixed drink, wretch given mouthful (9)
SNAKEBITE – SNAKE (wretch) given BITE (mouthful) Value: 1
11a He fought, retaliating in moderation (3)
ALI – Hidden in retaliating Value: 51
12a Liking fighting he’s nursing hip (5)
SHINE – An anagram (fighting) of HES ‘nursing’ IN (hip or fashionable) Value: 1
13a Draw on copper dish (5)
CUTIE – TIE (draw) on or after CU (chemical symbol for copper) Value: 101
14a Peter the German has fine hair (3,4)
DIE DOWN – DIE (German word for the) DOWN (fine hair) Value: 1001
16a Tea getting drunk with Simpsons heartless Mr Burns (7)
STREAMS – An anagram (drunk) of TEA with SS (‘heartless’ Simpsons) and MR Value: 1000
18a Infection acquired by nun, disregarding bishops for bachelor (7)
ABSCESS – ABBESS (nun) ‘disregarding’ BB (chess abbreviations for bishop) for BSC (Bachelor of Science) Value: 100
20a Combination of plants in season end of May (3,4)
SPY RING – The ‘end’ of MaY put in SPRING (season) Value: 1
22a Cat caught by hedge taking quiet run (5)
CIVET – C (the cricket abbreviation for Caught and a prIVET (hedge) once you have removed (taking) the P (quiet) and R (Run) Value: 104
24a Rips off vessel housing video device (5)
SCAMS – SS (steamship, vessel) ‘housing’ CAM (video device) Value: 1100
26a Joker perhaps lacking shred of respect (3)
CAD – CArD (joker perhaps) lacking R (‘shred’ of Respect) Value: 600
27a Harsh criticism crushes student recovering from failure (9)
SALVAGING – SAVAGING (harsh criticism) ‘crushes’ L (learner, student) Value: 56
29a Head resident informally lacking high employment? (5)
LOUSE – Lo (an informal way of saying low, not high) USE (employment) Value: 50
30a Broadcast clock chime (7)
SEEDING – SEE (clock, notice) DING (chime) Value: 501
31a Setback following rally lowers rating (7)
DEMOTES – A reversal (back) of SET following DEMO (rally) Value: 1500
Down
1d Suspect colonel’s unmarried after suggestion of crude saucy stuff (7)
CUSTARD – Remove the M (unmarried) from Colonel MUSTARD (suspect in Cluedo) and put the remaining letters after C (a ‘suggestion’ of Crude) Value: 600
2d Raise ends to adjust inclination (9)
READINESS – An anagram (to adjust) of RAISE ENDS Value: 501
3d Squares still square (5)
EVENS – EVEN (still) S (square) Value: 5
4d Sexual desire not quite over, is boosted in operation (7)
PASSION – PASt (not quite all of over), a reversal (boosted) of IS (from the clue) and ON (in operation) Value: 1
5d They’re found to balance on board, like in pod (3,4)
SEA LEGS – EG (like) in SEALS (pod) Value: 50
6d Protected individual hard to catch up (3)
LEE – On the sheltered side (protected) – a reversal (up) of an EEL (individual hard to catch) Value:50
7d Flash tip of genitals dressing (5)
GLINT – G (the tip of Genitals) LINT (dressing) Value: 51
8d They thatch bald people who have kids (7)
REEDERS – bREEDERS (people who have kids) without the top (bald) Value 500
13d Sorry son’s gone round (5)
CURVY – sCURVY (sorry) without (gone) the abbreviation for Son Value: 105
15d Open on time (5)
OVERT – OVER (on) T (time) Value: 5
17d Touring car nearly scuppered English victory (9)
AGINCOURT – An anagram (scuppered) of almost all of TOURING CAr Value: 101
18d Addresses current expenditure (7)
ACCOSTS – AC (current) COSTS (expenditure) Value: 200
19d Getting glimpse of stocking on Carol behind us (7)
SUSSING – S (glimpse of Stocking) on SING (carol), the latter going behind US (from the clue) Value: 1
20d Stopped at first, went on getting caught (7)
SNAGGED – S (the first letter of Stopped) NAGGED (went on) Value: 500
21d Good publicity earns handy things (7)
GADGETS – G (good) AD (publicity) GETS (earns) Value: 500
23d Regulator aboard naval vessel (5)
VALVE – Hidden (aboard) naVAL VEssel Value: 60
25d Trials place trade at noon (5)
SALEM – Home of the famous witch trials – SALE (trade) M (midday, noon) Value: 1050
28d American writer and French companion (3)
AMI – AM (American) I (Radler, the writer) Value: 1001
Congratulations, Gazza, I was just relieved to have followed the instructions correctly and come up with the right answer!
Many thanks to CS for the review and to the Fiend for the QPP challenge.
Exactly what Jane said!
That was a very pleasant surprise. Thanks to CS for the explanations and thanks once again to Radler for the excellent puzzle.
I particularly liked Peter (14a), ‘combination of plants’ (20a) and ‘they’re found to balance on board’ (5d).
I did originally wonder whether 1666 (great fire of London) had some relevance.
Congratulations Gazza.
Thanks again Radler and CS for the review.
Congratulations, Gazza. Like you, my initial reaction was ‘Great Fire of London’, however the only thematic link I could find was ‘Mr Burns’ appearing in 16a! 16a was also one of the XI clues I ticked in this excellent puzzle, with 20a taking my top spot.
Thank you, Radler, for providing us with a very entertaining QPP challenge, and to CS and the other blog team members for making it possible.
Heartiest congratulations to Gazza on winning the Quarterly Prize Puzzle No 127 and congratulations also to all those who arrived at the final answer. As I had earlier decided to solve this prize puzzle on the last day, so yesterday I had to keep all my other works aside and concentrate very seriously on this puzzle that had a crystal-clear preamble, devoting almost all my time from afternoon onwards, arriving at all the correct values and finally picking up DEMOTES, the correct answer that held the highest value for ultimate submission that took place around two hours and a half before the scheduled closing time. Thanks also to Radler for such an amazing, creative and calculative compilation, to CS for the excellent review and to Mr K for hosting the event. There were several clues in the puzzle that I liked; they being 14a, 16a, 18a, 20a, 29a, 5d, 8d and 28d, but the best of them all that I liked was 14a.