A Puzzle by Starhorse
+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - +
The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
Starhorse occupies the NTSPP seat this week with a very smart and enjoyable puzzle so thanks to him
Across
1a What police chief did is rotten (6)
RANCID: Split the solution, a synonym of rotten 3,3 to reveal the wordplay
5a Devious, like Zaphod Beeblebrox? (3-5)
TWO-FACED: Double/cryptic definition
9a Two-seater - sit at the rear with me facing backwards (6)
TANDEM: Last letter of siT, synonym of with and ME rev.
10a Shared out an editor's bubbly (8)
RATIONED: AN EDITOR* (bubbly)
11a Treatment in EU priced out (8)
PEDICURE: EU PRICED* (out)
12a Explain how tram becomes train (6)
INFORM: If we split the solution, a synonym of explain 2,3,1 we can see the rather smart wordplay. A question mark I think is needed here.
13a Record twisted comic's idiotic contribution (4)
DISC: Hidden and rev. (contribution/twisted)
15a Short story, a comment about extremely eccentric Duke (8)
ANECDOTE: A plus comment/account around EccenrtriC and the abbreviation for Duke
18a Old instrument sounds twice as evil (4,4)
BASS VIOL: Homophones of two synonyms of evil
19a Hand over a ticket for "I'm Sorry I haven't a Clue" (4)
PASS: Triple/cryptic definition
21a Circle surrounded by hillbillies and Yanks (6)
HOICKS: The circular letter inserted into some hillbillies/peasants
23a Gas found on the far side of Saturn? (8)
NITROGEN: The chemical symbol for the solution is found on the far side of SaturN. Very nice
25a Slash the price of trimming material? (8)
LACERATE: If we split the solution, a synonym of slash, 4,4 whimsically we have the wordplay
26a After a meal talk about one liable to get into hot water (3,3)
TEA BAG: An afternoon meal plus a reversal of talk/gas/chat
27a Remove nuts from dodgy tart, as a precaution? (8)
CASTRATE: Take a synonym of as a precaution and it mirrors where TART* is in the solution. Clever but think the question mark is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
28a Nun's next-of-kin? (6)
SISTER: Double definition
Down
2d A puzzle - Wow! (5)
AMAZE: A from the clue and a puzzle/labyrinth
3d Fake news items - they cover the naughty bits (9)
CODPIECES: Fake/sham and a word that could generally describe news items
4d Unpromising amount of food (3,3)
DIM SUM: Whimsically this Asian food could be an unpromising/not bright amount/total of food
5d Idle nun betrayed, upset and ignored (6,1,5,3)
TURNED A BLIND EYE: IDLE NUN BETRAYED* (upset)
6d Stranger not many fancy? (8)
OUTSIDER: Another (good) double/cryptic definition
7d Reserved a dessert from the south (5)
ALOOF: A from the clue and a dessert rev (from the South in a down clue)
8d Denounces charges introduced by business leader (9)
EXECRATES: A shortened business leader/director plus charges/rates. My repetition radar bleeped here, we have the same charge(s) in 25a
14d Very soon seaman surfaces with a lover (9)
INAMORATA: An informal very soon plus a reversal of one of the usual seamen plus A from the clue. I'm not keen on surfaces as a reversal indicator but I guess it can be justified
16d Envoys invest time in qualifications (9)
DIPLOMATS: The abbreviation for Time “invested” into some qualifications
17d Family in South America holds capital (8)
KINSHASA: Family/relations plus an insertion of holds/possesses in SA.
20d Rank figures, excluding those on the far right (6)
STATUS: Some (carved) figures excluding thosE (on the far right). Neat
22d Endless matches fixed by him? (5)
CHEAT: mATCHEs* (fixed). Very smart
24d Escape trailer guarded by fruit picker? (5)
EVADE: An abbreviated trailer/publicity inside a biblical “fruit picker”.
A really entertaining puzzle – many thanks to Starhorse.
I have too many ticks on my printout to list them all – I’ll just mention 9a, 23a, 26a, 20d and 24d. My favourite was the very clever 27a.
Thanks Starhorse for waking my brain up with an entertaining challenge which almost required caffeine.
Smiles for 12a, 18a, 5d, 20d, and the biggest smile for 27a!
Thanks again and thanks in advance to Stephen L.
I needed to reveal a couple to get me over the completion line, but otherwise this was a very enjoyable challenge. I particularly liked the idle nun at 5d. I really wanted 3d to be figleaves, shame it wouldn’t parse. Thanks to Starhorse.
That was good fun and my print-out is a sea of ticks. I did have to check the spelling of the old instrument – could easily have led me astray! Clues I have to mention are 9&21a plus 3,4,6&24d.
Many thanks to our lovely Starhorse for a delightful puzzle.
This was great fun. It was perfectly pitched for an NTSPP with clever clueing, no obscurities, smooth surfaces (essential in my book, although apparently not everyone agrees), and lots of smiles along the way.
I’m not sure if the construction for 27a is totally valid as it requires a two-step decryption, but I thought it was a brilliant clue.
Many thanks and very well done, Starhorse.
Thanks RD, and yes 27a is a bit cheeky – it would probably be allowed in a toughie – but I couldn’t resist. Mind you I wince every time I read it…..
I’m fortunate that whilst Mrs Starhorse (Starmare doesn’t sound quite right) openly admits she can’t solve clues to save her life, but she can spot a dodgy surface at 100 paces… and does.
Excellent, great fun
Thanks Starhorse
I wish Starhorse set for the DT. What a great puzzle & 27a was a peach of a clue & the standout fav among a host of ticks.
Many thanks & don’t leave it so long before we see you again.
We took much longer than we should have to twig the wordplay for 23a, but the penny did drop eventually. Favourite has to be 27a.
All excellent fun.
Thanks Starhorse.
Most of this went in without much difficulty leaving me with only 2dn solved in an otherwise blank NW corner. Then my daughter brought in a Chinese takeaway which must have jogged my memory for 4dn and the rest of that corner quickly followed.
All good stuff. Thanks, Starhorse and StephenL.
Help! I forgot to print this puzzle yesterday & now I can’t find it on the site. Any clues?
Panic over , I’ve tracked it down.
Many thanks for the review, Stephen. Not sure that I agree with you about 12a needing a question mark, just reads as an instruction to me, but you obviously saw it differently. Either way, this was an extremely good puzzle from Starhorse.
I don’t either – thought it a great clue once the penny eventually dropped.
Thank you for for all your comments and for the review Stephen. I’ll be back in a while hopefully!
Late on parade, but I had to comment on what was a first class puzzle.
Ticks all over the place: 1a, 9a, 19a, 25a, 26a, 16d, 20d, 22d and 24d, with double ticks going to the brilliant 12a and 27a (even if it did stretch the rules ever so slightly).
I confess to not knowing Zaphod Beeblebrox (I don’t get out much), but the clueing and a few checking letters made it fairly obvious. 6d was my LoI – just couldn’t see it.
Great stuff, Starhorse. Please keep them coming.
TY StephenL for the review.
A busy weekend of rugby on Saturday and then Remembrance Sunday events delayed my enjoyment of this puzzle, but I was looking forward to it and was not disappointed. The excellent 10a and 5d anagrams were a great way to start and the ticks just kept coming. After much deliberation, podium places were awarded to 9, 19 & 27 in the Across clues and 3, 20 & 24 in the Down clues. Without carefully reviewing all his earlier excellent NTSPPs, I do wonder if this may have been Starhorse’s best puzzle to date (for me, at least)? I’m already looking forward to the next one, so hopefully ‘back in a while’ is not too far away!
Many thanks to Starhorse, and also to StephenL for his review.