A Puzzle by Rahmat Ali
+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - + - +
The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid
Rahmat Ali returns with a his second puzzle in the NTSPP spot and a lot of fun it was. Many thanks to him.
Across
1a Was it Eliot’s toilet I saw? Perhaps (10)
PALINDROME: The first six words of the clue are an example of the solution. Very nice
6a Concluding musical passage by children of deaf adults, primarily (4)
CODA: Initial letters of the four words preceding “primarily”
8a Ineffectual failure of the French and setter - getting zero (4,4)
LAME DUCK: A French indefinite article, a first person pronoun and zero in cricket
9a Mostly oriental festival (6)
EASTER: A synonym of Oriental without its last letter.
10a Element of spoken languages - half a score (8)
TUNGSTEN: A homophone (spoken) of a synonym of languages plus the number that's half a score
11a Monstrous woman’s movement ignores marketing (6)
OGRESS: Movement /development without the usual abbreviated marketing
12a He can spy intermittently. That’s a piece of cake! (4)
EASY: Intermittent letters of hE cAn SpY.
14a Derive pleasure from note to Irish author being read out loud (7)
REJOICE: The second note on the solfa scale plus a homophone of the surname of an influential Irish author
18a Spookiest film covering southern Ireland in retrospect (7)
EERIEST: Crosswordland’s favourite film around a reversal of the abbreviation for Southern and another name for Ireland
20a Space concerned to be closed by Alcoholics Anonymous (4)
AREA: The abbreviation for Alcoholic Anonymous around an abbreviation meaning with reference to. I'm not sure it's synonymous with “concerned” rather than concerning
23a African country church producing bad blood (6)
MALICE: A West African country and an abbreviated church
24a Chat up mischievously about Zulu husband’s brazenness (8)
CHUTZPAH: CHAT UP* around (about) the abbreviation for Zulu plus the abbreviation for Husband
25a Sympathised with private investigator bound with rope (6)
PITIED: An abbreviated detective plus bound with rope (or string or cord etc so we need something like “perhaps” here)
26a Throughout, it’s been 50-50 during Angola riot (3,5)
ALL ALONG: Two instances of the Roman numeral for 50 inserted into ANGOLA* (riot). Can we link definition to wordplay using “it's been”? I'd delete it completely. I think “riots” would work better as an indicator here too
27a Chief herald of Scotland somewhere in France? (4)
LYON: Double definition
28a With limitless dream, boy’s accomplished and sensible (10)
REASONABLE: The inside letters of dREAm, a synonym of boy and accomplished/skilled. Some editors wouldn't allow the ‘S as a juxtaposition indicator but some would so fair enough.
Down
1d Extraordinary prize: ultimately 30% award going for journalism, arts and letters (8)
PULITZER: PRIZE plus ULTimately* (extraordinary). The indicator is very appropriate here.
2d Bemoan unsatisfactory books (6)
LAMENT: Unsatisfactory/weak plus some biblical books
3d One barely lying on certain beaches (6)
NUDIST: Mildly crypto definition
4d Court player’s a shady businessman? (9)
RACKETEER: Double definition
5d One detective to another at close quarters? (3,2,3)
EYE TO EYE: An informal term for a detective, “to” from the clue and “another” (detective).
6d Not cut out to be singers? On the contrary (8)
CASTRATI: Cryptic definition. Very nice play on words, I'm not sure it entirely works but I don't want to dwell on it!
7d Furniture pieces for medical students attending to wounds (8)
DRESSERS: Double definition
13d According to Spooner, she sells these on the shore (9)
SEASHELLS: Apply the Spooner treatment to “she sells”
15d Parity of base trait (8)
EQUALITY: The abbreviation for base plus trait/characteristic
16d Old bachelor almost mad at a state of being forgotten (8)
OBLIVION: Abbreviations for Old and Bachelor plus mad/angry minus its last letter plus a preposition synonym of at. Be careful with using "a" when it's not necessary
17d Loan a vehicle outside of schedule (8)
CALENDAR: Loan/give temporarily plus A from the clue with a vehicle around it.
19d Article on a huge Byzantine city (3,5)
THE HAGUE: Definite article plus A HUGE*
21d Effort made by second exercise (6)
STRAIN: The abbreviation for Second plus exercise/prepare
22d Composure of pal in struggle with mob (6)
APLOMB: PAL plus MOB* Personally I wouldn't separate the fodder with the indicator.
Three things come to mind when you see the name Rahmat Ali as the setter. It will be light, it will be fun, and it will probably be a pangram. On this occasion only the first two apply!
My page is littered with ticks and 6d was the pick of the bunch.
Many thanks, RA, for an excellent lunchtime entertainment.
Thank you so much once again, Rabbit Dave, for finding my puzzle an excellent lunchtime entertainment.
Cracking puzzle. Spent far too long trying to crowbar “wasteland” into 1a until sanity prevailed. A great clue. I was on pangram alert when I solved 24a (another corker) but it seems not. Many ticks on my print out so it’s hard to pick a cotd, but for sheer brazenness it has to be the aforementioned 24a. Thanks Rahmat Ali.
Thank you so much once again, Prawn, for liking my puzzle.
Lots to like here & very much enjoyed the puzzle. Very slow to twig both 1a&d, which were my last 2 in & among a host of likes – 10&24a + 2&6d among them.
Thanks Rahmat Ali
Thank you so much once again, Huntsman, for liking my puzzle.
Excellent fun to set us in the right mood for our Sunday morning constitutional. Lots of ticks but we’ll award top prize to 1a.
Thanks Rhamat Ali.
Thank you so much once again, 2Kiwis, for liking my puzzle.
Rahmat Ali solves crosswords with remarkable skill and flair, making even the toughest clues seem effortless. What sets him apart is the humour he brings to the process, turning each solution into a moment of laughter and fun.
Each tricky clue bends to his smile.
A razor mind, a comic way.
Firoz Alam
Welcome to the blog
Thank you so much, Firoz Alam, for liking my puzzle.
Most enjoyable, but over too quickly. I particularly liked 1ac.
I did wonder if the four E-shapes in the grid had any significance, but apparently not.
Thanks, RA and SL.
Thank you so much, exit, for liking my puzzle.
Hot on the heels of the one set for the Blog Birthday celebration, Rahmat Ali has provided us with another entertaining puzzle. Favourite clues were 1, 18 & 24 in the Across direction and 1, 2 & 22 in the Down direction. I thought 1a might have contained an anagram until I saw that a) there was a duplicate anagram group and then b) they were a mirror image with a shared ‘s’ in the middle! The ‘Chief herald’ was new title for me, but the place in France was clear from the crossers. I annotated the preposition synonym in 16d with a question mark, but CS hasn’t raised an eyebrow so it must be OK.
My thanks to Rahmat Ali and to CS.
You need to thank Stephen not me
It has to be the result of my short attention span and your comment at #5, CS. I’m easily mislead as you will have seen over the years from my regular misinterpretation of wordplay!
My thanks, indeed, must go to StephenL for the review and the motionless eyebrow.
Thank you so much once again, Spartacus, for liking my puzzle.
Thank you so much, StephenL, for the magnificent review.