A Puzzle by Chalicea
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid
This week’s NTSPP is one of Chalicea’s even friendlier than usual offerings with only a couple of things people might not have heard of. Quite anagram and double definition heavy, although you might not notice if you weren’t preparing the review!
Across
8a Go round a university college hosting essentially earthiest cowboy (6)
GAUCHO: GO (from the clue) put round A (from the clue), the abbreviation for University College and the ‘essential letter of eartHiest
9a In age in retrospect, old man at heart affirms abnormal self love (8)
EGOMANIA: Reverse the second word of the clue (in retrospect) and insert the abbreviation for Old, MAN (from the clue) and the letter at the heart of affiRMS
10a Gut a female ferret (4)
GILL: A verb meaning to gut a fish or an alternative spelling of the name of a female ferret
11a Unusual oldie's line for paint component (7,3)
LINSEED OIL: An anagram (unusual) of OLDIES LINE
12a Base to kick (4)
FOOT: Double definition
13a Might repeating rifles be found in this southern cathedral town? (10)
WINCHESTER: The brand of a repeating rifle or a cathedral town in Hampshire
17a Tolerate ill-mannered fellow (4)
BEAR: Double definition
18a Raced around; formed a curve (5)
ARCED: An anagram (around) of RACED
19a Move slowly in small Scottish island (4)
INCH: A verb or a small Scottish island
21a Two types of grain or just a single one (10)
BARLEYCORN: Two types of grain combine to give the grain from which malt is made
23a Water for immersing the body in this famous south-western town (4)
BATH: Yet another double definition
24a The Mechanical Engineer temporarily leaves vehicle in these places where you can be taken for a ride (5,5)
THEME PARKS: THE (from the clue) the abbreviation for Mechanical Engineer and temporarily leaves a vehicle somewhere
28a Parched section of Kalahari desert (4)
ARID: Found in a section of the last two words of the clue
29a Little Charles chasing telegram in alpine resort's uphill transport (5,3)
CABLE CAR: A message or telegram followed by (chasing) an abbreviation for the Latin name Carolus or Charles
30a In truth roughly detained with no thanks (6)
INDEED: An anagram (roughly) of DEtaINED without the informal thanks
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Down
1d Singer with deep-toned voice; exclude from consideration Italian one (8)
BARITONE: Exclude from consideration, the abbreviation for Italian and ONE (from the clue)
2d Singular cult surrounding heart of upper Russian range, related to shaping stone (10)
SCULPTURAL: The abbreviation for Singular, CULT (from the clue) ‘surrounding’ the letter at the heart of upPer and relating to a Russian mountain range
3d Bored and cynical lad we worry about (5-5)
WORLD-WEARY: An anagram (about) of LAD WE WORRY
4d Upset person, not being educated, employed or trained, an adolescent (4)
TEEN: Reverse (upset) the acronym for a person not being educated, employed or trained
5d Bar native of Lodz (4)
POLE: Another double definition – Lodz is a city in Central Poland
6d Upset heavy goods cart in enclosed farm area (4)
YARD: A reversal (upset) of a heavy goods cart
7d Look joyful grasping one figure of speech (6)
SIMILE: A joyful expression ‘grasping’ the Roman numeral for one
14d Some banana chopped for Mexican food item (5)
NACHO: Hidden in words two and three of the clue
15d Male college fellow is leader of tutors in charge, bent on pleasure (10)
HEDONISTIC: If you weren’t wearing your reading glasses, you might not have noticed the word hent in the clue. As hent means to grasp or snatch away, and as the letters H and B are quite near each other on the keyboard, this has to be a typo as bent here means having a leaning or bias towards something – the male third person pronoun, a college fellow, IS (from the clue) and the ‘leaders’ of Tutors In Charge
16d Windsurfing equipment of deplorably bad sailors (10)
SAILBOARDS: An anagram (deplorably) of BAD SAILORS
20d It's nicer refined varieties of yellow quartz (8)
CITRINES: An anagram (refined) of ITS NICER
22d Outlandish marsh a place of religious retreat (6)
ASHRAM: An anagram (outlandish) of MARSH A
25d Spy massive breakwater (4)
MOLE: Double definition
26d Kiss Hollywood legend Gregory (4)
PECK: A final double definition
27d Uncommon river measurement unit (4)
RARE: The abbreviation for River and a measurement of metric land measure
We always enjoy a puzzle by Chalicea. We still cannot parse 10a and we are now going to look for a theme. Many thanks to Chalicea and in advance to CS.
A delightfully entertaining Chalicea NTSPP offering. A suggestion of a theme, perhaps. But, I am not bold enough to go beyond that.
Smiles for 10a, 19a, 5d, 7d, and 26d.
Thanks to Cjalicea and, in advance, to CS.
This was light and great fun. I’ve found 8 themed items but I suspect there may be more.
I’m not quite sure about the parsing for 29a. Is “little Charles” Carl without the last letter?
I was also puzzled by “hent” in 15d. Is this a typo for “bent”?
Many thanks to Chalicea.
The three letters are the Latin abbreviation for Charles
Thanks, Prolixic. I looked up “car” using my BRB app but not “car.”!
Yes to the typo in 15d.
A very entertaining Chalicea puzzle which was a joy to solve. I too am struggling to parse 10a, but it couldn’t be anything else. Tough to pick a cotd, but I’ll plump for 21a. Thanks to Chalicea and in advance to CS.
I enjoyed this NTSPP offering today from Chalicea. Good fun for a Saturday morning.
I believe I have the theme and there are a least 8 and possibly 9 at a stretch.
A couple required verifying, but seem to meet the credentials.
Thanks to Chalicea
Thanks, solvers. As you know, my aim is to give a bit of fun so I am delighted when solvers are happy,
Just what we needed to put us in a good mood for our Sunday morning walk in the Spring sunshine. Smiles all the way.
Thanks Chalicea.
Thank you for the blog, CS, and apologies for the hent/bent typo. Glasses needed indeed.
A thoroughly enjoyable solve, if it was over too quickly. 21ac put me on to the theme as it cropped up last week in The i Paper’s reprint of a Vigo puzzle from the Indy back in 2022 with the same theme (but not all the same words).
I thought ‘hent’ was a typo, although it is a word, albeit marked as obsolete in the BRB, meaning to grasp.
Favourite was the aforementioned 21ac.
Thanks, Chalicea and CS.
I got the ‘measure’ of this puzzle quite quickly! However, I only had seven themed entries until I just read exit’s comment, which pointed to an eighth that I had not come across before.
As usual, a precise and pleasing crossword from Chalicea, with my favourite clue being 3d. I usually have to check a few things, but in this case it was just ‘gut’ (I knew the ferret) and then exit’s hint. I happily accepted the ‘Little Charles’ for what it had to be, so CS’s review and Prolixic’s comment on this were instructive. I didn’t spot the 15d typo and simply read the intended word…
Many thanks to Chalicea and to CS.
Having read the comments that were posted after I had posted, I can now confirm that there are 10 of the themed words in this puzzle.
Several are hard to suss out but nonetheless they belong as being part of the theme.