NTSPP 758 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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NTSPP 758

by StephenL  

A Puzzle by Exit

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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.

Exit provides this weekend's alternative to the gentle but enjoyable SPP with a (largely) gentle but enjoyable NTSPP so many thanks to him.

Across

8a Absurd uncle titillates believer in the power of reason (15)
INTELLECTUALIST: Anagram (absurd) of the following two words

10a Carve epitaph, to start with, on new tomb (7)
ENGRAVE: E(pitaph) plus N(ew) plus a synonym of tomb.

12a English beach resort originally covered with seaweed in symbolic calculation (7)
ALGEBRA: An insertion of the abbreviation for English plus initial letters of Beach Resort into the singular form of seaweed

13a Acting together at popular gig (2,7)
IN CONCERT: The usual popular plus a (perhaps formal) gig. How do these guys do it? Still producing genius songs like this

14a Pack in Dons’ meeting place? I’m not sure (5)
SCRUM: An abbreviated don’s meeting place plus an exclamation expressing doubt.

15a Gaol (Reading?) finished support (7)
STIRRUP: An informal prison plus R (as in reading being one of the three) and a word meaning finished or complete.

18a Sibling reportedly beginning to navigate reservoir … (7)
CISTERN: A homophone of a female sibling and the initial letter of Navigate.

21a … and German adopting gymnastics to somersault? (5)
UPEND: A German indefinite article “adopts” some exercises or gymnastics

23a Dicky, saucy lout, collecting neglected desserts? (9)
AUTOLYCUS: (SAUCY LOUT)* The solution is described as “a snapper up of uncontested trifles” in Shakespeare's The Winter’s Tale

25a Wringer missing at first but returned later for washing machine (4-3)
TWIN-TUB: We need to remove the first letter of wringer and then find a synonym of what's left. Add a reversal of BUT from the clue. Unconventional but I like it.

26a Polish church dignitary without work? Nonsense! (7)
RUBBISH: Polish as a verb plus a senior member of the church with the usual abbreviated work removed.

29a Admission: Lowe can’t mend keg (broken) (15)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Anagram (broken) of the previous four words.

 

Down

1d Four in further education – or one more? (4)
FIVE: An insertion of the Roman numeral for four into an abbreviated Further Education

2d Staggers, half-cut, in night before wedding? (4)
STAG: The first half of the first word in the clue

3d Honour Head moving on? That’s difficult (6)
SEVERE: A synonym of honour or worship with the initial letter changed to the next one in the alphabet (moving on). I like this but I think it would benefit from “head” being ”head character “

4d Latin act, oddly, defines “an ocean” (8)
ATLANTIC: (LATIN ACT)*

5d Witch meets soldier over singular Scottish delicacy (6)
HAGGIS: A synonym of a witch or vile woman plus a US soldier plus S(ingular)

6d User bids excitedly for pay out (8)
DISBURSE: (USER BIDS)*

7d Saint and crude bloke in argument? (5,3)
STRAW MAN: The usual SainT, a synonym of crude or unrefined and a male create an argument often employed by the oafs who govern us. The question mark indicates a DBE.

9d King with no easy reign initially - one under instruction (7)
LEARNER: One of crosswordland's favourite kings plus the initial letters of No Easy Reign. We saw originally to define a run of first letters in 12a so initially here felt a tad repetitive but nothing wrong with it of course

11d Players, 13, perhaps suggesting why tennis might be abandoned? (5)
NONET: Cryptic/double definition with a clever reference to 13a. Split the solution 2-3 and whimsically we have a reason for abandoning a tennis match.

15d Shock model guy’s body double (8)
STUNTMAN: A synonym of shock or take aback plus the car model plus the male who appeared in 7d

16d Cool choices for kitchen tools (8)
ICEPICKS: A synonym of cool as a verb plus one of choices. I trust these can be kitchen tools. As requested in the comments

17d Co-operate in drama and dance (4,4)
PLAY BALL: Put together a drama and a (formal) dance.

19d Solomon familiar with kind of blue - as this clue should be (7)
SOLUBLE: An informal version of Solomon plus (Blue)*

20d Oscar overcome with regrets for dissolute fellows (5)
ROUÉS: An insertion of the letter represented by Oscar in the phonetic alphabet into a synonym of regrets

22d Looking up Spanish for ‘Ted’ is superfluous (2,4)
DE TROP: A reversal (looking up in a down clue) of the Spanish for “for” and Ted from the clue

24d Irate and ultimately incoherent rant (6)
TIRADE: (IRATE anD)*

27d Composer wearing mini vest … (4)
IVES: Hidden (wearing)

28d … knocks top 20 winners
HITS: Triple definition

 

 

 

19 comments on “NTSPP 758”

  1. Solved in the sunny garden. Mostly straightforward but I had to reveal a letter or two to to get 23a and then looked it up in the BRB and am still none the wiser

    Thanks to Exit and, in advance, to StephenL

  2. This was very light but I enjoyed it a lot. Although I have heard of 23a, I am mystified by the definition.

    Many thanks to Exit and in advance to SL.

  3. First caffeine of the day and some e-help required to get across the finishing line.

    I consider that I have resolved 23a with a Shakespearean reference I found in that unimpeachable source Wikipedia, which suggests to me that more than one ‘?’ is required at the end of the clue, and an extra large Hmm.

    Smiles for the two long uns, 14a, 11d, and 17d.

    Thanks Exit for the brain mangling and thanks in advance to SL.

  4. An enjoyable puzzle (even though 15-letter anagrams are not my favourite type of clue) – thanks Exit.
    Even after looking up the answer to 23a I’m no wiser on what the definition means.
    In 6d the definition ‘payout’ can only be a noun while the answer is a verb.
    The clues I liked best were 25a, 3d and 17d.

  5. Like CS, solved in the sunny garden – until I had to come inside to research 23a. I got a likely answer from the wordplay and the checkers (despite the double unch) which then set me on my path. After a bit of rummaging I found the Shakesperian quote leading to the clue definition (hah!). I won’t give it away here as others will no doubt want to do their own rummaging :-)
    Fine entertanment from Exit – my favourites being 18a, 3d, 7d & 17d. Now back into the sunny garden to set to work on chores…

  6. Don’t feel that I’ve correctly parsed 23a and wonder how many people would count a 16d amongst their kitchen tools these days but the puzzle itself was quite enjoyable. Top three here were 3,17&20d.

    Thanks to Exit – hope SL has come up with a definitive answer for 23a!

  7. Thank you Exit for a thoroughly enjoyable puzzle, a perfect accompaniment to my lunch.
    Re 23a, Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable has a more detailed entry than BRB, as well as the Shakespearean quote. And yes, this clue does make sense.
    I agree with Jane re 16d!
    Top clues for me were 15a,18a, 3d, 17d and 20d. And, I must confess, a liking for 23a!
    Very well done, Exit.And thanks in advance to StephenL.

  8. We cannot parse 23a although Google helped us with the answer and we need SL’s review to understand two other answers. Otherwise, an enjoyable solve, thank you Exit. The answer to 8a certainly helped to get us started in the top half. Thanks also in advance to SL.

  10. What Jane said @ 6. Mind you the utensil might have made defrosting the freezer a quicker job the other day. Top half definitely easier than downstairs.
    Thanks to Exit & in advance to Stephen – trust we’ll get No More Heroes.

  11. Thank you to everyone for your comments, and in particular to StephenL for the comprehensive review. (A couple of minor corrections needed there: in 21ac ‘und’ is the German for ‘and’, and the trifles in 23ac are ‘unconsidered’).
    It was interesting to read the comments on 23ac. Obviously the character in The Winter’s Tale and his self-description (in Act 4, scene 2 or 3 dpending on which edition you have) are not as well-known as I imagined, although my both my test solvers knew them. Something to bear in mind for the future.

  12. Many thanks for the review, Stephen. Pleased to see that 23a came to you more easily than it did to many of us!

  13. Thanks again to Exit and thanks to SL for the review (especially for shedding light on 23a).
    Could you explain how 6d works? As far as I can see the definition ‘payout’ can only be a noun while disburse can only be a verb.

    1. Hi Gazza
      It doesn’t work as “payout”. I think there may have been an error in uploading the blog so I’ve changed the enumeration to 3-3.

        1. My mistake, there – a conflict between the surface and the definition. ‘Payout’ fits the surface better but ‘pay out’ is needed for the definition. Apologies

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