NTSPP 772 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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NTSPP 772

by crypticsue  

Going Somewhere by Chalicea

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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.

It wouldn’t be a Chalicea NTSPP if it wasn’t friendly and didn’t have a theme!

Across

8a  At first bear advanced temperature - hot tub! (4)
BATH: The first letters of Bear Advanced Temperature and Hot

9a  Plump little songster in American tournament (5,5)
ROUND ROBIN: Plump and a small singing bird

10a  Chilly winter condition causing bewilderment on reserve (3,3)
ICE FOG: Confusion or bewilderment going on or after reserve or formality

11a  Have a physical resemblance, observe and approve (4,4)
LOOK LIKE: Verbs meaning to observe and approve

12a  Saw knees shaking; sign of this? (8)
WEAKNESS: An anagram (shaking) of SAW KNEES

14a  Sharp, pointed items remove top of vegetables (6)
ARROWS: Remove the first letter (top) of some vegetables

16a  Endure strip of bone in corset (4)
STAY: A verb meaning to endure or a strip of bone in a corset

17a  Small ice cream cornet, teatime treat (5)
SCONE: The abbreviation for Small and an ice cream cornet

18a  Ponder muddle (4)
MULL: A verb meaning to ponder or a muddle

19a  Some revolutionary ashram harbours Hindus' creator of the universe (6)
BRAHMA: Hidden in reverse (revolutionary) in ashrAM HARBours

21a  Duly pick wrong container in game (5,3)
LUCKY DIP: An anagram (wrong) of DULY PICK

23a  Low fits of frenzy in places to anchor ships (8)
MOORAGES: The noise made by a cow (low) and some fits of frenzy

26a  Southern Irish lake, a marsh (6)
SLOUGH: The abbreviation for Southern and an Irish word for lake

27a  Enthusiastic about country rising and falling in pitch (10)
INTONATION: An informal phrase meaning enthusiastic about and a country

28a  Rejected painful sexual desire (4)
EROS: A reversal (rejected) of a synonym for painful

Down

1d  Cunning merchants accepting eastern cotton cloths (10)
MANCHESTER: A name applied to cotton cloths made in this city – an anagram (cunning) of MERCHANTS ‘accepting’ the abbreviation for Eastern

2d  Group of workers with essential way to produce capital (5,3)
SHIFT KEY: A group of workers working at the same time and a synonym for essential

3d  Lilting accent of British prankster (6)
BROGUE: The abbreviation for British and a prankster

4d  Remove external covering from ship's body (4)
HULL: Double definition

5d  This person urging something can press a suit for you (8)
ADVOCATE: Cryptic definition of someone who pleads a cause on behalf of another

6d  Cricketer's hat (6)
BOWLER: A cricketer or a type of hat

7d  Lively and energetic way of lighting candle on northern farm some say (4)
WICK: A dialect word meaning lively and energetic; the part of a candle you light ; a dialect word some people in the north of England might use for a farm - for example, Keswick means cheese farm

13d  Sail into swarm of fishes (5)
SHOAL: Sail into water of decreasing depth or a multitude of fishes

15d  Type of boot not primarily bulging with fashion (10)
WELLINGTON: A synonym for bulging without its primary letter and a word meaning fashion that always has at least one solver saying they have never heard of it!

17d  Kidnap a sailor misusing hash and a gin (8)
SHANGHAI: An anagram (misusing) of HASH and A GIN

18d  Curiously employ as festive dancing places (8)
MAYPOLES: An anagram (curiously) of EMPLOY AS

20d  Soil pulveriser to cause distress (6)
HARROW: Something that pulverises soil or a verb meaning to cause distress

22d  With a view to burglary reconnoitring housing (6)
CASING: Examine a house, perhaps,  with a view to possibly committing a burglary or an outside covering of any kind (casing)

24d  Hullabaloo in kitchen includes animal noise (4)
OINK:  Hidden in the first three words of the clue

25d  Small person upsets objects of little value (4)
SNIP: A reversal (upsets) of objects of little value

 

Ten solutions are also the names of places:

 

 

17 comments on “NTSPP 772”

  1. A very pleasant complement to the SPP – no caffeine required!

    I can identify eight nine ten answers that match the ‘Going Somewhere’ title but I expect that there might be one or two more.

    Smiles for 18a, 2d, 4d, and 24d.

    Thanks to Chalicea and in advance to CS.

  2. This was a light and pleasant diversion which brightened a thoroughly miserable day here in London. I was planning to trump Senf’s eight theme answers as I had found ten, but I see he has upped his total now to ten too!

    As always with a puzzle from Chalicea, it’s a good idea to have a BRB within reach. I needed to check the muddle in 18a, the cotton cloths in 1d, the verb to sail into in 13d, and both the small person and objects of little value in 25d (which not surprisingly was my last one in).

    I am sure I must be missing something regarding the parsing of 7d. It seems to be an Eric Morecambe clue: all the right elements are there but not in the right order. I have taken it to be a triple definition: “lively and energetic”, “way of lighting candle” and “farm”. However, according to the BRB, the lively and energetic part is northern dialect and so needs indicating as such, and the farm is British not northern so doesn’t need indicating. Also, the answer is not really a way of lighting a candle, and what functions are “on” and “some say” serving?

    My top picks are: 2d, 3d & 6d.

    Many thanks to Chalicea for the fun.

  3. As RD pointed out, always best to have the BRB at hand for a Chalicea puzzle! Not sure that I’d want to visit all of the ports of call that she suggests but some of them are very pleasant indeed.
    Clues that made me smile were 12,16&24a plus 2d.

    Thanks to Chalicea and the BRB for an enjoyable NTSPP.

  4. Thank you Chalicea, a very pleasant way of spending time on a very dreary weather day. We didn’t know the ‘muddle’ in 18a and ‘sail’ in 13d and couldn’t really parse 7d – but nevertheless enjoyed the puzzle and we found10 answers for Going Somewhere. Thanks in advance to CS.

  5. A wonderful puzzle and very enjoyable. I was reminded of our trip to visit our daughter and son-in-law in Melbourne by 2d. Over there, they call all bed linen and table cloths 2d.

    I managed to spot 10 places.

    Thank you, Chalicea for an enjoyable diversion on a miserable Saturday. At least it’s only rain in The Marches with little wind and no snow. It’s quite mild at 14C.

  6. I can only spot 9 places & I’d pass on a number of those. Have just finished watching a very powerful/highly recommended drama on Channel 4, After The Party, set in 15d & wouldn’t mind visiting there. As ever an enjoyable puzzle – am shy on a couple of the whys so will await the review.
    Thanks Chalicea

    1. That was a lovely puzzle. 2d easily my favourite.

      Add me to the list of people who can’t parse 7d.

  8. I’m really happy, as always, to be pleasing solvers. 7d is just a double definition clue (the first part of the clue is the dialect bit) and, of course, the answer is a long way ‘up north’. The word has six definitions in Chambers but the first one I used was commonly heard in North Yorks, my origin. Yes to the Toonie – 17ac was somewhat devious as solvers probably assumed it was to eat.

  9. A most enjoyable puzzle, and I managed to spot all 10 theme locations. I did need to check the muddle and the small person in the BRB although they were got easily enough from the clues. Thanks, Chalicea and CS.

  11. Thanks CS. It’s interesting that, with the disagreement on how the ‘edible’ 17a is pronounced, the location in Scotland, and its stone, introduces a third pronunciation!

  12. CS, as always, I love your illustrations, especially the one for 9a. Many thanks for the review.

  13. Enjoyed this NTSPP after the prize puzzle.
    Lots to like including 17a, 26a, 1d, 3d, 6d & 15d … with 3d winner

    I find all 10 destinations too.
    Great puzzle… Thanks Chalicea

  14. Another enjoyable puzzle from Chalicea, with the usual smattering of stuff I hadn’t come across before – the cotton cloths, lively and energetic, northern farm and the chilly winter condition which I had always alliteratively known as ‘frozen’. All were eminently gettable and backed up by dictionary references. Like CS, I had 7d marked as a triple definition – and still do despite Chalicea’s advice to the contrary! Clue-of-the-day for me was 2 Down. The grid entries duly delivered on the promise suggested by the title.
    My thanks to Chalicea and CS.

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