A Puzzle by Hydra
To celebrate the appearance of puzzle 800 in the NTSPP series, we are pleased to offer this special puzzle crafted by Hydra, the group of setters responsible for the previous 100 NTSPP puzzles.
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
A celebratory crossword to mark 800 crosswords in the NTSPP series, set up by Big Dave as an alternative puzzle as in those days the DT Saturday Prize Puzzle usually did not take that long to solve. I wonder how many of them I have reviewed??
Quite a tricky crossword, but then you would expect that with a mix of setters providing the clues. Did you correctly ‘guess the setter’ of each one?
Thanks to all the setters, especially to Prolixic who arranged the crossword and, presumably is responsible for what the 2Ks quite rightly call the 'excruciating' pun made up of the first nine Across solutions: ATE HOUND RUDD CROSS WURST BYE YORE SETT ERSE = EIGHT HUNDRED CCROSSWORDS BY YOUR SETTERS
Across
1a Troubled Greek character coming back (3)
ATE: A reversal (coming back) of the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet [Hubble]
3a Harry Houdini initially tied up with head covered (5)
HOUND: The initial letter of Houdini and a synonym for tied up without its first letter (covered) [Widdersbel]
6a Fish on the counter filleted during displays (4)
RUDD: Hidden in reverse (on the counter) in filleteD DURing [PostMark]
9a After change of direction, top shows off (5)
CROWS: Change the 'direction' at the end of a top (of the head, or something that goes on it) to the opposite direction [Radler]
10a German food is best we're told (5)
WURST: A homophone (we’re told) of a verb meaning to get the better of in a contest [Gazza]
11a Maybe mum's gone out for a run (3)
BYE: An anagram (out) of maYBE once you’ve removed the ‘mum’ [ALP]
12a Regularly taking my course in poetry of the past (4)
YORE: A poetic word for the past is found in the even (regular) letters of mY cOuRsE [Amoeba]
13a Non-conformist Durham town provides space for living underground (4)
SETT: A Durham town without the CON [Fez]
14a Last ride according to Cockney language (4)
ERSE: This sounds like the way a Cockney would say the vehicle used for a ‘last ride’ [Madcap]
17a Confines of Hydra's waters housing entrance to underworld (8)
IMPOUNDS: IM (of Hydra) and a small lake (waters) the latter ‘housing’ the entrance to Underworld [Coot]
18a Graduate's appeal for accommodation (6)
BEDSIT: A Bachelor of Education’s sex appeal [Prolixic]
20a Put one's name on a large token (6)
SIGNAL: Write one’s name on something followed by A (from the clue) and the abbreviation for Large [Chalicea]
22a Prosciutto not originally included in pasta's pseudonyms (3,5)
PEN NAMES: The type of meat that includes prosciutto without its first letter (not originally included) inserted into a type of pasta plus S [Shabbo]
25a Row of three people, perhaps front to back (4)
RIOT: Cycle the first letter of a group of three people to the back of the word [DuncanJWitham]
26a Again a husband's put out, when retiring (4)
ANEW: A (from the clue) and a reversal (when retiring) of WhEN without the H (husband’s put out) [Elgar]
27a See 31 empty bags for post collection (4)
BLOG: A poetic way of saying see or look inserted into the outside letters (empty) of the solution to 31a [Phibs]
31a Some ambiguity is important (3)
BIG: Hidden in the second word of the clue [Meles]
32a Be nuts about pantomime having just a couple of rehearsals (5)
ADORE: A fuss (pantomime) goes about the first two (couple of) letters of REhearsals [Jeemz]
33a Happy to be seen naked in pasture locally (5)
LEASE: A dialect word for pasture is obtained by removing the outside letters (naked) of a synonym for happy [Silvanus]
34a Spots Frenchman replacing new top (4)
ACME: An abbreviated Frenchman replaces the abbreviation for New in some spots [Starhorse]
35a A hollow device held when going around by two poles (5)
SEDAN: Abbreviations for the South and North poles into which is inserted A (from the clue) and the outside (hollow) letters of DevicE [Sirdakka]
36a Before start of Masters, golfer loses special wood (3)
ELM: A golfer who appears a lot in crosswords without the S (loses Special) and goes before M (the start of Masters) [Buddy]
Down
1d Poet's still hurt, he's lacking company (5)
ACCOY: A poetic word meaning to still – A hurt of pain without (lacking) the HE and a military abbreviation for company [Elgar]
2d Vanity project to gripe about (3-4)
EGO-TRIP: An anagram (about) of TO GRIPE [Starhorse]
3d Maybe Graham Norton's house dominating street (4)
HOST: An abbreviated house ‘dominating’ in a Down solution the abbreviation for street [Fez]
4d Awkward women entering college see director inside (8)
UNWIELDY: The abbreviation for Women ‘entering’ an abbreviated university (college) followed by the abbreviation for Director inserted into crosswordland’s favourite diocese (see) [Hubble]
5d Revolutionary communist had to reduce taxation (6)
DERATE: A reversed (revolutionary) communist followed by had (food) [Shabbo]
6d Pen not won? That's customary practice (4)
RITE: A verb meaning to pen without the abbreviation for Won [Jeemz]
7d Removes redundant parts and sacks leading actor from Ironside? (7)
DEBURRS: Removes rough edges from a metal object or piece of wood. A orefix meaning reverses or takes away (sacks) the original actor who played the detective Ironside [Gazza]
8d Soldiers beginning to tremble amid some moving memorials (8)
MEMENTOS: Some soldiers, the beginning to Tremble, a simple way of saying amid and an anagram (moving) of SOME [Dr Diva]
15d One of us organising manhunt after theft of some books (5)
HUMAN: An anagram (organising) of MANHUNT without (after theft of) the abbreviation for the books in the second part of the Bible [DuncanJWitham]
16d Earl charges £25 to see something showy in the garden (5)
PEONY: The abbreviation for Earl ‘charges’ a slang name for £25 [Widdersbel]
17d Mark's in bed saving the last of his energy (8)
INSCRIBE: IN (from the clue) and a type of bed between which is inserted the last letter of His, the symbol for Energy being added at the end [Sirdakka]
19d Bishop objective about first woman priest (8)
REVEREND: The abbreviation for the title of a bishop goes about the first woman in the Bible, a synonym for objective is added at the end [Phibs]
21d Poem briefly William's son I see read out (7)
GEORGIC: Almost all of the name of Prince William’s eldest son, I (from the clue) and the letter that sounds like see when read out [Silvanus]
23d Chap's bored by fighting what could be a virus (7)
MALWARE: A man (chap) ‘bored’ by some fighting [ALP]
24d Absolutely nothing tops sumo wrestling - that's well known (6)
FAMOUS: An abbreviated slang way of saying absolutely nothing and an anagram (wrestling) of SUMO [Coot]
28d Trace grand river in Warwickshire (5)
GLEAM: The abbreviation for Grand and a Warwickshire river [ Madcap]
29d One very engaged in ultimate crossword site's foundation (4)
DAVE: A (one) and the abbreviation for Very ‘engaged’ between the ultimate letter of crossworD and the ‘foundation’ of sitE [Radler]
30d From time to time feel pain in dash (4)
ELAN: The even (from time to time) letters of fEeL pAiN [Chalicea]
Quite a challenge from the 23-headed ‘monster’ – caffeine definitely required and frequent ‘checking’ of the grid as what I hoped were correct answers were entered.
Smiles for 13a, 14a, 22a, 2d, and 16d, and big smiles for 27a and 29d!
Thanks to the 23 setters and in advance to CS.
My goodness this landmark NTSPP was quite a challenge, requiring several sittings to complete. However, it was a lot of fun, with the single exception of 1d for which I needed to reveal the two missing letters.
I ticked most of the other clues, with double ticks for 10a, 11a, 18a, 33a, 19d, 21d and, of course, 29d.
Many thanks to all the setters, and to whoever coordinated the whole thing.
A magnificent achievement, I can only agree with RD and would repeat his final sentence. I will save electrons and assure all the setters and organisers of this fine puzzle of my devotions
Did anyone spot the pun in the first nine across solutions?
No. But now you mention it, it’s very good!
I completely missed that. Does explain some of the interesting word choices!
Many thanks for all your work in bringing this together.
Solving a puzzle like this reminds us of how much “getting inside the setter’s head” is part of the process. With a many-headed setter one cannot do this.
Took us quite some time to get everything sorted and great fun to do so. We would never have got the excruciating pun without the heads-up.
Thanks everyone.
A slow and steady solve and I needed the hints for 1dn and 9ac – talking of which I don’t see that the plural form ‘tops’ is required; I took ‘top’ as the top of the head or what the monarch has on it, then just change the N to S.
But a great achievement. Thanks to all the setters and to Prolixic for co-ordinating it – not forgetting CS for the review.
By the time I got to drafting my third blog post of the day, the brain wasn’t functioning on all cylinders. I’ll amend the hint after lunch
(Many) hats off to Prolixic for masterminding this – he really put in a massive shift here – and best thanks to Sue.
Many thanks for the review, CS. It will not surprise you to learn that the two I failed to fathom were set by Elgar!
A marvellous feat of engineering, well done to Prolixic for the organisation and to all the setters who contributed.
Thank you to Prolixic who did all the hard work for this crossword.
All the rest of us needed to do was clue one or two of the solutions, though we were asked to provide three alternatives for each, so he could pick and mix to ensure a balanced puzzle.
For anyone who may be interested, my other submissions were…
Murder She Wrote – originally arrested killer comes back (5) S(he) W(rote) ORC(a) all reversed
Murder series cracks case for crypticsue (5) ROW ^ CS
Man attending Ida & Vera’s meeting (4) (hidden)
Man and duck – not quite doubles (4) EVADe reversed
Thanks to everyone who has commented and to Sue for the review.
Producing an anniversary crossword could be a challenge but the process is really quite smooth, in no small part due to the excellent team of setters that provide our weekly crosswords. They rose to the challenge of providing the clues and required very little chasing. My thanks to them.
Looking back at the first 100 crosswords, there are some familiar names – Radler and I were in the original cohort joined shortly afterwards by Gazza. Elgar also provided a number of the original puzzles. Over the years, the team of setters has grown considerably and many of our setters have become setters for the national papers, the latest of whom is ALP who made his debut in the Independent recently. We have a great team of setters to continue the series.
Sadly, since the publication of NTSPP 700, we have said farewell to Alchemi whose last crossword was NTSPP 711 and Dutch whose last crossword was NTSPP 387.
As we celebrate NTSPP 800 let us also raise a glass to Big Dave whose foresight in setting up both the NTSPP series and later the Rookie Corner has produced a lasting legacy in the crossword world.
And finally, apologies for the excruciating pun. I doubt I will be ever let loose on a Quickie crossword based on this one!
Tricky, as many have already pointed out, but really enjoyable to solve.
Many thanks to Prolixic for organising it and to CS for the review.
My CoD is ALP’s mother at 11a.
LoI was Silvanus’s pasture at 33a.
I did not help things by biffing malaise for ALP’s virus at 23d.
Great fun.
I was walking along the South Downs Way over the weekend, so this Saturday treat became a mid-week one. And a treat it was! Given the gifted assembly of setters it was no surprise that all the surfaces were top notch and that 12 of the clues received my ticks. I’m not going to list them because I wouldn’t want any of the team to feel left out
. Two clues did require some e-help: I had to look up the town in Durham although the definition / answer were clear. And guess what – Elgar’s 1d was my LOI and also required some e-research! I did pick up the presence of a pun from 12/13/14 across, but I didn’t link it all up as I failed to ‘read’ 9/10 across – it was indeed excruciating as admitted by Prolixic himself! All in all, a fitting tribute to the NTSPP slot, the founder, 31/29, and the many heads of Hydra who contributed over the preceding weeks. My thanks to all of them, to Prolixic for captaining the team and to CS for her review. Roll on 2027 and a much anticipated NTSPP 900…