NTSPP 813 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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NTSPP 813

by crypticsue  

A Puzzle by Chalicea

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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.

Chalicea is known for producing really friendly crosswords but this one was more straightforward than many of them!  There is a nautical theme

Across

1a  Fall in drops and drips regularly lit from the rear (6)
DISTIL:  The regular letters of DrIpS and LIT (from the clue) reversed (from the rear)

4a  Curious aspect, one not liable to decay (7)
ASEPTIC: An anagram (curious) of ASPECT and I (Roman numeral for one)

9a  British beer in package of goods (4)
BALE: The abbreviation for British and a type of beer

 

10a  Dardanelles long ago, infernal place, especially on boat ultimately (10)
HELLESPONT: An infernal place, the abbreviation for especially, ON (from the clue) and the ultimate letter of boaT

11a  Accepted knowledge ultimately shared about things to be done (6)
AGENDA: The abbreviation for Accepted, some informal knowledge, the ultimate letter of shareD and the abbreviation for About

12a  Took firm hold of small aquatic birds and marsh herons (8)
BITTERNS: Took firm hold off and some small aquatic birds

13a  Over-the-top concerning literally base manganese- magnesium-rich mineral (9)
OTTRELITE: The abbreviation for Over The Top, the usual concerning or on the subject of, an abbreviation meaning literally and the letter that is the base of the natural system of logarithms

15a  Bravo! ordinary wife succeeded. Lowers head as sign of respect (4)
BOWS: Abbreviations for Bravo, Ordinary, Wife and Succeeded

16a  Remain American: give a broad smile (4)
BEAM: Remain and the two-letter abbreviation for American

17a  Receptacle; surprisingly new creation (9)
CONTAINER: An anagram (surprisingly) of N (new) CREATION

21a  Hard worker supporting classy German car dealer (8)
MERCHANT: The abbreviation for Hard and one of crosswordland’s workers going after an informal name for a classy German car

22a  Backward son with a question - he fails to appear (2-4)
NO-SHOW: A reversal (backward) of SON followed by a question

24a  Megalithic monument's extraordinary parthenogenesis (frolicking pairs not needed!) (10)
STONEHENGE: An anagram (extraordinary) of parTHENOGENESis without (not needed) PAIRS – frolicking telling you the letters aren’t in that order

25a  In a frenzy in the morning certainly (4)
AMOK: The abbreviation for morning and an informal word of agreement (certainly)

26a  Type of mandarin yellowish pottery (7)
SATSUMA: A type of mandarin orange or yellowish pottery from Japan

27a  Winged seed remains vital (3-3)
ASH-KEY: Burnt remains and an adjective meaning vital

 

Down

1d  Sounds like plan for a drink (7)
DRAUGHT: A homophone (sounds like) a plan

2d  Inflexible old Scottish star (5)
STERN: Inflexible or unyielding or an obsolete and archaic Scottish name for a star

3d  In Islam he, sadly, is the rejected son (7)
ISHMAEL:  The first son of Abraham who was rejected by his father.   An anagram (sadly) of ISLAM HE

5d  Lady set out pieces of paper (6)
SHEETS: The feminine form of the third person pronoun (lady) and an anagram (out) of SET

6d  Pungent seasoning on Italy's top sausage (9)
PEPPERONI: A pungent seasoning, ON (the second appearance of ‘ON from the clue’) and the top of Italy

7d  Pub in good essentially coastal lands recovered from the sea (7)
INNINGS: A pub, IN (from the clue), the abbreviation for Good and the essential letter of coaStal

8d  Get round clumsy fellow going off travelling world wide (5-8)
GLOBE-TROTTING: GET (from the clue) goes round a clumsy person and part of a verb meaning going off/bad

14d  Saint abandoning unwonted sacredness, rises again (9)
REASCENDS: An anagram (unwonted) of SACREDNESs without the abbreviation for Saint at the end

16d  Grumble over players not finally getting medicinal drink (4,3)
BEEF TEA: An informal word meaning to grumble goes over a group of players without the final letter

18d  Carers - gentle souls principally (7)
TENDERS:  Gentle and the principal letter of Souls

19d  English modest about record in environmental science (7)
ECOLOGY: The abbreviation for English and a synonym for modest goes ‘about’ a record

20d  Understand obese Frenchman? Not me (6)
FATHOM: Obese and the French word for man without the ME at the end

23d  Taste of heroin (5)
SMACK: Double definition

 

15 comments on “NTSPP 813”

  1. This was light and great fun. It was vital to have my well-thumbed BRB at my side to check various synonyms along the way but unsurprisingly all the meanings I didn’t know were listed.

    There seems to be a nautical theme, and I counted 10 items.

    Many thanks to Chalicea and in advance to the hard working CS.

  2. Somewhat of a challenge but that might be because I was trying to multi-task watching an oval ball game taking place in Exeter! 🍁

    Smiles for 13a (assemble the Lego as instructed!), 22a, 24a, 19d, and 20d.

    I have also identified what seem to be 10 ‘nautical’ items.

    Thanks to Chalicea and in advance to CS.

  3. I gave a couple of answers that fit the checkers, but the parsing is tenuous in the extreme, so are probably off the mark. Once I followed the instructions for 13a, a trip to Mr G confirmed the mineral so a new piece of learning. I too have 10 nautical related answers, so perhaps I’m not too far from being correct. My podium comprises 10a, 24a and 20d. Thanks to Chalicea and to CS.

  4. I go along with the 10 nautical terms, so that could make at least 4 of us wrong… :wink:
    As usual, Chalicea’s puzzle is also a learning experience – the mineral, the pottery, the winged seed (also edible when pickled, apparently) the recovered lands and the 19th century Scottish word (heavens above!). :scratch:
    I particularly enjoyed the nicely observed anagrammatical wordplay in 24a and the rotund Frenchman in 20d. :good:
    My thanks to Chalicea, and I shall look forward to CS’ theme count. Nice to see the emoticons make a return :yes:

  5. I’ve got 11 nautical terms but it could be that I’ve been too ambitious somewhere – wouldn’t be the first time!
    As always with Chalicea at the helm, there were a few things that needed checking on but I’m reasonably happy with my completed grid. Ticks here went to 21&27a plus 16&20d.

    Thanks to Chalicea, always interesting when you’re in the NTSPP slot.

  6. I’m reluctant to draw attention to what I think may be an error in the definition part of 13a, as Chalicea is normally fastidious in her attention to accuracy. I think the mineral referred to is manganese-rich, not magnesium-rich. Not that I’d ever heard of it, nor will I be uttering it any time soon. Chambers doesn’t go into such detail, but a few sites returned by Google do mention the richness of manganese therein. Other than that quibblet, I found it most enjoyable, but couldn’t fathom 1a and 2d, so a rare DNF for me with Chalicean puzzles.

  7. Thank you Phil S and apologies. Indeed, it seems that it is the manganese that is rich in that mineral and the magnesium just a tiny amount (but how can they measure to .09%. Do you wonder when you read such details). Jane, I had 11 in the grid I sent though I can see why our first four friends spotted only ten.

  8. Thank you, Chalicea. Definitely a couple of new words for us and two answers awaiting CS’s explanation. We counted 10 nautical terms. We look forward to your next one.

  9. Well, I didn’t spot the theme; one or two answers seemed vaguely nautical but I thought that was just coincidence. But this was a very enjoyable puzzle and a fairly quick solve. Just a couple of comments: 21ac would work better as a down clue, and 24ac was a write-in for me as the megalith featured in a clue for ‘parthenogenesis’ in an Indy puzzle from 2021 reprinted in The i Paper a couple of months ago.
    Thanks, Chalicea and in advance to CS.

  10. We had our well-thumbed reference books to hand as usual, and they did have a little work to do checking definitions in what was a most enjoyable solve.
    Thanks Chalicea.

  11. Many thanks for the review, CS, although I’m even more confused now as to how many themed answers there actually are!

  12. Eleven, Jane as you said. 9a is an alternative spelling of one so I can understand its not being picked up.

    1. I certainly didn’t pick up on that alternative spelling; but I did wonder about the 11th theme member being 10a, which is also the name of a notable (for SCUBA divers at least) World War II era Royal Navy auxiliary vessel shipwreck lying offshore Malta!

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