We expected a Phi puzzle today but were more than happy to see a different name – the last time we blogged a Monk puzzle was back in October. There were a few that needed checking and one (19d) that still has us baffled – we hope someone can tell us where we have gone wrong.
The grid screamed ‘NINA’ and thankfully there was one as we needed some help to open up the NE corner and also confirm 19d.
If there are any errors or omissions, we will not be able to sort things out until late as we are bird watching at Gibraltar Point today.
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | A range of bizarre islands partly visible from the east (6) | |
| SIERRA | Hidden and reversed (from the east) bizARRE ISlands | |
| 8 | Petty officer fed by English cook turning over game (8) | |
| PEEKABOO | PO (petty officer) around or ‘fed by’ E (English) BAKE (cook) ‘turned’ O (over). With a new (and first) grandchild born recently, we hope we have plenty of opportunity for this game in the future! | |
| 9 | Malicious or terribly up itself (8) | |
| SPITEFUL | An anagram of UP ITSELF – anagrind is ‘terribly’ | |
| 10 | Condition made by former teachers happens to be minute (6) | |
| AUTISM | AUT (former Teachers’ union) IS (happens) M (minute) | |
| 11 | European republic announced source of luxury food? (6) | |
| OSTREA | Sounds like or ‘announced’ AUSTRIA (European Republic) | |
| 12 | Award given to pilots meeting directors (8) | |
| CHAIRMEN | CH (award as in Companion of Honour) AIRMEN (pilots) | |
| 13 | Anonymous mover and shaker lets ego trip run wild (11) | |
| POLTERGEIST | An anagram of LETS EGO TRIP – anagrind is ‘run wild’ | |
| 18 | Collides with neutrinos, emitting energy after explosion? (4,4) | |
| RUNS INTO | An anagram of NeUTRINOS without or ‘emitting’ E (energy) – anagrind is ‘after explosion’ | |
| 20 | Rings put on violent criminal bringing bad luck (6) | |
| HOODOO | HOOD (violent criminal) OO (rings) | |
| 21 | Chirpy sort of rotter accepted by 17 agency (6) | |
| CICADA | CAD (rotter) inside or ‘accepted by’ CIA (17d agency) | |
| 22 | Carries around with prop (8) | |
| AIRSCREW | An anagram of CARRIES – anagrind is ‘around’ W (with) | |
| 23 | Having exposed gears, heard quiet component of blower (8) | |
| EARPIECE | ||
| 24 | Colour of decapitated mythological monster (6) | |
| INDIGO | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | Weak women, annoyingly playful (7) | |
| WIMPISH | W (women) IMPISH (annoyingly playful) | |
| 2 | Old men interrupting relation’s composition (8) | |
| ORATORIO | O (old) + OR (men) inside or ‘interrupting’ RATIO (relation) | |
| 3 | Palm reader initially following lines in, oddly enough, animal (6) | |
| RAFFIA | R (first letter of Reader or ‘initially’) + FF (following lines) in AnImAl (odd letters only) | |
| 4 | Walter‘s in a state, wife becoming male (2,2,4) | |
| DE LA MARE | DELAWARE (state) with W (wife) becoming M (male) | |
| 5 | Force to modify flag (6) | |
| FALTER | F (force) ALTER (to modify) | |
| 6 | One apparently assigned duties to revel (7) | |
| ROISTER | I (one) inside or ‘assigned to’ ROSTER (duties) | |
| 8 | Plastic portable canopy, not the first to be distributed (13) | |
| POLYCARBONATE | An anagram of |
|
| 14 | Castle, on a rising, under shade (8) | |
| TINTAGEL | LEG (on) A reversed or ‘rising’ under TINT (shade) | |
| 15 | Stab, getting caught in mostly banal trouble (8) | |
| STOCCADO | C (caught) inside STOC |
|
| 16 | Moralist capturing exposed criminal (7) | |
| PURITAN | An anagram of |
|
| 17 | Pretend to receive extremely over-familiar alien (7) | |
| FOREIGN | FEIGN (pretend) around or ‘receiving’ O |
|
| 19 | Salt affected one’s food (6) | |
| SCAMPI | We think that this involves CAMP (affected) I (one) but cannot find any reference for S = salt. Perhaps someone can help us. | |
| 20 | Hard form of support rising because of Chinese capital (6) | |
| HARBIN | H (hard) BRA (support) reversed or ‘rising’ IN (because of). We had to check IN = because of – it wasn’t a meaning that we were familiar with. | |
We have a condiment set with S and P in holes in the tops – I assumed that was it. Not quite dictionary fodder, but common enough.
Me tomorrow, it appears.
Thanks Phi – your idea certainly seems to make sense. We’re now off to Gibraltar Point!
Shouldnt someone actually spell out the nina? (not my job mate)
Excellent puzzle.
copmus: it is on the perimeter starting on the penultimate character on the bottom row, the clockwise. It is a sort of RIP to the dead tree version.
HTH
Sorry. Then clockwise.
COD and LOI was 3D. Because my mind simply would not let me separate palm from reader.
Thanks.
If ‘in’ can mean ‘because of’, I’d rather take up golf.