Filbert gets our new year of Sunday puzzles going
Some a reason that eludes me we have the letters Q, C, I, U, P, T, R and Y spelled out round the grid, probably because he could. Thanks Filbert
ACROSS
7. Slight difficulties if Romeo cracks shellfish (8)
WRINKLES
Romeo inside WINKLES – shellfish
9. Long seat in church aisle needing length (6)
CHAISE
CH(urch) & L(ength) removed from AIS(l)E
10. Rent more than it was reported (4)
HIRE
Sounds like HIGHER, more than
11. Bossy politician to the right behind Macron’s dad (10)
PEREMPTORY
PERE – French for father & MP TORY – one on the right
12. Old dog on film is one that howls (6)
YELLER
Old Yeller is a Disney film about a stray dog
13. Rubber lips for notable work by Magritte, say (8)
NEOPRENE
The lips or edges of NotablE & OP – work & RENE (magritte)
14. Naughty ad by telephone not acceptable (6,3,4)
BEYOND THE PALE
A naughty [AD BY TELEPHONE]*
17. Obsessive hiding front of fashion mag with hands (8)
ANALOGUE
ANAL – obsessive & the front removed from (v)OGUE
19. Criticise time taken by BT, getting back on line (6)
BERATE
ERA – time – in BT & end of linE
21. Boisterous Irish returned, supporting a band (3-7)
RIP-ROARING
IR(ish) reversed & PRO – for, supporting & A & RING – band
22. Rose sounded triumphant, making a hundred grand (4)
GREW
CREW – was bragging with C – hundred – replaced by G(rand)
23. Property found in toilet at Selfridges returned (6)
ESTATE
Hidden reversed in toilET AT SElfridges
24. ‘Up for it’ dig MeToo rubbished (8)
GOODTIME
DOWN
1. Vineyard can be found close to the coast (6)
CRUISE
To coast, cruise along. CRU – vineyard & IS & end of thE
2. Make light of dropping Penny’s cushion on the floor (8)
UNDERLAY
Penny removed from UNDERpLAY – make light of
3. Queen carrying long stick flipped runner off (6)
ELOPER
POLE flipped & ER – late queen. This would only work in a down clue
4. European rocket chicks regularly brought up in chitchat (8)
SCHMOOZE
European & ZOOM – rocket & alternate letters of cHiCkS all reversed
5. English teacher missing end of term, for a festival (6)
EASTER
English & end of terM removed from (m)ASTER – teacher
6. Tighten Geraint’s wheels (8)
ASTRINGE
8. England at that point during series toughening up (13)
STRENGTHENING
ENG(land) & THEN – at that point – all in STRING – series of events
14. Extremely good-looking NI footballer keeps playing there (8)
BONNIEST
(george) BEST a (in)famous former Northern Ireland footballer with ON – playing & NI inserted
15. Carrying blade, wandering Genoa’s dangerous neighbourhood (2-2,4)
NO-GO AREA
OAR – a rowing blade in a wandering GENOA*
16. A broken-hearted Wimbledon champion had to annul (8)
ABROGATE
A & (bjorn) BORG with the middle reversed & ATE – had
18. Early forms of life are vital for evolution – it can be forgotten (6)
LARVAE
IT needs to be forgotten in a evolving [ARE V(it)AL]*
19. The Rock put up revolutionary toy tent (3,3)
BIG TOP
GIB(raltar) – The Rock reversed & a spinning TOP toy
20. Woman driven off a cliff when steering mechanism breaks cheers (6)
THELMA
HELM – steering device in TA – cheers
Liked CRUISE, the revolutionary toy in BIG TOP, Thelma for the def, and NEOPRENE for the way it very easily fell into place with the parsing. Thanks flashling and Filbert.
I looked at the Nina for a long time before concluding that I didn’t know what it meant. Nice puzzle and blog.. RIP-ROARING made me smile, and CRUISE was LOI
The only thing I can make of the perimeter letters is ‘quryptic’, perhaps a variant of ‘cryptic’? ‘Goodtime’ as one word threw me for a short time. Excellent puzzle, so thanks Filbert and Quirister.
I’m another somewhat mystified by the nina. As I was by the nho YELLER which went in with crossed fingers as LOI. I found some constructions really quite challenging – CRUISE, UNDERLAY, SCHMOOZE and THELMA – which does, indeed, have a splendid definition – being good examples. BEYOND THE PALE is a lovely spot.
Thanks Filbert and flashling
Similar to Tatrasman@3, my best guess was CRYPTIQU as a cryptic version of cryptic.
May be Filbert’s just enjoying us all chasing a wild goose?
Another accomplished and beautifully-clued puzzle, which I have come expect from Filbert. The surfaces are a joy, to read over again after one has completed.
The definitions are always fair, yet often elusive, without resorting to over-stretched synonyms.
Only the very final clue jarred a tad, 20(d), wherein it closes “breaks cheers” for the container TA; ” breaks heads of the axle” maybe?
So only 99 out of a 100.
On which, I loved the device in 22(ac), “making a hundred grand”, for the C/G letter switch.
The Axle, Filbert & flashling
My reading of the nina was simply a collection of words that sound like letters of the alphabet. Maybe there’s more to it but I’m sceptical.
It’s an I Z short of Cryptic Quiz but what a splendid puzzle with or without a Nina .
Thanks Filbert and flashling. I’m thinking the nina letters may actually act as a letter-bank. They make up the minimal isogram from which both “cryptic” and “quiptic” can be formed.