Independent Saturday Prize Puzzle 8399 – Scorpion 14/09/13

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An interesting themed puzzle from Scorpion, our only quibble being that the four 3-letter gateway clues were perhaps a little too easy?

However, having solved them very quickly (and having checked that our understanding of the meaning of the 12-letter theme word was correct), our hearts sank when we thought that the six thematic entries might be a little too obscure for us non-intellectuals! So it was a great relief to realise, after we had solved the first (4ac) with the help of crossing letters that they turned out to be well-known contemporary entertainers – a great tribute to them, and sadly very timely after the recent death of  14 across.

We really enjoyed this one, although we have a little difficulty with the wordplay to 1 down – are we missing something?

Many thanks to Scorpion.

Across
1/32   Theatrical 12/17/19/28 constructing meagre plot for development
GRAEME GARDEN Anagram of MEAGRE (anagrind is ‘constructing’) + GARDEN (plot for development)
4   Theatrical 12/17/19/28 unproductive when Bill’s in? No way
ERIC IDLE stERILE (unproductive) around CID (Bill, as in ‘the old bill’) without ‘st’ (street) or ‘no way’
10/26   Theatrical 12/17/19/28 preferred regulars to hear fiddle
PETER COOK PET (preferred) + hEaR (alternate letters or ‘regulars’) + COOK (fiddle – as in ‘cook the books’)
11   Lily’s ¾ socks appreciated
HOSTA HOSe (3/4 of ‘socks’) + TA (appreciated)
12   Prison toilet
CAN Double definition
13   One’s pony outwardly looking game
I-SPY I’S (one’s) + PonY (first and last letters, or ‘outwardly’)
14   Theatrical 12/17/19/28 eager for changes after director vacated seat
DAVID FROST AVID (eager) + anagram of FOR (anagrind is ‘changes’) after D (director) + SeaT (without the middle letters, or ‘vacated’)
16   Swimmer utilising a long vessel during practice
LANGOUSTINE Anagram of A LONG (anagrind is ‘utilising’) + TIN (vessel) in or ‘during’ USE (practice)
17   High-flyer’s return ticket
TAB BAT (high-flyer) reversed or ‘returned’
19   Some pumping iron returned equipment
RIG Hidden reversed in the clue: pumpinG IRon
21   Theatrical 12/17/19/28 of north of resort in summer month
JOHN FORTUNE Anagram of NORTH OF (anagrind is ‘resort’) in JUNE (summer month)
25   Great sprawling university probes fee for measuring instrument
WATER GAUGE Anagram of GREAT (anagrind is ‘sprawling’) + U (university) in or ‘probing’ WAGE (fee)
26 See 10ac
28   Welsh lady’s beheaded Scotsman?
IAN SIAN (Welsh lady) without the first letter, or ‘beheaded’
29   Depart and leave Spaniard?
DIEGO DIE (depart) + GO (leave)
30   Male artist ignores long-haired cat in tree
MANGO M (male) + ANGOra (long-haired cat) without or ‘ignoring’ RA (artist)
31 See 27dn
32 See 1ac
Down
1   Georgia, French girl comes across price for DIY material?
GAP FILLER GA (Georgia) + FILLE (French for girl) in PR (price) – the wordplay here doesn’t quite seem to work – ‘coming across’ suggests enclosing rather than being enclosed by.
2   Carry out woolly thing wrapped in a fleece
ACT UPON TUP (woolly thing) in A CON (fleece)
3   Horse hurt tail in fence
MARE MAR (hurt) + fencE (last letter or ‘tail’)
5   He scored from cross, when losing first home international
ROSSINI cROSS (with first letter omitted, or ‘losing first’) + IN (home) + I (international)
6   Drivers reveal coats in conversation?
CHAUFFEURS Homophone (‘in conversation’) of SHOW FURS (reveal coats)
7   Glance at frills of ultrashort dress
DECK OUT DECKO (glance) + UltrashorT (first and last letters, or ‘frills’)
8   He painted aquatic birds top to bottom
ERNST TERNS (aquatic birds) with first letter moved to the end
9   Clips from Beatles’ stadium venue extremely raucous
SHEARS SHEA (Beatles’ stadium venue) + RaucouS (fist and last letters, or ‘extremes’)
15   Imagined business to be ruined in court after one is sacked
CONJURED UP CO (business) + iNJURED (ruined) + UP (in court) with ‘I’ omitted or ‘sacked’
18   Analyse some of bird feathers found around river
BREAK DOWN BEAK (some of bird) + DOWN (feathers) around R (river)
20   Turned up, for example, with money to enter
GET INTO EG (for example) reversed or ‘turned up’) + TIN (money) + TO
22   Drake’s cry of delight, hot for new duck?
HEAVE HO HEAVEn (delight) with H (hot) in place of N (new) + O (duck)
23   Meat dish is horse, not a sausage, soaked in oil
FAGGOT GG (horse) + O (not a sausage) in FAT (oil)
24   Uranium study, attained in retreat, not acknowledged
UNOWNED U (uranium) + DEN (study) WON (attained) reversed, or ‘in retreat’
25   Rubbish heard in middle of ship
WAIST Homophone (‘heard’) of WASTE (rubbish)
27/31ac   Theatrical 12/17/19/28 has novel pored over initially, with months editing
EMMA THOMPSON EMMA (novel) + anagram of Pored Over (initial letters) and MONTHS (anagrind is ‘editing’)

 

6 comments on “Independent Saturday Prize Puzzle 8399 – Scorpion 14/09/13”

  1. I would not have finished this puzzle without the help of Wikipedia, even though I have heard of the Cambridge Footlights Dramatic Club thanks to Idle, Cleese, Fry etc. Once I realised what the theme was there were of course quite a few write-ins.

    New for me were CANTABRIGIAN, DECKO = glance, Graeme Garden, John Fortune.

    I particularly liked 2d, 29a, 8d, 5d and my favourites were 18d BREAK DOWN, 16a LANGOUSTINE.

    I could not solve 30a or parse 4a, 15d, 6d, 11a. And I incorrectly entered HOSEA (lily) @ 11a.

    Thanks Scorpion and Bertandjoyce.

  3. I agree that the gateway clues were pretty easy to solve and most of the themed clues then became write-ins, with the exception of EMMA THOMPSON which took me far longer than she should have done.

    However, I had brain-freeze in the SE corner and needed aids to get the MANGO/UNOWNED crossers, which I thought were my last two in. When I didn’t get the “congratulations” message I was surprised, and after using the check button I realised that I’d made the same mistake as Michelle@1 at 11ac and entered “hosea”. I then remembered that when I entered it I wasn’t happy with it, and I should have gone back and looked at it again. It isn’t like I didn’t know HOSTA ………..

  4. I suddenly realised I had the four short words (and not much else) that were needed to break through. First Cantabrigian I got was Emma Thompson and then it got a little easier. Thought both HEAVE HO and FAGGOT very amusing (smirking as I write).

    Thanks indeed to Scorpion and Bertandjoyce (still not really convinced about 1D either).

  5. Why is HEAVE HO “Drake’s cry”? Simply because it is a command that might have been given by Sir Francis Drake? Or is there something specific about Drake at play here?

    Not being familiar with Peter Cook, I could only manage Peter Tork (obviously a very different entertainer, and an American at that). Disappointed neither Fry nor Laurie made the cut for the themed answers…

  6. Keeper@5, the use of ‘Drake’ (with cap D, as the first word in the clue) is part of the fun of the wordplay involving the male and female of the species.

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