A middle-difficulty puzzle from Monk, clues are absolutely watertight as usual. Thanks Monk for another top-quality puzzle.
Without exception every Monk puzzle I have blogged in the past had a hidden pattern or message in the grid. I have looked and looked but I can’t see anything here.Can someone please help me out?
| Across | ||
| 5 | ACCOST |
Put charge on account, such as a solicitor might do (6)
COST (charge) put on AC (account) |
| 7 | OVERLOAD |
Concerning power tax (8)
OVER (concerning) LOAD (power) |
| 9 | ACAROID |
A core of iron coated in corrosive type of resin (7)
A iROn (core of) in ACID (corrosive) |
| 10 | GRITTY |
Hardy at last depicting frailty, regularly and extremely tenderly (6)
depictinG (at last) fRaIlTy (regualr selection from) and tenderlY (the end of, extreme) |
| 11 | PIECES OF EIGHT |
Old coins, forged English copies, purser finally removed from cargo (6,2,5)
anagram (forged) of E (English) COPIES then FrEIGHT (cargo) with R (final letter of purser) removed |
| 12 | POLEMIC |
Controversial Eastern European recording device (7)
POLE (Eastern European) MIC (recording device) |
| 14 | UNIPEDS |
Upper-class criticised, first to last, group with reduced means of support? (7)
U (upper-class) SNPIED (criticised) with first letter moving to the end |
| 17 | SCRAP MERCHANT |
Fight setter with tirade about church, one connected with meltdown? (5-8)
SCRAP (fight) ME (the setter) with RANT containing (about) CH (church) |
| 20 | RIYALS |
Centrally paralysing criminal’s money overseas (6)
anagram (criminal) of paRYLISIng (centre of) |
| 21 | BORZOIS |
Dogs run into dimwit son I pulled back (7)
R (run) in BOZO (dimwit) then S (son) I reversed (pulled back) – Russian wolfhounds |
| 22 | AS IT WERE |
Somehow sweatier, so to speak (2,2,4)
SWEATIER* anagram=somehow |
| 23 | THIRST |
Only partially suppressed the first craving (6)
THe fIRST with a part missing (only partly surpressed) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | NOTA BENE |
Mark well beaten on bum (4,4)
(BEATON ON)* anagram=bum |
| 2 | STOOGE |
Goose bumps covering either side of tight butt (6)
GOOSE* anagram=bumps containing (covering) T (either side of the word tight) |
| 3 | SEA GREEN |
Unclothed scanty dons recognised in colour (3,5)
mEAGRe (scanty, unclothed) inside (dons, puts on) SEEN (recognised) |
| 4 | PLYING |
Gambling without ace, so folding (6)
PLaYING (gambling) missing A (ace) |
| 6 | CHAMPIONSHIPS |
Half-impeded one stopping to trick crews in contests (13)
HAMPered (impeded, half of) I (one) inside (stopping, like a cork) CON (to trick) SHIPS (crews) |
| 7 | ODD JOB |
Part-time occasional judge died (3-3)
ODD (occaisional) J (judge) OB (died) |
| 8 | APTITUDE TESTS |
Bristol University hates to chase old man over skills assessments (8,5)
TIT (Bristol, slang for breast) U (university) DETESTS (hates) following (to chase) PA (old man) reversed (over) |
| 13 | IMPASSES |
Feeble, leaderless idiots – they stifle progress (8)
LIMP (feeble) missing first letter (leaderless) then ASSES (idiots) |
| 15 | PLATONIC |
Excluding congress from scheme, briefly producing tension (8)
PLAn (scheme, briefly) TONIC (producing tension) |
| 16 | NEWBIE |
Beginner was aware of live broadcast (6)
NEW BIE sounds like (broadcast) “knew” (was aware of) and “be” (live) |
| 18 | REACTS |
Responds to actress – briefly moving (6)
anagram (moving) of ACTRESs (briefly, short) |
| 19 | CURATE |
Rector’s second gun “discovered” in box (6)
gUn (second letter of) inside (discovered in) CRATE (box) |
definitions are underlined
Good as usual but I cant see a hidden message. help!
Thanks PeeDee
There is a Nina – enumeration 5,3,4,2,6.
Thanks for the blog, Peedee
As usual with Monk, I couldn’t get more that a third of this in 40 mins. Having now looked at the blog, I’m glad I didn’t persevere as I’d have got no further.
Thanks for the blog, PeeDee.
I couldn’t get very far with this, either.
PeeDee, I think in 19ac Curate = ‘Rector’s second’ – it is ‘gun “Discovered”‘ = ‘U’.
Gaufrid, please could you explain what “There is a Nina – enumeration 5,3,4,2,6.” means? Thanks.
Hi Nigel
The initial five-letter word of the hidden message is in the middle of the third row. You should then be able to find the following four, though you may end up going round in circles. 😉
Oh… thank you Gaufrid … how clever.
I found this a proper challenge but enjoyed solving it while collating large quantities of meeting papers. Thanks to Monk for stretching the grey matter and to PeeDee for the explanations.
Of course, you don’t have to start with the 5. You can start with the 6-letter word and have the message spoken by Yoda.
Thanks Monk, the Nina when I saw it raised an laugh and PD for a fine blog