Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

When Maskarade isn’t giving us a bank holiday special with convoluted instructions, his (I assume, perhaps wrongly) Prize crosswords are often remarkably, even frustratingly, straightforward. This was an almost record time solve for me. Nothing special but I quite liked 1a

Thanks Maskarade.
Interesting!
Several neat subtractions.
Good perimeter clues.

Also filled the grid in near record time. I don't do Maskarade's jumbos. Usually like his 15x15 grids but this was disappointing for a Prize.

FOI 2, LOI 25
Agreed on nothing special. I also liked 1a but slightly prefer 4 as COD (which maybe overstates its merit). Only others I noted were 11, 19 and 6.

Had to Google usage for 25.
Parsing of 14 eludes me but I'll think again after a break.

14a, tribe unknown to me.
Add note 2, to answer.

I don't want to be a grouch, but I didn't enjoy this at all - sorry Maskarade:-)

So many subtractive anagrams I lost count.

I'm not really sure what the wordplay in 26a is. The first 3 letters are how "interviewers show agreement" but then where do the last 4 letters come from to give us the "seabirds"? Unless it's supposed to be a DD, but then "when" doesn't fit properly as no part of the answer refers to a time.

I don't know, maybe I just wasn't in the mood.

Am I just being a grouch or was Maskarade off form. Let us know what you thought of it.

Stay safe:-)

I independently figured out 14, with Google help for the tribe, which I vaguely recall but was not confident about (weirdly I'm familiar with the city of the same name). Somewhat clever but let's just say it didn't trigger COD reranking. 😁

Hi all
Yes, ilippu, I had to Google and reverse engineer 14a. Rather unsatisfactory in that the solution was obvious from the crossers but the cryptic fodder was very obscure (and I’m comforted to know that even geeker appears to have thought the same!)
I don’t think that makes for a good clue.
Brendan: I think you are right that 26a is a DD, but I’m as unhappy as you with ‘when’ (and also with ‘with’ to be honest).
I’d add that, if I’m right about 16d, it doesn’t seem quite complete or fair as a clue.
Gosh, aren’t we grumpy tonight?!

Often Maskarade includes something extra.
Not seeing a nina or theme.

Tyrus (Vlad) in Indy.

Hi Roger,

16d - Chambers gives the answer as "a measure of length" but also an alternative spelling for the "US railroad", so a DD.