Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

This week's puzzle is by Imogen, a setter we don't see often on Prize Saturdays.

I was going to say this was the proverbial game of two halves but that would be inaccurate - suffice it to say I spent as long on my last 3 clues (all in SW corner) as the rest of the crossword combined!

Oh, and a noticed a very pleasant theme or at least partial theme which I won't say too much about but it brought back many happy memories from my childhood, in a roundabout way 😜 - although I think Geeker and other non-UK solvers might be a tad bemused 🤔

Difficulty is difficult to gauge for the reasons given above but I recommend the crossing pair of 4a and 7d as a good place to start.

If you do get stuck there is at least one long anagram in the downs.

There are a few where the parsing still has me a tad puzzled but I'll think on them a while longer before asking for help.

COD - A tie between 13a and 12d.

Thanks to Imogen for a very challenging but rewarding puzzle:-)

Did you find it as tricky as me and how long did it take you to spot the children's characters?

Please leave a comment and, as ever, if you do get stuck don't hesitate to ask for a hint.

Stay safe:-)

Hi Brendan,

I found this extremely difficult, and am still lacking a solution for 24 (have a couple of guesses but no parsing).
Not helped by the fact that I'm totally ignorant of the apparent theme (revealed by Google after parsing), triggering a certain dislike for the puzzle, which I've set aside for a while.
Thanks to Imogen, though: definitely a challenge and some excellent cluing. If I cared at all for the theme I'd likely have rated the puzzle highly. 😂

Hi Geeker,

There are also a few children's characters in addition to the ones I alluded to earlier but I hadn't heard of any of them and, like you, needed Google.

24a - Is one of the few I haven't yet parsed so I'm in the same boat.

I'm now wondering if this will turn out to be a Marmite puzzle - it will be interesting to read all the posts.

24a - I've got a tick on the app so I'm sure my answer is correct and can see the "feeble power" part (sort of!) but haven't quite worked out the "game" reference.

.... and, of course, I soon as soon as I say I can't see it - I immediately see it 😂 There's a saying that includes the first few words and the answer.

Hello everyone. This is my first time posting here.

24a has me stumped too. Also 1a, 16a and 22d.

Otherwise pretty straightforward.

Hi Oldfolky and welcome to our friendly Prize gathering:-)

16a the definition is "point"

22d is a homophone type clue with definition the first 3 words.

1a the "article" is one that might be in a newspaper and the definition is the last 4 words.

Sorry ... 1a - definition is last 5 words.

Thanks, Brendan. That cleared up 1a.

Now I'll sleep on the others and see what the morning brings.

Thanks Oldfolky, I find looking at the clues again after a good nights sleep often brings inspiration:-)