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geeker

29th June 2024, 01:22
Thanks to Tramp for this week's Prize challenge.

I found this more difficult than the usual Prize, due to relatively many clues that took a long time to figure out. Could be Friday fatigue, but definitely ample clever wordplay and non-obvious definitions. Curious about other solvers' opinions.

Perhaps a special feature in the grid? Rows 7 and 9 appear significant, possibly also rows 1 and 15.

FOI 10, LOI 24 which took a great deal of solving time.

COD is 24 (as often happens with my LOI), but 11, 12, 4, 5, 7, 23a and 20 also impressed. Clues 23d, 22 and 6 seem slightly inelegant, but maybe I'm being unfair after having struggled with them. 😉
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rainman

29th June 2024, 03:25
Congratulations on spotting the Ninas, one of which, of course, appears within a clue. As a long-time expat, I am out of touch with UK pop culture andI had never heard of them, but apparently, they have been described as the "most perfect pop group since the Monkees." Who knew? Not many this side of the Atlantic.

I also found it difficult, but I often do. Like you, I thought several clues were a bit convoluted but still quite precise. I had never heard of 23d, but I was fairly sure of the answer before looking it up. And 24a had a touch of Pauline cheekiness! I can never choose a COD.

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jono

29th June 2024, 07:40
Tramp says he wrote this in September 2021. I think I now see why that is significant.
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biggus56

29th June 2024, 07:43
That was certainly knottier than recent Prizes, and blew away my smugness of the last few weeks. But I guess it's a sign of a good puzzle that my sense of satisfaction on completion far outweighed all the frustrations of the solve.
It's too early in the morning for the images suggested by 24. I initially had a different second word in that one, but, fortunately, talked myself out of it.
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ianwil

29th June 2024, 09:28
I have an answer for 6d that fits but I can’t parse.
Also 13d - shot?
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neville17

29th June 2024, 10:39
Struggling in a major way with this one! Unsure of many of my answers and the NW corner is blank at the moment! Any suggestions gratefully received ....
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castafiore

29th June 2024, 10:55
For 6d the first 6 letters correspond to the first two words of the clue, but not in the physical sense. The 7th letter is what you'd expect for 'show's opening', and the second word corresponds to the penultimate word of the clue.
I'm struggling with parsing 13d, although my answer has to be right, I think.
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prospero

29th June 2024, 10:58
ianwil - a shot is the first 4 letters reversed (over) - then 2 synonyms for "pop"
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ianwil

29th June 2024, 11:04
Thanks to castafiore and prospero - I may have to wait for 15x15 to properly understand 6d.
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castafiore

29th June 2024, 11:06
Thanks, Prospero!
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