Across

7. Treacherous person is employed by plumber with his strange, different way. (5-2-3-5)

  9. Herb takes some risk to see mythical serpent. (8)

10. Extremely poor old boy. Unhappy soul! (6)

11. Hobbes’ sea serpent. (9)

13. Tree with a snake... (3)

15. …and a starting price for another snake. (3)

16. Monster with serpent’s tail has tea with me and an artist. (7)

18, 20 ac. Ethiopian prince goes after swan for snakes. (6)

21. Turn sour – or boo the serpent with foot in mouth. (9)

25. Pike of oriental length caught plant. (6)

26. A secret’s shared with a viper. (8)

27. Look - check legendary G-man ere Monday, and rest uneasily with mythical Scottish serpent. (4,4,7)

Down

  1. Repress tide after a point. (5)

  2. Scattered Maori meal inside snow vehicle. (7)

  3. Famous atoll or very little at all. (6)

  4. Broken bone received in raid gone awry - but courteous. (8)

  5. Good overhead surface of Scottish face. (5)

  6. Psychic projection from a medium with false leg. (9)

  8. Mild rebuke, initially to South Korea. (3)

12. Speed discovered in system, possibly. (5)

14. Key Alabama junction or a way to go up and down. (9)

17. Curved rises used by squatters. (8) 

19. Obtain a gang of friends on steamship. (7)

22. Row over cut off rabbit ears of a sort. (3-3)

23. Greetings used in Buffalo, habitually. (5)

24. Drove my Chevy to the -----. (5)

26. Lettuce, carrots, onions, squash, for starters. (3)

Notes

E-mail your solutions of The Very Logical Prize Puzzle No. 397 by the closing date of 4 p.m. (EST) on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, to mailto:johnnolan755@gmail.com and include your name, postal address and your choice of a Strip T’s shirt***, should you be the drawn winner. Please include a second choice (design number and size) just in case we are out of stock of your favorite T-shirt. The items on Café Press are not in our stock and thus are not available as prizes.

Solutions can also be mailed to John Nolan, 27 River Road, Farmington, NH, 03835.

Most answers, except proper names, appear in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary tenth edition and/or The Chamber’s Dictionary, revised 13^th edition. In this "British-style" crossword, punctuation marks in clues are best ignored, as a rule. The answer to 22 dn. is a slight deviation from the Chambers spelling.

The solution to The Very Logical Prize Puzzle No. 397, along with the name of the winner, and everyone else submitting correct solutions, will be published on this site towards the end of February.

***P.S. The cost of mailing one T-shirt overseas has quadrupled in recent years and is now over $24 a pop, effectively killing the trade of small businesses like Strip T’s. Thus, the prize now offered to winning puzzlers from outside the U.S. (and within if preferred) will be a signed Stephanie cartoon rather than a T-shirt.

And the drawn winner of TVLPP 396, which had a seasonal theme for once, is Bill Stewart of Leicester, and we'll get a Stephanie cartoon (possibly with a seasonal theme) off to you by early next week, Bill, if we haven't frozen to death by then.

Also in the solvers' Hat, this month, were  from New Hampshire, Anne & Bruce Smith of Strafford, Randy Taylor, Julie Lindsay, Jim & Joanne Gray, and Larry Reynolds of Rochester, Chris Rogers of Farmington; from across the USA, Rich Pardoe of Houston, Laura Bradford of Florida & Caroline Williams of Texas; Jay Miller of Pasadena, Calif.; Tamara Brenner of Elmhurst, Ill.; Tom Wilson of So. Williamsport, Penn., and Leslie Yonce of Richmond, Va.; from England, William Stewart of Leicester, Keith Williams of Kings Worthy, Chris Chatwin of Kenilworth, and Andy Grady of Tutbury (welcome aboard, Andy). Flying the flag for Scotland was Ian Simpson of Edinburgh, and from Bali, Indonesia, enduring a particularly wet monsoon season, was Calfan Dary.

Teetering on the brim of the Hat was Derek Harrison, who uncharacteristically when slightly awry in the bottom left corner, after getting all the tough ones.

Thank you very much, everyone, for your submissions, and I hope you enjoy TVLPP 397.

News update: Jay Miller from Pasadena is now safely back home after the Eaton fire (now 65% contained) caused his area to be evacuated. Many other homeowners, he says, were much less fortunate.

The last 23 years of winners

No. 115 - Andy Knap of London, SW20, England
No. 116 - Randy Taylor of Rochester, New Hampshire, USA
No. 117 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA
No. 118 - Don Parent of Hanover, Maine, USA
No. 119 - Karen Muller of Kohimarama, Auckland, NZ
No. 120 - Nancy Mooney Hebert of Palm Bay, Florida, USA
No. 121 - Carl E. Damuth of Wells, Maine, USA
No. 122 - Don Parent of Hanover, Maine, USA
No. 123 - Randy Taylor of Rochester, New Hampshire, USA
No. 124 - Karen Muller of Kohimarama, Auckland, NZ
No. 125 - Carl E. Damuth of Wells, Maine, USA
No. 126 - Joan Bittrolff, Somersworth, New Hampshire, USA
No. 127 - Not posted (stress and pressure of vacation)
No. 128 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA 
No. 129 - Nancy Mooney Hebert of Palm Bay, Florida, USA
No. 130 - Carl E. Damuth of Wells, Maine, USA
No. 131 - Joan Bittrolff, Alford, Florida, USA
No. 132 - Slipped through cracks due to computer crisis
No. 133 - Karen Muller of Meadowbank, Auckland, NZ
No. 134 - Randy Taylor of Rochester, New Hampshire, USA
No. 135 - Don Parent of Hanover, Maine, USA
No. 136 - Paul Nyack of West Broomfield, Michigan, USA
No. 137 - Carl E. Damuth of Wells, Maine, USA
No. 138 - Don Parent of Hanover, Maine, USA 
No. 139 - Barbara Trow of Dover, New Hampshire, USA
No. 140 - Bonnie & Kevin Bergeron, Rochester, NH, USA
No. 141 - Nancy Mooney Hebert of Palm Bay, Florida, USA
No. 142 - Karen Cleary of St. Johns Park, Auckland, NZ
No. 143 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA
No. 144 - Veronique Bonnet, Rodez, France 
No. 145 - Carl E. Damuth of Wells, Maine, USA
No. 146 - Huguette Simmonds of Tunapuna, West Indies
No. 147 - Randy Taylor of Rochester, New Hampshire, USA
No. 148 - Pierre Gaillard, Olemps, France
No. 149 - Reynir Axelsson, Mosfellsbaer, Iceland
No. 150 - Paul Nyack of West Broomfield, Michigan, USA
No. 151 - Régine Privet, Naucelle, France
No. 152 - Don Parent of Hanover, Maine, USA
No. 153 - Barbara Winter, Dover, New Hampshire, USA
No. 154 - Joan Bittrolff, Alford, Florida, USA
No. 155 - Condell Lovell Simmons of Tunapuna, West Indies
No. 156 - Nancy Mooney Hebert of Palm Bay, Florida, USA
No. 157 - Karen Cleary of St. Johns Park, Auckland, NZ
No. 158 - Barbara Trow of Dover, New Hampshire, USA
No. 159 - Paul Nyack of West Broomfield, Michigan, USA
No. 160 - Sylvie Chauchard of Belmont Sur Rance, , France
No. 161 - Carl E. Damuth of Wells, Maine, USA
No. 162 - Yvette Gaillard of Olemps, Rodez, France
No. 163 - Randy Taylor of Rochester, New Hampshire, USA
No. 164 - Calfan Dary of Anggabaya, Bali, Indonesia
No. 165 - Keith Simmonds of Tunapuna, West Indies
No. 166 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA
No. 167 - Joan Bittrolff of Alford, Florida, USA    
No. 168 - Betty Bardy of Albi, France
No. 169 - Randy Taylor of Rochester, New Hampshire, USA
No. 170 - Bonnie & Kevin Bergeron, Rochester, NH, USA
No. 171 - Paul Nyack of West Broomfield, Michigan, USA
No. 172 - Barbara Trow of Dover, New Hampshire, USA
No. 173 - Barbara Winter of Dover, New Hampshire, USA
No. 174 - Nancy Moony Hebert of Alton, NH, USA
No. 175 - Jim Gaudet of Dover, New Hampshire, USA
No. 176 - Keith Williams of Kings Worthy, England
No, 177 - Karen Cleary of St. Johns Park, Auckland, NZ
No. 178 - Calfan Dary of Anggabaya, Bali, Indonesia
No. 179 - James O. Horrigan, Portsmouth, NH, USA
No. 180 - David Simmonds of Tunapuna, West Indies
No. 181 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA
No. 182 - Madeleine Dupierre of Rodez, France.
No. 183 - Paul Nyack of West Broomfield, Michigan, USA
No. 184 - Jim Siirola of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
No. 185 - James O. Horrigan, Portsmouth, New HH, USA
No. 186 - Randy Taylor of Rochester, New Hampshire, USA
No. 187 - Joan Bittrolff of Alford, Florida, USA    
No. 188 - Natalie Ryder, Bremen, Georgia, USA
No. 189 - Barbara Trow of Dover, New Hampshire, USA
No. 190 - Héloïse Bonnet of Rodez, France
No. 191 - Jim Gaudet of Dover, New Hampshire, USA
No. 192 - Calfan Dary of Anggabaya, Bali, Indonesia
No. 193 - Keith Williams of Kings Worthy, England
No. 194 - Hugutte R.-M. Simmonds, Tunapuna, West Indies
No. 195 - Terry Towle, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA
No. 196 - Vidya Singh of Sidcup, Kent, England
No. 197 - Jim Sempsrott, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
No. 198 - Condell Lovell Simmons of Tunapuna, West Indies
No. 199 – T. Metzger, C. Williams, L. Bradford, Westport Maine
No. 200 - Norbert Bonnet of Rodez, France
No. 201 - Barbara Bierweiler of Ossipee, NH, USA
No. 202 - Paul Nyack of West Broomfield, Michigan, USA
No. 203 - James O. Horrigan, Portsmouth, NH, USA
No. 204 - Randy Taylor of Rochester, New Hampshire, USA
No. 205 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA
No. 206 - Nancy Mooney Hebert of Palm Bay, Florida, USA
No. 207 - Wayne Maricheau of Tunapuna, West Indies
No. 208 - Mark Nichols of Rugby, Warwickshire, England
No. 209 - Keith Williams of Kings Worthy, England
No. 210 - Jim Sempsrott, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
No. 211 - Calfan Dary of Anggabaya, Bali, Indonesia
No. 212 - Joan Bittrolff of Alford, Florida, USA
No. 213 - Barbara Trow of Dover, New Hampshire, USA
No. 214 - Keith Simmonds of Tunapuna, West Indies
No. 215 - Ian Laming, Chippingham, Wiltshire, England
No. 216 - James O. Horrigan, Portsmouth, NH, USA
No. 217 - Jim Siirola of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
No. 218 - Keith Williams of Kings Worthy, England
No. 219 - Annie Bonnet of Rodez, France
No. 220 - Veronique Bonnet, Images, France
No. 221 - Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham, England
No. 222 - Nancy Mooney Hebert of Palm Bay, Florida, USA
No. 223 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA
No. 224 - Mark Nichols of Rugby, Warwickshire, England
No. 225 - Randy Taylor of Rochester, New Hampshire, USA
No. 226 - Hugest Simmonds, Tunapuna, West Indies
No. 227 - Joan Bittrolff of Alford, Florida, USA
No. 228 - David Nash, Coleford, Gloucestershire, England
No. 229 - Jim Sempsrott, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
No. 230 - Condell L. Simmons of Tunapuna, West Indies
No. 231 - Barbara Bierweiler of Ossipee, NH, USA
No. 232 - Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham, England
No. 233 - Calfan Dary of Anggabaya, Bali, Indonesia
No. 234 – T. Metzger/L. Bradford of Topsham, Maine, USA
No. 235 - Barbara Trow of Dover, New Hampshire, USA
No. 236 - Jim Siirola of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
No. 237 - Keith Williams of Kings Worthy, England
No. 238 - Philippe Bonnet of Rodez, France
No. 239 - Nancy Mooney Hebert of Palm Bay, Florida, USA
No. 240 - Mark Nichols of Rugby, Warwickshire, England
No. 241 - David Simmonds of Crawford, Dart ford, England
No. 242 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA
No. 243 - Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham, England
No. 244 - Jim Sempsrott, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
No. 245 - Joan Bittrolff of Alford, Florida, USA
No. 246 - Pat Mathews of Berwick, Maine, USA
No. 247 - Veronique Bonnet, Rodez, France
No. 248 - Paul Nyack, Rochester Hills, Minnesota, USA
No. 249 - David Nash, Coleford, Gloucestershire, England
No. 250 - Nigel Cowley, Cooksbridge, East Sussex, England
No. 251 - Keith Simmonds of Tunapuna, West Indies
No. 252 - Calfan Dary of Anggabaya, Bali, Indonesia
No. 253 - Barbara Bierweiler of Ossipee, NH, USA
No. 254 – T. Metzger, C. Williams, L. Bradford, Maine USA
No. 255 - Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham, England
No. 256 - Barbara Trow of Dover, New Hampshire, USA
No. 257 - Randy Taylor of Rochester, New Hampshire, USA
No. 258 - Annie Bonnet of Rodez, France
No. 259 - Keith Williams of Kings Worthy, England
No. 260 - Jim Sempsrott, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
No. 261 - Mark Nichols of Rugby, Warwickshire, England
No. 262 - Jim Siirola of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
No. 263 - Mark Nichols of Rugby, Warwickshire, England
No. 264 - Jeanine Bonnet of Images, France
No. 265 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA
No. 266 - Calfan Dary of Anggabaya, Bali, Indonesia
No. 267 - Joan Bittrolff of Alford, Florida, USA
No. 268 - David Nash, Coleford, Gloucestershire, England
No. 269 - David Simmonds of Crayford, Dart ford, England
No. 270 - Nancy Mooney Hebert, Alton Bay, NH, USA
No. 271 - Trudy Metzger on an island in Maine, USA
No. 272 - Pat Miga of Colleyville, Texas, USA
No. 273 - Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham, England
No. 274 - Barbara Bierweiler of Ossipee, NH, USA
No. 275 - Huguette R.-M. Simmonds, Rodez, France
No. 276 - Keith Williams, Kings Worthy, Winchester, England
No. 277 - Veronique Bonnet, Rodez, France
No. 278 - Mark Nichols of Rugby, Warwickshire, England
No. 279 - Nancy Mooney Hebert, Palm Bay, Florida, USA
No. 280 - Calfan Dary of Anggabaya, Bali, Indonesia
No. 281 - Keith Williams, Kings Worthy, Winchester, England
No. 282 - Carolyn Williams, Topsham, Maine, USA
No. 283 - Jim Sempsrott, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
No. 284 - Jane Cornville, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, USA
No. 285 - Larry Reynolds, East Rochester, NH, USA
No. 286 - Rich Pardoe, San Francisco Bay, Calif., USA
No. 287 - Randy Taylor, Rochester, NH, USA
No. 288 - Anne & Bruce Smith, Strafford, NH, USA
No. 289 - Pat Miga of Colleyville, Texas, USA
No. 290 - Bonnie & Kevin Bergeron, Rochester, NH, USA
No. 291 - Annie Bonnet of Rodez, France
No. 292 - Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham, England
No. 293 - Julie Lindsay of Rochester NH, USA
No. 294 - Joanne Gray of Rochester, NH, USA
No. 295 - Pat Miga of Colleyville, Texas, USA
No. 296 - David Nash, Coleford, Gloucestershire, England
No. 297 - Barbara Trow, Dover, NH, USA
No. 298 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA
No. 299 - Rich Pardoe of Houston, Texas, USA
No. 300 - Mark Nichols of Rugby, Warwickshire, England
No. 301 - Barbara Bierweiler of Ossipee, NH, USA
No. 302 - Clara Bonnet of Rodez, France
No. 303 - Gron Roberts, Neath, West Glamorgan, Wales
No. 304 - Calfan Dary of Anggabaya, Bali, Indonesia
No. 305 - Nancy Mooney Hebert, Palm Bay, Florida, USA
No. 306 - Laura Bradford, Venice, Florida, USA
No. 307 - Keith Williams, Kings Worthy, Winchester, England
No. 308 - Derek Harrison, Bedlington, England
No. 309 - Larry Reynolds, East Rochester, NH, USA
No. 310 - Jane Carville, Wolfeboro, NH, USA
No. 311 - John F. Gecik, Sheffield Lake, Ohio, USA
No. 312 - Keith Simmonds, Tunapuna, Trinidad & Tobago
No. 313 - Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham, England
No. 314 - David Nash, Coleford, Gloucestershire, England
No. 315 - Randy Taylor, Rochester, NH, USA
No. 316 - Jim/Joanne Gray, Rochester, NH, USA
No. 317 - Patricia Miga of Colleyville, Texas, USA
No. 318 - David Simmonds, Crayford, England
No. 319 - Keith Williams, Kings Worthy, England 
No, 320 - Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham, England
No. 321 - Gron Roberts, Neath, West Glamorgan, Wales
No. 322 - Julie Lindsay of Rochester, NH, USA
No. 323 - Rich Pardoe of Houston, Texas, USA
No. 324 - Trudy Metzger of Titusville, Florida, USA
No. 325 - Brian Dungate of Brighton, England
No. 326 - Anne & Bruce Smith, Strafford, NH, USA
No. 327 - Mark Roberts of Hostert, Luxembourg
No. 328 - Calfan Dary of Anggabaya, Bali, Indonesia
No. 329 - John F. Gecik, Sheffield Lake, Ohio, USA
No. 330 - Derek Harrison, Bedlington, England
No. 331 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA
No. 332 - Bill Stewart of Leicester, England
No. 333 - Annie Bonnet of Rodez, France
No. 334 - Mark Nichols of Rugby, Warwickshire, England
No. 335 - Patricia Miga of Southlake, Texas, USA
No. 336 - Jim/Joanne Gray, Rochester, NH, USA
No. 337 - Ian Laming, Chippenham, Wiltshire, England
No. 338 - Ian Simpson, Edinburgh, Scotland
No. 339 - Keith Williams, Kings Worthy,  England 
No. 340 - Barbara Trow, Rochester, NH, USA
No. 341 - Julie Lindsay of Rochester, NH, USA
No, 342 - Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham, England
No. 343 - Calfan Dary of Anggabaya, Bali, Indonesia
No. 344 - Laura Bradford, somewhere in Maine USA
No. 345 - Randy Taylor, Rochester, NH, USA
No. 346 - Mark Roberts of Hostert, Luxembourg
No. 347 - Rich Pardoe of Houston, Texas, USA
No. 348 - Ann Holme of Salisbury, England
No. 349 - Barbara Bierweiler of Ossipee, NH, USA
No. 350 - Bill Stewart of Leicester, England
No. 351 - Ian Simpson, Edinburgh, Scotland
No. 352 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA
No. 353 - Larry Reynolds, East Rochester, NH, USA
No. 354 - David Nash, Coleford, Gloucestershire, England
No. 355 - Derek Harrison, Pegswood, England
No. 356 - John F. Gecik, Sheffield Lake, Ohio, USA
No. 357 - Mark Roberts of Hostert, Luxembourg
No. 358 - Anne & Bruce Smith, Strafford, NH, USA
No, 359 - Mark Nichols of Rugby, England
No. 360 - Keith Williams, Kings Worthy, England 
No. 361 - Matt Mitchell of Glenside, Penn. USA
No. 362 - Julie Lindsay of Rochester, NH, USA
No. 363 - Rich Pardoe of Houston, Texas, USA 
No. 364 - Stephen Wortley, Tooting, London, England
No. 365 - Barbara Bierweiler of Ossipee, NH, USA
No. 366 - Calfan Dary of Anggabaya, Bali, Indonesia
No. 367 - Randy Taylor, Rochester, NH, USA
No. 368 - Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham, England
No. 369 - Jay Miller, Pasadena, Calif., USA
No. 370 - Jim/Joanne Gray, Rochester, NH, USA
No. 371 - Tamara Brenner, Elmhurst, Illinois, USA  
No. 372 - Derek Harrison, Pegswood, Northumberland, England
No. 373 - Ian Simpson, Edinburgh, Scotland
No. 374 - Chris Rogers of Farmington, New Hampshire, USA
No. 375 - Bill Stewart of Leicester, England
No, 376 - Mark Nichols of Rugby, England
No. 377 - Laura Bradford of Maine or Florida, USA
No. 378 - Larry Reynolds, East Rochester, NH, USA
No, 379 - Mark Roberts of Hostert, Luxembourg
No. 380 - Barbara Trow of Rochester, NH, USA
No. 381 - Barbara Bierweiler of Ossipee, NH, USA
No. 382 - Keith Williams, Kings Worthy, England 
No. 383 - Julie Lindsay of Rochester, NH, USA
No. 384 - Tom Wilson of So. Williamsport, Penn. USA
No. 385 - Anne & Bruce Smith, Strafford, NH, USA
No. 386 - Eddie Looby, Longbridge, Birmingham, England
No. 387 - Garth Higginbotham of Llandudno, Wales
No. 388 - Rich Pardoe of Houston, Texas, USA 
No. 389 - Tamara Brenner, Elmhurst, Illinois, USA  
No. 390 - Jay Miller, Pasadena, Calif., USA
No. 391 - Chris Chatwin of Kenilworth, England
No. 392 - Derek Harrison, Pegswood, Northumberland, England

No. 393 - Randy Taylor, Rochester, NH, USA

No. 394 - Barbara Bierweiler of Ossipee, NH, USA

No. 395 - Leslie Yonce of Richmond, Va., USA 

No. 396 - Bill Stewart of Leicester, England