We were given a CHOICE by Raich with EV 985, and now it’s Chalicea’s turn. Here we were presented with a 14×14 grid and sixty-two clues — I felt that perhaps an overtime payment to me was in order! Nine consecutive clues had misprints in their definitions, and there were eleven clashes.
As well as there being a lot of clues, some of them were quite long. That was mainly because many definitions were lifted straight from Chambers, and this resulted in a relatively easy puzzle — a good one for a novice EV solver.
Getting my first two clashes on the main NW-SE diagonal pretty much told me that that was where the rest of them also lay. They produced the following choices along that line:
| N | O | N | U | N | T | I | S | D | O | M | I | R | E |
| T | N | O | B | O | U | S | L | O | N | D |
Since we weren’t given any reference other than Chambers, a quick check with the foreign phrases and quotations in the back soon provided: non nobis, Domine and its English equivalent not unto us, O Lord, from Psalm 115. The correct letters for the misprints in the clues for 24ac through to 36ac spelt out PICK LATIN, so the Latin version of the phrase was the one chosen for the diagonal. It was also seen as an alternative to 8dn LAUS DEO, Latin for praise to God.
An entertaining and straightforward solve from Chalicea this week, her second EV puzzle (and I blogged the first one too).
Solving time: just under two hours.
Legend:
Definition in clue
X = corrected letters in clues
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer | Correct Letter |
Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | NEUROMA | Growth of new monetary unit (millions advanced) (7) N (new) + EURO (monetary unit) + M (millions) + A (advanced) |
|
| 7 | MALTESE | Friends including Liberal Eastern Mediterranean islanders (7) MATES (friends) including L (liberal) + E (eastern) |
|
| 12 | ON ICE | Old agreeable way to keep things fresh (5, 2 words) O (old) + NICE (agreeable) |
|
| 13 | LEW | Lukewarm not entirely lustful (3) LEW[d] (lustful, not entirely) |
|
| 15 | ANN | Regular earning providing income for widow (3) eArNiNg (regular letters) |
|
| 17 | EST | One of original Finnish stock mostly producing programme to raise awareness (3) EST[h] (one of original Finnish stock, mostly); |
|
| 18 | FUMADO | Trouble after legendary Chinese bird gets smoked fish (6) ADO (trouble) after FUM (legendary bird) |
|
| 19 | CHINA | Malaria treatment for friend (5) 2 meanings |
|
| 20 | OUTSET | Open University exam brought back for a start (6) OU (Open University) + TEST< (exam) |
|
| 21 | CEROS | Tender spot’s come back on coloured fish (5) C (coloured) + SORE< (tender spot) |
|
| 24 | SADHANA | P | After sorrowful hour, an adult’s to acquire perfectly SAD (sorrowful) H (hour) + AN A (adult) |
| 25 | NADAS | I | Maenads dancing with no trace of modesty or embarrassment and absence of MAENADS* – M (trace of Modesty) – E (trace of Embarrassment) |
| 27 | BOATEL | C | Arranged round table in [O (round) TABLE]* |
| 29 | NIT | K | TIN* |
| 30 | SCUL | L | Singular system of religious belief lacking time and S (singular) + CULT (system of religious belief) – T (time) |
| 31 | NAILROD | A | Metallic [IRON-CLAD – C (carbon)]* |
| 33 | TOYLSOM | T | Involving [MY TOOLS]* |
| 35 | HERR | I | His Eminence, Right Reverend, equivalent of HE (His Eminence) + RR (Right Reverend) |
| 36 | BOW | N | Looped knot of ribbons and 2 meanings (one with misprint) |
| 37 | ROSETS | Scottish resins in rows set for the start of waxing (6) ROWS with W (start of Waxing) instead of (for) SET |
|
| 38 | JOBES | Tediously reprimands criminal enterprises involving drug (5) JOBS (criminal enterprises) about (involving) E (drug) |
|
| 41 | SMELLED | Gave off bad odour as son joined in fight at Prestonpans (7) S (son) + MELLED (joined in fight, Scottish) |
|
| 42 | EOLIC | Old dialect from Spain, Italy and Cuba contains ordinary Latin (5) E (Spain) I (Italian) C (Cuba) containing O (ordinary) |
|
| 44 | EROTIC | Person given to controversy is represented as nothing in amatory poem (6) ERISTIC (person given to controversy) with IS represented as O (nothing); corrected courtesy of Ernie (comment 4) |
|
| 49 | ALLOT | Assign all votes cast with no hint of bias (5) BALLOT (all votes cast) – B (hint of Bias) |
|
| 50 | DARING | Shocking lawyer clique (6) DA (lawyer) + RING (clique) |
|
| 51 | HOT | Exciting openings of Hollywood Oscar theatricals (3) initial letters of Hollywood Oscar Theatricals |
|
| 52 | OUT | African man, leader of tribe in error (3) OU (man, African) + T (leader of Tribe) |
|
| 54 | OBI | Witchcraft found in Apocryphal book (3) hidden in TOBIT (Apocryphal book of the OT) |
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| 55 | PECAN | Large American marten, caught, not initially killed, in nut tree (5) PEKAN (American marten) with C (caught) not K (killed, initially) |
|
| 56 | DYNASTY | Extremely dirty and unsavoury succession of powerful family members (7) DY (extremely DirtY) + NASTY (unsavoury) |
|
| 57 | CORSNED | Salted, including bit of stale bread or cheese used in trial by ordeal (7) CORNED (salted) including S (bit of Stale) |
|
| DOWN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer | Clue and Explanation | ||
| 1 | NIACIN | Early American computer lacking evidence primarily concerned with part of vitamin B complex (6) ENIAC (early American computer) – E (Evidence, primarily) + IN (concerned with) |
|
| 2 | EON | Time out of school, an immeasurably long period (3) ETON (school) – T (time) |
|
| 3 | UNTIED | Not tested by experience, with loss of heart, is resolved (6) UNT[r]IED (not tested by experience, heartless) |
|
| 4 | OCEAN | Vast expanse of water once in turmoil around the tip of Africa (5) ONCE* about A (tip of Africa) |
|
| 5 | MESA | Distinctive hill exploits start and finish in Morocco (4) ES (ExploitS, start and finish) in MA (Morocco) |
|
| 6 | ALTO | Lowest female voice‘s daring leap with soprano absent (4) SALTO (daring leap) – S (soprano) |
|
| 7 | MENU | Items in June market back in bill of fare (4) reversed in jUNE Market |
|
| 8 | LAUS DEO | See preamble (7,2 words) | |
| 9 | TAME | Uninspiring also for Scots to incorporate an iota of mediocrity (4) TAE (also, Scottish) incorporating M (iota of Mediocrity) |
|
| 10 | SODA NITRE | Nastily roasted in Chile saltpetre! (9, 2 words) [ROASTED IN]* |
|
| 11 | EVOCATOR | One who calls up from the dead brings back decay and a casual chap (8) [ROT (decay) + A COVE (casual chap)]< |
|
| 14 | SATANG | Jittery angst about part of Thai currency (6) [ANGST + A (about)]* |
|
| 16 | SURAL | Chapter of the Koran with latitude relating to part of leg (5) SURA (chapter of Koran) + L (latitude) |
|
| 22 | STAYS | Satisfies guys (5) 2 meanings |
|
| 23 | TOOLED | Travelled especially smoothly forward, with regularly cool head (6) TO (forward) + cOoL hEaD (regular letters) |
|
| 24 | SALUTE | Greet with a kiss as embraced by demand (6) UT (as) in (embraced by) SALE (demand) |
|
| 26 | ACCOMPANY | Go along with a third-rate crew? (9) A C (third-rate) COMPANY (crew) |
|
| 28 | TRODE | Old path walked on with energy (5) TROD (walked on) + E (energy) |
|
| 30 | SUBSIDED | Settled advanced payments in Germany with editor (8) SUBS (advanced payments) + I (in) + D (Germany) + ED (editor) |
|
| 32 | SWEERT | Acceptance of rule by amiable slothful Scots (6) R (rule) in (accepted by) SWEET (amiable) |
|
| 34 | OOLONGS | Incoherent logos on China teas (7) [LOGOS ON]* |
|
| 35 | HOLMS | Opening of hole with salamanders in terrains beside river (5) H (opening of Hole) + OLMS (salamanders) |
|
| 39 | BILIAN | Ant-proof tree in Borneo unusual in Bali (6) [IN BALI]* |
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| 40 | SUTTEE | Sanskrit writings ignoring God, support true wife’s fiery end (6) SUTRA (Sanskrit writings) – RA (god) + TEE (support) |
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| 43 | OATER | One who shows excessive love without dimension in Wild West film (5) DOATER (one showing excessive love) – D (dimension) |
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| 45 | RIMA | Border has a chink (4) RIM (border) + A |
|
| 46 | INBY | On the spot at the side of, and near the house in Scotland (4) IN (on the spot) + BY (at the side of) |
|
| 47 | CHIC | Style of youthful person without a range of knowledge (4) CHICKEN (youthful person) – KEN (range of knowledge) |
|
| 48 | TOPO | Summarize over and over diagram showing rockclimber’s route (4) TOP< (summarise, over) + O (over) |
|
| 53 | URE | Certain to miss special practice once (3) SURE (certain) – S (special) |
|
Thank you, Dave.
I hate to nit pick but it’s Laus Deo. However, I don’t see how Laus Deo is an alternative to Non Nobis Domine. They seem to be quite different things to me but then I don’t know much about Latin and church services.
Thanks, Tony. You are right about 8dn LAUS DEO, which I’ve corrected up top. I have to say that it was really superfluous to the puzzle since we were told by the correct versions of the misprints to PICK LATIN. My knowledge of church services is probably less than yours, so I don’t know how or when any of these phrases are actually used.
Many thanks, Dave for that comprehensive and generous blog. Apologies for giving you such a meaty one with so many clues. I promise that future ones will be honed down a little bit. I have been prompted, too, to escape from my over-dependency on Chambers – so watch this space.
Laus Deo was a lucky windfall when I was compiling this one. It was the Henry V (Branagh film) use of Non Nobis Domine as the canon sung at the end of the Battle of Agincourt that prompted me to use this theme (with the equally lucky fact that Not unto us O Lord was also 14 squares long). Of course, the Latin canon translates as ‘Not unto us, O Lord but to thy name give the praise’, thus the Agincourt victors (or the psalmist) were praising God (laus Deo) rather than taking the credit for their victory.
I was delighted to see that the EV Editor had used Ifor’s crossword based on ‘Once more unto the breach’, as the one preceding mine. I suppose the significance of this will escape 99% of solvers.
Thanks Dave for the blog.
Re 44A
I see eristic (person given to controversy) as the subsidiary clue
with erotic (amatory poem) as the definition part.
Thanks, Ernie. I suspect I got confused when I wrote the blog not having heard of ERISTIC before this puzzle, nor EROTIC as a noun.