With this sort of DIY grid puzzle, it all depends how easy cold-solving is. So how easy is this going to be? And what’s the puzzle actually called?
In fact, in addition to cold-solving, one has the aid of the grid – in this case, there are only two 4-letter clues and six 7-letter clues. The former, along with a fair portion of the clues, are frankly pretty easy (I’ve spent a lot longer getting this entry ready than I did on the original solve – especially because I lost my original grid and had to do it again).
I could have started in the NE quadrant and attempted a sort of simultaneous solve-and-fill. Instead, given their simplicity, I chose to solve as many of the clues as I could prior to the grid fill, to be as sure as I could be of the grid.
Doing it that way avoided any dramas, and the few trickier (to me, at least) clues fell fairly easily given a few letters).
The last thing to find was the title. It wasn’t hard to spot.
JIGSAW PUZZLE
sitting across the vertical bars in the third and tenth rows.
Not a tough solve, this week, just a simple, well-executed idea.
Here’s the grid:
| H | A | M | I | S | H | I | K | U | K | R | I |
| S | L | A | N | T | I | N | N | S | I | G | N |
| K | O | S | J | I | G | S | A | W | N | A | F |
| U | N | C | U | R | L | E | V | A | D | N | E |
| L | E | A | R | S | O | C | E | L | O | T | C |
| L | A | R | E | D | O | T | R | E | S | I | T |
| P | L | A | C | E | P | C | Y | N | I | C | S |
| A | T | A | R | T | A | R | L | A | M | I | A |
| C | A | N | Y | O | N | A | I | D | I | N | G |
| I | R | O | P | U | Z | Z | L | E | L | G | A |
| F | I | R | T | R | E | E | A | N | O | A | S |
| Y | E | A | N | S | R | S | C | E | R | N | E |
Well…
There were a couple of editing issues (there is a Telegraph crossword editor, isn’t there?): “Sergeant-at-1aw” shouldn’t have a numeral in it to the best of my knowledge. Also, OCELOT has (6), not (5) characters. The latter is pretty important in a puzzle of this sort, but that’s not Piccadilly’s fault.
Notation
(xxx) = definition
[xxx] = (anagram/homophone/container/etc.) indicator
XXX* = anagram
< = reversal
xxx = unused letter(s)
wards=incorrect letter
Please post a comment if the explanations are not clear.
| AIDING | Changing India, Gandhi’s first in helping (6) | helping: [INDIA + G (Gandhi’s first)]* [changing] |
| ALONE | Solitary wail sounded regularly (5) | solitary: wAiLsOuNdEd [regularly] |
| ALTAR | For broadcast, modify feature of church (5) | feature of church: homonym [for broadcast] of ALTER (modify) |
| ANOAS | Samoan wanting money changed to get oxen (5) | oxen: SAmOAN* [wanting Money; changed] |
| ANTIC | Clown, once funny in act (5) | clown, once: INACT* [funny] |
| CANYON | Some going in to study ravine (6) | ravine: ins. [going in] of ANY (some) in CON (study) |
| CRAZE | Mad race to embrace unknown fad (5) | fad: ins. [to embrace] of Z (unknown) in RACE* [mad] |
| CRYPT | Prayer ends in worship at underground chapel (5) | underground chapel: CRY (prayer) + PT [ends in worshiP aT] |
| CYNICS | Leaders in ‘Communist Youth News’ invariably criticise stoic philosophers (6) | philosophers: Communist Youth News Invariably Criticise Stoic [leaders] |
| DETOURS | Circuitous ways of new route between Germany and Sweden (7) | circuitous ways: ins. [between] of ROUTE* [new] in D (Germany) + S (Sweden) |
| EVADNE | Escape embracing Northern woman (6) | woman: ins. [embracing] of N (Northern) in EVADE (escape) |
| FIR TREE | Sack containing bits of timber refills easily — from this? (7, 2 words) | semi &lit: ins. of TRE [bits of Timber Refills Easily] [containing] of in FIRE (sack) |
| HAMISH | Scots lad Henry joins Mennonite set (6) | Scots lad: H (Henry) + AMISH (Mennonite set) |
| IGLOO | Home in North Italy gets new logo (5) | home: I [North Italy] + LOGO* [new] |
| INFECT | Taint of iron and carbon in processed tin (6) | taint: ins. of FE (iron) + C (carbon) in TIN* [processed] |
| INGAN | Gardening anthology includes Scottish onion (5) | Scottish onion: gardenINGANthology [includes] |
| INJURE | In Japan, river results in damage (6) | damage: IN + J (Japan) + URE (river) |
| INN SIGN | Panel outside pub spinning erratically losing power (7, 2 words) | panel outside pub: SpINNING* [losing power; erratically] |
| INSECT | Wretched insignificant person in dissenting body (6) | wretched insignificant person: IN + SECT (dissenting body) |
| KIND | Agreeable relations with daughter (4) | agreeable: KIN (relations) + D (daughter) |
| KNAVERY | Even Krays, at heart, exploited dishonesty (7) | dishonesty: eVENKRAYs* [at heart; exploited] |
| KUKRI | Disgust this country showed over Gurkha’s knife (5) | Gurkha’s knife: <[over] IRK (disgust) + UK (this country) |
| LAMIA | Legendary bloodsucker left a note (anonymous) (5) | legendary bloodsucker: L (left) + A + MI (note) + A (anonymous) |
| LAREDO | Earl arranged party for American town (6) | American town: EARL* [arranged] + DO (party) |
| LEARS | Backing Middle Eastern country — its leader ignored old lessons (5) | old lessons: <[backing]iSRAEL (Middle Eastern country)[its leader ignored] |
| LILAC | One in ring climbing tree (5) | tree: ins. of I (one) in <[climbing]CALL (ring) |
| MASCARA | Graduate, concealing a blemish, finds cosmetic (7) | cosmetic: ins. [concealing] of A SCAR (blemish) in MA (graduate) |
| NA-DENE | In North America and Spain study language (6, hyphenated) | language: ins. of DEN (study) in N (North) + A (America) + E (Spain) |
| NORA | Woman is no artist (4) | woman: NO + RA (artist) |
| OCELOT | Cat, excited, close to eradicating last of rats (5) | cat: CLOsETO* [excited; eradicating last of ratS] |
| PACIFY | Subdue one fellow in smart clothing (6) | subdue: ins. [in clothing] of I (one) + F (fellow) in PACY (smart) |
| PANZER | Harshly criticise Zambia concerning overturned tank (6) | tank: PAN (harshly criticise) + Z (Zambia) + <[overturned]RE (concerning) |
| PLACE | Find job for programming language expert (5) | find job for: PL (programming language) + ACE (expert) |
| RESIT | Half of gauleiters ordered to take exams again (5) | take exams again: gauleITERS* [half of; ordered] |
| SAGAS | Heroic tales of commander in special section (5) | heroic tales: ins. of AGA (commander) in S (special) + S (section) |
| SCERNE | Distinguish by eye, once screen is adjusted (6) | distinguish by eye, once: SCREEN* [adjusted] |
| SIMILOR | Yellow alloy I’m hiding in storage tower right? (7) | yellow alloy: ins. [hiding] of IM in SILO (storage tower) + R (right) |
| SKULL | Doctor skilful, if lacking brain (5) | brain: SKiLfUL* [doctor; IF lacking] |
| SLANT | Bias of Sergeant-at-law and soldier (5) | bias: SL (sergeant-at-law) + ANT (soldier) |
| STIRS | Causes trouble in prisons (5) | double definition: causes trouble/prisons |
| SWALE | Son with beer finds a shady place (5) | a shady place: S (son) + W (with) + ALE (beer) |
| TARTAR | Two sailors meet a formidable person (6) | a formidable person: TAR (sailor) x2 |
| UNCURL | Remove roll from our lunch, removing crusts, and chew (6) | remove roll from: oURLUNCh* [removing crusts; chew] |
| YEANS | Gives birth locally? Affirmative, without any nurse, initially (5) | gives birth locally: ins. [without] of AN (Any Nurse, initially) in YES (affirmative) |
I haven’t done many of these EVs at all and was delighted to finish this one. Lots of new words to learn too – the wordplay for all was very obvious but I needed the Big Red Book to check I wasn’t making them up. Thanks to setter and blogger too.
I just had a thought while out on my walk – if the closing date for this isn’t until Wed 11th, surely this blog should be live after that date. I hope you haven’t reduced my odds of winning the pen by giving away all the answers!
Hello crypticsue.
Sorry about the mix up – I didn’t realise that the Telegraph had lengthened the submission window.
Don’t worry – I have tracked down everyone else who viewed the entry and assassinated them.
Thanks to Gaufrid for rescheduling.
Don’t agree that Piccadilly is entirely blameless for any typos as he will have had the opportunity to proofread his puzzle. However, perhaps he did point out the errors and they were not corrected – I don’t know.