This is Chalicea’s fourth puzzle to appear in the Inquisitor series.
The preamble was fairly short and stated that "Appropriately entered, 1 down and 9, according to one of them, dealt with the b*stard. 5 across explained why, 15 letters which should be highlighted – as should the 12 letter b*stard"
The preamble may have been short but there were a lot of across clues – 27 in total. There were only 17 down clues, but the the two outside columns were unclued.
Reading through the clues I vaguely noticed a lot of explicit references or allusions to expeditions, tents, equipment, safety, zero oxygen, distances, directions, climbing, mountains, sumiits, Sherpas, etc but I wasn’t clever enough to get to the penny drop moment that early.
I got a toehold in the puzzle in the NE corner and built the grid fill from there. I tend to find clues for short words more difficult to solve than long ones, so the plethora of short across entries caused me a few problems. Gradually though the grid began to fill. The penny drop moment for me came with the realisation that EDMUND HILLARY could be written up (climbing) the left hand column. TENZING NORGAY in the right hand column and [George] MALLORY at 5 across followed very swiftly.
MALLORY was part of a different generation from HILLARY and NORGAY, and debate still rages as to whether MALLORY reached the summit in 1924. His body was discovered in 1999, but there was no conclusive evidence to determine whether he and his partner had reached the summit. It was MALLORY who answered the question ‘Why do you want to climb MOUNT EVEREST? with the pithy response ‘BECAUSE IT’S THERE‘. That response can be found in rows 4 (entry at 16 across) and 12 (part of two across and one down entry).
It was HILLARY who said ‘we knocked the bastard off’ as his first words when he returned to base camp. The summit was reached on 29th May 1953 and the message got out to the world on 2nd June, the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in London.
The bastard itself, MOUNT EVEREST, can be seen in the grid, rising diagonally upwards from the M of EDMUND to the V or VIRANDO at 20 across and then falling diagonally to the T of EVENOUT (35 across)
The final grid looked like this
To my mind the clues tended towards the easier end of the Inquisitor spectrum with a good number of them being suitable for a national daily puzzle. However there was a lot of relevant material in both the clues and the grid [especially in the clues] which clearly illustrated the art of thematic crossword compiling and added to the enjoyment of the puzzle. I suspect symmetry also imposed some constraints upon grid construction. Having said all that, I am not completely sure of my parsing of 1 across. I am more confident in the parsing of the rest.
This was a good puzzle which slowly revealed why there were so many climbing references in the puzzle.
| Across |
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| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
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1
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Why one pronounces capital C when spelling out ‘Cassavas‘? (6)
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(Y [sounds like {pronounces]}WHY] + U [sounds like {pronounces} YOU {one}] + C [sounds like {pronounces} SEE] which taken together reads Why? You see C [at the begiining of the word]) + C + AS (when). I’m not 100% sure of that interpretation, but as I can’t find C as an abbreviation for ‘capital’ anywhere, I’m submitting it as my best attempt at parsing the wordplay.
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YUCCAS (cassavas)
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10
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Brings up rump steak for starters (5)
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REAR (rump) + S (first letter of [starters] STEAK)
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REARS (brings up)
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12
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Regard as fit in capacity of team leader between base and start of expedition (6) |
(QUA [in capacity of] + T (first letter of [leader] TEAM) contained in (between) (E [base of natural logarithms] + E {first letter of {start of} EXPEDITION) E (QUA T) E |
EQUATE (regard as equal; regard as fit)
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13
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Bit of bristly grass to protect under canvas (3)
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AWN (the beard of barley, or similar bristly growth)
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AWN (protect under an awning; protect under canvas) double definition. Either part of the clue could serve as the definition
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14
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Notes sung quite well (4)
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SO (note of the scale in sol-fa notation; representation of notes that sung) + SO (again, to give notes)
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SO-SO (quite well)
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15
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Doubtfully grasp device to prevent backward movement (5)
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Anagram of (doubtfully) GRASP
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SPRAG (a device to prevent a vehicle from running backwards)
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16
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On account of British and European inducement (7)
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B (British) + E (European) + CAUSE (inducement)
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BECAUSE (on account of)
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18
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Edge about a third of a mile softly (3)
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LI ( Chinese unit of distance, about one-third of a mile) + P (piano; softly)
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LIP (edge)
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19
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Line to higher position and back for a bit of cash (3)
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(L [line] + UP [to higher position]) all reversed (and back) (PU L)< |
PUL (Afghan monetary unit; 1/100th of an afghani; a bit of cash)
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20
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Old sheltering canopy’s very twisting inroad (7)
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V (very) + an anagram of (twisting) INROAD V IRANDO* |
VIRANDO (old spelling of VERANDAH one of whose meanings is a canopy) |
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21
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Formerly once majority of hills were round (7)
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WERE containing (round) (HIL [3 of the 5 letters of {majority of} HILLS]) W (HIL) ERE |
WHILERE (archaic [once] word meaning formerly)
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24
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Coming across coloured short-legged sheep (5)
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ANON (soon; coming) containing (across) C (coloured) AN (C) ON |
ANCON (breed of sheep with very short legs)
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25
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Boisterous expression caused by height with zero oxygen (3)
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H (height) + O (zero) + O (chemical symbol for oxygen)
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HOO (expressing boisterous emotin)
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27
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Area of shifting sands not of secondary importance on mountain (3)
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BERG (mountain) excluding (not) B (of secondary importance)
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ERG (Saharan area of shifting sand dunes)
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28
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Euphemistic curse before beginning to shift or repairs (5)
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DARN (polite [euphemistic] form of a curse [DAMN]) + S (first letter of [beginning to] SHIFT)
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DARNS (repairs)
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30
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Heavy staffs seen (not spades) in high massif (7)
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(SEEN excluding [not] S ([spades {in cards}]) contained in (in) ALPS (high massif) ALP (EEN) S |
ALPEENS (cudgels; heavy staffs)
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31
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Universal antics involved in this sport (7)
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Anagram of (involved) (U [universal] and ANTICS)
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NAUTICS (water sports)
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32
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Strange spirit (3)
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RUM (strange)
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RUM (spirit) double definition – Either word could be the definition |
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33
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Characters regularly seen in snake-pit go downhill fast (3)
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SKI (letters 1, 4 and 7 [regularly] of SNAKE-PIT)
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SKI (one way to go downhill fast)
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35
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Treacherous venue to become flat (7)
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Anagram of (treacherous) VENUE TO
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EVEN OUT (become flat) Two words in Chambers.
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38
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Hill with cairn essentially satiates this obsessive passion (5)
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MAN (hill with cairn or rock pillar) + IA (middle letters of [essentially] SATIATES)
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MANIA (obsessive passion)
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39
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Authentically Asian, stop short of limits of summit (4)
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DESIST (stop) excluding (short of) ST (first and last letters of [limits of] SUMMIT)
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DESI (authentically Asian)
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40
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Covered a distance three-fifths of a mountain chain (3)
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RAN (first three letters of five [three-fifths] of RANGE [mountain chain])
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RAN (covered a distance)
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41
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Being more than half sheltered by equipment, act superior to others (6, 2 words)
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ING (last three letters of five [more than half] of BEING) contained in (sheltered by) KIT (equipment) K (ING) IT |
KING IT (act superior to others)
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42
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In that place woman is surrounded by reduced support (5)
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HER (woman) contained in (surrounded by) (TEE [support for a ball ]excluding the last letter [reduced] E) T (HER) E |
THERE (in that place)
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43
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Sets a high value on encounters in south-east, heading west (7)
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(MEETS [encounters] contained in [in] SE [south-east]) all reversed (heading west; across clue) (E (STEEM) S)< |
ESTEEMS (sets a high value on)
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44
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Lacking leader, retired in confusion to prepare for broadcasting again (6)
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Anagram of (in confusion) RETIRED excluding the first letter (lacking leader) R
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RE-EDIT (prepare for broadcasting again)
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| Down | |||
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
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2
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Unco Sherpa’s distressed figure with load on head (10)
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Anagram of (distressed) UNCO SHERPA
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CANEPHORUS (sculptured figure carrying a basket on the head)
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3
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Potential menace inherent in volcanic rocks (4)
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CROC (hidden word in [inherent in] VOLCANIC ROCKS)
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CROC (crocodile; potential menace)
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4
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Use force aggressively when on Canadian rapid (7)
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AS (when) + SAULT (waterfall or rapid [Candadian term])
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ASSAULT (use force aggressively)
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5
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Screw up antique service (4)
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MESS (obsolete form of [antique] MASS [religious service])
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MESS (screw up) double definition, either half of the clue could be the definition.
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6
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Climbing skills upper-class lecturer shows Times (6)
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(ARTS [skills] + U [upper-class] + L [lecturer]) all reversed (climbing; down clue]) (L U STRA)< |
LUSTRA (periods of 5 years; times)
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7
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Peculiarly placed an activity with client and animator staying close (8, 2 words)
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Anagram of (peculiarly) PLACED AN
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LAP DANCE (an activity where a stripper dances close to clients and sits briefly on their laps)
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8
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Track up northern hill, moving east upwards; old trick (4)
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RAKE (a track up a hill in Northern England dialect) with the letter E (east) moving up the word (down clue) to form REAK
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REAK (obsolete word [old] for prank [trick])
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11
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Diminished sort of respect in confused dialogue with gravity lacking (7)
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Anagram of (confused) DIALOGUE excluding (lacking) G (gravity)
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DOULEIA (the inferior veneration accorded to saints and angels; diminished sort of respect)
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17
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Not made safe; leader of climbers involved – not blamed (10)
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C (first letter of [leader] CLIMBERS) contained in (involved) UNENSURED (not made safe) UN (C) ENSURED |
UNCENSURED (not blamed)
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20
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Aboriginal fluids in five small trenches without length (5)
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V (Roman numeral for five) + (RILLS [small trenches] excluding [without] one L [length])
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VRILS (electric fluid represented as the common origin of the forces in matter, in EGL Bulwer-Lytton’s The Coming Race, 1871. Aboriginal is used in its sense of earliest, primitive and indigenous)
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22
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Violet-coloured Scotsman carried by poor European (8)
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IAN (Scottish name) + THIN (poor) + E (European) This is a down clue so the letters IAN are carried by the lower letter THINE
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IANTHINE (violet-coloured)
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23
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Country’s leader eager, lacking energy (7)
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EMPRESSÉ (eager) excluding (lacking) E (energy)
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EMPRESS (country’s leader)
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26
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With network coverage, group almost get back together (7)
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(UNIT [group forming a subdivision of a lerge whole] excluding the final letter [almost] T) contained in (with … coverage) RETE (network)
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REUNITE (get back together)
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29
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Animal fodder a guide originally stored during local rain (6)
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(A + G [first letter of [originally] GUIDE) contained in (stored during) SILE (dialect [local] word for rain) SIL (A G) E |
SILAGE (animal fodder)
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34
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Garland leaves classic race (4)
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OAKS (One of the Classic horse races)
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OAKS (leaves of the oak tree used as a garland) double definition. Either part of the clue can act as the definition or wordplay
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35
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Critically examines undershirts, removing seconds (4)
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VESTS (undershirt) excluding (removing) S (seconds)
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VETS (critically examines)
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37
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Ridge‘s queer echo (4)
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Anagram of (queer) ECHO
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OCHE (the line, groove or ridge behind which a darts player must stand to throw
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Hi Duncan,
I parsed 1a like this:
Y (why one pronounces)+UC (upper-case: capital)+C+AS (when)
I enjoyed this puzzle but I managed to mislead myself by convincing myself that 5a was EVEREST and TENSING NORGAY was entered normally in 9d.
Well, after weeks where I’d found I couldn’t get a single clue in Inquisitor, this was a relief. Indeed, knowing the Hillary quote, I got the theme immediately and realised how 43ac fitted in with putting the name upwards, all within five minutes of first looking at the grid. Then some friends arrived and it was the a few days before I could return to it, but then it all fell into place quickly. Not only were the clues on the easy side, they were all straight clues, unlike a lot of Inquisitor puzzles. Not a bastard at all, this one.
This was enjoyable – even though it was at the easier end of the scale, it was good fun. I couldn’t parse ‘yuccas’ satisfactorily – kenmac’s explanation works for me.
Wearing my pedant’s hat, I didn’t think there was a ‘plethora’ of short entries, merely a lot of short entries.
Thanks Duncan for the blog and kenmac for explaining your interpretation of 1ac. It was the only entry that we couldn’t really parse to our satisfaction.
We also found this on the easier side but still very enjoyable. It took us a little while to work out the theme though!
Thanks Chalicea for the enjoyment and well constructed puzzle!
I loved that word ‘enjoyment’; that’s what my gentler ones aim at. I am like Dormouse; there are times when I can’t get a foothold at all in IQs. Many thanks to all and especially to Duncan for the super blog with its gloriously coloured grid. Yes, indeed, Kenmac’s parsing of YUCCAS was the intended one. You know I am part of the Rasputin compiling team and it was Artix, in his vetting, who suggested that twisted little clue to replace a very bland one that you would have considered dull and easy.
In a weekend stuffed full of marking exams I had a few coffee breaks – which was all it took to solve this ‘gentle’ puzzle from Chalicea. Unfortunately that meant that almost all of the thematic material embedded in the clues passed me by. But never mind …
Thanks go to setter – & congrats. to her for her first (?) published Listener at the beginning of June; and also to blogger – I too noted that EVEN OUT at 35a is two words. And if Duncan used “plethora” literally (=over-fullness or excess in any way), then I might be inclined to disagree with pedant-hatted Joan MM @3.
I just wonder how apocryphal is Mallory’s purported response …
Gentle Inquisitor-oxymoron surely