This week we had the first solo puzzle from Samuel since he took over the EV editorship. (In case you didn’t know, he made up one third of Samphiry, responsible for EV 1079 Roles.) He also introduced us to the email address for any comments or queries: EVeditor@telegraph.co.uk.
In Welcome!, we had eight thematic entries, clued without definition, and eight clues containing a superfluous jumble of letters that would prove useful in their identification. Each jumble was symmetrically opposite the relevant entry.
The clue that got me up and running was 42ac where the wordplay gave ASTI and the definition ‘wine’ meant that ‘pain s’ was the superfluous jumble. That could only be Spain, and was followed at 2dn by ‘lend air’, ie Ireland, and 10dn ‘ref can’, France. It wasn’t too long before the theme itself came through, and we were dealing with ways to welcome someone in various languages.
Solid clueing all the way, with the pièce de résistance hiding in the unclued central entry. There, doffing his cap to his predecessor, James Leonard, Samuel gave us the title of the very first Enigmatic Variations puzzle, Greetings by Rustic. How better to go forward. Very satisfying.
Legend:
Definition in clue
ABC* = anagram
abCDef = hidden
ABC< = reversal
[Mr Naked] = superfluous jumble in clues
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | HOLA | Head away from jungle (4) [S]HOLA (jungle without head); thematic entry from Spain (42ac) |
|
| 5 | GUTEN TAG | Start to unpack shelter in silence (8, two words) U (start to Unpack) TENT (shelter) in GAG (silence, verb); thematic entry from Germany (41ac) |
|
| 11 | ERASER | Rubber ages queen (6) ERAS (ages) + ER (queen) |
|
| 12 | ASIAGO | Continent to fail Italian region famous for cheese (6) ASIA (continent) + GO (to fail) |
|
| 13 | LEW | Join missing director in retreat that’s not so hot (3) (WELD (join) – D (director))< |
|
| 14 | PRIVET | Bolt after parking (6) P (parking) + RIVET (bolt); thematic entry from Russia (37ac) |
|
| 16 | CIAO | Love spies first (4) O (love) preceded by CIA (spies); thematic entry from Italy (36ac) |
|
| 17 | LAMBADA | Buddhist hosting offensive dance (7) LAMA (Buddhist) holding BAD (offensive) |
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| 21 | SEE LIFE | Hoodwink spouse losing weight for experience (7, two words) SEEL (hoodwink) + WIFE (spouse) – W (weight) |
|
| 22 | GENIE | Lamp resident that is after information? (5) IE (that is) after GEN (information) |
|
| 23 | MADRONOS | Trees without leaves initially spoiled moorlands (8) (MOORLANDS – L (Leaves, initially))* |
|
| GREETINGS | Unclued and the puzzle’s theme | ||
| 27 | ONE-LINER | Joke backed chat show host in emergency room (8) LENO< (American chat show host, Jay Leno) + IN + ER (emergency room) |
|
| 29 | KATIS | Chinese measures tree cutting spirits (5) TI (tree) inside (cutting) KAS (spirits) |
|
| 30 | NORTHER | Wind in Texas disturbed heron eating bits of raw trout (7) HERON* eating RT (bits of Raw Trout) |
|
| 35 | ACARIDA | Tick order from American about flying raid (7) A (American) + CA (about) + RAID* |
|
| 36 | ONER | [Laity] beheaded dead person? It’s a lie! (4) [G]ONER (dead person, beheaded); superfluous letters give Italy |
|
| 37 | A BIT OF | [US airs] the ultimate in propaganda – fob it off somewhat! (6, three words) A (ultimate in propagandA) + (FOB IT)*; superfluous letters give Russia |
|
| 38 | PUR | Somewhat spurious expression of satisfaction for oldtimers (3) in sPURious |
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| 39 | UNTAME | Wild peacekeepers tangle over European (6) UN (peacekeepers) + MAT (tangle) + E (European) |
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| 40 | ORCEIN | Yellow ruined nice dye (6) OR (yellow) + NICE* |
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| 41 | REGISTER | Check in on government’s strange rites [near gym] (8) RE (on) + G (government) + RITES*; superfluous letters give Germany |
|
| 42 | ASTI | Ears and tail regularly [pain s]wine (4) regular letters of eArS & TaIl; superfluous letters give Spain |
|
| DOWN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | HELLO | Old look after goddess (5) HEL (goddess) + LO (look, old word); thematic entry from Britain (33dn) |
|
| 2 | OREADES | Nymphs [lend air]men each dress, oddly (7) OR (men) + EA (each) + DES (odd letters of DrEsS); superfluous letters give Ireland |
|
| 3 | LAWMONGERS | Pedantic solicitors won round member overcome by drinks (10) WON round M (member) surrounded by LAGERS (drinks) |
|
| 4 | BERATE | Reprimand debaters endlessly playing [Mario] (6) ([D]EBATER[S])*; superfluous letters give Maori |
|
| 6 | URVAS | Ancient city rescue mostly climbing animals (5) UR (ancient city) SAV[E]< (rescue mostly) |
|
| 7 | ESTHER | Book one or the other sons for institute (6) EITHER (one or the other) with S (sons) for I (institute) |
|
| 8 | NICOL | Nitrogen and iodine defile crystal (5) N (nitrogen) I (iodine) COL (defile, noun) |
|
| 9 | AGAR | It cooks a bit of royal jelly (4) AGA (the cooker) + R (a bit of Royal) |
|
| 10 | GOOIEST | The most sentimental [ref can] begin to flee from the stupidest (7) GOOFIEST (stupidest) – F (start of Flee); superfluous letters give France |
|
| 15 | IDOMENEO | Opera most excellent in two artificial languages (8) ME (most excellent) in IDO & NEO (two artificial languages) |
|
| 18 | REDIRECT | Divert retired lunatic around college (8) RETIRED* around C (college) |
|
| 19 | PINSTRIPES | Police sergeant acquiring pristine tailored suits? (10) PS (police sergeant) around PRISTINE* |
|
| 20 | GIRL | Miss soldier on both sides? (4) GI (soldier) on R & L (both sides, right & left) |
|
| 24 | OGAM | At first, obey school’s ancient letters (4) O (first letter of Obey) + GAM (school) |
|
| 25 | BONJOUR | Aristocrat raised joint belonging to us (7) NOB< (aristocrat) + J (joint) + OUR (belonging to us); thematic entry from France (10dn) |
|
| 26 | DIA DUIT | Help up to leave with duke, not queen (7, two words) AID< (help) + D (duke) + QUIT (leave) – Q (queen); thematic entry from Ireland (2dn) |
|
| 28 | IHRAMS | A thousand from Kashmir repaired holy garments (6) (KASHMIR – K (thousand))* |
|
| 29 | KIAORA | Every so often, sink overturned vessel that’s out of time? (6) IK< (sInK, at intervals) + AORTA (vessel) – T (time); Maori (4dn) thematic entry |
|
| 31 | TERAI | Tear up idiot’s top hat (5) TEAR* + I (Idiot’s top) |
|
| 32 | RAISE | Part of bra is easy to take off (5) in bRA IS Easy |
|
| 33 | GARNI | Cook’s trimmed piece of grilled [rib in ta]king in bird (5) G (piece of Grilled) + R (king) in ANI (bird); superfluous letters give Britain |
|
| 34 | ANNE | Queen’s daughter, perhaps, uncovered flag (4) [B]ANNE[R] (flag, uncovered) |
|
This was my first step back into the world of barred puzzles.
It seemed to all make sense – with help – and a clever
layout being opposite’s jumbled.
Good stuff, I’m glad fresh eyes are now on the EV for its editorial work.
Worth subscribing to now.
Thanks for the blog David.
And hello to you too, Samuel!