Radian is a monthly contributor to the daily Independent crossword series. The puzzles often contain cross references as is the case today
Today, 15th October, is ADA LOVELACE day, an annual celebration of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, in memory of Countess AUGUSTA ADA LOVELACE, only legitimate daughter of Lord Byron. ADA is considered to be the founder of computer programming following her work with Charles Babbage on his analytical engine. There is a computer language named after ADA.
It’s good to see the scientists get a look in although the arts are not ignored because of the link to Lord Byron and the inclusion of DADAIST at 5 across Perhaps we could have included at least one more female scientist rather than the male Michael FARADAY at 28 across.
I took a while to get into this, but once I’d got ADA, many of the themed clues fell very quickly. I got ADA before LOVELACE, although ADA helped me solve the gateway clue.
I liked the cryptic definitions, occasional tosser at 14 across and counter counter at 6 down. There was also some excellent wordplay including GRADATIONS (11 across), APPLE (17 across), FANNY ADAMS (26 across) and, my favourite today, MATCH OF THE DAY (9 down)
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Across |
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| No. | Clue | Wordplay |
Entry |
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1
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High-class English students stop celeb (7)
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(E [English] + L [learner; student] + L [learner; student, to give learners]) contained in (stop) STAR (celeb[rity]) ST (E L L ) AR |
STELLAR (excellent; high class)
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5
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Daughter, 23, is German artist (7)
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D (daughter) + ADA (reference 23 across) + IST (German for ‘is’)
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DADAIST (artist, follower of short-lived [from 1916 to circa1920] movement in art and literature which sought to abandon all form and throw off all tradition)
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10
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Error involving government notice (4)
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SIN (error) containing (involving) G (government) SI (G) N |
SIGN (notice)
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11
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Greek 23 isn’t fussed about 0 degrees (10)
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GR (Greek) + ADA (reference 23 across) + (an anagram of [fussed] ISN’T containing [about] O) GR ADA TI (O) NS* |
GRADATIONS (degrees)
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12
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Precocious girls writing about 27 (6)
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MS (manuscript; writing) containing (about) ADAM (27 across) M (ADAM) S |
MADAMS (precocious girls)
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13
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Firm sets out to secure a French title for 23 (8)
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(CO + an anagram of [out] SETS) containing (to secure) (UN [French for ‘a’]) CO (UN) TESS* |
COUNTESS (title given to Ada LOVELACE [23 ac ross])
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14
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Occasional tosser in band beat old PM (4,5)
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DRUM (beat) + MAJOR (reference John MAJOR, British Prime Minister 1990 – 1997)
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DRUM MAJOR (marching leader of a military band who sometimes [occasionally] tosses a mace or similar large baton to indicate instructions to the band behind him/her. The trick is to catch it again after tossing it)
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16
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Stone has damaged drug store (5)
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ST (stone) + an anagram of (damaged) HAS
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STASH (store)
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17
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Beneficiary of 23‘s software with large margins? (5)
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APP (application; software) + LE (first and last letters of [margins of] LARGE)
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APPLE (computer company; beneficiary of the pioneering work of Ada LOVELACE [23 across])
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19
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Wee generators waft smells etc (4,5)
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Anagram of (waft) SMELLS ETC
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STEM CELLS (generalized parent cells that gives rise to cells that specialize; wee generators, cells being very small))
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23
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Poet’s daughter ultimately lost open 0-1? (8)
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L (lost, in sports scoring notation) contained in (open?) (LOVE [zero score in tennis; 0] + ACE [one; 1]) ‘Ultimately’ usually means the least letter of something. In this case either the R of DAUGHTER or the T of LOST are possibilities, but neither features in the entry. See also comment after the definition. LOVE (L) ACE |
LOVELACE (reference Ada LOVELACE only legitimate daughter of Lord Byron and Anne Byron) I am not too sure about the role that ‘ultimately‘ plays in the clue. Lord Byron left his wife a month after Ada was born, but despite her mother’s best efforts to expunge Ada’s father from Ada’s life, Ada took a great interest in him and was ultimately buried beside her father)
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24
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Fat lump in post office separating sorted mail (6)
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PO (Post Office) contained in (separating) an anagram of (sorted) MAIL LI (PO) MA* |
LIPOMA (fatty tumour)
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26
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Cool Big Apple woman’s address house 23 for nothing (5,5)
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(FAN [cool] + NY [New York; big apple] + MS [form of address for a woman]) containing (houses) ADA (reference 23 across) FAN NY (ADA) MS |
FANNY ADAMS (reference the phrase sweet FANNY ADAMS [nothing] or the abbreviation FA [which I won’t spell out] but also means nothing at all)
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27
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23 married gardener (4)
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ADA (reference 23 across) + M (married)
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ADAM (one of the original inhabitants of the Garden of Eden; gardener)
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28
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Scientist’s service withdrawn by 23 on 4th of July (7)
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FAR (RAF [Royal Air Force [service] reversed [withdrawn]) + ADA (reference 23 across) + Y (fourth letter of [4th of] JULY) FAR< ADA Y |
FARADAY (reference Michael Faraday 1791 – 1867, English scientist and pioneer in the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry)
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29
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Managed to catch 27, returning fast time (7)
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RAN (managed) containing (to catch) (ADAM [27 across] reversed [returning]) R (AMAD<) AN |
RAMADAN (the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, during which fasting is observed between dawn and dusk)
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| Down | |||
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2
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Stratosphere‘s vanishing point? (4,3)
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THIN AIR (reference the phrase to vanish into THIN AIR)
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THIN AIR (the stratosphere is a region of the atmosphere 4.5 to 10 miles up where the AIR is noticeably THINner. That wasn’t a particularly scientific definition, I know.) double definition
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3
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23 hosted by Colin Davis (5)
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LINDA (hidden word in [hosted by] COLIN DAVIS)
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LINDA (reference LINDA LOVELACE, another LOVELACE with somewhat different assets and talents than the star of today’s crossword. LINDA is the subject of a recently released film that has opened to mixed reviews)
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4
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23’s first name in Masters course (7)
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The given name of the lady forming the theme of today’s puzzle is AUGUSTA ADA KING; so first name is an appropriate clue
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AUGUSTA (home of the Masters golf tournament in Atlanta)
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6
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Counter counter (6)
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ABACUS (a frame, consisting of horizontal rods along which movable beads [counters] can be slid)
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ABACUS (counting frame) &Lit clue
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7
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Tailor set out to be polymath (9)
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Anagram of (out) TAILOR SET
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ARISTOTLE (ARISTOTLE was a clever chap whose knowledge covered a wide variety of subjects, thereby categorising him as a polymath)
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8
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Top spaces exploited on board (7)
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IN USE (exploited) contained in (on [board]) SS (steamship, hence ‘on board’) S (IN USE) S |
SINUSES (air-filled cavities in the bones of the skull, connecting with the nose; top spaces)
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9
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Endless headache for Motty or not, perhaps? (5,2,3,3)
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Anagram of (perhaps) (HEADACHE [excluding the final letter {endless} E]) and (FOR MOTTY excluding [not] OR)
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MATCH OF THE DAY (a television programme that has featured John Motson [Motty] as a commentator for many years. If you are not British or not a football fan, the allusions in this clue may have caused some problems)
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15
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Economist, one retired queen entertained for ages (9)
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MILL (reference John Stuart MILL, 1773 – 1836, Scottish economist) + (I [one] contained in [entertained] ANNE [reference Queen ANNE] reversed [retired]) MILL ENN (I) A< |
MILLENNIA (a millennium is 1000 years, so MILLENNIA covers two or more thousands of years; ages)
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18
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Men split apart, somehow maintaining correspondence (3,4)
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OR (other ranks; men) contained in (split) an anagram of (somehow) APART PR (OR) ATA* |
PRO RATA (in proportion; maintaining correspondence)
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20
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She lives between warring males (7)
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IS (lives) contained in (between) an anagram of (warring) MALES MEL (IS) SA* |
MELISSA (girl’s name; she)
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21
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Lady Caroline and 23 dance (7) |
LAMB (reference Lady Caroline LAMB (1785 – 1828) was a British aristocrat and novelist, wife of the British Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne, but best known for her affair with Lord Byron in 1812) + ADA (reference 23 across)
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LAMBADA (a rhythmic and energetic dance originating in Latin America and popularized in the late 1980s)
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22
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Does 23 have power in country (6)
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CAN (has sufficient power [to be able to …]) + ADA (reference 23 across)
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CANADA (country)
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25
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Design house using even bits of spare 23 (5)
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PR (letters 2 and 4 of [even letters of] SPARE) + ADA (reference 23 across)
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PRADA (Italian design house and fashion label
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Art and science in the same puzzle; don’t knock it. But although I finished it, it wasn’t my favourite Radian ever: when so many clues are interlinked, it’s really hard to get going, especially when the gateway clue is so obscure (both in subject matter and construction, as far as this solver is concerned, anyway).
But I learned something, so fair enough. The only way I could get LOVELACE was to stick ADA, LINDA and AUGUSTA into Google, which is not ideal but the only way I was going to finish this one.
Some inventive stuff from Radian, as always. I liked DRUM MAJOR in particular.
While looking for stuff about LINDA LOVELACE (within the bounds of decency, obviously) I discovered that there is a computer language named after LINDA as well. There’s Adalanguage and Lindalanguage, the only two programming languages named after women. As I said, you learn stuff, don’t you?
Thanks to S&B. I still don’t fully understand LOVELACE, btw.
Great puzzle, combining aspects of my degree with one of my means of earning a living. Thanks Radian, and Duncan for the typically comprehensive blog.
Couple of things.
As Bill Gates is married to Melissa I am sure that 20 is not a coincidence.
Lady Caroline Lamb, as people here may well know, is an anagram of ‘I’d call Byron a male’.
Interesting and I was completely unaware of Augusta Ada’s contribution as revealed by duncanshiell.
16A I think “drug” should be underlined in the clue column as it is commonly used to describe concealed drugs and the word otherwise contributes nothing to the clue.
Thanks to Radian and duncanshiell.
As the word “stash” is commonly used …
I managed to solve this without resort to aids despite not knowing anything about the theme, and LOVELACE was my LOI when I finally deciphered the wordplay. I got AUGUSTA from the Masters reference and COUNTESS from the wordplay. Once I saw the ADAs in a couple of answers that helped with the rest of the clues that contained ADA. As K’s D said, you learn stuff.
You also forget stuff. I heard a radio programme about the interesting lady- Ada, not Linda- the other day and completely forgot about her until I read the blog.
Somehow, however, I retain knowledge of Linda.
Thanks to blogger and setter.
Well, I got there in the end but don’t quite know how. I picked up the ADA references but they didn’t help to get LOVELACE which I eventually got as a guess from crossing letters. So the theme went over my head.
But thanks to Radian – and to Duncan for his 1ac blog!
I guess I was at an advantage here, as I knew all about Lovelace, and just last week read an article about her. I’ve even programmed in Ada. 23ac was my first one in, and I read the clue so superficially, I hadn’t even noticed the “ultimately” and had mentally read “lost” to mean ‘l’.
Saw all the Ada links and guessed lovelace was 27 but took a while to parse it. Thanks Radian and Duncan. Nice topical themed puzzle.
We were stuck near the end having solved all the ADA references but not having worked out 23ac. Joyce remembered that ADA was a programming language and checked in Chambers which then led to the solution. Parsing it was more of a problem – as Duncan says ‘ultimately’ is redundant (if L is lost) or ‘ultimately’ has to relate to the first letter of lost not the last!
A good challenge but not our favourite Radian! However, it was very cleverly compiled to have so many ADA references in the grid as well as all the other related entries.
Thanks to setter and blogger.