We found it difficult to get started on the puzzle; it wasn’t until Joyce did her usual trick when she is stuck of looking at some of the last down clues that we were able to fill in a few answers.
Our second one in was 25ac, which brought a smile to our faces. Pierre had an extra blog last week when we were in Valencia (without internet access for much of the week). We decided to join a free walking tour on our first day that was highly entertaining as well as interesting. In rather broken English a young engineering student explained some of the history. The King of Spain was said to have described Napoleon as a ‘funny little man with a strange hat’. Because he was ‘rather nice and couldn’t possibly do any harm’ he joined forces with him and let him pass through Spain on his way to conquer Portugal.
It wasn’t until Joyce came to write up the blog that she realised there were more references to Napoleon within the clues and final grid.
Quite an education – thanks Radian!
Thanks to Pierre also for standing in for us last week.
| Across | ||
| 5 | Loyalists are victorious at start and finish | |
| WIND UP | DUP (Loyalists) with WIN (victorious) at start | |
| 6 | Like allies, hemmed in but not united | |
| BONDED | BO |
|
| 9 | One alliance involved Vatican and Berlin, say | |
| IRVING | I (one) + RING (alliance) around or ‘involving’ V (Vatican) | |
| 10 | Prudent European army chief captured one retreating | |
| ECONOMIC | E (European) + CIC (army chief) round or ‘capturing’ MONO (one) reversed or ‘retreating’ | |
| 11 | Sail rejected by the navy | |
| VANE | Hidden and reversed or ‘rejected’ in thE NAVy | |
| 12 | Risky move in the past secured north Germany | |
| TOUCH AND GO | TOUCH (move) + AGO (in the past) around or ‘securing’ N (north) D (Germany) | |
| 13 | Town crier fussed over place for Pope’s headgear | |
| TRIPLE CROWN | An anagram of TOWN CRIER (anagrind is ‘fussed’) over PL (place) | |
| 18 | Like meetings here in the periphery 200 years ago | |
| FACE TO FACE | We guessed at this answer once we had some crossing letters and then realised that there was a nina around the perimeter or ‘periphery’ that explained it. Click here for more information on the face-to face meetings that took place in 1814. | |
| 21 | Second-in-command galloped around on it? | |
| ROAN | The answer is a play on the fact that O (second letter in cOmmand) with RAN (galloped) around it could possibly be what the person is galloping on. | |
| 22 | As expected, force abandoned missing target | |
| OF COURSE | OF |
|
| 23 | Initially Castlereagh, say, curbed uproar, giving ground | |
| CEDING | C (initial letter of Castlereagh) + EG (for example) around or ‘curbing’ DIN (uproar). Joyce had a look on the internet to see why Castlereagh was chosen – perhaps it links to the Viscount who helped defeat Napoleon who features in 25ac! | |
| 24 | The French limited their assents for Boney’s wife (after Marie) | |
| LOUISE | LE (the in French) around or ‘limiting’ OUIS (the plural of yes or ‘assents’ in French). Marie Louise was married to Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna (the nina) made her Duchess of Parma. | |
| 25 | Injure King in country Napoleon invaded | |
| SPRAIN | R (King) inside SPAIN (country Napoleon invaded) | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Italy never supported English manoeuvre | |
| ENGINEER | I (Italy) + NEER (never) under or ‘supporting’ ENG (English) | |
| 2 | Lift arm and grab gold perhaps | |
| NUGGET | GUN (arm) raised or ‘lifted’ + GET (grab) | |
| 3 | Fine French raised more without trouble | |
| NO BOTHER | BON (French for fine) reversed or ‘raised’ + OTHER (more) | |
| 4 | Fuss at home over judge? Neighbours do it | |
| ADJOIN | ADO (fuss) + IN (home) around or ‘over’ J (judge) | |
| 5 | Duchy was given up after conflict | |
| WARSAW | WAS reversed or ‘given up’ after WAR (conflict). We weren’t sure about WARSAW being a Duchy but when writing up the blog, Joyce found this article which explains the link to the nina and Naapoleon. | |
| 7 | Activities popular among Pomeranians, say | |
| DOINGS | IN (popular) among DOGS (Pomerians can be a breed of dog) but the clue also has links to Napoleon and the Franco-Swedish war which Joyce found out when she was writing up the blog. Follow this link to find out more. | |
| 8 | Brought life back to grass covering new 11 in project | |
| REJUVENATED | REED (grass) around or ‘covering’ an anagram of VANE (11 ac) inside JUT (project) – anagrind is ‘new’ | |
| 14 | Papers inspired old King George to carry on | |
| PROGRESS | PRESS (papers) around or ‘inspiring’ O (old) + GR (King George) | |
| 15 | Bitter dispute arising over land borders | |
| WORLD WAR | Cryptic definition – RAW (bitter) + ROW (dispute) all reversed or ‘arising’ over LD (first and last letters or ‘borders’ of L |
|
| 16 | Nervous leader ignored criticism | |
| EARFUL | ||
| 17 | Minister tackled navy’s big guns | |
| CANNON | CANON (minister) around or ‘tackling’ N (navy) | |
| 19 | One-time good guys oddly excluded flight | |
| EXODUS | EX (one-time) + even letters in gOoD gUyS (odd letters excluded!) | |
| 20 | Avoid uneasy peace to protect Sweden | |
| ESCAPE | An anagram of PEACE (anagrind is ‘uneasy’) around S (Sweden) | |
Thanks, both.
I usually approach Radian’s puzzles with a degree of trepidation, since he can rough you up for fun. But this one was a delight, and a master class in ‘losing gracefully’.
I did in fact see CONGRESS OF VIENNA around the outside of the grid with a few to go; so that helped in completing the puzzle.
Lots to enjoy today, but my favourites were TRIPLE CROWN (because I learnt something new) and EARFUL. And there’s probably plenty of Napoleonic stuff that I haven’t twigged, so on my to-do list today is to find out a bit more about this period of history. You don’t get that with Sudoku, do you?
Many thanks to the setter as well.
Thanks B&J. This was a tricky solve on one of my least favourite grids. I noticed the references to the Congress of Vienna but I was a bit slow on the uptake and, when I looked around the periphery, all I could see was the unhelpful ENNA CONG SSER IVFO. So the nina did not help me because I did not twig it until after I finished. So, I admired Radian’s craftsmanship more in retrospect than during the solving process.
I really enjoyed this puzzle. Much like K’s D@1 I spotted the CONGRESS OF VIENNA nina with about three quarters of the grid complete, and it helped me with my last few. Seeing Castlereagh and the other Napoleonic references in the cluing, together with the grid, had made me suspect that there was something going on. It took me a while to see EARFUL at the end.
Once again I failed on the Nina. Sometimes remember to look when there isn’t one but I don’t think I’ve ever spotted one yet! However it didn’t prevent me from finishing in good style, and enjoying it.
Thanks both.
Thanks, B and J and Radian – lovely stuff, as ever.
I can’t be too smug about seeing the Nina, for once, since Radian signalled it so kindly at 18ac, but I did remember from History lessons that Castlereagh represented Britain at the Congress of Vienna – not much of the rest though, so thanks for that, especially the story of the King of Spain!
I also didn’t see the NINA until I’d completed the puzzle and probably wouldn’t have spotted it at all if it wasn’t implied in the puzzle. I didn’t quite follow vane – by as a containment indicator slipped by me.
For those interested in Congress minutiae, Lord Castlereagh’s half-brother Charles Stewart was also there. In 1819 he became Earl Vane when he married into the Vane-Tempest family from Co Durham. Descendants of the family carry the weighty surname Vane-Tempest-Stewart.
Thanks Radian for commenting and expounding, clever stuff, difficult to break into in places, broke NE early and got stumped until a lucky guess popped into my head whilst doing some work for a change.
Thanks B&J who go from strength to strength when they’re not wasting their children’s inheritance 🙂