Hieroglyph is becoming a regular once a month setter in The Independent. This is Hieroglyph’s fourth appearance in successive months.
All three of Hieroglyph’s puzzle have had a theme and this one continues in the same vein as there is a clear theme to this puzzle that becomes obvious as you solve the puzzle. I am not sure why BRAM STOKER (1 / 23) and his works get centre stage on 14th October 2014 as the date doesn’t seem to be a significant anniversary of the author. Nevertheless I have learnt something as I have never come across THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (14 / 10 / 24) before. The anagram for THE LAIR … was excellent. I was able to deduce the entry before checking it online.
I liked the clue to THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (12 / 3). This type of clue is becoming more common, as I mentioned in a blog not so long ago.
I also enjoyed the clue to MANTRA (4 down) although it wasn’t too difficult.
I drove through WICK (24 down) a few weeks ago on part of a touring holiday through the northernmost parts of the Scottish mainland, so that was a clue that brought back a few memories.
I’m not sure how many solvers will have used the word MEH for mediocre in everyday conversation. It appears to be a recent entry to Chambers. I guess this new meaning is just part of the development of the language and the changing meaning of words. Of course, it is the continuing evolution of the language that gives setters great scope for cluing. Long may it continue.
|
Across |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
No. |
Clue | Wordplay |
Entry |
|
9
|
Backstage, the Queen dined again, say (9)
|
TIER (stage) reversed (back) + ER (Elizabeth Regina; Queen) + ATE (dined) REIT< ER ATE |
REITERATE (repeat again; say again)
|
|
11
|
Fruit from Angolan stores (5)
|
MANGO (hidden word in [stores] FROM ANGOLAN)
|
MANGO (fruit)
|
|
12 / 3
|
Lovelorn, henceforth could depict this historical event (3,6,10) |
An anagram (REVOLUTION) of (HENCEFORTH excluding [lorn] O [zero, love score in tennis) is THE FRENCH THE FRENCH* REVOLUTION |
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (historical event)
|
|
13
|
1/23’s 26/28?
|
The clue translates as BRAM STOKER‘S ([entry at] 1 / 23’s) BLOOD COUNT ([entry at] 26/28)
|
DRACULA (reference COUNT DRACULA from the novel by BRAM STOKER)
|
|
14 / 10 /24
|
1/23’s monstrous hole: throw item with fear (3,4,2,3,5,4)
|
Anagram of (monstrous) HOLE THROW ITEM WITH FEAR
|
THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (another novel by 1 / 23 [BRAM STOKER])
|
|
17
|
Dish from the sea with tail removed (5)
|
BALTIC (reference BALTIC Sea) excluding [removed] the final letter [tail] C
|
BALTI (kind of Indian cookery originating in Britain, in which food is cooked in a wok-like dish and eaten out of the same dish; this dish.)
|
|
19
|
Communist friends, regularly purged (3)
|
RED (the letters that remain in FRIENDS after letters 1, 3 and 5 [regularly] are omitted [purged])
|
RED (Communist)
|
|
20
|
Noise of old car starting (5)
|
AUDI (brand of car) + O (old) Note: ‘car starting’ implies that the AUDI comes first
|
AUDIO (sound; noise)
|
|
21
|
Salts sail around northern seas, oddly abandoned (7)
|
Anagram of (around) SAIL + N (northern) + ES (even letters [2 and 4] only [oddly abandoned] of SEAS) SALI* N ES |
SALINES (salts)
|
|
22
|
Clinton‘s blues? (7)
|
CHELSEA (reference CHELSEA Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton)
|
CHELSEA (reference CHELSEA football club, a team that wears blue shirts – one of many football teams known as The Blues)
|
|
26 / 28
|
Calculation requiring a plasma screen? (5,5)
|
BLOOD (plasma) + COUNT (screen [?])
|
BLOOD COUNT (the number of red or white corpuscles in the blood, presumably arrived at by calculation)
|
|
29
|
To begin with, string quartets disconcerted unwanted guests(9 ) |
S (first letter of [to begin with] STRING) + an anagram of (disconcerted) QUARTETS S QUATTER* |
SQUATTERS (people who settle on land or in unoccupied buildings without legal right; unwelcome guests)
|
| Down | |||
|
1 / 23
|
Author‘s agent accepting a manuscript on time (4,6)
|
BROKER (agent) containing (accepting) (A + MS [manuscript] + T [time]) BR (A MS T) OKER |
BRAM STOKER (author of books fitted into the grid elsewhere – DRACULA [13 across] and THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM [14 / 10 / 24 across])
|
|
2
|
City life in Paris upset girl (6)
|
VIE (life in French [Paris] + (ANN [girl’s name] reversed [upset; down clue]) VIE NNA< |
VIENNA (European city)
|
|
4
|
Alluring woman abridged sacred text (6)
|
MANTRAP (a woman who takes a mischievous pleasure in attracting and acquiring men) excluding the final letter (abridged) P
|
MANTRA (sacred text used as an incantation)
|
|
5
|
Couldn’t stand trial, being bound by legal transaction (8)
|
TEST (trial) contained in (being bound by) DEED (legal transaction) DE (TEST) ED |
DETESTED (hated intensely; couldn’t stand)
|
|
6
|
Cross over the threshold (4)
|
ROOD (cross) reversed (over) DOOR< |
DOOR (threshold)
|
|
7
|
Normal colours? (6)
|
STANDARD (established or accepted model; normal)
|
STANDARD (flag; colours) double definition
|
|
8
|
Soprano hosted by mediocre network (4)
|
S (soprano) contained in (hosted by) MEH (mediocre) ME (S) H |
MESH (network)
|
|
13
|
Time filling society girl’s obligations (5)
|
T (time) contained in (filling) DEB’S (debutante’s [society girl’s]) DEB (T) S |
DEBTS (obligations)
|
|
15
|
Provoke one spoiled brat in river (10)
|
(ACE [one] + an anagram of [spoiled] BRAT]) contained in (in) EXE (river in South West England) EX (ACE RBAT*) E |
EXACERBATE (provoke)
|
|
16
|
Wine and port originally judged acceptable (5)
|
RIO (RIO de Janiero, port city in Brazil) + JA (first letters of [originally] each of JUDGED and ACCEPTABLE)
|
RIOJA (Spanish wine)
|
|
18
|
Left unwell, individual set on fantastic island (8)
|
L (left) + ILL (unwell) + I (one) + PUT (set on)
|
LILLIPUT (fantasy island in Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)
|
|
19
|
Answer stupid person’s point (8)
|
Anagram of (stupid) PERSONS + E (point of the compass) RESPONS* E |
RESPONSE (answer)
|
|
22
|
Coppers arresting a politician in university grounds (6)
|
CUS (coppers; CU is the chemical symbol for copper) containing (arresting) (A + MP [Member of Parliament; politician]) C (A MP) US |
CAMPUS (university grounds)
|
|
24
|
Scottish town‘s Women’s Institute set up kennel club (4)
|
WI (Women’s Institute) + (KC [Kennel Club] reversed [set up; down clue) WI CK< |
WICK (town in North East Scotland)
|
| 25 | Food for two poets after beheading (4) |
KEATS (reference John KEATS [1795 – 1821], English romantic poet) or YEATS (reference W B YEATS [1865 – 1939], Irish poet) to give two poets each excluding the first letter (after beheading) K or Y |
EATS (food) |
|
27
|
Lolly parties hard (4)
|
DOS (parties) + H (hard)
|
DOSH (money; lolly)
|
Thanks, Duncan. I share your enthusiasm for this puzzle. When I see a themed puzzle, which the Indy seems keen on, my first reaction is usually ‘what’s all this going to be about?’ But as you say, once you cracked on with it, and got the gateway clue, it fell out nicely. The long anagram took a bit of sorting out, but the enumeration and the suggestion of THE .. OF THE WHITE .. once you’d got some crossers was a help.
Looking forward to this setter’s next offering. Thanks to him/her for today’s.
I agree that this was an enjoyable puzzle, although I confess that I didn’t bother to untangle the wordplay for THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM and THE FRENCH REVOLUTION because both were fairly obvious from their definitions once a few checkers were in place. SALINES was my LOI after the MANTRA/REITERATE crossers. I had no problem with the MEH element of 8dn.
@k’s d – the lovely Hieroglyph is definitely a ‘him’.
Yes, whilst perhaps not showing the depth of thought one associates with the very best writers, this puzzle is a huge improvement on the Guardian’s parallel offering. 4 down I found more convincing than some of the others.
The Lair of the White Worm is a Ken Russell film, and a good one, if I’m not mistaken. Good old Ken!
hedgehoggy@4 – thanks for dashing my hopes for an entertaining Guardian which I had planned to solve next.
Hmmm….this was a pleasant puzzle if hardly challenging.
Thanks to B & S
Thanks to having seen the film on TV many years ago The Lair of the White Worm was my gateway clue. It’s actually a bit silly, with Amanda Donohoe slinking around wearing not much as a snake woman, but it has two then little known actors in main roles: Hugh Grant and Peter Capaldi.
4dn was my LOI.
Yesterday I complained I couldn’t finish it, today my complaint is that I finished it before three o’clock and will have to find something else to do tonight. No satisfying some people.
Thanks Duncan and Hieroglyph, Not quite the write in the last one was but fine, once I saw the author ended in M it quickly largely folded. Definitely more commuter friendly than yesterday.
Nice crossword. I found MANTRA a bit of a problem because Tantra also fits and is a sacred text and I spent a while trying to justify it.
I’m pleased someone else had tantra which is a bit of a quibble as with the potential for the two answers I think mantrap is a bit obscure for alluring woman
Enjoyed the rest though
Hieroglyph, first time for me, I hope the last. Not for me ,far too laborious , I will leave these for the Independent experts,
Really enjoyed this, thanks. Found The French Revolution quickly and got hooked, had to bear with it for the anagram worm lair but worth it. Keep up the good work Hieroglyph!