Raffles is a new setter to me, although I see he has had a couple of Magpie puzzles. Here every across clue needs treatment; most need partial treatment, three need treatment in their entirety, and one of those needs subsequent partial treatment. Sound confusing? Well it certainly confused me.
9ac was relatively straightforward for me; I think the ‘argue’ enabled ARBITRAGEURS to pop into my head fairly quickly. Of course, that was 12 letters and the entry only had 11. 13ac BOUNDER and 15ac MINUTED came next, each one letter too long for its entry, and it looked like the letter U may be the key. 19 looked like it was an anagram of BLANK TAPE (it wasn’t quite), and anyway it didn’t have a U. 24 looked as though it could be GROOM (again no U), but the wordplay didn’t agree.
Luckily, the down clues were normal, and I began making good progress. It turned out that the across clues all contained one U, and that needed to be omitted upon entry. Well, not quite all!
With the puzzle about two-thirds complete, 19ac looked like it should be SERVIETTE, but the clue disagreed. In one of those strange synaptic moments, it came to me… Nancy Mitford’s views on U and non-U language. I had come across this in a previous puzzles fairly recently, I thought. Some research revealed that it wasn’t fairly recent at all, but way back in August 2006 and another EV puzzle Incorrect by Arachne.
Thus, all but three across clues became non-U by losing that letter, and three others just became non-U: TABLE NAPKIN became SERVIETTE, DRAWING ROOM became LOUNGE, and LAVATORY became TOILET. Of course LOUNGE then had to undergo partial treatment to become LONGE.
All that remained was to change NANCE at 12ac to NANCY and write MITFORD under the grid. I almost felt sorry for anyone who hadn’t heard of all this U and non-U talk before as I suspect it might have made the endgame somewhat difficult!
The two &lit clues at 28ac and 22dn deserve special mention.
All in all, a tricky but entertaining puzzle from Raffles. Thanks.
Legend:
Definition in clue
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Answer | Entry | Clue and Explanation |
| 1 | BOULTED | BOLTED | Set including rough lout riddled with coarse material (6) BED (set = to embed) including LOUT* |
| 5 | HABITUS | HABITS | Amount of information unionist has to come round and type physically (6) BIT (amount of information) U (unionist) with HAS around |
| 9 | ARBITRAGEURS | ARBITRAGERS | Traders argue violently after curb on Arab rights in extremis (11) BIT (curb) on AR (Arab) + ARGUE* + RS (RightS in extremis) |
| 11 | COLOURIZE | COLORIZE | Add 3s to zero, zero and one – luck’s short, unfortunately (8) (ZERO + O (zero) + I (one) + LUC[k]))*; the 3 here refers to 3dn and thus reads ‘Add tincts to’ |
| 12 | NUANCE | NANCE changed to NANCY |
Refinement exposed Democrat replaced by political party (5) NUDE (exposed) with D (Democrat) replaced by ANC (political party) |
| 13 | BOUNDER | BONDER | American fellow commanded by a scoundrel (6) BO (fellow, American) UNDER (commanded by) |
| 15 | MINUTED | MINTED | Precise director took notes (6) MINUTE (precise) + D (director) |
| 17 | IN TRANSITU | IN TRANSIT | In passage within a letter, press to be accepted (9, two words) INTRA (within) + NU (letter) accepting SIT (press) |
| 19 | TABLE NAPKIN | SERVIETTE | Blank tape damaged in wiper, say? (9) (BLANK TAPE)* + IN |
| 21 | CAUTION | CATION | Laugh about delegation not admired in return (6) CA (about) + DEVOLUTION (delegation) – LOVED< (admired); caution and laugh in the sense of someone who is good fun |
| 23 | CHOREUS | CHORES | Short fleece comprising about a foot (6) CHOUS[e] (fleece, short) containing RE (about) |
| 24 | DRAWING ROOM | LOUNGE entered as LONGE |
Attract popular fellow at wedding reception, say (5) DRAW (attract) IN (popular) GROOM (fellow at wedding) |
| 26 | ARMOURERS | ARMORERS | Suppliers of protection in love affair securing resistance against leprosy, regularly (8) AMOUR (love affair) holding R (resistance) + ERS (lEpRoSy regularly) |
| 27 | HABITUATIONS | HABITATIONS | Radically out anti-British Shia acquired tolerances (11) (OUT ANTI-B (British) SHIA)* |
| 28 | POUNCES | PONCES | What quiet cat does in the end? (6) P (quiet) OUNCE (cat) + S (doeS, in the end); &lit clue |
| 29 | LAVATORY | TOILET | John Peel, for example, following hot rock (6) TORY (Peel, for example) after LAVA (hot rock) |
| DOWN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | BARN | Farmer’s store is a place to buy drinks, note (4) BAR (place to buy drinks) + N (note) |
|
| 2 | ORDAINED | Ordered men home late to turn around (8) OR (men) + IN (home) surrounded by DEAD< (late) |
|
| 3 | TINCT | A shade unfortunate in Centre Court – passing on the inside (5) T (unforTunate in the centre) + CT (court) past IN (on the inside); I think! |
|
| 4 | DROOD | Odd or mysterious Dickensian character (5) (ODD OR)* |
|
| 5 | HALBERT | Prince Henry’s first weapon (7) ALBERT (Prince) with H (Henry) first |
|
| 6 | AGOOD | To Julia, heartily wrap the present in sticky stuff? The opposite! (5) GOO (sticky stuff) in AD (the present); reference Julia’s speech in The Two Gentlemen of Verona Act IV, Scene IV |
|
| 7 | IRIDOSMINE | Alloy one clears outside of quarry (10) I (one) RIDS (clears) outside O (of) + MINE (quarry) |
|
| 8 | SHERATON | Woman to give away kind of furniture (8) SHE (woman) + RAT ON (give away) |
|
| 10 | INNER WOMAN | Norman wine upset lady’s stomach (10, two words) (NORMAN WINE)* |
|
| 14 | NONE | Number 1 single? Not even that (4) N (number) + ONE (1 single) |
|
| 15 | MESOCARP | Reduced old meal of fish and bit of fruit (8) MES[s] (meal, reduced) + O (old) + CARP (fish) |
|
| 16 | VIROGENE | Struggle to gain initially relevant information on bracketed transmitter of hereditary disease (8) VIE (struggle) holding R (Relevant, initially) GEN (information) with O (on) enclosed |
|
| 17 | IVOR | Fellow cutting a key? (4) IVOR[y] (key, cut) |
|
| 18 | TEA SETS | Flirt with heads of the social services (7, two words) TEASE (flirt) + TS (heads of The Social) |
|
| 20 | EERIE | Weird English getting European passion rising (5) E (English) + (E (European) IRE (passion))< |
|
| 21 | CARAT | Accountant to abandon outdated estimate (5) CA (accountant) + RAT (abandon) |
|
| 22 | TORII | Entrances of temples in about half of the East (5) TI (first letters of Temples In) about ORI[ent] )the East, half); &lit clue |
|
| 25 | EAST | Policeman without cap giving direction (4) [b]EAST (policeman, without first letter) |
|
I was completely unaware of Nancy Mitford’s coining of the word “non-U”, although I was aware of the Mitfords, and of the word itself. Fortunately some judicious Googling revealed what was needed as the final step. A nice puzzle, and good to see another new compiler in the EV series. Does anyone know how one goes about joining the team?
Re #2, I’m pretty sure anyone can submit a puzzle if they wish. A regular solver would have a good idea of what sort of puzzle is required. The EV editor might wish to comment here as I think he has commented on the blog in the past.
I think there are several setters, especially those more recent ones, who’d be happy to help provide advice, tips, techniques, test-solves etc. As a first step you could probably email the editor himself, via the email address given each week, and he’ll be happy to help.
A bit of a shame, perhaps, that this theme had been done already, but then that was long enough ago that I’d never met it before, so it was still worth seeing and using again. Thanks and welcome, Raffles, to the EV series!
Well there must be a limited number of themes and gimmicks out there and, as time goes by, the chances of a setter coming up with an entirely original one (unless very obscure)obviously decrease.
As long as the “treatment” within the theme is different, I think this is perfectly OK and almost inevitable. I don’t recall the previous use of this particular theme but I assume this puzzle must have been different in some way(s).
Nice to see another “new kid on the block” – well done Raffles!
As Niall and James mention above, new setters are always welcome. Mike, if you (or indeed anybody else) is interested, then please email me for a copy of the current guidelines for setters.
Chris Lancaster
EV Editor