I think this was the toughest prize puzzle we’ve done in while (admittedly we’re mostly just doing them on blogging weeks at the moment due to lack of time), but a satisfying one with an ingenious and hard-to-spot theme.
The rubric read:
Seven clues have two letter counts; the first refers to the word yielded by the clue and the second to a synonym of that word, which is the entry to be made in the grid. The seven required entries are of a kind
The theme here was composers, the seven answers of a kind being:
Across
9,18. Team in a mixed state that lacks its leader (which is pointedly cute) (5,3)
PIXIE HAT
Last one that we managed to parse: XI = “Team” in PIE = “mixed state” (from Chambers) + [t]HAT = “that lacks its leader”
Definition: “which is pointedly cute”
10. One taken in on 1/4 (5,4)
APRIL FOOL
1/4 is the first of April
Definition: “One taken in”
11. Beat about the bush, as persuasive speakers do (4,5)
TALK ROUND
Double definition: “Beat about the bush” and “as persuasive speakers do”
12. Ultimate destination? Retreat over Everest’s summit (6); (5)
HEAVEN / BLISS
HAVEN = “Retreat” around E[verest] = “Everest’s summit”
Definition:
13. Potter’s western Pyrenean chamois? (6); (7)
WIZARD / WARLOCK
W = “western” + IZARD = “Pyrenean chamois” (a new word for me)
Definition: “Potter” (I guess the ? indicates the definition-by-example; reference: Harry Potter)
15. They’re lacking energy, having large body — such nuts! (7)
EUNUCHS
E = “energy” + UN (United Nations) = “large body” + (SUCH)*
Definition: “They’re lacking”
17. Wish it wasn’t so, but no river bird (5)
EGRET
REGRET = “Wish it wasn’t so” without R = “river”
Definition: “bird”
20. Singer has line cut in musical (5)
GIGLI
GIGI = “musical” without L = “line”
Definition: “Singer”
22. A lot of drink, over limit (provided one’s given a low mark) (7)
PACIFIC
CAP = “limit” reversed + IF = “provided” + I = “one” + C = “low mark”
Definition: “A lot of drink”, referring to the Pacific Ocean
25. Laughter right to the end, like a god (7)
MITHRAS
MIRTH = “laughter” with R = “right” to the end gives MITHR; then AS = “like”
Definition: “a god”
26. Swerve, failing to keep left (7); (5)
DEFLECT / PARRY
DEFECT = “failing” around L = “left”
Definition: “Swerve”
27. “No volunteer internee” text (9)
CONSCRIPT
CON = “internee” + SCRIPT = “text”
Definition: “No volunteer”
30. Most tasteful cryptic clue is “I do” (9)
DELICIOUS
(CLUE IS I DO)*
Definition: “Most tasteful”
31. Pigeon that’s used to release a bolt (7); (5)
TUMBLER / GLASS
Double definition: “Pigeon” (various pigeon breeds are called tumblers) and “that’s used to release a bolt” (referring to part of a lock mechanism)
Down
2. Once standard incorporates learning, one goes for a Burton? (8)
EXPLORER
EX = “once” + PAR = “standard” around LORE = “learning” but with A = “one” being replaced by A
Definition: “Burton?” (the explorer Richard Francis Burton)
3. Mother’s cross raised (3); (4)
DAM / WEIR
MAD = “cross” reversed
Definition: “Mother”
4. Festival of Chinese people, Britain and Ford model H (8)
HANUKKAH
HAN = “Chinese people” + UK = “Britain” + KA = “Ford model” (Ford currently make a car called the ‘Ka’) + H
Definition: “Festival”
5. A tool of southern vitriolic critic (7); (6)
SPANNER / BRIDGE
S = “southern” + PANNER + “vitriolic critic”
Definition: “A tool”
6. Unreliable description of bats? (3-2-5)
FLY-BY-NIGHT
Double definition: “Unreliable” and “description of bats?”
7. Belt from state ceremonial declaration by unknown character on the rebound (6)
ZODIAC
CA (California) = “state” + I DO = “ceremonial declaration” + Z = “unknown character”
Definition: “Belt” (the zodiac is a belt of constellations, I think)
13. A youth derided western aid (5)
WHELP
W = “western” + HELP = “aid”
Definition: “A youth derided”
14. South of NYC ground showing a different time? (3,2,5)
OUT OF SYNCH
(SOUTH OF NYC)*
Definition: “showing a different time?”
16,8. Skiing etc here (Pils was drunk during summer season, originally) (5,4)
SWISS ALPS
(PILS WAS)* in S[ummer] S[eason] = “summer season, originally”
Definition: “Skiing etc here”
19. Subdued quality of monotony — fresh start needed (8)
TAMENESS
SAMENESS = “quality of monotony” with a new first letter (“fresh start needed”)
Definition: “Subdued quality”
21. Ran half mile, stumbling in leg movement by Zola (8)
GERMINAL
(RAN MI[le])* in (LEG)*
Definition: “by Zola”, referring to his novel Germinal
23. Clot’s way to penetrate devious clue (6)
CURDLE
RD = “way” in (CLUE)*
Definition: “Clot” as in “to clot / to curdle”
24,1. Loopy strip of land that protects some larvae (6,4)
CUCKOO SPIT
CUCKOO = “Loopy” + SPIT = “strip of land”
Definition: “that protects some larvae”
26. Power plug’s protection (4)
PADS
P = “Power” + AD’S = “plug’s”
Definition: “protection”
28. Insert clue’s “Nero fiddled” (9); (4)
ENCLOSURE / CAGE
(CLUE’S NERO)*
Definition: “Insert”
29. Seen emerging from a jumbo? (4)
TUSK
Cryptic definition – the surface reading is meant to suggest someone leaving a jumbo jet, I think
Thanks mhl. Shades of Brummie’s Prize 25,238 with six of the characters making a return appearance. Still a challenge though and I did find the two step process to obtain an answer called for rather more imagination than usual. Maybe I’m reactionary but I would rather derive an answer and just write it in.
I thought the first step in 31 was ‘carrier’, a bolt carrier being part of a gun. I prefer your ‘tumbler’ though.
Thanks mhl. Tough and fair enough for a Prize. Failed only on 3D: -E-R had simply too many permutations for me.
Many thanks mhl & Brummie.
Very enjoyable but I failed to get 31a GLASS.
I considered GLASS a possibility but I had never heard of the composer.
I’ll be ready for him the next time.
Anyone else start with WRENCH for 5d?
@gladys – yes, me too. Took a while to work out it was wrong but delayed getting 15A (surely a play on ‘nuts’ in that clue too).
Think the theme was more specifically composers from the English-speaking world (only Glass not from the UK). Definitely helped when you spotted it. I confess I couldn’t work out why Parry fitted.
I really enjoyed this. It was nice to have a challenge for the weekend.
At first I thought the composers were 20th Century British but then we had Parry who was borderline and then Glass left us with just vaguely “modern” composers.
I for one enjoy the variation that these puzzles with “instructions” offer.
Thanks to mhl and Brummie
Thanks for the blog. I thought the idea of the 7 special clues was clever but it just didn’t work for me. Because the crossers didn’t help I only got 2 from the clues (Bliss and Cage) and simply retro-parsed the other 5 at the end by guessing composers.
A lot of the other clues were tough too, with some quite indirect definitions and plenty of words / uses I didn’t know… PIE = mixed state … who knew that? I also spent a while thinking TUSK was too obvious to be right.
So, very tough. Took me well into the week to finish it.
Thanks Brummie and mhl
I thought that 15 “They’re lacking….nuts” was implied in the definition!
I wasn’t happy about TUSK, as JUMBO = “elephant” was the first thing that sprang to mind.
[btw, did you know that Jumbo was an actual elephant, named that when only a baby. He grew very large, hence the common usage. He came to a sad end, unfortunately. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumbo%5D
Enjoyed this a lot – I eventually managed to do most of it unaided on the train, but CAGE and GLASS went in unparsed from the theme – GLASS in particular required two fairly obscure meanings of TUMBLER, which would have made it pretty difficult for anyone not familiar with the composer. BRIDGE, BLISS and WARLOCK were my entry points to the theme, and fortunately all of the names were familiar to me (unlike GIGLI though that had to be right).
Thanks to mhl and Brummie
Apart from Cage and Glass (arent they both American) the composers were pretty obscure.
So getting Warlock then Weir first off(cluing easy enough) and then Bliss- it made it hard to pick the theme- there was a film called Bliss (written by Peter Carey) and another Australian , Peter Weir who directs films. It was only when the first two (Cage and Glass) were in sight that the penny started to drop.
The rest is silence (3 and a half minutes-ish)
Thanks Brummie and mhl.
Took fright at first seeing the special instructions, but in the end found them fun. Two had to get from the crossers having failed to find the first answer, i.e. DEFLECT and HEAVEN (would have got this if ‘above’ had been used rather than ‘over’ Everest, Ever rest?). Did not know all the composers.
Failed to parse PIXIE HAT and SPANNER. Liked PACIFIC and EUNUCHS!
The pigeons, tumbler, glass theme has been running through several crosswords recently.
I used IZARD for getting WIZARD in a failed go at parsing something in a Boatman (?) puzzle a while ago. He said he was going to use it sometime, but Brummie has beaten him to it.
Thanks all
I failed to get Parry and Bliss but found it an enjoyable solve with a new (to me) twist.
I’m by no means an expert on classical music but guessed the theme from ‘Parry’ and found it fairly plain sailing from there, as I’d heard of all the composers. Thanks Brummie for an unusually enjoyable prize, and mhl for the blog.
Thanks all
I thought they were all going to be British composers or even Masters of the Queens music which would have accounted for the lesser known ones, so I was reluctant to enter Cage until I had Glass as well. Tough to finish, but lots of good clues and very good surfaces.
Good one. I had WRENCH at first,too, but after getting PARRY and CAGE it became clear what the theme was. I’d not heard of JUDITH WEIR and wouldn’t have got it without the crossovers. Otherwise I found this more accessible than other puzzles by this setter.
Thanks Brummie.
No complaints, no, I lie, I seriously doubt many people could confirm all the theme composers without internet access. Not everyone has Grove on their bookshelf.
sidey @16
I was familiar with all of them in fact – I actually have 3 or 4 Philip Glass CDs. I don’t know what they sound like all the way through, though – for some reason, every time I try to listen to them, I fall asleep!
sidey @ 16, I could only remember Bliss and Warlock, just filled in using the synonyms. My Scholls Companion to Music is dated 1956. It gives Arthur Bliss, Peter Warlock (real name Philip Heseltine), John Cage, Frank Bridge and Hubert Parry, but not Philip Glass or Judith Weir (b. 1954).
Scholes rather than Scholls, Cookie? I think the latter are sandals!
Thanks muffin, and apologies to Percy A. Scholes.
btw everyone, Phi says that next week’s Friday (I presume) Independent puzzle should have appeared a fortnight earlier, that suggests some theme on Araucaria?
Thanks Brummie and Muffin.
I thought this was great – it required a certain amount of googling to check the possibilities against the unknown world of modern composers, but I thought the device was fun and a very enjoyable puzzle overall.
I wish my surname was warlock – so badass.
Gosh, my swollen feet might need Scholls sandals, but how are you going to get your snow bonnet on Muffin? (now with a capital M)
Unjustified thanks indeed, Cookie!
…….or do I mean “undeserved”?
Thanks Brummie and mhl
As usual, started this late in the week and shouldn’t have – had to keep working with it over three days. Loved the concept that was used – had only vaguely heard of BLISS but all of the rest had to be looked up once their names had been derived from the clue.
Was good to get a Prize Puzzle with this level of difficulty that one could continue to chip away at … and feel a sense of achievement when it finally fell !!! PIXIE HAT (which took an age to get, couldnt get away from HOT as the second word – it took nearly as long again to parse!!) was my second last in … just before CAGE (the US factor sowed some seeds of doubt).
A good mix of a clever theme, some new words and a lot of clever devices from which to derive them.