Preamble: Clues are presented in alphabetical order of their answers which must be fitted into the grid, wherever they will go. One of the five unclued entries has a direct association with three of the others. Arranged in conventional clue order, single extra letters yielded by wordplay in fifteen clues give a phrase which will instruct solvers how to identify and enter a cryptic representation of the fourth associated unclued entry.
Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!! It’s a carte blance – run away, run away. No, wait a minute, it’s a “jigsaw” but still, aaarrrggghhh, run away, run away. No, wait another minute, it’s my week to blog … gulp(!)
The trouble I have with the “jigsaw” type puzzles is I’m scared to put any answers in because I always end up making assumptions and completely throw myself off course but I have a duty so I lock myself away in a padded room with plenty of the potion that helps me think – Old Speckled Hen (other beers are available) to get on with the torture task.
Actually, it wasn’t that bad as it turns out, though the idea of not being able to discover the phrase until after the answers had been located was a bit daunting.
Noticing that there were two 11-letter answers I concentrated on them. ISAAC NEWTON fell quite easily (must be the gravity) but the other one proved very stubborn.
I took a chance, I stuck ISAAC NEWTON into 1a and fitted a few words in with it. All was falling into place easily (too easily, maybe) but I couldn’t figure out 11a for ages – it wanted to be PORKIES. 16a looked like it was probably HUNTING and 37a desperately wanted to be STALLION (which wouldn’t have fitted anyway) so were we looking for a “horsey” theme?
The middle line (27a) was beginning to take shape and it looked like it was going to consist of FELLOW and WOMAN (and other bits.) By now, I had, incorrectly, entered 33a TOTARA and 37a URALI which threw me for a long time.
Eventually I worked out the second 11-letter answer FACTIONISTS and it all fell in from there.
32d proved a little tricky as I thought NERD was my only remaining 4-letter answer – d’oh … it’s my writing, that was NERO and it’s already in at 12a.
Time to seriously tackle 27a. It didn’t take too long as I realised that 11a was PORK PIE, along with 16a HUNTING and 37a STILTON so 27a is MELTON MOWBRAY. The remaining answer, 31a looked like it wanted to be THE TOWN, so I wrote it in with no justification.
Thematic answer summary:
11a PORK PIE
16a HUNTING
27a MELTON MOWBRAY
31a THE TOWN
37a STILTON
MELTON MOWBRAY is famous for pork pies, Stilton and hunting.
Rearranging the clues into normal order sorted out the phrase PAINT THE TOWN RED, which I take to mean highlight (or shade) 31a in red and it also helps to justify the answer.
This is my last blog of 2014. I’ve enjoyed every one and I especially enjoy reading the comments – so keep ’em coming in 2015.
Thanks to Kruger for this puzzle as well as 2 more of his that I’ve blogged this year. Along with Phi (x2), ‘Eck, Ifor, Shark, eXternal, Lato, Chalicea, Gila and last and by no means least, Schadenfreude.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Answers in original order:
| Grid Position |
Clue |
Entry |
Extra letter |
Wordplay |
| 4d | In Alaska consider climbing trees |
AKEES | AK (Alaska)+SEE (consider; rev: rising) | |
| 26a | Stupidly I drill a small number of coverings for seeds |
ARILLOID | N | I+DRILL+A+NO (small number) (anag: stupidly) |
| 3d | Voles in Victoria nesting in a quantity of wool – not good! |
ARVICOLA | VICtoria inside A+ROLAg (quantity of wool; minus Good) | |
| 29a | [At one time] infatuating stags into dancing |
ASSOTTING | STAGS INTO (anag: dancing) | |
| 15a | No gentleman of yore retaining right to keep property for vassal |
CLIENT | I | CIT (no gentleman; archaic) containing LIEN (right to keep) |
| 19a | Ugly old woman not covering second of trenches – this could affect rhubarb |
CROWN ROT | CROW (ugly old woman)+NOT containing tRenches (second of) | |
| 10d | Lump in centre of Camden overturned car |
DODGEM | W | WODGE (lump) inside caMDen (centre of; rev: overturned) |
| 28d | Ditches in last two of fields filled by shower |
DRAINS | fielDS (last two) containing RAIN (shower) | |
| 13a | Large vessel follows fleet essentially for fish |
ELVER | A |
flEet (essentially)+LAVER (large vessel) |
| 21d | They eat into trunk of tree. Squirrels? |
ERODENTS | tREe (trunk of)+RODENTS (squirrels) | |
| 38a | The truth: members of religious movement beheaded dissidents |
FACTIONISTS | FACT (the truth)+zIONISTS (members of …; beheaded) | |
| 35a | Capital of backward nation (Tahiti) |
HANOI | T | natION TAHiti (hidden: backward; rev: of) |
| 32d | Hard ground outside door |
HECK | D |
Hard inside DECK (ground) |
| 36a | Worker in bakery taking off from policeman |
ICER | offICER (policeman; minus OFF) | |
| 27d | Fashionable Indian scout ignores west of Nebraska completely |
IN TOTO | IN (fashionable)+TOnTO (Indian scout; ignoring first char of Nebraska) | |
| 1d | In China nameless powdered mushroom is rejected as emetic |
IPECAC | H | CHInA (nameless; anag: powdered) containing CEP (mushroom; rev: rejected) |
| 1a | Scientist spots wife entering station frivolously wasting time |
ISAAC NEWTON | ACNE (spots)+Wife inside STATION (anag: frivolously) | |
| 24d | Substance on crust of roti: unknown mould |
MATRIX | MEAT (substance)+RotI (crust of)+X (unknown) | |
| 23d | Natural estuary surrounds wide bank |
NATWEST | NATural+ESTuary containing Wide | |
| 12a | Emperor’s rule open to change |
NERO | P | Rule+OPEN (anag: to change) |
| 5d | Washing the feet of dog, say, held by repulsive strap |
NIPTER | E | PET (dog, say) inside REIN (rev: repulsive) |
| 20d | Mistakenly CNN too covers vote on independence – it’s not damaging |
NON-TOXIC | CNN TOO (anag: mistakenly) containing X (vote)+Independence | |
| 8d | Slick movement’s achieved, also pronounced |
ONE TWO | ONE (sounds like WON (achieved))+TWO (sounds like TOO (also)) | |
| 17a | On occasions niggardly author meets extremely niggardly Scottish guide |
PENNY-WISE | PEN (author)+NiggardlY (extremely)+WISE (guide; Scottish) | |
| 34a | Salmon hiding in water grass became calm |
RELAXED | LAX (salmon) inside REED (water grass) | |
| 14a | Transfixed: Cambodia’s left provided with subterranean passages |
SEWERED | SkEWERED minus K (Cambodia) | |
| 2d | Store sells mostly cobbled protective footwear |
SOLLERETS | STORE SELLs (mostly; anag: cobbled) | |
| 18d | Reassigned leader of airmen onto first stage before flight |
STAIRFOOT | N | Airmen (leader of)+ONTO FIRST (anag: reassigned) |
| 7d | Badly want to cry mournfully for bird |
TAWNY OWL | WANT (anag: badly)+YOWL (cry mournfully) | |
| 33a | Henry leaves the skin of red-eye – oily, not to be eaten |
TEREFA | T | ThE minus Henry+Red-eyE (skin of)+FAT (oily) |
| 25d | Group of students leave redshank right beside American tree |
TOTARA | TOTAnus minus NUS (students)+Right+American | |
| 30d | River on island is source of poison |
URALI | URAL (river)+Island | |
| 6d | Calamity will befall town out east – terrible! |
WOE UNTO | T | TOWN OUT+East (anag: terrible) |
| 9d | Bird’s exhausted – without energy |
WREN | O | WORN (exhausted) containing Energy |
Answers in normal order:
| No. | Entry | Extra letter |
| 1a | ISAAC NEWTON | |
| 12a | NERO | P |
| 13a | ELVER | A |
| 14a | SEWERED | |
| 15a | CLIENT | I |
| 17a | PENNY-WISE | |
| 19a | CROWN ROT | |
| 26a | ARILLOID | N |
| 29a | ASSOTTING | |
| 33a | TEREFA | T |
| 34a | RELAXED | |
| 35a | HANOI | T |
| 36a | ICER | |
| 38a | FACTIONISTS | |
| 1d | IPECAC | H |
| 2d | SOLLERETS | |
| 3d | ARVICOLA | |
| 4d | AKEES | |
| 5d | NIPTER | E |
| 6d | WOE UNTO | T |
| 7d | TAWNY OWL | |
| 8d | ONE TWO | |
| 9d | WREN | O |
| 10d | DODGEM | W |
| 18d | STAIRFOOT | N |
| 20d | NON-TOXIC | |
| 21d | ERODENTS | R |
| 23d | NATWEST | |
| 24d | MATRIX | E |
| 25d | TOTARA | |
| 27d | IN TOTO | |
| 28d | DRAINS | |
| 30d | URALI | |
| 32d | HECK | D |
Thoroughly enjoyable, though largely in retrospect, I suspect, as it certainly wasn’t easy. One of those puzzles where the theme gradually emerges then remains part of the solving process till the end. I had a brief foray off track with yellow-yowleys and bunting pencilled in then spending a while looking for more names for the yellowhammer, one of my favourite birds. Porkpie brought me back soon enough though.
I wasn’t sure about the clue for 23d – NATWEST. Is nat est some kind of recognised abbreviation for a natural estuary? There doesn’t seem to be any indication in the clue to take the first part of the words only, not that there was any doubt about it.
Another minor quibble came right at the end – I couldn’t work out what was meant by ‘a cryptic representation’ in the preamble – it seemed a very literal instruction, the only question being was it the words THE TOWN or the name of the town, MELTON MOWBRAY, that we were to colour red?
Thanks kenmac for the blog and to Kruger for an excellent puzzle.
@1 NAT and EST are in Chambers as separate entries.
Melton Mowbray is my home town, the phrase “Paint the town red” allegedly comes from the town when the local young hunting set having got drunk in the town decided to paint the posts marking the town’s boundaries red.
Yes it’s that sort of rural shire town.
A very enjoyable puzzle. This certainly took me longer than average, but kept my run going of several consecutive IQs successfully solved. A little personal target which will end this week as illness prevented me getting the Indy last Saturday
Ah, the puzzle iself. I do like this style, though of course it can take a while to make any headway in the grid itself. I made slow but steady progress through the clues, but those two 11 letter ones were proving very elusive. Eventually factionists was deduced and from that point, I was able to make a series of deductions to start filling the grid.
The bottom right corner was last in for me, having gambled with the position of Hanoi, initially wrongly placing it where urali was meant to go.
Not having a red pen/cil I didn’t complete and send in this week. I’d have coloured “the town” red in answer to the question from OPatrick @1
Big thanks to kenmac and to Kruger for the enjoyable workout
Just can’t get into this sort of puzzle, I’m afraid. Got just two clues all week and still have an entirely blank grid in front of me.
Thanks kenmac for the blog. Having a look at the puzzle we had a block drawn around ELVER which is our way of recording that we couldn’t parse it. Looking at it again, we cannot understand why we had difficulty. It seems straightforward now and we completed the puzzle and highlighted THE TOWN. At least we would have done, if we could have been bothered to find one. As we don’t submit our entries it didn’t seem worth it!
Thanks kruger. We live near Melton Mowbray but even so, the links are all pretty well known. However, thanks to flashing for his comment about ‘Paint the town red’ which we didn’t know.
If Phil R reads this – please leave a comment on our Dac blog in the Indy today so we have you email address and we’ll send you a copy of last week’s puzzle.
Bertandjoyce, a most kind offer but I’ve already received courtesy of an unexpected but very welcome email from gaufrid. I like this place 🙂
B&J@6 – ELVER was the very last one I justified. I kept think that large indicated L and, until I actually wrote the blog, I wasn’t sure whether it did or didn’t have an extra letter. I also wondered if VES meant vessel and whether an elf (pl. ELVES) was a fish. Ah the delights of these blind alleys that the setters keep sending us down!
That’s exactly the thought process that we went through kenmac.
A really enjoyable puzzle, with a good mix of obscure and relatively straightforward clueing and words, that stretched into a second day and 3-4 sessions for me. I got the theme eventually and the rest fell into place, a la Kenmac.Was the theme chosen deliberately so close to Xmas I wonder ? (I tend to only buy Stilton and MM Pork Pie this time of year)
My own favoured brain fuel (fuddler) is Black Sheep Riggwelter. I used to live in Abingdon, Oxon. when Old Speckled Hen was a local brew (Morland’s) but it’s now one of those ‘national’ beers sold and promoted nationally. Anyway as this is not a beer blog I’ll stop there !
Many thanks to kenmac, and the other bloggers, for all the blogs this year and of course to Kruger and the setters.
I will not see the published solution until Sunday evening, but, although common sense indicated that I should merely highlight THE TOWN in red,as per KenMac’s fine blog, I simply could not square that with what the preamble seemed to require.
Had that been the required action, then all the preamble needed to say would surely have been:
“… extra letters yielded by wordplay in fifteen clues will instruct solvers how to enter the fourth associated unclued entry”
But what it actually asks us to do is to “identify a CRYPTIC REPRESENTATION of the fourth associated unclued entry.”
Can THE TOWN really be a cryptic representation of itself ?
And MELTON MOWBRAY is hardly that either ?
There was however a cryptic (hidden) representation in the grid, i.e 7 contiguous cells making THE TOWN, with one letter out of place (re-presented) and even,if one wanted to go further, a contiguous RED after them. I opted to highlight all ten cells, thus fulfilling the instruction to “Paint THE TOWN RED”.
Melton Mowbray had a thriving wool and cloth trade from the 14c. onwards, and Melton cloth is still made today. During the fifty years when I was able-bodied enough to play real tennis, all the sets of balls used by the 25 or so real tennis clubs in the UK, were regularly re-covered by hand-sewing strips of best Melton cloth around them. It was the first skill that any young assistant professional was taught !
If merely highlighting THE TOWN was what was really meant, then I will be tempted to say that the preamble deserves to be called “woolly”, if not “balls” or a downright “pork pie”.
Did anyone else have similar worries ?
Thanks to Ken for the blog, and to Kruger for another quite enjoyable carte blanche/jigsaw – another one where the instruction emerges only after appropriately reordering the clues.
Unlike others, it took me ages to sort out ISAAC NEWTON, having become fixated on ????? WATSON. (BTW – small omission in the blog’s wordplay: Time has to be “wasted”.) All good stuff, apart from the clue for HECK, which I didn’t/don’t like – “Hard ground outside door” – given that “outside” is really redundant for the wordplay & HECK is defined as an “inner door”.
I had a minor quibble similar to that of OPatrick @1 – should I highlight “THE TOWN” or the town (viz. M… M…)? But the preamble states “how to identify and ENTER” (my caps), I settled for the former, the same as most others that have declared.
That’s all I was going to say, until I read the comment above @11. Murray G is somewhat disingenuous with the selective quote from the preamble, by omitting “and enter”. I took the “fourth associated unclued entry” to be the phrase “PAINT THE TOWN RED”, and to cryptically represent it in the grid one has to complete the characters of “THE TOWN” in the 7 cells, and ‘paint them red’.
Murry Glover’s comment @11 has made me think again – there do seem to be an awful lot of partial ‘the town red’ sets of letters in the grid – can this just be coincidence?
I struggled with this for a while, because I had solved quite a few clues but the 11 letter ones eluded me. Once I got Isaac Newton I was able to write some answers in, which really helped. I answered all the clues eventually, got Melton Mowbray and the three things associated with it but wasn’t sure about enough of the extra letters to know what to do with “the town”.
All in all a great result (by my standards!).
At the risk of seeming disingenuous again, Holy Ghost … you say that you took the fourth associated unclued entry to be the phrase “PAINT THE TOWN RED”.
Surely that phrase can not be seen as an “entry”, but would be more properly described as “an association with the fourth unclued entry” ? Which is why I was looking for a cryptic representation of THE TOWN.
In any event, we shall soon know what Kruger intended !
My thanks once again to Kenmac (who, for his sins, tends to get to blog my puzzles on a regular basis) and also those taking the trouble to comment. Constructive feedback is always appreciated.
The “fourth associated unclued entry” was indeed intended to be THE TOWN coloured red and any other arrangement of those letters in the grid was pure coincidence. MELTON MOWBRAY was the entry to which the others were associated, not an associated entry, and should not have been coloured. I didn’t think that the preamble was ambiguous and, obviously, the IQ vetting team didn’t either. But there’s always scope for different interpretations, I suppose.
Although I consider hunting to be an unacceptable anachronism, I am very partial to MM pork pies and stilton cheese and hope to savour them regularly over the Xmas period. For those who haven’t had a REAL Melton Mowbray pork pie – you’re missing out!
Thanks, Kruger, for pre-empting my Sunday evening enlightenment.
JH and the vetting team obviously had no problems with the preamble. But to a lesser intellect, it still seems, as I said above, a bit woolly, if not a Cockney “Pork Pie.”
We have never been able to afford a genuine MM pork pie, but will now save up for one. Back in the ’50s my wife had a vacation job, injecting pork jelly into Pork Farm pork pies, when the firm was still owned by the founder, a family friend. She always bemoans the total lack of jelly in Tesco’s inferior contemporary version.
Baie Danke. Totsiens.
Murray G @15: I agree that the last sentence of the preamble is a bit sloppy. In my opinion, better would be something like “… a phrase which is a fourth association and also an instruction to solvers how to enter a cryptic representation of it in the grid.”
It has happened before that a setter sees no ambiguity, and neither do the editor not the vetting team … but solvers have found one. And doubtless it will happen again.