The preamble to this puzzle by Poat stated "Seven clues consist of wordplay only, and lead to performers known for works that may be linked thematically; in each case, an allusion to part of the relevant work must be entered instead. Entry lengths are given for all other clues. Two letters are required in each of eight unchecked cells and confirm the theme when read in normal order. Solvers may wish to attempt appropriate highlighting"
It was helpful to have the seven wordplay only lights highlighted in the grid. It would have added to the difficulty if we had been asked to deduce which clues were wordplay only.
I made fairly steady progress through this but didn’t get the theme properly until I was just over half way through. My initial thought was that the theme was simply colours, but it slowly dawned on me that I was collecting colours of the rainbow.
I solved a few of the performers without knowing who they were. I enjoy cold solving clues without crossing letters so I had confidence in a couple of early performers – THE LEMON PIPERS and THE MARCELS – but had to a bit research to find their works. THE LEMON PIPERS seemed to be one hit wonders with GREEN TAMBOURINE and THE MARCELS recorded BLUE MOON so that was where the colour theme began to appear. Solving THE BEATLES led fairly quickly to YELLOW SUBMARINE. The next two performers I got were REM and UB40 and at that point the full theme of RAINBOW came to mind. There was a bit of reverse engineering from INDIGO (MOOD INDIGO) and VIOLET (VIOLET HILL) to deduce DUKE ELLINGTON and COLDPLAY as the remaining performers.
The grid entries for the thematic clues became apparent as crossing letters from normal clues came into play. It was useful to be told that cells with double letters were always unchecked cells. I got the phrase from the double letter cells after I had about five of them. That helped to know what the remaining double letter cells would contain. It took me a while to realise that the final double letter cell was in a thematic entry BARROW.
The thematic material was as follows
| Clue | Performer | Work | Allusion |
| 13 across | THE BEATLES | YELLOW SUBMARINE | UNDERSEA |
| 19 across | DUKE ELLINGTON | MOOD INDIGO | FRAME |
| 20 across | THE LEMON PIPERS | GREEN TAMBOURINE | TIMBREL |
| 37 across | REM | ORANGE CRUSH | ANNIHILATE |
| 8 down | UB40 | RED RED WINE | SHIRAZ |
| 24 down | THE MARCELS | BLUE MOON | LUCINA |
| 25 down | COLDPLAY | VIOLET HILL | BARROW |
together with the double letter phrase I CAN SING A RAINBOW
The filled grid looks like this
The title, Covenant is related to the Old Testament Book of Genesis Chapter 9 Verse 13. In the New International Version the verse is written as "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth"
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Across |
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| No | Clue | Wordplay | Performer | Work | Entry |
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1
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Science on origin of Siamese cat is developed, tracing unknown family (10) |
(S [first letter of {origin of}SIAMESE] + an anagram of [developed] CAT IS) containing (tracing) (Y [symbol for an unknown value in mathematics] + STEM [main line of a family]) S ( Y STEM) ATICS* |
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SYSTEMATICS (science of classification) double letter in cell at IC |
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10
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Composer drops soprano for a creative leader of trio (6)
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BRAHMS (reference Johannes BRAHMS [1833 – 1897], German composer excluding (drops) S (soprano) and replacing it with (for) A) BRAHMA |
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BRAHMA (the first god of the Hindu triad, the creator of the universe)
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12
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TV host’s right to the fore in rude lodgings (5)
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ANCHOR (TV host) with the R (right) moving to the front (to the fore) RANCHO |
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RANCHO (a rude hut, or group of huts for travellers) double letter in cell at AN |
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13
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Take position amid straining athletes (10, 2 words)
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BE (occupy a position in space; take place) contained in (amid) an anagram of (straining) ATHLETES THE (BE) ATLES* |
THE BEATLES
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YELLOW SUBMARINE
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UNDERSEA (where a submarine operates)
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14
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Snare used locally in outskirts of GB (4)
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GR (first two letters of GREAT BRITAIN) + IN (last two letters of GREAT BRITAIN). Taken together the letters GR and IN form the outskirts of the phrase GREAT BRITAIN
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GRIN (dialect word for snare or trap)
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17
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The old market’s doomed, the bottom falling out of retail (5)
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FAY (variant spelling of FEY [doomed]) + (RETAIL excluding [falling out] TAIL [bottom, colloquially])
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FAYRE (archaic [the old] spelling of FAIR [large market])
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18
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‘Green’ girl finds Seb touring his workplace (5)
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COE (reference Lord Sebastian COE) containing (touring) HL (House of Lords [one of Lord COE‘s places of work) C (HL) OE |
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CHLOE (girl’s name derived from the Greek for a green shoot))
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19
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Fish not jumping in wake of Dutch barge (13, 2 words)
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DU (Dutch) + KEEL (barge) + LING (fish) + (NOT reversed [jumping]) DU KE EL LING TON< |
DUKE ELLINGTON
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MOOD INDIGO
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FRAME (mood)
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20
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Threesome excited with nipple, almost all visible (14, 3 words)
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Anagram of (excited) THREESOME and excluding the final (almost all) E of NIPPLE THE LEMON PIPERS* |
THE LEMON PIPERS | GREEN TAMBOURINE |
TIMBREL (Oriental tabor or tambourine)
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22
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Gold cross providing little sustenance for Padre Pio (4)
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OR (gold) + ZO (kind of hybrid domestic cattle [cross])
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ORZO (pasta in the form of small pieces like rice or barley. Presumably this formed part of Padre Pio’s meagre diet; little sustenance for Padre Pio)
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23
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Wartime hero bypassing Italian city’s coarse grass (4)
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ALAN TURING (wartime hero, leading Enigma codebreaker at Bletchley Park during World War II) excluding (bypassing) TURIN (Italian city)
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ALANG (variant spelling of LALANG [coarse grass) double letter in cell at AG |
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25
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Refuse to indulge in chitchat in HQ (7)
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GAS (chitchat) contained in (in) BASE (HQ) BA (GAS) SE |
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BAGASSE (dry refuse in sugar-making)
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27
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Chap from Sultanabad? Hardly likely (5)
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ULTAN (hidden word in [from] SULTANABAD)
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ULTAN (man’s name [chap] meaning Ulsterman; i.e.someone unlikely to have come from SULTANABAD which is an industrial suburb of Karachi in Pakistan). There was also an Irish Saint ULTAN
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29
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You could chop this dried root to make a square meal, oddly (5)
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A +SARUM (letters 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 [oddly] of SQUARE MEAL)
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ASARUM (dried root of the wild ginger; something that is often chopped in cookery) double letter in cell at AR |
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31
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Pastry served in Juncker’s den? (5)
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EC (European Commission; reference Jean-Claude JUNCKER, current President of the EC) + LAIR (den)
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ÉCLAIR (pastry, defined as such in Bradfords. I’ve always thought of it as a cake, roll or bun filled with cream) double letter in cell at AI |
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33
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With good recipe, this could be used for gratin (4)
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TIAN (if you form an anagram of TIAN and G (good) and R (recipe) you can form the word GRATIN).
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TIAN (a vegetable gratin baked in an earthenware dish)
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34
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House engaging Irish broadcasters for major channels (8)
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ARIES (one of the houses in The Zodiac) containing (engaging) RTE (Raidió Teilifís Éireann; Ireland’s national public service broadcaster) A (RTE) RIES |
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ARTERIES (major channels for conveying blood from the heart)
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35
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Weary of endless farcical funnies (5)
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Anagram of (farcical) FUNNIES excluding the first and last letters (endless) F and S ENNUI* |
ENNUI (a feeling of weariness or languor)
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36
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Knowing about queen’s secret place (6)
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CANNY (knowing) containing (about) R (Regina; queen) C (R) ANNY |
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CRANNY (secret place)
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37
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It’s to the purpose, but without notice (3)
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AD REM (to the purpose) excluding (without) AD (advertisement; notice)
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REM
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ORANGE CRUSH
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ANNIHILATE (crush or wither by look or word)
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| Down |
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| No | Clue | Wordplay | Performer | Work | Entry |
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2
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Use your little old book to find reciprocal unit (5)
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YR (abbreviation for [little] your) + NEH (Book of Nehamiah; old book)
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YRNEH (unit of reciprocal inductance) the reverse, HENRY is the unit of inductance, possibly an indication of a scientific joke.
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3
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Kinky novelist making number 18 in Tel Aviv (4)
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SADE (reference Marquis de SADE [1740 – 1814], French aristocrat, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer, famous for his libertine sexuality
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SADE (one spelling of the 18th letter of the Hebrew [Tel Aviv] alphabet) double definition
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4
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Other people died – at their hands? (6, 2 words)
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THEM (other people) + OB (obit; died)
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THE MOB (Mafia or organised crime in general, often responsible for other people dying)
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5
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Miss a furlong when roaming the mountains (5)
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Anagram of (when roaming) MISS A and F (furlong) MASSIF* |
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MASSIF ( central mountain mass) double letter in cell SI |
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6
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Famous victory, taking out bases after a large conflict (9)
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Anagram of (conflict) AFTER A LARGE excluding both occurrences of (taking out) the letter E (base of natural logarithms) TRAFALGAR* |
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TRAFALGAR (Battle of 1805 when Horatio Nelson led the British Fleet to victory over the French and Spanish Navies)
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7
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Hopeful visionaries shout in sermons (7)
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CRY (shout) contained in (in) SERS (sermons) S (CRY) ERS |
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SCRYERS (people practicing crystal-gazing; hopeful visionaries)
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8
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Not half club a number of thieves (4)
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UB (half of the four letters of CLUB) + 40 (reference Ali Baba and the 40 thieves)
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UB40
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RED RED WINE
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SHIRAZ (an example of a red wine)
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9
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One’s tempo must vary for such pieces (9, 2 words)
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Anagram of (must vary) ONE’S TEMPO TONE POEMS* |
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TONE POEMS (pieces of programme music, not divided into movements, conveying or translating poetic ideas or literary themes |
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11
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Training with a pair of hands – it could be cultured (5)
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PE (physical education; training) + A + (R [right] + L [left]; a pair of hands)
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PEARL (reference cultured PEARLs which are grown round a small foreign body deliberately introduced into an oyster’s shell)
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15
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Poor actor tucks away notes for part of verse (9)
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Anagram of (poor) ACTOR containing (tucks away) (ME [note of the tonic solfa] + TE [another note of the tonic solfa]; two notes) OCTA (ME TE) R* |
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OCTAMETER (in verse a line of eight feet or measures)
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16
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Cushioned conveyance raced back in a shower (9)
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(TORE [raced] reversed [back]) contained in (in) (A + RAIN [shower]) A (EROT)< RAIN |
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AEROTRAIN (a train driven by an aircraft engine, riding on a cushion of air; cushioned conveyance)
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21
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Scholar running an ulema, acting as first among equals (7)
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Anagram of (running) AN ULEMA with E (first letter of [first among] EQUALS) replaced by (as) A (acting) MAULANA* |
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MAULANA (a scholar of Arabic and Persian)
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24
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Process chocolate creams without fresh cocoa (10, 2 words)
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Anagram of (process) CHOCOLATE CREAMS excluding (without) an anagram of (fresh) COCOA THE MARCELS* |
THE MARCELS
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BLUE MOON
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LUCINA (the moon)
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25
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Former poet laureate must replace line in clay (8)
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CLAY with L (line) replaced by (must replace) (OLD [former] + PL [poet laureate]) C (OLD PL) AY |
COLDPLAY
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VIOLET HILL
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BARROW (hill or hillock often formed from ancient grave mounds) double letter in cell OW |
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26
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Nearly off course, left for the stars (6)
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ASTRAY (off course) excluding the final letter (nearly) Y + L (left)
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ASTRAL (relating to [of] the stars)
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28
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Freed from slippery mud, Dutchman undergoes change of course (5)
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Anagram of (undergoes change) DUTCHMAN excluding (freed from) an anagram of (slippery) MUD NATCH* |
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NATCH (naturally; of course)
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30
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Relaxed bachelor takes time out in international group camp (5)
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UN (United Nations; international group) + TENT (camp) with the T (time) replaced by (out … takes) B (bachelor) UNBENT |
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UNBENT (relaxed) double letter in cell NB |
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32
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Ministry advanced a sum for Athens (4)
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MIN (ministry) + A
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MINA (a Greek [Athens] weight or sum of money)
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Thank you Post for the multilayered puzzle – and to you Duncan for the great breakdown.
I managed to fill in the grid with one or two little guesses, but only managed to get a miserable three performers.
Early into the puzzle I thought there might be some kind of biblical theme, given the puzzle title and rainbow.
Frustrated at not being able to close out – but really enjoyed this one.
8d-why not half when it is
I loved this puzzle. I was lucky enough to spot ‘shiraz’ relatively quickly and with the letter pairs ‘ar’ and ‘nb’ in place I was quietly confident that I was looking for exponents of a sub-genre of R’n’B associated with songs about booze. Seemed reasonable at the time.
A bit more solving and thinking put me on the right musical track (pardon the pun) and things sorted themselves out. Lots of mini-PDMs along the way and a very satisfying finish (although I spent a ridiculous amount of time wondering how I was going to square Donovan’s ‘Mellow Yellow’ with ‘undersea’ not to mention the clue…).
This was definitely my kind of puzzle – music, Newton, a bottle of wine, a biblical reference and a chance to get the coloured pencils out. What’s not to like …
Many thanks to Poat for a huge amount of fun and to Duncan for the always excellent blog.
Great fun, but I’m a total musical ignoramus and blanked on the wordplay-only clues. But SHIRAZ soon looked likely, and eventually I got enough double-letters to guess (with Covenant as a pointer) I CAN SING A RAINBOW. Onward via Yellow Submarine and Mood Indigo, the titles even a total musical ignoramus turns out to know (the latter through Boris Vian, not Duke Ellington) and then, I’m afraid, some strenuous Googling that turned up a useful list of hit songs with colours in the title.
The unconscious assumption that thematic answers don’t contain double letters, cunningly contradicted by BARROW, made the finish rather tricky. I hate to think of how much time I spent trying to force the ENNUI clue to yield something like ELBOWS.
Indigo was also a challenge because it isn’t in my wife’s set of magic markers, and we had to fake it. I know, I should keep a dedicated set of coloured pencils for times like this….
Many thanks all round.
I struggled to finish this one as my knowledge of popular music is limited to the Beatles and their contemporaries. Fortunately spotting UNDERSEA and linking it to Yellow Submarine was sufficient to get me thinking of colours, and when I saw I CAN SING A RAINBOW emerging all became clear. The lack of cross-checkers for the performers made thing more difficult, but some intensive Googling for songs with colours of the rainbow in their titles got me there in the end. I don’t normally appreciate having to solve clues with no cross-checkers, but for some reason I found back-solving them from the songs strangely satisfying.
Thanks to Poat for the challenge and to Duncan for another comprehensive blog
I must be a bit fed up with life generally at the moment as this is the second IQ in a row I’ve only finished through sheer bloddy mindedness. I can appreciate it all in retrospect but just found there was too big a step between solving the themed clues and entering the allusions.
It started well enough for me with UB40 and SHIRAZ falling reasonably early. The Beatles and Yellow Submarine, and so probably UNDERSEA, came soon after but then I went down the wrong track for a while as I’d assumed snooker colours, probably influenced by FRAME being the only likely answer at 19A. I’d worked out REM but then plumped for the album Green, orange not being a snooker colour and all. Green was their sixth album, which fitted the letters I had at the time. I did get there in the end, with the help of http://tunecaster.com/special/most-popular/songs-in-color.html, but there were several themed answers I didn’t know at all. The Lemon Pipers was a possible anagram I’d come up with but it didn’t strike even the vaguest recognition. I thought The Carmels sounded suitably ’50s, but for some reason hadn’t tried to search for The Marcels. I also spent a long time trying to convince myself that Velvet was a synonym of LACING.
Having said all that I’m looking back at it with more fondness now, so clearly the pain is fading already.
Started with SHIRAZ too, and needed Google to match tunes to the more obscure groups, like the Lemon Pipers,(who confusingly also had a song called “Violet Tambourine” !) and ULTAN which wasn’t in my Chambers and seemed too simple to be true. Then finally, faced with highlighting in the correct colours, I remembered the tin box of 40 Stabilo colour pens I nicked from the advertising agency I was made redundant from in March 1986, i.e 29 years ago. I have used some occasionally over the years, and, incredibly, they all still work brilliantly, whereas my Tesco highlighters dry out after a couple of months.
Murray,Ultan is in Chambers in the “Some first names” section.
Oh, and I acquired my Stabilo set in very similar circs.
If it hadn’t been for Bert’s strange brain which remembers all sorts of obscure musical trivia, Joyce would never have finished this on her own – even with lots of googling!
Very early on Bert suddenly thought of Indigo Mood but some of the others took a lot more cog-turning.
So, the overall comment on the puzzle was that it was excellent so thanks to Poat. Thanks also to Duncan for the colourful blog!
Not really my cup of tea, this one – similar to OPatrick @6.
Got SHIRAZ soon enough (but not UB40 – btw, Gordon Fisher @2, “not half” means lose the CL of “club”), and no other thematics for ages – hindered by thinking that 37a involved AD HOC, not AD REM – though I did make out “I CAN SING A RAINBOW” quite early.
24d was my eventual way in: solving The Marcels & noting that the entry had to be LACING or LUCINA, I discovered the BLUE MOON link. A couple of others fell shortly after, but the final two or three were reverse engineered with the help of http://www.philbrodieband.com/music_song_titles_colours.htm.
It wasn’t that helpful to have the wordplay-only lights shaded in the grid, since they were obviously the ones where answer length & entry length were different. And it made the final highlighting less attractive, starting with a mid-darkish grey base.
Although I echo OPatrick’s “too big a step between solving the themed clues and entering the allusions”, I’m glad that others enjoyed it more. Thanks to setter & blogger.
Like BF at 3 I thoroughly enjoyed this and had it up with those with potential for the best of the year votes. Like others some were reverse engineered; but then I’m used to that. My way in was through undersea and shiraz. However one stumbling block was that the colours of the ‘I can sing a rainbow’ song aren’t the same as the colours of the rainbow. Pink and purple become violet and indigo and this held things up for a while as I searched for the wrong coloured song titles. I thought using BARROW for the last two letters of the two letter cells was a nice touch. Inking in the colours was tough.