When I first saw the grid I thought there would be a Nina message on the perimeter somehow. This grid is surely crying out for it.
But no, forget the perimeter this is all about marriage.
Scorpion has used an unusual grid that manages to pack in 32 clues although there are only 7 “active” rows across and down. And pack it he has, with many kinds of traditional wedding anniversary gift. Indeed, all the across answers beside Marriage itself and the related Heaven and Hell, are part of the theme. Here are the ones featured with their year but you can find out more here: Link
| Gift | Year |
| Pearl | 30 |
| Oak | 80 |
| Cotton | 2 |
| Crystal | 15 |
| Gold | 50 |
| Sugar | 6 |
| Salt | 8 |
| Diamond | 60 |
| Silver | 25 |
| Tin | 10 |
| Coral | 35 |
| Ruby | 40 |
| Copper | 9 |
| Platinum | 70 |
I did not spot this until I was struggling over the last few answers and remembered to look for a theme to see if it could help me – and it did – I could not solve COTTON and had to work back from the answer to justify the wordplay.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 7 | MARRIAGE | A tie made in 8 or 10? Some days one is in fashion (8) MAR[ch] some days, I (one) inside RAGE (fashion) – one of the last few answers entered |
| 8 | HEAVEN | Woman describes hail in the sky (6) AVE (hail) inside HEN (woman) |
| 10 | HELL | Governor taking sides in local underworld (4) HE (governor, His Excellency, title of an ambassador) L[oca]L |
| 11 | PEARL | Pulse taken with both hands – a perfect example (5) PEA (pulse) R and L (both hands) |
| 12 | OAK | Wood of all kinds initially seen (3) O[f] A[ll] K[inds] |
| 13 | COTTON | Old golfer ridiculous wearing fleece (6) OTT (ridiculous, Over The Top) inside CON (fleece, as in swindled). The old golfer could be Sir Henry Cotton (link) (I don’t know about golf) |
| 14 | CRYSTAL | It’s very clear blubber adversely affected back muscles? (7) CRY (blubber), LATS< (back muscles) reverse indicator: adversely affected |
| 15 | GOLD | Lord concealing lost riches (4) L[ost] inside GOD (lord) |
| 17 | SUGAR | Entrepreneur‘s Italian sauces withdrawn (5) RAGUS< |
| 19 | SALT | Cook perhaps seasoning (4) Double Def. At least one member of a crew has to be a cook |
| 21 | DIAMOND | Acted outside in the morning with acceptable suit (7) DID (acted) outside AM (morning) ON (acceptable) |
| 23 | SILVER | Scrap with a couple about money (6) SLIVER (scrap) with a couple of letters swapped (I wrote in SLIVER using the same reasoning but with the other def., till I couldn’t get 24d) |
| 25 | TIN | Storage unit young louse turned over (3) NIT< |
| 26 | CORAL | Colour runs out of pen (5) COR[r]AL |
| 28 | RUBY | Woman‘s the latest in infirmary after stroke (4) RUB (stroke), [infirmar]Y |
| 29 | COPPER | Officer needs hat, with temperature being cold (6) TOPPER (hat) with C for T |
| 30 | PLATINUM | Short quiz contains language element (8) LATIN (language) inside PUM[p] (quiz, short) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | LAKE COMO | Heading off criticism by community, old cleaner’s using lots of water (4,4) [f]LAK (criticism, heading off) EC (community) OMO (old cleaner, washing powder) Don’t get your oxo mixed up with your omo |
| 2 | ARMLET | Captain may bear this mark in red, leaving scene (6) Last answer entered. M (Mark, as in e.g. Deutschmark) inside [sc]ARLET (red, SC for scene removed) |
| 3 | TAP PANTS | Underwear that’s hot or cold on cobblers (3,5) TAP (hot or cold) PANTS (cobblers) I had never heard of these (link) |
| 4 | BETA | Gamble on a version being tested (4) BET (gamble) A |
| 5 | CHILLY | Hostile peak disrupts extremists in cartography (6) HILL (peak) inside (disrupts) C[artograph]Y |
| 6 | MERKEL | Female politician and king visit lake, then another (6) K inside MERE (lake), L[ake] I tried to make BAIKAL work here after getting the crossing K and L … |
| 9 | AGOUTIS | Small rodents earlier destroying odd bits of curtains (7) AGO [c]U[r]T[a]I[n]S This small rodent (wiki) |
| 14 | CAGED | Convicted druggies primarily, given a long time inside, are this? (5) AGE (a long time) inside C[onvicted] D[ruggies] |
| 16 | DRAWN UP | Composed play with words rejected by director, being crude (5,2) PUN< under D[irector] RAW (crude) |
| 18 | ROSE LEAF | Part of plant, taken from Home Counties meadow, up for grabs (4,4) S.E. LEA (Home Counties meadow) inside FOR< |
| 20 | LIE ABOUT | Lounge party hosted that is public (3,5) I.E. (that is) inside LAB (party) OUT (public) |
| 21 | DOT-COM | Type of business lifting atmosphere around Connecticut (3-3) MOOD (atmosphere) around CT (Connecticut) all reversed |
| 22 | OXCART | With constant skill, perhaps steer agricultural vehicle (6) OX (steer) C (constant) art (skill) |
| 24 | LARKIN | Linesman perhaps havin’ a game (6) Poet, not known for larkin’ about really |
| 27 | RAPE | Provider of seed beginning to relate to parrot (4) R[elate] APE (parrot, copy) … and the seed is provider of oil. |
beermagnet, could you move “But no, forget the perimeter this is all about marriage.” so it’s not visible to casual visitors who haven’t done the puzzle please?
Ah, I have already prepared a grid which has the same theme words but as I have a huge stock it will be much later before it sees the light of day.
In such circumstances what does a setter do? Withhold the prepared grid or go ahead and send it for publication?
Will solvers think the setter is copying the theme?
Sidey: Done!
Very enjoyable but tricky puzzle. Many thanks for the blog.
In 19a I took the first part as a reference to Captain James Cook, a definition by example.
Thank you beerm, didn’t actually spoil things for me but it was obvious as soon as I’d started that it had caught my eye.
Very well constructed puzzle. Some nice constructions although I don’t think I’d ever have got ARMLET and LAKE COMO isn’t too hot.
er, was I the only one who failed to spot the now very obvious, and remarkably well constructed, theme? Even in an almost completed grid. Feeling a little silly about that.
Only ‘almost completed’ because whilst I’d pencilled in TAP PANTS at 3D, it isn’t in my copy of Chambers. Given the achievement of having every single across clue as a thematic element, I think a minor obscurity like this is easily forgivable.
An excellent puzzle – and I even spotted the theme, for once.
One small quibble re 21a – for the definition ‘suit’ the answer should be DIAMONDS (plural) – in the singular it is a card from the suit, not the suit itself.
No, I failed to spot the theme apart from the 7, 8, and 10ac. Maybe something to do with being a lifelong bachelor.
Having got 8ac and 10ac (and hence 7ac) as my first ones in, my next two were 17ac and 19ac and I thought there might be a theme of contrasting ideas, but then the true theme slowly emerged. As I share Mark Twain’s opinion of golf I only got 13ac from the wordplay and knowing it must be part of the theme. And having a theme made this on the easy side for Scorpion. Btw there’s a typo in the blog; 9dn is AGOUTIS – as correctly shown in the parsing.
Thanks, Scorpion and beermagnet.
AGOUTIS corrected.
Also Giudice at #4: Of course! Capt Cook is a much clearer reference to a sailor.