I stand to be corrected, but I think this is Kcit’s 50th Enigmatic Variations crossword, the first being no. 29, Layettes back in 1993. That’s some feat, especially since, under his other pseudonym, he’s clocked up well over 100 elsewhere!
This week, there were a thematic number of clashes, all involving the same two letters. I felt I was being let off lightly. These two letters were to have a number in a foreign language appended to give the MISNOMER. The letters were also be used in just two of the clashing cells, the others being left blank. With 180° rotation of the letters, a thematic name would appear.
All in all, this was a relatively straightforward puzzle with some generous clueing from Kcit. Once 1ac was solved (with help from 2, 3, 4 and 7 down), the top, left, right and bottom were soon complete. The N of POLLEN clashing with the W of AWESTRUCK gave me the mischievous letters, although only the W would become something different when rotated.
As important, was the fact that the finished diagram had eight such clashes. Now, my knowledge of foreign language numbers is limited to ‘huit’, ‘acht’, and ‘otto’. While Wotto Notto seemed a possible candidate (!), NACHT WACHT was more likely. Indeed, a bit of googling, and I discovered the painting by REMBRANDT, correctly titled Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq or The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch. It is more commonly referred to as The Night Watch, the misnomer being that it appeared to be a painting of a night scene but that was due only to a thick layer of varnish, which was finally removed in the 1940s.
Thus, rotating the W and N in the leading SW–NE diagonal revealed REMBRANDT, and an educational puzzle from Kcit was complete. How rewarding to find that I also know the Dutch for ‘eight’, and nice that DR WHO was described in the preamble as “a common proper noun involving an abbreviation”!
Legend:
Definition in clue
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | BLACK SWAN | Shortcomings fade after book becomes a rarity (9, two words) LACKS (shortcomings) WAN (fade) after B (book) |
|
| 8 | SAMA | Poet’s together with a Japanese VIP (4) SAM (together, Spenser) + A |
|
| 11 | REPLY | Second chance to see, having missed a response (5) REPLAY (second chance to see) – A |
|
| 12 | POLLEN | Powder head and tail, though incompletely (6) POLL (head) + EN[D] (tail, incompletely) |
|
| 13 | UPRIGHTS | Virtuous society offering limits to conversion? (8) UPRIGHT (virtuous) S (society) |
|
| 16 | VODKAS | What’s acceptable about Duke boarding vessel for drinks? (6) OK (acceptable) about D (duke) in (boarding) VAS (vessel) |
|
| 17 | COWER | Feel intimidation from one who intimidates? (5) 2 meanings, the second perhaps dubious |
|
| 18 | PLANGENT | Noisy plotter? (8) PLAN GENT (cryptic description of plotter) |
|
| 20 | ASIAN PEAR | Fruit area Spain redeveloped (9, two words) (AREA SPAIN)* |
|
| 23 | TANG | Hint identifier should include name (4) TAG (identifier) including N (name) |
|
| 24 | HERSE | Ship’s almost ready for historic battle order (5) HER (ship’s) SE[T] (ready, almost) |
|
| 26 | OGPU | Stalinist force to rise in revolution (4) UPGO< (to rise) |
|
| 28 | OBSTETRIC | Dealing with pregnancy, arranged to set crib (9) (TO SET CRIB)* |
|
| 30 | BIENNALE | Bitterness about English Queen backing art festival (8) BILE (bitterness) about E (English) ANN< (Queen, reversed) |
|
| 32 | SMACK | Trace drug ship – crack? (5) 4 meanings |
|
| 34 | AUGEAN | Difficult month, unkind, hacking millions off (6) AUG (month) + MEAN (unkind) – M (millions) |
|
| 38 | FEAST-DAY | Disputed dates in doomed celebration (8) DATES* in FAY (doomed) |
|
| 39 | IDEALS | Is including treatment in concepts (6) IS including DEAL (treatment) |
|
| 40 | HEART | What’s right to be encompassed in ‘warmth’? (5) R in (encompassed by) HEAT (warmth); &lit. |
|
| 41 | SLEW | Turn amused thousands (4) 3 meanings |
|
| 42 | KITTENISH | Sporty equipment is then used in sport (9) KIT (sporty equipment) + (IS THEN)* |
|
| DOWN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | BRUM | City fan catching end of tour (4) BUM (fan) containing (catching) R (end of touR) |
|
| 2 | LEPROSARIUM | Hospital supplied from pure morals, I fancy (11) (PURE MORALS I)* |
|
| 3 | APRON | Acting and favouring new stage (5) A (acting) + PRO (favouring) + N (new) |
|
| 4 | CLIP | Reduce speed (4) 2 meanings |
|
| 5 | SCHAPPE | Waste silk, mostly weakened, ripped apart by children (7) SAPPE[D] (weakened, mostly) containing (ripped apart by) CH (children) |
|
| 6 | NETTLE | Ruffle, new condition, top missing (6) N (new) + [F]ETTLE (condition, top missing) |
|
| 7 | NOHOW | Skill in audio? Definitely not (5) sounds like KNOW-HOW (skill) |
|
| 8 | SLED | Son lived in drag (4) S (son) LED (lived) |
|
| 9 | ALT KEY | Liveliness not initially crucial for access to functions (6, two words) [S]ALT (liveliness, not initially) + KEY (crucial) |
|
| 10 | AWESTRUCK | A bridge player’s to fold, leaving you astonished (9) A WEST (bridge player) RUCK (to fold) |
|
| 14 | CANOPIC JARS | Vessels containing entrails? Curtailed cover, I see, causes distaste (11, two words) CANOP[Y] (cover, curtailed) + I + C (see) JARS (causes distaste) |
|
| 15 | DR WHO | TV show Director runs with moderation (5, two words) D (director) + R (runs) + W (with) + HO (moderation) |
|
| 17 | CATABASIS | ‘Cases unaltered’ probed by account implying decline of disease (9) CA (cases) AS IS (unaltered) containing (probed by) TAB (account) |
|
| 19 | GROT | Understood about river garbage (4) GOT (understood) about R (river) |
|
| 21 | AGON | A thug losing one round in struggle (4) A GOON (thug) – one O (round) |
|
| 22 | REEST | Forest, first to last, to refuse to move à la Birnam Wood (5) TREES (forest) with T moved to the end; “à la Birnam Wood” indicates Scottish word |
|
| 25 | STEWART | Racing-driver we held up, blocking signal from green flag? (7) WE< in (blocking) START (signal from green flag?) |
|
| 27 | DEGREE | Extent, say, river gets swallowed by river (6) EG (say) R (river) in (swallowed by) DEE (river) |
|
| 29 | SLYEST | Most dextrous expert in speech securing agreement (6) SLT (expert in speech, Speech and Language Therapist) containing YES (agreement) |
|
| 31 | WAULK | Full course requiring intervention by University (5) WALK (course) containing U (university) |
|
| 33 | AO DAI | Tunic with slits – excellent around part of harem (5, two words) AI (excellent) about ODA (part of harem) |
|
| 35 | ELAN | Way to promote energy and style (4) LANE (way) with E (energy) promoted (to the top) |
|
| 36 | STEW | Soaks fetching up in this brothel (4) WETS< (soaks, up) |
|
| 37 | MYTH | The writer’s article – mostly a fiction (4) MY (the writer, ie the setter) + TH[E] (article, mostly) |
|
50th solo, my records say, but there’s also a collaborative EV on the list, making 51.
There’s a blog about the puzzle at: http://phionline.net.nz/setters-blogs/misnomer/
Nice puzzle; nice blog, Mr Hennings; nice blog, Kcit. Interesting to see how a few things spotted by the setter combined to make a good EV. Congratulations on the 50th, and here’s to many more.
Another win to add to the Hennings collection?
I didn’t think I’d achieve my attempt to win on a blogged puzzle quite so soon! And yes, here’s to more Kcit (and Phi).