The second Oxymoron puzzle of the year, following on from King Lear’s “The wheel has come full circle.” This week we have to draw lines through a work and its creator’s first and last names in the grid. The wordplay in 31 clues omits a letter of the answer, and these spell out two more works by the same person and the thematic occasion; each of these is in normal reading order in the grid and must be highlighted in three distinguishing colours. The central square was isolated, so I guessed that it would need to be completed to provide a work in one of the leading diagonals.
1ac DEARTH was easy, but after that, in typical Oxymoron fashion, the clues became a bit tougher, and then a lot tougher. As is my wont, I didn’t try to spot any works or creators in the grid as I progressed. (OK, I would have done if I’d come to a complete impasse, but that didn’t happen.)
After about three hours, the grid was complete, and HENRY (column 8) MILLER (column 10) was there for all to see. Luckily, THE CRUCIBLE was in the main SW–NE diagonal, and that was by ARTHUR (row 1) MILLER. Obviously, Oxymoron wanted to have a bit of fun and set himself an additional challenge!
A quick Wiki revealed that the puzzle was published 100 years (and a day) after Miller’s birth, and the highlighting of BIRTH CENTENARY enabled THE PRICE and NO VILLAIN to show themselves as his other two works. I’d not heard of either.
Solid clues as one would expect from Oxymoron. He’s obviously be genning up on the NATO phonetic alphabet — here we had India, Oscar, Romeo and Uniform. Good fun and informative, thanks.
Legend:
EN[T]RY with letter omitted from wordplay
Definition in clue
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | DEART[H] | Costly time shortage (6) DEAR (costly) + T (time) |
|
| 6 | RUMPLE | Scotland’s behind politician breaking court order (6) MP (politician) in (breaking) RULE (court order) |
|
| 11 | [E]LBE | One qualified in law overturned East European banker? (4) BL< (Bachelor of Law, overturned) + E (East); banker = river |
|
| 12 | SPIN[I]FEX | Grass circle next to iron cross (8) SPIN (circle) + FE (iron) + X (cross) |
|
| 14 | SPIN[O]ZA | Philosopher to put a favourable slant on South Africa (7) SPIN (to put a favourable slant on) + ZA (South Africa) |
|
| 15 | LEV[I] | Strauss perhaps, fifty five, taking ecstasy (4) LV (fifty-five) + E (ecstasy); reference to Levi Strauss and his jeans |
|
| 16 | OMEN | Warning of ships (4) O (of) MEN (ships) |
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| 17 | DISPE[L] | Director and Greek character returning to Spain drive away (6) D (director) + PSI< (Greek character, returning) + E (Spain) |
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| 19 | [T]HEA | Evergreen plants mostly grow healthy again (4) HEA[L] (grow healthy again, mostly) |
|
| 20 | BENN[I] | Black nut containing new source of oil (5) B (black) EN (nut) containing N (new) |
|
| 21 | BEENA[H]S | Marriages remain rational after retirement (7) BE (remain) + SANE< (rational, after retirement) |
|
| 22 | [R]ITA | Orson’s better half, Italian and active (4) IT (Italian) + a (active); reference to Orson Wells and Rita Hayworth, married 1943–1947 |
|
| 23 | BLA[C]KS | See king stopping building society bans (6) LA (see) K (king) in (stopping) BS (building society) |
|
| 26 | RING IN | Report on the phone: “Romeo involved with Australian woman” (6, two words) R (Romeo) IN (involved with) GIN (Australian Aboriginal woman) |
|
| 27 | ALLY | Marble projection with section missing (4) SALLY (projection) – S (section) |
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| 28 | AMTMA[N]S | American mother’s accommodating Montana law officials (7) A (American) MA’S (mother’s) containing MT (Montana) |
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| 31 | BY AIR | Unknown Australian hugged by retiring wife in a Jumbo? (5, two words) Y (unknown) A (Australian) in (hugged by) RIB< (wife, retiring) |
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| 32 | TOHO | This’ll stop setters against moderation (4) TO (against) HO (moderation) |
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| 34 | [C]HINES | Crests glow head to tail (6) SHINE (glow) with first letter (head) moved to end |
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| 37 | OLLA | Look back on the French medley (4) LO< (look, back) + LA (the, French) |
|
| 38 | ICED | In NY did top international start to criticize education? (4) I (international) + C (start to Criticize) + ED (education); ‘top’ as in ‘kill’ |
|
| 39 | I[N] ORDER | Suitable rider up astride Oscar (7, two words) RIDER* around (astride) O (Oscar) |
|
| 40 | THICK E[A] | Puffed up listener, hard in heart (8, two words) H (hard) in TICKER (heart) |
|
| 41 | VENT | <em>Old market outlet (4) 2 meanings |
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| 42 | TEN[R]EC | Sustained drive finally caught a Madagascan native (6) TEN (tenuto, sustained) + E (drivE, finally) + C(caught) |
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| 43 | [Y]EARNS | Troon’s greens are oddly not specified (6) ARE* + NS (not specified); see green² |
|
| DOWN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | DESO[R]B | Does bishop wrongly remove something from the surface? (6) (DOES B (bishop))* |
|
| 2 | A[B]IES | Arboreal creature regularly seen climbing a tree (5) AI (arboreal creature, sloth) + SE< (SeEn, regularly, climbing) |
|
| 3 | RENNI[N] | Coagulating agent closer to the centre is rising (6) INNER< (closer to the centre, rising) |
|
| 4 | [T]ROD | Beaten Pole (4) 2 meanings |
|
| 5 | U[P]ASES | Trees like earth in America (6) AS E (earth) in US (America) |
|
| 7 | U[N]CE | English copper raised a small amount for Morag (4) (E (English) CU (copper))< |
|
| 8 | PFENNIG | Female in Portugal almost caught lifting a former German piece (7) F (female) in P (portugal) GINNE[D]< (caught, almost, lifting) |
|
| 9 | LE[V]ANTING | Sloping incline heading for tranquil northern meadow (9) LEAN (incline) + T (heading for Tranquil) + ING (meadow, northern) |
|
| 10 | EXI[L]IAN | Executive in India introduces a note relating to banishment (7) EX (executive) + I (in) + I (India) + A N (note) |
|
| 13 | IMP[A]IR | Impeach old Military Policeman? Yes, in Ireland (6) MP (Military Police) + I (yes, aye) in IR (Ireland) |
|
| 18 | BELLYACHE | Ring associate surgeon probing the old complaint (9) BELL (ring) + (ACH (associate surgeon) in YE (the, old)) |
|
| 19 | TAK[E]R | Photographer set on touring Cambodia (5) TAR (set on) around (touring) K(Cambodia) |
|
| 20 | BO[I]TO | Box office for an Italian librettist (5) BO (box office) + TO (for) |
|
| 23 | BABBITT | Post occupied by a British born middle-class businessman (7) BITT (post) containing (occupied by) A B (British) B (born) |
|
| 24 | ALAM[E]IN | Liberal dictator supporting a decisive battle (7) L (liberal) AMIN (dictator) under (supporting) A |
|
| 25 | SU[T]ILE | Special uniform with one short leg made by a seamstress (6) S (special) U (uniform) + I (one) LE[G] (leg, short) |
|
| 28 | AONIAN | Lasting forever with no end of life, like the Muses (6) AEONIAN (lasting forever) – E (end of lifE) |
|
| 29 | MOORVA | Tie up with very advanced fibre (6) MOOR (tie up) + V (very) A (advanced) |
|
| 30 | STARTS | Sailor entering quiet square breaks in (6) TAR (sailor) in ST (quiet, verb) + S (square) |
|
| 33 | ELD[E]R | Tree line crossed by European driver (5) L (line) inside (crossed by) E (European) DR (driver) |
|
| 35 | HIKE | Tramp that’s stopped by King Henry at the front (4) IE (that is) containing (stopped by) K (king) with H (Henry) at the front |
|
| 36 | SOLE | Uniform bottom (4) 2 meanings |
|
This was a very difficult puzzle, and at times I despaired. Dave, did you spot the red herrings? Depending on the letter added to the central square, this could have revealed either BLACK SPRING (by Henry Miller) or IN THE MOOD (by Glenn Miller). I got terribly distracted by IN THE MOOD and the presence of MILLER in the grid, and spent literally hours thinking the puzzle had a big band theme. I don’t know how Oxymoron managed to fit so much into the grid (and how he came up with such devious alternative possibilities). Very, very difficult, but still a very good puzzle.
Thanks for your excellent input and apologies to everyone that I didn’t spot all the red herrings in the grid. I don’t know why I decided to read the SW-NE diagonal first but seeing THE CRUCIBLE, I didn’t even think of looking NW-SE. Spotting HENRY should have prompted more grid staring. I feel I missed out on a lot of fun!!
Yes, three is a vertical HENRY in column 8, and a vertical GLENN in column 12!