Samson’s offering this week. Six clues with no definition, which the need replacing, wordplay with additional letters spelling out initials, a seventh member and a thematic adjustment. And a final grid with only single letters in each cell and the two adjusted entries are the only non-words in the final grid. As preambles go – it’s a complex one.
Some reasonably accessible clues this week – good for those making the step up to this more complex form of puzzle. Also some more obscure ones in there too.
It became obvious early on that some cells (initially at least) required two letters to be inserted into a single cell. All resided in the no definition clues. Also some cells needed to remain blank – again those that resided in the no definition clues. The cross-checking answer providing confirmation of both.
So what did the additional letters spell out
SP
THE CLARINET REPRESENTS THE CAT
THE WOLF HAS EATEN THE DUCK
Now my classical musical knowledge is not extensive but I am familiar with Peter and the Wolf and the use of certain instruments to represent the characters in the story. Written by a certain Sergei Prokofiev (SP).
Looking at the unclued entries there was FLUTE, STRINGS, HORNS, DRUMS, OBOE and BASSOON. Which when replaced by their corresponding characters become
FLUTE = BIRD
STRINGS = PETER
BASSOON = GRANDFATHER
HORNS = WOLF
OBOE = DUCK
DRUMS = HUNTERS
This restores the one character per cell to the crossword. And the final step to ensure only real words are present in the final grid is to put the DUCK inside the WOLF on the bottom row yielding WODU and CKLF and making the crossing down answers real words.
Many thanks for a fine crossword Samson and a fine piece of music, too, Mr Prokofiev.
Key:
- Anagram; Rev. reverse; DD Double definition ; Underline = Definition
ACROSS
| 1 Goose seen flying North first (4) | |
| S | N(north) + (seen)* = NENE |
| 4 Florida native in another state (5) | |
| Fl (Florida) + Ute (native) = FLUTE becomes BIRD | |
| 7 Street calls (7) | |
| St (street) + rings (calls) = STRINGS becomes PETER | |
| P | 12 Wanderer has chart to go into where Cain settled (5) |
| Nod (where Cain settled) around map (chart) = NOMAD | |
| 14 One needing English lines to make theatrical scene right (9) | |
| T | (theatrical + scene + r – E lines)* = CHARACTER |
| 15 A unit returned extinct bird (3) | |
| H | Rev a Ohm (unit) = MOA |
| 16 Just about city (4) | |
| E | On (about) + ely (city) = ONLY |
| 17 Most of chess set laid out for papers (6) | |
| C | (ches + set)* = SHEETS |
| 18 Into culture? To some degree penny-pinching (4) | |
| L | Partly (to some degree) – p (penny) = ARTY |
| 19 A layer of rock going back into hill (4) | |
| A | Rev. (a + seam (layer of rock)) = MESA |
| 21 Potato – some infernal root (4) | |
| R | Hidden infernAL ROOt = ALOO |
| 22 Air Miles applied practical philosophy (7) | |
| I | (air miles)* = REALISM |
| 24 Canonry nearly cultivated fruit (5) | |
| N | (canonr)* = ACORN |
| 26 British poet failing to start (7) | |
| B (British) + Sassoon (poet) – s = BASSOON = GRANDFATHER | |
| 29 Ed’s torn and Ed’s soaked (5) | |
| E | Ed + rent (torn) = DRENT |
| 31 Rounds inebriated the press (7) | |
| T | (the press)* = SPHERES |
| 34 Regularly roots dried flower (4) | |
| R | RoOtS dRiEr = ROSE |
| 35 In summer easy times (4) | |
| E | Hidden summER EASy = ERAS |
| 36 Force is extremely potent in punch (4) | |
| P | F(force) + is + pt (extremely potent = FIST |
| 37 Was sick? Broadcast went ahead (5) | |
| R | Air (broadcast) + led (went ahead) = AILED |
| 41 Thump vertebra maybe on back of neck (4) | |
| E | Bone (vertebra) + k (back of neck) = BONK |
| 43 American Navy’s vessel (3) | |
| S | Us + rn (navy) = URN |
| 44 Fond recollection of an age I lost sadly (9) | |
| E | (an age I lost)* = NOSTALGIA |
| 45 Peer behind opening of Royal Oak (5) | |
| N | R (opening of royal) + noble(peer) = ROBLE |
| 46 Be a candidate in constant demand (5) | |
| T | Hidden conSTANT Demand = STAND |
| 47 Cut head off Saint (5) | |
| Shorn (cut) – s + s(saint) = HORNS = WOLF | |
| 48 Tramps uncovered (4) | |
| Hoboes – hs = OBOE = DUCK | |
| DOWN | |
| 1 Sweet drink generating trances (6) | |
| S | (trances)* = NECTAR |
| 2 Repeat of dance music number to fade out (4) | |
| T | Techno – n (number) = ECHO |
| 3 Chance to have time to spare? (5) | |
| H | Earthly (chance) – t(time) = EARLY |
| 4 Brawl twelve months following rising (4) | |
| E | Rev (year (12 months) + f (following)) = FRAY |
| 5 Eccentric uncles eating Chinese meals (7) | |
| C | (uncles)* around ch(chinese) = LUNCHES |
| 6 Carry nothing into gallery (4) | |
| A | Tate (gallery) around o (nothing) = TOTE |
| 7 Begin to shine (4) | |
| T | DD Start = STAR |
| 8 Tiger wandering about deserted hill-range (5) | |
| T | (tiger)* around d(deserted) = RIDGE |
| 9 Celebrity put up symbol of virility (4) | |
| H | Rev (He-man – symbol of virility) = NAME |
| 10 Noses shocked by sea salts? (7) | |
| E | (noses + sea)* = SEASONS |
| 11 Taxi carrying mole from Cambridge (6) | |
| W | Cab (taxi) around want (mole) = CANTAB |
| 13 Drive along low hill (5) | |
| O | Moo (low) + tor (hill) = MOTOR |
| 17 Getting up, girl has square meal (4) | |
| L | Rev. (Olga + s(square)) = SAGO |
| 19 After “mezzo-forte” I pen “dim” (5) | |
| F | Mf (mezzo-forte) + I + sty (pen) = MISTY |
| 20 Hands in action in forts (4) | |
| H | HH (hands) in Pas (action) = PAHS |
| 21 Take from secret spots (4) | |
| A | Arcane (secret) – r = ACNE |
| 23 Old hospital in the French street (4) | |
| S | San (old hospital) in le (the French) = LANE |
| 25 Died seconds after imbibing spirit (5) | |
| D(dies) + s (seconds) around rum (spirit) = DRUMS = HUNTERS | |
| 27 Observe newspaperman’s offspring (4) | |
| E | See (observe) + ed (newspaperman) = SEED |
| 28 Drummer rowing over to the end (5) | |
| A | Oaring (rowing) moving o to end = RINGO (as in Starr) |
| 30 Turning too bright in Glasgow (5) | |
| T | Rotary (turning) = ROARY |
| 32 Carelessly trap teen model (7) | |
| E | (trap teen)* = PATTERN |
| 33 Bombard with awful fears about the National Theatre (6) | |
| N | (fears)* around nt (National Theatre) = STRAFE |
| 36 Old dance includes measure for Chinese page (5) | |
| T | foot (old dance) around li (Chines measure) = FOLIO |
| 38 Chain recast for old American (4) | |
| H | (chain)* = INCA |
| 39 Actress Sophia lost once (4) | |
| E | Loren (Sophia) = LORN |
| 40 Capital confusion in London as two Poles leave and one moves in (4) | |
| D | (London – nn (two poles) + s)* = OSLO |
| 41 Graduate to eat up buns (4) | |
| U | BA (Graduate) + Rev (sup (eat)) = BAPS |
| 42 Small amount I lock up (4) | |
| C | (I lock)* = KILO |
| 44 In junk oddments a little bow (3) | |
| K | Hidden (juNK Oddments) = NOD |
I vaguely remember a Listener on this theme a decade or so ago. I enjoyed this one a lot. I like Samson’s clues, and the fact that apart from the duck in the wolf, every entry in the final grid is a real word. Hopefully there will be more Samsons soon.