A Playfair code this week – a bit like Marmite you either love them or hate them and neither are available at Tesco.
Some unusual definitions were probably the hardest part of the clues this week – says he again, risking the wrath of some readers, all relatively straight forward. The interesting part of this puzzle lay within the entries to be encoded using a playfair code square. Which is a complex business.
4 entries with clues needed encoding
LARBOARD to HD_D_BDL
WINE to I_CO
SUITCASE to FCUP_SGS
Believe it or not there is enough information to deduce the playfair code.
The fact SU goes to FC and SE to GS means CESG are in one column with ES and G in order
The fact that RD goes to DL puts RDL in the same column in order
NE goes to CO puts NO in the same column with N before E and after C; and O after E reading left to right and down the grid.
LA goes to HD puts A and H in the same column
IT goes to UP
OA goes to _B puts OB in the same column RB goes to _D puts RD in the same column WI to _I puts WI in the same column CA to _S puts CS in the same column
So we have CESG RDL NOB and WI, AH column-wise then do similar for the rows
L is in a row with H; A with D; B with D; A with B; N with C; E with O; P with T and I with C; A with S.
I think I’ve got that just about right then you just need to slot it all together remembering that after the code word all the letters are in alphabetical order and you should end up with CINQUEPORTS.
Alternatively online assistance is available at many sites.
Then to work out the four unclued entries which are currently:
AB_B_P_G (2 across)
WHF_NQ_G (13 down)
TRKUR_ (34 across)
_PQ_GP_DPS (5 down) – having added the letters to the unchecked encoded
34 across is ROMN.. – ROMNEY fits the bill as one of the Cinqueports
13 down becoming HASTINGS and 1 across SANDWICH
5 down took the longest to find being WINCHELSEA
The final entries being 2ac ABQBIPIG; 5dn IPQIGPGDPS; 13dn WHFENQVG and 34ac TRKURV
Many thanks Piccadilly – A minor criticism to be rejected of course is there were only 4 Cinqueports in the final grid. I personally do enjoy a Playfair code puzzle.
Key:
* anagram; Rev. Reverse;DD Double definition; Underline definition
ACROSS
10 Old song could be suitable (3)
DD FIT
11 Work in Delaware providing information (4)
Op (work) in De (Delaware) = DOPE
12 Parrot beginning to mimic a crow’s cry (5)
M (beginning to mimic) + a + caw (crow’s cry) = MACAW
14 China for poet a yacht transported (6)
(a yacht)* = CATHAY
15 Question Sid had about prayer in synagogue (7)
Q(question) + (Sid had)* = QADDISH
16 One in Paris meeting a girl (3)
Un (One in Paris) + a = UNA
17 Inattentive, drinks cold coffee (5)
Deaf (inattentive) around c (cold) = DECAF
19 Exercises with clubs, developing muscle (3)
PE (exercises) + c (clubs) = PECS
20 Big sister regularly displayed generosity (8)
Large (bis) + SiStEr (regularly) = LARGESSE
* 23 Letters from Labrador carelessly left on mail-boat (8)
(Labrador)* = LARBOARD
27 Name a new type of bread (3)
N(name) + a + n(new) = NAN
28 Metal support needed between ends of sill (5)
Tee (suppost) in sl (ends of sill) = STEEL
31 Quids I’d spent over in market (3)
Rev (quids – id) = SUQ
32 Legendary knight and a duke pursuing fool in Australia (7)
Galah (fool in Australia) + a + d(duke) = GALAHAD
35 Agree price at last for set of rooms (5)
Suit (agree) + a (price at last) = SUITE
* 36 Partners at table carrying in drink (4)
WE (Partners at table) around in = WINE
37 Step from ladder avoiding new floor-mat (3)
Rung (step from ladder) – n (new) = RUG
38 Use hands deploying parasol (8)
(Use hands)* = SUNSHADE
DOWN
1 Climbing plants flogged in sale (6)
(in sale)* = LIANES
2 Junior diplomat’s unfinished assault on His Excellency (7)
Attack (assault) – k + he (his excellency) = ATTACHE
3 Saw Norse goddess of the dead in garden plot (6)
Hel (Norse goddess) in Bed (garden plot) = BEHELD
4 Former Russian aristocrat introduces son to a king (5)
Boy (son) + a + r (king) = BOYAR
6 For audience, musical composition provides tranquillity (5)
Homonym of piece (Musical composition) = PEACE
7 Gave dinar for five cod or hake (4)
Gave replacing v (five) with d (dinar) = GADE
8 Large company here in Marseilles (3)
DD ICI
9 Heads of Camorra are squabbling about mansion in Naples (4)
Heads of Camorra Are Squabbling About = CASA
* 10 Clumsy Aussie emptied talc inside his piece of luggage (8)
(aussie + tc)* = SUITCASE
11 District Attorney volunteers to supply information (4)
DA (District Attorney) + Ta (volunteers) = DATA
18 Blame being accepted by French parish priest (7)
Ens (being) in Cure (French parish priest) = CENSURE
21 Body of water in South Dakota subsided (6)
Lake (body of water) in SD (South Dakota) = SLAKED
22 Ursula transplanted trees (6)
(Ursula)* = LAURUS
24 Watercourse beginning to deal with precipitation (5)
D (beginning to deal) + rain (precipitation) = DRAIN
25 Dog sank teeth into companion (5)
Bit (sank teeth into) + ch (companion) = BITCH
26 Spanish peso found in corduroys (4)
Hidden corDUROys = DURO
29 Express disapproval about active tense (4)
Tit (express disapproval) about a (active) = TAUT
30 Takes food: pork and beef perhaps, with no starter (4)
Meats (Pork and beef perhaps) – m (starter) = EATS
33 Set fire to Nancy’s bed (3)
DD LIT (French word for bed)
Thanks for the masterclass in how to retro-fit a Playfair square – I had everything solved and a few of the starting points you list above, but couldn’t make any headway despite returning to it several times…I will cut-and-paste this somewhere and bring it out next time!
(I was silently grateful that this one didn’t fall on my turn in the EV blogging rota – thanks for ‘taking one for the team’ here! And thanks to Piccadilly for the challenge…)
This was my first shot at a Playfair puzzle, mostly attempted because the clues looked pretty easy to solve (compared to the usual EV anyway). Sorting the code took a bit longer, admittedly, and then longer still to sort the unclued entries. To my shame it took a whole day between cracking the code-word to realising that we were looking for examples of it. I guess sorting the code must have fried my brain. 🙂 All in all enjoyable, and a lot more straightforward in the end than I thought it might have been.
Yes, definitely a “marmite” – which I also detest.
I’m afraid that I find Playfair puzzles a total turn-off. I solved nearly all of the clues in this one but gave up on deciphering the code. Hopefully a similar puzzle will not appear in the near future!
Thanks to setter and blogger anyway.