. . . toil and trouble indeed! The rubric read:
Each row and each column is referenced by either of two letters – A or B, C or D, etc. Cells are indicated by their column, then row. First letters of the first 28 answers, in clue order, give an instruction to the solver.
I solved a surprising number of clues without any cross checking, but discovered that many (but not all) the answers were too long to fit into their allotted space. I eventually decided to enter just the first letters of the ones I had solved into the grid, in the hope that that might reveal some clue as to what to do.
I had two answers to BY (starting at the top left cell) PINATAS and PIETAS. The first PDM (for new readers, the Penny Drop Moment) occurred when I realised that both started with PI. I already had the T (of TAXIMEN) at GY, so if both P and I were in the top left square, then [PI]ÑATAS would fit across and [PI] ETAS would fit down, one more double (title) letter being needed. I looked again at AW which might begin with ET, and lo and behold ETONIAN (“One receiving education”) was a possibility, so the ET went in square AW.
I could confidently (?) enter the few words that fitted their allocated slots without doubling – ANTSY, MOON, IDLE, STREPENT, LODESTAR and PATEN
I followed this process for several hours leading to a filled grid with one error which led to one unsolved clue. This turned out to be critical. I had the answer to FI as GREECE instead of GREESE. (I’m not sure why I thought the plural of goose might be geece!) This made clue LT impossible as the answer had to start TA and end in either SC or SEC.
The “instruction to the solver” was DESCRIBE LINES START LM FINISH LM. As square LM was currently empty due to the missing answer at LT, this made no sense at the time. After correcting FI to GREESE LT became TA….SES and I discovered the word TANTALUSES, a locking security measure for port (the drink!). Square LM now contained LU.
Another cell address? So I drew a line from LM to LU and found AX. Now a line from LU to AX and so on, eventually returning to LM. The reason for the strange double letter cell indications (AB, CD etc) became clear – the process would be impossible if restricted to only half the alphabet!
There had been clear indications of a seasonal theme in the title, the answer to XY (HALLOWEEN) and two answers containing SATAN. Also, in many of the clues there were references to Halloween and Macbeth-related items: zombies, Belial, Old Nick, witches, toe of frog, trace of newt (the eye?), pumpkins, Duncan, Creepy-crawlies, witches, cauldrons, wolves, sorcerer, Sulphur and brooms. I may have missed some.
I completed the joining of the lines and the second PDM was upon me. The lines delineated a magnificent BAT!
Halloween seems a remarkable time of year for the Inquisitor. The Great Pumpkin last year and this brilliant Inquisitor debut from Harribobs, certainly my favourite of the year so far. I’m sure we all hope Harribobs will return soon.
| No. | Clue (definition) | Answer | Wordplay | X |
| RY | Undo the work of Arne? Zombies might! (9) | DECOMPOSE | Double definition: Arne is the composer of Rule Britannia amongst other things. | D |
| AX | One receiving education not available in books returns with first in eudaemonics (7) | ETONIAN | N(ot) A(vailable) + IN + OT (books) + E(udaemonics) all reversed | E |
| AS | Church officer, and councillor, is ensnared by Belial (9) | SACRISTAN | CR (councillor) + IS in SATAN (Belial) | S |
| RU | Source of conflict with the French that’s often found in pumpkins (6) | CANDLE | C(onflict) + AND (with) LE (the French) | C |
| AM | Rook pursued by young bird of prey dropping a fillet (6) | REGLET | R(ook) + E(a)GLET | R |
| SL | Iodine applied to joint cut at the side, and faded linen tape (5) | INKLE | “faded” indicates obsolete word: I(odine) + (a)NKLE (joint cut at the side) | I |
| MG | Initially, Barbara Streisand, leaving America, built haven for raven (9, 2 words) | BIRDS NEST | [B STREISND]* B(arbara) + STREISAND minus A(merica) | B |
| AL | Manoeuvre fashionable in England forever (8) | ENGINEER | IN (fashionable) in ENG(land) + EER (forever) | E |
| KW | Guide found in ditch with vermin about (8) | LODESTAR | LODE (ditch) + RATS (vermin) reversed | L |
| AH | This month, European assembly not at loggerheads (6, 2 words) | IN STEP | INST (this month) + E(uropean) P(arliament) | I |
| CZ | Harry, arrested by twelve o’clock, has form (7) | NONAGON | NAG (harry) in NOON | N |
| AD | Narcissist‘s perversely come again (9) | EGOMANIAC | [COME AGAIN]* | E |
| IP | Group of fish, swimming almost without using tail (5) | SALMO | [ALMOS(t)]* | S |
| LL | Spell’s beginning as soon as there’s good luck, according to Duncan (5) | SONCE | S(pell) + ONCE (as soon as) | S |
| HY | Cabbies having first of income seized by IR (7) | TAXIMEN | I(ncome) in TAXMEN (Inland Revenue) | T |
| IZ | Creepy-crawlies at day’s end make you nervous (5) | ANTSY | ANTS (creepy-crawlies) + (day)Y | A |
| YX | Hardened criminal receiving diamonds exposed in the act (9) | RED HANDED | [HARDENED]* round D(iamonds)]* | R |
| ZH | Finally decrepit, enchantress loses her charm…and hair! (5) | TRESS | (decrepi)T + (enchant)RESS | T |
| LE | Ill-mannered youth has to move inside and exit server (6, 2 words) | LOG OUT | LOUT (ill-mannered youth) round GO (move) | L |
| MY | When witches go out in force, gathering round Old Nick essentially (8) | MIDNIGHT | MIGHT (force) round (ol)D NI(ck) essentially | M |
| SN | Evil spirit runs away from ally (5) | FIEND | Remove R(uns) from F(r)IEND | F |
| OZ | Unimportant papers required by the French (4) | IDLE | ID (identity papers) + LE (the French) | I |
| TZ | See friendly goblin before a month in Tel Aviv (5) | NISAN | NIS (friendly goblin) + AN (= A) | N |
| TK | Stern women are acquiring cauldrons, say (8) | IRONWARE | IRON (stern) + W(omen) + ARE | I |
| EU | At last, grimalkins caught two fish locally, squirming (10) | SCRIGGLING | (grimalkin)S + C(aught) + RIGG + LING (two fish – though only rigg is a dialect word) | S |
| XY | End of October, when all over and finally done, mysteriously (9) | HALLOWEEN | [WHEN ALL O(ver) (don)E]* | H |
| XL | Lecturer, yearning, lacking wife, is attentive to poet (7) | LISTFUL | L(ecturer) + (w)ISTFUL | L |
| KG | Awesome lianas obscuring trees (5) | MELIA | Hidden in (aweso)ME LIA(anas) | M |
| BY | Sanctimonious person repulsed devil offering pots of gifts? (7) | PINATAS | PI (sanctimonious person) + SATAN reversed | |
| IV | Oxtail in a stew yields one type of cancer treatment (5) | TAXOL | [OXTA(i)L]* | |
| QT | Put off touching husband, advanced in years (6, 2 words) | ON HOLD | ON (touching) + H(usband) + OLD (advanced in years) | |
| MR | Perhaps wolves turning back criticise mother (7) | MAMMALS | SLAM (criticise) + MAM (mother) all reversed | |
| BO | Toe of frog and headless chicken added to casserole, creating living matter supposedly (6) | PANGEN | PAN (casserole) + (fro)G + (h)EN | |
| RO | Plate of pumpkin initially consumed, after losing energy (5) | PATEN | P(umpkin) + (e)ATEN | |
| PI | Flight of old birds circling close to sorcerer (6) | GREESE | For definition see GRECE in Chambers: GEESE (birds) round (sorcere)R | |
| BE | In spite of revolting slaughterman giving up ramshackle haunts… (6) | MALGRE | SLAUGHTERMAN minus HAUNTS gives [LGERMA]* | |
| UR | …centre of Boston’s blacker and more mephitic (8) | STINKIER | (Bo)ST(on) + INKIER (blacker) | |
| QC | Sulphur ignites over character’s feet (6) | SERIFS | S(ulphur) + FIRES (ignites) all reversed | |
| AA | Awkward giantess supplies brooms (8) | GENISTAS | [GIANTESS]* | |
| PA | Two short legumes with earth in between – sacred plants (7) | PEEPULS | PE(a) + PULS(e) round E(arth) | |
| BY | Religious works Satie composed on piano (6) | PIETAS | P(iano) + [SATIE]* | |
| MY | Perplexed astronomer misses rarest, newly formed, satellite (4) | MOON | ASTRONOMER minus RAREST gives [ONOM]* | |
| LT | Brown’s inclinations to strengthen port security (10) | TANTALUSES | TAN (brown) + TALUSES (sloping earthworks) | |
| BR | Abstain from using, spell in idle period (9, 2 words) | SPARE TIME | SPARE (abstain from using) + TIME (spell) | |
| MR | Molten mass all but transformed into chalky loam (9) | MALMSTONE | [MOLTEN MAS(s)]* | |
| OR | Music maker, stunted religious man, old, ordained by Church (9) | MONOCHORD | MON(k) + O(ld) + CH(urch) + ORD(ained) | |
| JP | Noisy leaders of Syria and Turkey are sorry (8) | STREPENT | S(yria) + T(urkey) + REPENT (are sorry) | |
| DM | Engineer with bearing interrupts to interlock gears in “Le Tour”, perhaps (9) | ENGRENAGE | ENGAGE (interlock) round RE (engineer? Chambers has Royal EngineerS) + N(orth) (bearing) | |
| RI | Varied set menus. with no trace of newt — unmissable! (7) | MUST-SEE | [SET ME(n)US]* | |
| GG | Freak involved in character assassination (5) | TERAS | Hidden in (charac)TER AS(sassination) | |
| MG | Oddly, Briton grabs eco-fuel (6) | BIOGAS | Odd letters in B(r)I(t)O(n)G(r)A(b)S |
I agree – absolutely wonderful puzzle! I recall BIOGAS and LOGOUT being the pairing that made me think “what if both O and G were in one cell”, then yes retuning to top left confirmed. Initially had TANTALISES so had a lop sided bat for a little while, but clear enough what was going on to go looking to resolve the left hand side. Slight quibble, and completely unavoidable of course so churlish even to raise it, but it was annoying to have to keep finding the clues in the list! 10/10 nonetheless.
Well done Hihoba for understanding the acrostic instruction so quickly! I failed to make any sense of it all and eventually resorted to a “cheat” forum for an explanation (I never send puzzles in so I won’t have diddled anyone out of the prize). I suppose it’s all quite obvious when you’re told what you’re looking for…
I agree with Trebor that it was annoying to have to keep finding the clues. I spent almost as long on this as actually solving them.
A very clever construction and a nice theme – shame the last stage went way over my head. Congratulations to those who finished it unaided.
On and off, took me days, rather than hours ! Realising that double-letter cells enabled answers to fit was the first PDM, but the M/O for line-description eluded me for even longer. Even then, I was so fixated on Macbeth’s witches, that I was convinced that I had drawn one, complete with pointy hat, riding a rather stubby broomstick upwards to the right .. but when I showed it proudly to my wife she immediately said “That’s a BAT”.
If a first puzzle, then congratulations to setter … or setters, Harry and Bob ?
The image of last year’s “Great Pumpkin” by Charybdis still burns bright in my memory too.
On the night, we stocked up with £3-worth of mini-Milky Ways (should have been Haribos ?) but, for the first time, didn’t get a single knock on our door.
I have never in many years of solving the Inquisitor (and before that the Saturday Independent) decided at preamble stage that a puzzle is just not worth so many hours if not days of my life. This was a first. Maybe I’m just getting thicker.
Another wonderful puzzle from Harribobs who has very quickly become one of my favourite setters; he offers such variance in his themes and gimmicks. His prize puzzle this month in Magpie is worth the subscription just to see what he has done. I was looking for ‘toil and trouble’ for a while before I had a d’oh moment when I realised that the letters were of course grid references (or more truthfully when someone nudged me). I agree with the niggle that it was a bit of nuisance figuring out which clue was for which entry. Great stuff though.
Lovely series the IQ and I really enjoy reading the blogs, thanks very much.
Whilst all pleasure now seems to have turned to ashes in my mouth, I do remember experiencing genuine pleasure in solving this puzzle and it deserves me digging into my reserves of positivity.
An initial period of bewildered panic at first read of the preamble continued as I found that the clues I’d solved clearly didn’t fit where the only obvious interpretation suggested they should. However, I eventually dug out a pencil and started writing them in regardless and PDM1 eventually arrived. I agree that it was marginally frustrating having to scan through the clues each time to find the one you wanted, but this barely impacted on the enjoyment of the solve. Perhaps the hidden message could have been identified in another way, but then maybe having the clues in order may have made it too obvious how the referencing worked.
I’d assumed that the emerging message would make sense as I reached the end, but when I got there I had another period of bewildered panic before PDM2 eventually arrived.
Superb all round – thanks to Harribobs and to Hi.
Somehow the following comment became associated with the grid image rather than this post:
CandF says:
November 9th, 2016 at 1:32 pm
We got all the clues but failed to find the lines to make the bat. It seems so simple too and now we’re kicking ourselves. Thank you and now to start this week’s!
Started this a week late, and yes – it took ages to sort out the grid. (I got the clues into a spreadsheet and ordered them alphabetically by clue indicator, RU, SN, etc, which helped.) Then 30 mins. grid-staring for each of the next few evenings … I made the move from LM (LU) to LU (AX) but needed a nudge to continue to AX (ET) and so on – very frustrating.
Very nice bat, and what a grid construction! Thanks Hihoba & Harribobs. (The Listener website has Peter Harrison as the name associated with the setter Harribobs.)
Yes, a really great puzzle with genuine PDMs – the doubling up of letters in cells and the line drawing. All quite simple really….not !
I’m just glad the clueing wasn’t that difficult or ele this would have been one witch of a solve….and like Murray@3 I was convinced I had a witch on a broomstick, mainly due to one muddled double-letter.
Many thanks Harribobs and Hi.
This was a bit of a challenge. Lots of cold solving required because there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason about how the answers should be squeezed into the grid. I got something that looked like it might be right by the end, and the instruction, but I’m afraid I could make little sense of it. A definite win for the setter.
A Saturday when other than leaving the house for the papers, I was hunkered down. This afforded the rare luxury of a full session with the IQ. There have been some crackers lately and this was up there. I loved the innovation of the grid and entry system. Yep, it was a touch frustrating at times to locate the clue, but a small price to pay for the ingenuity. The grid fill went slowly but surely, the SE corner taking a while and falling last thanks to an error with one of my double letter entries. The endgame fell surprisingly quickly and raised a smile. What great fun from Harribobs. I agree with JN@5, this setter is becoming a favourite. The recent EV #1248 was another jaw dropping construction. How setters continue to innovate with what is essentially a grid and a set of clues amazes me.
A wonderful puzzle. Many thanks to blog and setter.
I have just remembered why the Harribat rang a distant bell.
Does anyone remember Dimitry’s brilliant ( as all his were) Listener puzzle, in December 1998, where the grid ended up as a Stealth bomber ?
Like bingybing @4, I couldn’t even get going with this one. And I just don’t get the solution either!
IQ (and EV in the Telegraph too)is becoming harder than the Listener.
While I admire the ingenuity of the setters and skill of the bloggers I’m really losing interest.
Wonderful stuff, many thanks to Harribobs. I solved a surprising (for me) number of clues on the first couple of reads through, without having any crossing letters. After a couple of days though I was still baffled at how to actually enter any of them in the grid. I took the plunge with a couple that appeared to intersect and then things began to slot into place. For a foolishly long time I thought that RY had to be REANIMATE (with an anagram of Arne at the beginning) and like others was held up by TANTALUSES (thanks to Terrier for that one). I also required a hint to know what to do once the grid had been completed and the message revealed.
The thought and effort that must go into constructing something like this is just baffling. I honestly wouldn’t know where to start.
Enjoyed the spooky clue references too.
I spent many hours on this, solved most of the clues and had a go at fitting them together in the grid but eventually I had to admit defeat. I just thought of the letters as being omitted rather than doubled up in the cells. Looking back I can’t see how I managed to miss the huge hint in the title, but miss it I did.
Having seen the solution I can see that this is a magnificent puzzle, unfortunately just a bit beyond me.
For the record I like puzzles that are a bit too hard for me, it gives extra satisfaction when I do manage to completely finish one. So JH if you are reading please do keep up the standard of difficulty in the IQ.
Many thanks to Hihiba and Harribobs