So playfair puzzles aren’t my favourite cup of tea. Fortunately, my colleague Frank Yellin doesn’t mind them and has a bunch of python code to prove it (we are both Jewish so had plenty of time on our hands this week). So he helped me no end figuring out the actual magic square — which this time had no Q rather than the more usual I/J merging (to produce 25 letters of the alphabet in a 5×5 grid).
The missing horizontal letters spell out: “AH JOYFUL TIMES” and the verticals the remainder of the alphabet, namely, QNVBXDKRZPWCG. So if you ignore the Q you end up with this matrix:
A H J O Y
F U L T I
M E S B C
D G K N P
R V W X Z
And (according to Frank!) the title MSUSMXOFTYKB is the playfair encoding of CELEBRATIONS. I believe him because this is the time of year to be joyful and trust everyone!
| Across | ||
| 1 | AUTOSAVE | Computer facility to use freely when penning volume (8) |
| V in (to use)* with A missing in wordplay. Entry is UTOSAVE. | ||
| 5 | CABBALIST | 100 books catalogue expert in mystical texts (9) |
| C, BB,LIST with A missing. Entry is CBBLIST. | ||
| 11 | HIGH-HAT | Litigation envelops this toff (7) |
| IGAT is hidden so 3 Hs missing in wordplay. Entry is IGAT. | ||
| 12 | IMPHAL | WWII battlesite – I’ve mate here (6) |
| I’M PAL with H missing in wordplay. Entry is IMPAL. I spent far too long on wikipedia searching lists of WWI battlefields until it occurred to me to re-read the clue carefully. ref. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Imphal. |
||
| 14 | HURRAH | Roller brought into centre of quad? Whoopee! (6) |
| RR=roller in [q]UA[d] is wordplay so 2 Hs missing. ENTRY is URRA. | ||
| 15 | JESTER | Fool chopped trees (6) |
| trees* with J missing. Entry is ESTER. | ||
| 17 | JAMPAN | Sedan chair, front of pole held by a servant (6) |
| A,M(P[ole])AN with J missing. Entry is AMPAN. | ||
| 18 | STEM FORMS | Southern words including Middle French ancestral roots (9, 2 words) |
| S,TE(MF)RMS with O missing and MF=Middle French. Entry is STEMFRMS. | ||
| 20 | GAYAL | Young lady lassoes a domesticated ox in India (5) |
| G(A)AL with Y missing in wordplay. My first clue solved — based on the wordplay and a bit of BRB searching. Entry is GAAL. | ||
| 21 | BYLINE | Board of Education holds nothing back where author’s name appears (6) |
| rev(nil) in BE=Board of Education with Y missing in wordplay. Entry is BLINE. | ||
| 22 | FISH KNIFE | Regular feature of R. Stein restaurant, one seen in sink he redesigned (9, 2 words) |
| i in (sink he)* with F missing. Entry is ISHKNIE. Ref. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Stein whose first restaurant was a fish and chip shop conveniently for the clue. | ||
| 24 | FLARED | End of exercise – fat all round – wide at the bottom (6) |
| LAR(E)D with F missing. A reminder of the unfortunate 70s. Entry is LARED. | ||
| 27 | OUTGROSSED | Earned more than rest with goods recycled (10) |
| Wordplay is (rest, goods)* with U missing. So entry is OTGROSSED. | ||
| 30 | GOOLEY | Sticky pebble (6) |
| Two definitions – the first GOOLEY=marble=small stone and the second GOOEY so L missing in wordplay. With entry GOOEY indeed. | ||
| 31 | SCLEROUS | Hard courses negotiated (8) |
| Wordplay is courses* with L missing. Entry SCEROUS. | ||
| 35 | STATERS | Old coins are arranged on board (7) |
| Wordplay is are* in SS, so entry is SAERS with 2 Ts missing. Note that “on board” in cryptic grammar indicates “in SS” literally since SS=steamship. | ||
| 36 | ME TOO | Climbing on the bandwagon, low when involving minimum of effort (5) |
| E[ffort] in moo=low with T missing. Entry MEOO. | ||
| 40 | BLINDLESS | Unmasked, one leaves country, cutting wound (9) |
| L[a]ND in BLESS=wound with I missing. Entry is BLNDLESS — one of the last clues solved since the definition was a bit obscure. For me. | ||
| 41 | MUD PIE | Rich dessert, whipped pud, that is to follow (6, 2 words) |
| pud*,ie=that is. M missing. Entry is UDPIE. | ||
| 42 | HAMLET | Conservative abandoning holiday villa, a cluster of houses (6) |
| [c]HALET with M missing. Entry HALET. | ||
| 43 | IMPEL | Force halt, front moving to the rear (5) |
| For wordplay, take limp=(archaic) halt and move the first letter L to the back for IMPL which is entry. | ||
| 44 | LAMENT | Mourn return of sickness, not short (6) |
| rev(MAL=sickness),N’T with E extra. Entry is LAMNT. | ||
| 45 | SATIE | He composed final act for widow (5) |
| Two definitions – the 2nd being SATI=suttee which is Indian widow self-immolation (no comment). So E missing from the first definition: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Satie with entry SATI. | ||
| 46 | NAUSEATE | Loathe auntie’s broadcast about river? Not I (8) |
| ea=river (dialect) in (aunt[i]e)* so S missing in wordplay. A bit subtle since S could have been considered as anagram fodder.. but in this case it isn’t and the contraction “‘s” means “is” in the cryptic grammar. Entry NAUEATE. Didn’t notice this in my initial notes… just realized now as we speak. | ||
| 47 | STEEPEN | Become more inclined to write after a little support (7) |
| TEE=little support, PEN=to write. Entry TEEPEN. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | QUIESCING | Becoming silent, use icing creatively (9) |
| (use icing)* with Q missing. Entry UIESCING. | ||
| 2 | OVATES | Applauds porridge, packed with energy? (6) |
| E in OATS=porridge. V missing. Entry OATES. | ||
| 3 | STEMBOK | Stalk fine antelope (7) |
| STEM,OK for wordplay and entry. B missing. | ||
| 4 | EMBRAID | The old plait black curly ’air with them on top (7) |
| ‘EM,B,air* with D missing in wordplay. Entry is EMBRAI. EMBRAID is archaic plait. | ||
| 6 | BRANSLES | Taboos imposed on the French dances of old (8) |
| BANS=taboos,LES=(plural)the for the French. With R missing in wordplay. The dances also happen to be French. | ||
| 7 | BLAZE | Livid Scots are furious (5) |
| BLAE is Scots livid, so Z missing in wordplay and entry. | ||
| 8 | PLUMULAE | Down topper, one in crude rubber (8) |
| Definition is plural plumule=down. Wordplay is LUM=topper (hat),UL(A)E where ULE is crude rubber so P missing for entry LUMULAE. | ||
| 9 | SCRANNEL | Lentils coming up spread inside, formerly thin (8) |
| Wordplay is RAN=spread in rev(LENS=lentil genus) with C missing in wordplay for entry SRANNEL. SCRANNEL itself is archaic thin. | ||
| 10 | TANGIE | Part of capstan – I expect it was covered in seaweed (6) |
| TANIE is hidden for wordplay and entry with G missing. Definition is “spirit covered with seaweed”. | ||
| 13 | POMAK | One with thick hair up on top, he attends Sofia mosque? (5) |
| rev(mop,a) – ref. The Beatles aka moptops (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moptop). Definition is a Bulgarian muslim thus the Sofia reference. | ||
| 16 | STUNS | Stone from Washington, say, is dazzling (5) |
| ST,US for wordplay and entry with N missing. “from Washington, say” is just US. | ||
| 19 | WEIRDO | Poem turned up about Irish oddball (6) |
| IR=Irish in rev(ode=poem) for wordplay with W missing and entry EIRDO. | ||
| 23 | HOOVER | Wolf that woman’s seen devouring ducks (6) |
| To hoover down food is to wolf it down. Wordplay and entry is H(O,O)ER with O=duck (ref. cricket) and V missing. | ||
| 25 | DISGUSTING | Is kept in doin’ some housework, repellent (10) |
| D(IS)USTIN is wordplay and entry with 2 Gs missing — “doin’ some housework” is a clever way to indicate DUSTIN[g]. | ||
| 26 | BOARDMAN | Racing cyclist once raving mad having to follow barrow? (8) |
| Ref. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Boardman who won a few bike races. Wordplay is (castrated)BOARD=barrow,dma* for entry BOARDMA with N missing | ||
| 28 | TERRIBLE | Awful blunder in part of roofing? (8) |
| T(ERR)ILE for wordplay and entry with B missing. | ||
| 29 | DRUMBEAT | Tuck: odd slice of beef to have for lunch? (8) |
| Tuck is also a drumbeat. Wordplay is RUM,B[eef],EAT with D missing and entry RUMBEAT. | ||
| 32 | CORN RENT | Revenue in grain, acceptable in coin (8, 2 words) |
| C(ON)ENT for wordplay and entry where on=acceptable with 2 Rs missing. | ||
| 33 | PROLAPSE | Slip out of place, as role is miscast (8) |
| (as role)* with 2 Ps missing for wordplay. Entry is ROLASE. | ||
| 34 | CURSE | Damn employer promoting his last (5) |
| Wordplay is user=employer with the R (last letter) moved towards the front for entry URSE. | ||
| 35 | SEQUIN | Sparkler in use when it’s lit (6) |
| Wordplay is (in use)* with Q missing and entry SEUIN (note: that “when it’s lit” is the anagrind since can also mean drunk or high). Sparkler is also a gem thus SEQUIN. | ||
| 37 | KELIM | Rug length rolled up (5) |
| Wordplay is just rev(mile=length) with K missing for entry ELIM. KELIM is alternate spelling of KILIM. | ||
| 38 | DEWLAP | Wattle lost colour? Quite the reverse (6) |
| Wordplay is rev(paled) for entry DELAP with W missing. | ||
| 39 | RELAX | Final yard of race disposed of, put your feet up (5) |
| Wordplay and entry is RELA[y]=race. X is missing. | ||
*anagram
Sorry to be a killjoy…bah humbug…but the submission date for this puzzle is 31 Dec…so presumably the blog shouldn’t be published until then?…
I enjoyed this puzzle. Took some mental gymnastics to get my head around what to enter when letters were missing, but it all fell into place after a couple of days.
I thought this was a tour de force; the construction of the grid alone must have taken days.
One small quibble: ME-TOO should be shown as hyphenated to conform with the enumeration.
@bridgesong… me-too – quibble acknowledged and accepted!
I thought the grid was very clever, and even started to doubt that Azed couldn’t have compiled it by hand (à la Carol vorderman with constipation) worked out with a pencil and piece of paper.
Dr. Watson puts this right by mentioning two previous Azed puzzles that used the same gimmick:
http://andlit.org.uk/azed/slip.php?comp_no=920
http://andlit.org.uk/azed/slip.php?comp_no=1128
I got the playfair code very quickly, and from then on it became a bit of a slog to fill the grid.
I _nearly_ came a cropper on 25dn, stewing for ages on ‘DESISTING’ and also had a niggle that ‘DUSTING’ must be in there somewhere – until the bloody obvious hit me.
Great fun in the end.
Nick
P.S. as for comment #1 – I doubt anybody will be able to send a letter today, let alone it arrive by today.
Comment #1 was in response to my premature posting of this blog on xmas day (which as some of you might know is Dec 25 and not Dec 31) since I hadn’t read the preamble carefully.
Thanks for the blog. A good Christmas puzzle, albeit a bit odd and less of a workout than usual, in that you normally have to find out what the Playfair word is on the basis of partial entries and cold-solved clues, whereas this time it was just there on a plate, once you’d finished filling the grid.
Yes thanks heavens for that, Norman@7. A few years ago we had a Playfair where you had to find the code-word based on a whole lot of information and it took ages. This time it was a doddle and we could concentrate on more pressing matters.
The standard always goes up enormously when Azed does a special. This was wonderful, and to make matters even better it had no mistakes (none that I noticed, anyway). In his latest slip Azed seems to be taking responsibility for the errors, at least those of them that he mentions. The discussion surrounding a recent non-competition puzzle which was full of mistakes suggested that the errors were probably introduced by incompetent typesetting etc at The Observer. Perhaps Azed is just being grand and saying that the buck stops with him.
MS doesn’t decode as CE using the Playfair grid
Stanley @9: the puzzle’s instructions say ” When a pair of letters appears in the same row or column, the coded form is produced from the letters immediately to the right of or below each respectively”. The letters to the right of C and E are M and S.