Happy New Year! There we go, I’ve used my one exclamation mark for 2017. This was an interesting, and tough, puzzle to start us off in the Sindy for 2017. Sherlock appears to be a new setter, and if he is, then I’m looking forward to some more from him. I have my suspicions, though, that it’s an established setter using another pseudonym.
The theme is obviously the Sherlock Holmes novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Not the first time that they have appeared as themed material, but no matter – it made for an interesting solve. I can’t see why this would be appearing today, apart from the fact that there’s a one-off episode of the BBC TV drama Sherlock on the telly this evening, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman playing the detective duo, which I’m looking forward to.
As for my suspicions about the setter, I fancy it’s Tees (who has form for this kind of malarkey). But that could be bollocks, and if it is, then congrats to Sherlock on his first publication. Getting compared to Tees is high praise in my book.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) missing
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Pass by one with Sherlock Holmes initially
PERISH
A charade of PER, I and SH. And our first Sherlock Holmes reference.
4 Extremists in sect resolve nothing through power
STRENGTH
The outside letters of ‘sect’, ‘resolve’, ‘nothing’ and ‘through’.
9 Doctor has split pea soup with father
PADRE
An insertion of DR in (PEA)*
10 “Having shingles is serious” computer returns
GRAVELLED
A slightly whimsical way of saying that a ‘shingle’ beach would be GRAVELLED, I guess. It’s GRAVE followed by DELL reversed.
11 We persuade and we led Sherlock to cut hair and restyle
WHEEDLERS
Sherlock is asking you to take LOCK (‘hair’) out of SHERLOCK and then make an anagram of (WE LED SHER)*
12 Sign of Four, taken aback by reading work
VIRGO
A charade of a reversal of IV for the Roman numeral for ‘four’, R for ‘reading’ (one of the three Rs) and GO for ‘work’ (‘it’s going/it’s working’). It’s referring to the ACD work, although strictly (I have just learned) it’s titled The Sign of the Four.
13 Battle shows soldiers in TA centres getting organised
REENACTMENTS
I’d always use a hyphen in this, but it’s an insertion of MEN in (TA CENTRES)*
17 It’s possible to make attractive kitchen company fit island in
MAGNETISABLE
I’m going to nominate this as the most unusual word in a 2017 crossword. It’s perfectly fair, of course: an insertion of IS in MAGNET and ABLE. Did I need a wordsearch to get it? Yep.
20 Regularly hasn’t tartar or cavities
ANTRA
The even letters of hAsNt TaRtAr, and the plural of ANTRUM.
21 Doctor Watson, do I detect an exotic tree?
SATINWOOD
(WATSON DO I)* and another themed clue.
23 They are where a driver might pull into the pit
SAND TRAPS
A cd. Something to do with golf.
24 Detective hasn’t left accommodation
HOMES
HO[L]MES, and another themed clue.
25 Adler set about inspector
LESTRADE
(ADLER SET)* More Sherlock Holmes: Inspector LESTRADE was a character in some of the ACD novels.
26 Turn up line written in biro that’s well known
PUBLIC
A reversal of UP followed by an insertion of L in BIC.
Down
1 Shifting pork pie wedged at first in plumbing …
PIPEWORK
(PORK PIE W)*
2 … ends oddly with A Study in Scarlet getting flushed
REDDENED
The odd letters of EnDs and DEN for ‘study’ in RED for ‘scarlet’. A Study in Scarlet is an ACD novel and is popular with setters because it has fifteen letters.
3 His Last Bow? It has a couple of twists and turns
S-BEND
A charade of S for the last letter of ‘his’ and BEND for ‘bow’. And another ACD work.
5 They can make neat TV sisters
TRANSVESTITES
(NEAT TV SISTERS)* I suppose that the setter is getting at the fact that two cross-dressing men could make a pair on the telly, but I don’t dwell in that universe, so tell me if I’ve got that wrong. I’ll say that this is an &lit, but Tees will put me right if it’s not.
6 Drains out of Pilsener vat especially
ENERVATES
Hidden in PilsENER VAT ESpecially.
7 Former VP, having promoted good causes by the truckload
GALORE
Referring to the former US Veep AL GORE. Since it’s a down clue, you need to ‘promote’ the letter G for ‘good’. He was nearly president – remember the Florida recount?
8 Hound story’s beginning altered for American banker
HUDSON
(HOUND S)* A nod to The Hound of the Baskervilles, I suppose. Some folk don’t like ‘banker’ to designate ‘river’, but I’m okay with it. There’s a film out at the minute about the pilot who ditched his plane in the Hudson River when both engines failed due to bird strikes. He displayed coolness.
10 King developed garden site around front of castle. It’s used for wishing well
GREETINGS CARD
Bit complicated to parse, but I think it’s GR for ‘King’ or GEORGE REX, followed by an insertion of C for the first letter of ‘castle’ in (GARDEN SITE)* The anagrind is ‘developed’.
14 Art able to move when through medium of sculpture
ALABASTER
An insertion of AS for ‘when’ in (ART ABLE)* The insertion indicator is ‘when through’, which is an interesting way of putting it.
15 Sailor meets girl at port? That’s unusual
ABNORMAL
A charade of AB for ‘able seaman’, NORMA and L for ‘port’ or the left-hand side of a ship.
16 A hollow rock thus makes a kind of dome
GEODESIC
GEODE – ‘a small cavity in a rock’ – followed by SIC for the Latin word for ‘thus’. A geodesic dome is a hemispherical thin-shell structure (lattice-shell) based on a network of geodesics (great circles) on the surface of a sphere or a hemisphere. My first learning of the new year, and no bad thing.
18 Subject of, e.g Leaving Las Vegas, getting drunk
VASSAL
(LAS V[EG]AS)* Leaving Las Vegas was not by ACD.
19 Spells Second Stain with an S
STINTS
A charade of S, TINT and S, and referring to another ACD work.
22 Famous Indian teapot he filled and tipped up
NEHRU
A reversal of HE in URN.
Delightful New Year’s Day puzzle from Sherlock. Thanks to him, and all best wishes to setters, bloggers, commenters and lurkers for 2017.
Wot, no bird link?
25ac very cleverly features two ACD characters – (Irene) Adler in the clue, and LESTRADE in the solution.
I didn’t get the significance of TRANSVESTITES and TV sisters either, but Googling turned up this news story, which may be the reference?
Thanks Pierre and Sherlock, whoever you are.
Great puzzle from Sherlock. Beginner schmeginner.
Thanks Pierre and happy new year all
8D Another reference, Mrs Hudson is Holmes’ landlady.
Enjoyable puzzle. Thanks to Sherlock and Pierre.
Very enjoyable. The app version gives the setter as Math rather than Sherlock, although whether that’s given the game away as to Sherlock’s identity or just a cock-up, who knows …
Thanks to setter, whoever they are, and Pierre for blog. Happy New Year all.
@geebs
Your post raises the possibility of transposition of file name and setter name.
NB- no pipes were smoked during this cogitation
Not quite elementary – I needed help for 10ac, though why I don’t know because it was so obvious once I saw it.
Thanks, Sherlock and Pierre
PS Just realised there’s a veiled reference to SH in 1dn.
Actually this is by Math – the attribution to Sherlock was a cock-up on my part, using the puzzle title rather than the setter name.
Attribution corrected in light of Eimi’s comment @7.
Ah well, I shouldn’t have made a wild guess at Tees as the ghost setter. Just finished watching Sherlock on the BBC – very good, but far too cryptic.
Merci Pierre – Happy New Year.
Our crossword app has Sherlock for the setter, the online paper says Math but we are pleased that Eimi dropped in to sort out the confusion. Maybe he can also explain parts of Sherlock on the BBC too.
A good start to the week (if weeks start on Sundays) but also a fun start to the year.
Thanks Math.