This was a fun puzzle from Encota
The preamble stated that "to mark an anniversary, two relevant thematic words must fill the unclued shaded areas. All instances of one character associated with this anniversary must then be appropriately changed to another. Seven more cells. symmetrically placed and forming a third thematic character containing three contiguous examples of itself should be shaded to complete a relevant phrase. Finally, an appropriate phrase (13 letters) is to be highlighted."
Like all preambles, this one made much more sense after the puzzle was completed than it did at the start.
One thing was clear though – all the clues were normal and that doesn’t happen very often with the Inquisitor.
As is frequently the case, I started solving and hoped the preamble would make more sense as I went along.
I think because the clues were normal, I got off to a good start and maintained fairly steady progress throughout. It was fairly clear that the unclued down entry was going to be SWEDEN. When thinking about potential Swedish anniversaries, the first thing that came to mind was the assassination of Olaf Palme, the Prime Minister. However I soon discovered that was a non-starter given he was killed on 23rd February 1986.
It was time therefore for a bit of research. Fortunately it didn’t take too long to track down the day when Sweden changed from driving on the left to driving on the right – Sunday 3rd September 1967 – just about 50 years to the day when this Inquisitor was published.
The changeover day was designated DAGEN H, so that confirmed the first letter of the unclued across entry. There was a very clear H shape in the middle of the grid and yes, there were 3 contiguous letters H up the SW- NE diagonal of the shape.
The penultimate part of the end game was to identify a letter to change. Given that Sweden was going from driving on the left (L) to driving on the right (R) it seemed logical that every L should be changed to an R. I could see seven Ls in the original grid. On doing this, I was relieved to see that each change generated one or two new real words. Some of the new words are fairly obscure but that’s not a surprise in a barred weekend crossword.
Finally, we had to identify and highlight a thirteen letter phrase. The clear phrase was located in the top row as RIGHT HAND SIDE. I must admit I hadn’t noticed LIGHT HAND SIDE until this point.
So it all fell into place and the preamble made eminent sense.
The animation of the grid below starts with the original grid for 10 seconds, goes fairly quickly through the H and the identification of the Ls and then goes back to a 10 second delay showing the grid with the Rs in place and a further 10 seconds on the final grid with RIGHT HAND SIDE highlighted. The animation then just loops forever.
In the clues, there is one that I have had great difficulty parsing. Indeed, as I say in the detail below, I’m not even sure if I’ve got it right. That’s the one at 16 across where I have entered IN NAME. I’ve finally come up with an idea as I finalise the blog and I feel fairly confident about it, but I wouldn’t be surprised to be told I have missed something more obvious.
As ever, I didn’t get all the hidden words first time round. One of my mantras these days, is if you can’t solve after a couple of minutes, try looking for a hidden word and then work out what the indicator is and don’t be surprised to find it’s something basic like ‘in’.
The phrase DO ONE’S KIND at 7 down is one that I haven’t come across before but the word play was clear.
It’s only now writing virtually the last words of the blog that I notice all the golfing allusions in the clue for 29 down – Walton Heath, ELS, starter and course. There’s always more to a crossword than you notice first, second or even third time through. Writing a blog does bring out more hidden nuances.
The various stages of the grid look like this
As fellow blogger, Kenmac indicates in his comment at 5 below there is plenty of information about H-Day on the web. Ken e-mailed me after he noted that his links didn’t work properly. I think this one will take you to where Ken was pointing. Wikipedia article on H-Day showing logo as well
The title HANGED IN ERROR is telling us that DAGEN H is an anagram of (in error) HANGED
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Hurtling lost urn, both broken and worthless (5)
|
Anagram of (broken) HURTLING excluding (lost) the letters of URN. These letters are removed non-consecutively from hURtliNg, hence broken URN) I haven’t explained that very well, but both the letters remaining in HURTLING and URN itself are broken LIGHT* |
LIGHT (worthless) |
|
5
|
Ownership of heroin on circuit (4)
|
H (heroin) + AND (a logic circuit) H AND |
HAND (possession; ownership)
|
|
8
|
Going around in Swedish team (4)
|
Hidden word reversed (going around in) SWEDISH SIDE< |
SIDE (team)
|
|
11
|
Electrically charged particle regularly seen in a minority of one (5)
|
ANION (letters 1, 4, 7, 10 and 13 [seen regularly] in A MINORITY OF ONE) ANION |
ANION (electrically charged particle)
|
|
12
|
Ring after Iain’s expression of impatience and fashion a hare without tail (8)
|
OCH (Scottish [Iain] expression of impatience) + O (letter shaped like a ring) + TON (fashion) + A OCH O TON A |
OCHOTONA (the pika genus of tailless hares)
|
|
13
|
Turns of phrase to fool Italian zoologist (8)
|
CON (fool) + CETTI (reference Francesco CETTI [1726 – 1778], Italian zoologist) CON CETTI |
CONCETTI (ingenious turns of expression)
|
|
14
|
Retreat after Earl becomes prime minister (4)
|
E (earl) + DEN (retreat) E DEN |
EDEN (reference Lord Avon, formerly Sir Anthony EDEN [1897 -1977], Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1955 to 1957)
|
|
16
|
As a formality, describing morning, at least cryptically? (6, 2 words)
|
I’m really struggling a bit with this one. I think the clue is telling us IN NAME is a cryptic clue for morning as AM (ante meridiem; morning) is contained in (IN) NAME IN N (AM) E as a bit of reverse engineering |
IN NAME (if this is the right answer then the definition is ‘as a formality’)
|
|
17
|
Fine collected in bunch of fives, as before (4)
|
Anagram of (collected) FINE NIEF* |
NIEF (archaic [as before] and dialect word for fist [bunch of fives])
|
|
18
|
Incisive device connects church to network (5)
|
LAN (Local Area Network) + CE (Church of England) LAN CE |
LANCE (surgeon’s lancet; incisive device)
|
|
22
|
Knives perhaps made with this handle locally (5)
|
STEEL (knives can be made with stainless STEEL) STEEL |
STEEL (dialect [local] word for handle, shank or shaft)
|
|
24
|
One’s life force getting lively? Not half! (3)
|
CHIRPY (lively) excluding (not) the last 3 of the 6 (half) letters RPY CHI |
CHI (an individual person’s life-force)
|
|
25
|
Malik at last is an Indian peasant (5)
|
K (final letter of [at last] MALIK + IS + AN K IS AN |
KISAN (Indian word for peasant)
|
|
26
|
Looking back, board not salesman – has restricted rise says Ed (5)
|
STOND (reversed [looking back] hidden word in [has restricted] BOARD NOT SALESMAN) STOND< |
STOND (Spenserian [Edmund; Ed] word for stand [rise])
|
|
30
|
Ancient language so described behind bars? (5)
|
IN CAN (a phrase informally descriptive of someone behind in prison behind bars) IN CAN |
INCAN (ancient South American language)
|
|
31
|
Gangway stripped of bright cover could become trouble (4)
|
Anagram of (could become) GANGWAY excluding (stripped off) the outer letters (cover) GAY (bright]) GNAW* |
GNAW (distress; trouble)
|
|
32
|
Gambling game with doctor aboard sitting next to ship’s stud (6)
|
(EO [18th century gambling game] containing [with … aboard] MB [Bachelor of Medicine; doctor]) + SS (steamship) E (MB) O SS |
EMBOSS (to cover with bosses [studs]; to stud))
|
|
34
|
Number following can kid in Stromness (4)
|
LOO (toilet; can) + N (number) LOO N |
LOON ( a boy in the North East of Scotland [Stromness is an important town on Orkney])
|
|
35
|
In garden area, drain away from soil disinfected (8)
|
LEACH (drain away percolation, from soil for example) contained in (in) BED (an area of a garden) B (LEACH) ED |
BLEACHED (disinfected)
|
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36
|
Notice queen’s in move on cleaner (8)
|
(QU [queen] contained in [‘s in] SEE (notice) + GEE (instruction to a horse to move on) S (QU) EE GEE |
SQUEEGEE (cleaning implement)
|
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37
|
Give words of books interrupting Manuel’s lack of understanding (5)
|
OT (Old Testament) contained in (interrupting) QUE (Spanish for what? – expression used by Manuel in the sitcom Fawlty Towers to indicate his lack of understanding) QU (OT) E |
QUOTE (give the actual words)
|
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38
|
Earth lodges, perhaps, as for some in habits (4)
|
UT (Latin for as) replacing A BIT (some) in HABITS to form HUTS H UT S |
HUTS (a crudely built shelter which presumably could be constructed from earth)
|
|
39
|
Norfolk town‘s rubbish (4)
|
DISS (town in Norfolk) DISS |
DISS (to treat with disrespect or contempt; to rubbish) double definition
|
|
40
|
3rd of September with lion chasing new crab in part (5)
|
P (third letter of September; 3rd of September) + LEO (lion) + N (new) P LEO N |
PLEON (the abdomen of a crustacean, bearing the swimming legs; e.g. part of a crab)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
99 dubiously assembled wheels in film maker Fritz’s beating (6)
|
Anagram of (dubiously assembled) IC (Roman numerals for 99) contained in (in) LANG (reference Fritz LANG [1890 – 1976], Austrian film director) LA (CI*) NG |
LACING (beating)
|
|
2
|
No longer unexpected pain in toe when broken (9)
|
Anagram of (when broken) PAIN IN TOE INOPINATE* |
INOPINATE (obsolete [no longer] word for unexpected)
|
|
3
|
Inn opening on rising northern path (6)
|
INN contained in (opening) LEG (in cricket, the LEG side is also known as the on side) reversed (rising; down clue) G (INN) EL< |
GINNEL (Northern English term for narrow alley or path between high walls or buildings)
|
|
4
|
Niersteiner and ham (4)
|
HOCK (properly, the wine made at Hochheim, on the Main, in Germany; now applied to all white Rhine wines. Neirsteiner is a Rhine wine) HOCK |
HOCK (ham) double definition
|
|
5
|
Escort after improvement, say is ardent to conceive (8, 2 words)
|
HOT (ardent) + HATCH (conceive) HOT HATCH |
HOT HATCH (A Ford Escort is an example of a HATCH back car. One that has been tuned or improved could be termed a HOT HATCH)
|
|
6
|
Temporary artefact in gold boxes (6)
|
ACTING (hidden word in [boxes] ARTEFACT IN GOLD) ACTING |
ACTING (temporary)
|
|
7
|
Exmoor’s heroine’s family departs to act naturally, according to Will (10, 3 words)
|
DOONE’S KIN (family of the heroine Lorna DOONE, in the novel by R D Blackmore set on Exmoor) + D (depart) DO ONE’S KIN D |
DO ONES KIND (a Shakespearean[Will] phrase meaning to act naturally)
|
|
8
|
Eno in still for a squeezing (8)
|
STATIC (still) with ENO replacing (for) A ST (ENO) TIC |
STENOTIC (descriptive of a restriction in a tube or passage; squeezing)
|
|
9
|
Number one blood group takes out salts (7)
|
I (Roman numeral for one; umber one) + O (a blood group) + DATES (takes out) I O DATES |
IODATES (chemical salts)
|
|
10
|
Shakespearean gave birth to take from deserved (5)
|
EARNED (deserved) excluding (from) R (recipe; Latin for take) EANED |
EANED (Shakespearean term for ‘give birth to’)
|
|
15
|
Inveigled mistake welcoming Liberal and news chief (10)
|
(BISH [mistake] containing [welcoming] [L {Liberal} + AND]) + ED (editor; news chief) B (L AND) ISH ED |
BLANDISHED (inveigled)
|
|
19
|
X-factor finalist’s forgotten a bow – retake shot for Strictly monitor? (9, 3 words)
|
Anagram of (shot) A BOW RETAKE excluding (forgotten) R (last letter of [finalist] X-FACTOR) BE AWAKE TO* |
BE AWAKE TO (be fully aware of; strictly monitor)
|
|
20
|
Teens con garbled strings of common place phrases and quotations (8)
|
Anagram of (garbled) TEENS CON CENTONES* |
CENTONES (string of commonplace phrases and quotations)
|
|
21
|
You may find these West Indian tortoises in each site, potentially (8)
|
Anagram of (potentially) of EACH SITE HICATEES* |
HICATEES (West Indian freshwater tortoises)
|
|
23
|
Sailor’s words to change direction of Vasco da Gama’s state contest (7, 2 words)
|
GOA (Vasco da Gama is the largest city in the Indian State of Goa) + BOUT (contest) GO A BOUT |
GO ABOUT (a sailing term meaning ‘to change direction’)
|
|
27
|
E-class hybrid series (6)
|
Anagram of (hybrid) E-CLASS SCALES* |
SCALES (graduated series)
|
|
28
|
Void of footwear, peacekeepers broadcast hence! (6)
|
UN (United Nations; peacekeepers) + SHOE (sounds like SHOO [be off with you!; hence!) UN SHOE |
UNSHOE (remove footwear; void of footwear)
|
|
29
|
Ernie maybe halving Walton Heath for starters is run from course (5)
|
ELS (reference the golfer Ernie ELS) contained in (halving) WH (first letters [for starters] of each of WALTON and HEATH) W (ELS) H |
WELSH (run off from a racecourse without settling or paying one’s bets)
|
|
33
|
Nearly row in old school (4)
|
SCULL (row) excluding the final letter (nearly) L SCUL |
SCUL (obsolete [old] spelling for school)
|
16a – IN NAME –> nine a.m. So it is a cryptic representation of 9a.m.
It puzzled me too, but that was my take on it after a lot of musing.
A fun puzzle, indeed. The usual thanks all round. I’d never heard of the anniversary but (some time) after seeing SWEDEN guessed DAGEN as a Swedish day – which was enough for Google. It was generous of Encota to make the H not only central but highly visible as a near-complete outline of bars: only two missing.
I think you’re parsing of AM contained within NAME is right. Enjoyed this, although I always fail on anything in which the preamble uses the word contiguous…
Thoroughly enjoyable. The grid fill was pretty straightforward, as was most of the end game. I made a bit of a meal of finding the H, trying just about everything first apart from the obvious. More please!
Hi Duncan,
I’m not sure if you spotted that the H was the logo for Högertrafikomläggningen. As shown here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagen_H#/media/File%3ADagen_H.svg
kenmac@5
I’ve got your e-mail that notes your links at 5 above are not working and I’ve updated the post to include a link to the Wikipedia article that also shows the logo. I’ve added the link just below the grid animation.
Very enjoyable, thanks to Encota (nice debut!) and Duncan for the blog.
For a while I thought that there had to be some significance to the multiple examples of double letters (SQUEEGEE, LOON, HICATEES, DISS…). But once I spotted SWEDEN and DAGEN appearing, I had a good idea of the theme having listened to this interesting podcast on the topic last year.
I completely missed the hidden STOND at 26a – I got the right answer but had no idea why. The same goes for IN NAME.
From a preview of the solution to this puzzle, it’s clear we should have looked at the first letter of each clue: HOGERTRAFIK…
A 100% complete finish without any aids, my first for a while. I’m not normally keen on puzzles where filling the grid has nothing to do with the end game but in this case I enjoyed it. Good fun indeed.
Guessing the switching road sides references without having to use Wikipedia for aid was nice. I like it when setters give enough away for me to deduce the result from the puzzle rather than by trawling the Internet. Thanks to all, especially to HG for pointing out the first letters of the clues. In reality even if by some chance I had looked I’m sure that I would have concluded that HOGERTRAFIK… was just some random gibberish.