Anax provided a puzzle for the York S&B this weekend entitled “Top Job! by Anax” and it certainly was a top job by Anax! If you haven’t already solved the puzzle and wish to do so before reading this blog then click on the following to download a copy: Anax @ York 2017.
This was a fitting tribute to John Henderson, the organiser of this weekend’s event. All of his setting pseudonyms (Enigmatist, Io, Nimrod and Elgar) have been used in one way or another as indicated below.
The preamble can be broken down as follows:
Two answers are unclued – 4ac, 44ac
Six more must be jumbled before entry – 1ac, 7ac, 43ac, 45ac, 5dn, 31dn
One light contains two identical alternatives to a name – 27ac
Two other names are removed elsewhere – ELGAR 18/19ac, NIMROD 35/37ac
Another name is hidden – ENIGMATIST in the bottom row
as is a suitably arranged job description – I AM SETTING in the top row – aptly, an anagram of ENIGMATIST
Many thanks to Anax for a most enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon (much, much better than doing the ironing, my customary Sunday afternoon pastime).
Across
1 Kind of computer game to entertain a writer (4)
SIAM – SIM (kind of computer game) around (to entertain) A – a jumble of AMIS (writer)
4 See preamble (3)
SET – unclued
7 Huge object, not hard one (5)
TINGA – T[h]ING (object, not hard) A (one) – a jumble of GIANT (huge)
13 Half a day with a hospital nurse (4)
AMAH – AM (half a day) A H (hospital)
15 Christmas verse removed from book (4)
NOEL – NO[v]EL (verse removed from book)
16 Number one actor returned in place of 27 (1-6)
E-REGION – NO (number) I (one) GERE (actor) all reversed (returned) – “a layer of the ionosphere able to reflect medium-frequency radio waves” (ODE)
17 I love to wear stupid expression (5)
IDIOM – I plus O (love) in (to wear) DIM (stupid)
18 Stuff that wraps a sweet (5)
CARAM – CRAM (stuff) around (that wraps) A – CARAMEL (sweet)
19 Dope user ruined decorations (7)
NITURES – NIT (dope) plus an anagram (ruined) of USER – GARNITURES (decorations)
20 What’s the point of freezing water? (6)
ICICLE – cryptic def.
22 Argument about constant drudgery? (4)
WORK – ROW (argument) reversed (about) K (constant)
24 Laugh when photo session doesn’t start (4)
HOOT – [s]HOOT (photo session doesn’t start)
26 Amateur chasing tree snake (3)
BOA – A (amateur) after (chasing) BO (tree)
27 On a game show, nearly name a process of physics (12)
TENNISATTENN – TENNIS (game) ATTEN[d] (show, nearly) N (name) – IONISATION (a process of physics) with both IOs changed to TEN (as per the preamble)
30 Eternity ring put in letter (3)
EON – O (ring) in (put in) EN (letter)
32 It indicates watery fluid in these rocks (4)
SERO – contained in (in) ‘theSE ROcks’
33 Norm’s a soldier (4)
PARA – PAR (norm) A
34 Plug in more ‘experimental’ aerial protector (6)
RADOME – AD (plug) in an anagram (experimental) of MORE – “a protective housing for a radar antenna made from a material that is transparent to radio waves” (Collins)
35 Jewish marriage brokers took tea after Sabbath (7)
SHADCHA – HAD CHA (took tea) after S (Sabbath) – SHADCHANIM (Jewish marriage brokers)
37 No good eating wild rats, mice etc. (5)
ENTIA – an anagram (wild) of EATIN[g] (no good eating) – RODENTIA (rats, mice etc.)
39 Explorer following gypsy around stronghold (5)
EYRIE – IE (explorer {for those who use Windows!}) after (following) RYE (gypsy) reversed (around)
40 Councillor’s servant not entirely covered in powder (7)
DUMAIST – MAI[d] (servant not entirely) in (covered in) DUST (powder) – “a person who belongs to a duma or Russian council” (Collins)
41 Bowl over potty, but the wrong way (4)
STUN – NUTS (potty) reversed (but the wrong way)
42 First thing under the hammer? African money (4)
LOTI – LOT 1 (first thing under the hammer) – “the basic monetary unit of Lesotho, equal to 100 lisente” (ODE)
43 A girl needs one good turn (5)
HENIG – HEN (a girl) I (one) G (good) – a jumble of HINGE (turn)
44 See preamble (3)
MAT – unclued
45 Time can only be time, right? (4)
ISTR – IS (can only be) T (time) R (right) – a jumble of STIR (time)
Down
1 Perhaps environmentally adapted spies initially turned into race (9)
SPECIATED – CIA (spies) T[urned] (initially turned) in (into) SPEED (race)
2 Heraldic image of a big cat eating a monarch (7)
ALERION – A LION (a big cat) around (eating) ER (a monarch) – “an eagle displayed, without feet or beak” (Chambers)
3 Fantastic! Beautiful! Put it up! (4)
MEGA – A GEM (beautiful) reversed (put it up)
4 Son’s objective to produce lard in Scotland (4)
SAIM – S (son) AIM (objective)
5 Farmers the last to waste bread (6)
EMONEY – [wast]E (the last to waste) MONEY (bread) – a jumble of YEOMEN (farmers)
6 Swimming monster swimming in a what? (7)
TANIWHA – an anagram (swimming) of IN A WHAT – “a mythical Maori monster, usu a water monster” (Chambers)
8 Endless river regarded as strong (9)
INDURATED – INDU[s] (endless river) RATED (regarded)
9 We do not allow infrared type of film (4)
NOIR – NO (we do not allow) IR (infrared)
10 Spare income goes to student of global trade (3-9)
GEO-ECONOMIST – an anagram (spare) of INCOME GOES TO
11 Charity fighting to change sides (4)
ALMS – ArMS (fighting) with L replacing the ‘r’ (to change sides)
12 Fern, possibly laurels around pine tree’s edges (12)
TRACHEOPHYTE – TROPHY (possibly laurels) around ACHE (pine) plus T[re]E (tree’s edges) – “any plant that has a conducting system of xylem and phloem elements; a vascular plant” (Collins)
14 His guards sell hockey passes (3-4)
HIT-OUTS – HIS around (guards) TOUT (sell) – I don’t have access to a SOED and so cannot confirm the ‘hockey’ reference. All my sources give HIT-OUTS as a term used in Australian rules football.
21 Indication that one’s left out Italian peasants (9)
CONTADINI – an anagram (out) of IND[i]CATION (indication that one’s left)
23 Before New Hampshire diner there’s nothing warmer (3,6)
FAN HEATER – FA (nothing) NH (New Hampshire) EATER (diner)
25 Hawk makes stop on lake (7)
TIERCEL – TIERCE ({organ} stop) L (lake) – “a male falcon or hawk, esp as used in falconry” (Collins)
28 Pretend to cross borders to hand over old royalty (7)
SHAHDOM – SHAM (pretend) around (to cross) H[an]D (borders to hand) O (over)
29 XX keeps it up — they love it (7)
EROTICS – SCORE (XX) around (keeps) IT reversed (up)
31 A stomach upset, and artist’s in shock (6)
MRAUTA – A TUM (a stomach) reversed (upset) around (and … ‘s in) RA (artist) – a jumble of TRAUMA (shock)
35 Unfortunately she’s blind (4)
SESH – an anagram (unfortunately) of SHE’S – ‘blind’ as in a long drinking session
36 A course for a river (4)
ARUN – A RUN (a course) – a river in Sussex
37 Discharge them, then object? (4)
EMIT – ‘EM (them) IT (object)
38 Almost mad about newspaper being racist? (4)
NAZI – ZAN[y] (almost mad) reversed (about) I (newspaper)
Enjoyable puzzle — just sorry that I couldn’t be in York to solve it in situ. I got held up for an inordinate amount of time by having (to my mind) the equally valid TRIPLE as an answer to 20ac, the triple point being the temperature at which water coexists as a solid, liquid and vapour. Sometimes a little scientific knowledge isn’t a help, but a hindrance! Thanks to Dean for an enjoyable hour or so.
Well, I thought this was absolutely incredible. I very much appreciated that it was made available prior to the meeting, where the essential beers and conversation aren’t most conducive to solving a tricky puzzle.
I missed Nimrod, but I got quite a kick out of translating the central clue to ionisation.
Great stuff Anax, and thanks John for a great meeting
Gaufrid, many many thanks for taking the time to solve and blog this, very much appreciated given that S&B puzzles attract few comments.
Thanks again for the puzzle, Anax. I really enjoyed solving it, and I think it was a great barred thematic for people who don’t generally venture cruciverbally outside the world of blocked puzzles. The middle row is stupendous!
Yes, a terrific puzzle from Anax with his usual high standard of surface read and wit. I loved 20A. Like Samuel, I was fixated on TRIPLE and also FUSION but could not justify either. Then I got the C from 21D and the lightbulb fired.
A fitting tribute to the man who organised a great event last weekend.
Wow! A great puzzle – thanks Anax – it took us most of Saturday evening and some of Sunday to sort it all out.
We really kicked ourselves for taking ages to sort out 27ac – once we had, we were amazed that we had not connected TEN with IO earlier, especially as we had figured out the the top and bottom rows and the missing ELGAR and NIMROD.
A great tribute to John – and thanks to Gaufrid for the blog.
Great puzzle Anax. I almost solved it in advance – thanks for making it available – but failed to ‘score’ on parsing the final 27ac.