It’s been three years since Nudd set an Inquisitor, so it’s a pleasant change to see one now.
The preamble told us that "a single letter must be jettisoned from each clue before solving, occasionally losing surface sense or affecting punctuation, but always leaving real words. In order, these letters spell a slightly abridged quotation and its speaker, suggesting how 13 answers must be amended before entry. Given answer lengths refer to grid entries".
My first thought was that ‘jettisoned’ was a slightly unusual word to define the omission of letters from the clue, so perhaps there is something to do with sea travel or air travel going on with the puzzle.
As ever, I just barrelled into the clues and hoped that something would become apparent as I solved.
Two of the early ones I solved were clearly too long for the space available. These were RITT-MASTER at 45 across and PATCHOCKE at 42 down. T seemed to be the likely intersection. I could see that MAST could be omitted from the across entry and there was a nautical connection.. CHOCK looked a likely omission from
the down entry but CHOCK didn’t ring any nautical bells. However, Chambers came up with ‘a fair-lead with a top opening through which a line or rope can be run (nautical)’ so that gave a clear steer to how all the 13 treated answers would develop.
I made steady progress through the clues, not always in clue order, as I was dotting all over the grid. Some of the nautical words were unknown to me, e.g. GAMMON, VANG and PARRAL but Chambers confirmed them all. For me, the most stubborn of the 13 treated entries was HESTERNAL at 32 across as it took
me a long time to deduce the definition part of the clue. Indeed, this entry was the last one in as _EAL was not very helpful for solving the clue.
The message took quite a long time to fall as well as I kept forgetting about 39 down and I thought the speaker was BETTY. I was also focused on BLOOD rather than BLOODY as quotations often refer to BLOOD. In the end though it all fell into place and the quotation resolved it self as THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH OUR BLOODY SHIPS TODAY – attributed to Admiral David BEATTY at the Battle of Jutland after two of his ships exploded. The full quote begins THERE SEEMS TO BE …. When I finally deduced the quote I still had a few clues to solve so the quote was helpful in narrowing down where the omitted letter in the clue might be.
The 13 treated answers therefore have us taking bits of ships out of answers before entering the remainder in the grid. I’m not sure I would interpret the quote as telling us to do this. I think would have interpreted it more as telling to take bits out of words that meant ship or words that were the names of ships. However, it was very clear what was going on.
The full list of bits of ship that were removed is as follows:
| Clue Number | Answer | Omission | Entry |
| 6 across | OVERWHELMING |
HELM [steering apparatus.] |
OVERWING |
| 12 across | NICKUMPOOP |
POOP [the after part of a ship, the part towards the stern; a high deck at the stern] |
NICKUM |
| 18 across | BACKGAMMONING |
GAMMON [the lashing of the bowsprit] |
BACKING |
| 28 across | BEHOLDING |
HOLD [the interior cavity of a ship used for the cargo] |
BEING |
| 32 across | HESTERNAL |
STERN [the hind part of a vessel] |
HEAL |
| 34 across | ABRIDGEMENT |
BRIDGE [the narrow raised platform from which the captain of a ship gives directions] |
AMENT |
| 46 across | RITT-MASTER |
MAST [long upright pole, esp one for carrying the sails of a ship] |
RITTER |
| 47 across | HEDGESPARROW |
SPAR [a general term for masts, yards, booms, gaffs, etc] |
HEDGEROW |
| 18 down | EVANGELY |
VANG [a guy-rope to steady a gaff] |
EELY |
| 24 down | KEDGEREE |
KEDGE [a small anchor for keeping a ship steady, and for warping the ship] |
REE |
| 27 down | CHAPARRAL |
PARRAL [a band by which a yard is fastened to a mast] |
CHA |
| 41 down | RAINBOW |
BOW [the forepart of a ship or boat] |
RAIN |
| 42 down | PATCHOCKE |
CHOCK [a fair-lead with a top opening through which a line or rope can be run] |
PATE |
There were some excellent clues. Just a couple of my favourites were the ones for AFRO and OMELETTES for their surfaces.
I was impressed that managed to get real words in all aspects of the puzzle – in the amended clues and after treating the already real word answers to the thirteen treated clues. I suppose a few of the words in clues where letters were omitted were obvious – e.g. POORT, BOTE and TWEE – but the majority of them definitely weren’t. I thought the best change from a missing letter was from MISLAY to ISLAY
An enjoyable puzzle.
The filled grid looked like this
The title – THAT SINKING FEELING – also underlines the nautical theme .
| Across | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. |
Clue Amended Clue |
Quote | Wordplay | Answer | Omission | Entry |
| 6 |
Heavily crushing whoever in terror left nasty smell (8) Heavily crushing whoever in error left nasty smell (8) |
T |
Anagram of (in terror) WHOEVER + L (left) + MING (nasty smell) OVERWHE* L MING |
OVERWHELMING (heavily crushing) | HELM | OVERWING |
| 12 |
Hold idiot to steal dope from the States without sign of hesitation (6) Old idiot to steal dope from the States without sign of hesitation (6) |
H |
(NICK [steal] + POOP [American informal word for information [dope]) containing (outside [without]) UM (an expression [sign] of hesitation) NICK (UM) POOP |
NICKUMPOOP (an old form of NINCOMPOOP [simpleton; idiot]) |
POOP | NICKUM |
| 13 |
Head off to block westbound lane which is seemingly endless (7) Head off to block westbound lan which is seemingly endless (7) |
E |
DETER (block) excluding (off) the first letter (head) D + LAN reversed (westbound) ETER NAL< |
ETERNAL (seemingly endless) | ETERNAL | |
| 15 |
With good reproachful term, sound like a prig (5) With good reproachful term, sound like a pig (5) |
R |
G (good) + RUNT (vague term of reproach) G RUNT |
GRUNT (sound like a pig) | GRUNT | |
| 16 |
Who would a-wooing go, cute with thick curls? (4) Who would a-wooing go, cut with thick curls? (4) |
E |
A FROG (he who would a wooing go) excluding the last letter (cut) G A FRO |
AFRO (hairstyle characterized by thick, bushy curls standing out from the head) |
AFRO | |
| 17 |
Empty teahouse let me doss in the middle, moving some seats (9) Empty teahouse let me doss in the middle, moving some eats (9) |
S |
Anagram of (moving) (TE [letters remaining when the central letters are removed from {empty} TEAHOUSE] and LET ME and OS [central letters of {in the middle} DOSS]) OMELETTES*
|
OMELETTES (example of some eats) | OMELETTES | |
| 19 |
Support old screw penning wild sheep, winning with triple score (7) Support old crew penning wild sheep, winning with triple score (7) |
S |
BACK (support) + (GING [obsolete [old] word for gang; crew] containing [penning] AMMON [another name for the Asian wild sheep, the argali]) BACK G (AMMON) ING |
BACKGAMMONING (descriptive of winning a triple game of BACKGAMMON scored by bearing off all 15 men while the loser still has a man in the winner’s inner table) |
GAMMON | BACKING |
| 22 |
Thicko succeeded entering small valley (5) Thick succeeded entering small valley (5) |
O |
S (succeeded) contained in (entering) DENE (small valley) DEN (S) E |
DENSE (thick) | DENSE | |
| 23 |
Mislay historic speech – it’s found in Jersey (4) Islay historic speech – it’s found in Jersey (4) |
M |
ERSE (hidden word in [it’s found in] JERSEY) ERSE |
ERSE (formerly, and still occasionally, the name given by Lowland Scots to the language of the people of the West Highlands, as being of Irish origin; sometimes used for Irish Gaelic, as opposed to Scottish Gaelic; a language spoken on Islay)) |
ERSE | |
| 26 |
Strong disinfectant produced by stock market trader restricted by bote (8) Strong disinfectant produced by stock market trader restricted by bot (8) |
E |
ARB (short form of ARBitrageur [stock market trader]) contained in (restricted by) COLIC [ bot also can be defined as COLIC]) C (ARB) OLIC |
CARBOLIC (a powerful disinfectant) | CARBOLIC | |
| 28 |
Starting in contemplation, live next to managed farm (5) Staring in contemplation, live next to managed farm (5) |
T |
BE (live) + HOLDING (a farm managed for its owner) BE HOLDING |
BEHOLDING (looking at in contemplation) | HOLD | BEING |
| 30 |
Ghee sheets turned back – these are actually fictitious (5) Gee sheets turned back – these are actually fictitious (5) |
H |
MY (gosh!; gee!) + SHT (sheets) reversed (turned back) MY THS< |
MYTHS (figments; fictitious stories) | MYTHS | |
| 31 |
Drew out ISA invested in one of ten groups making comeback (8) Drew out SA invested in one of ten groups making comeback (8) |
I |
IT (sex appeal [SA]) contained in (in) (DECILE [any of the ten equal groups into which the items in a frequency distribution can be divided] reversed [making comeback]) ELIC (IT) ED< |
ELICITED (drew out) | ELICITED | |
| 32 |
Yesterday’s men tanking three times as much (4) Yesterday’s men taking three times as much (4) |
N |
HES (males; men) + TERNAL (threefold; three times as much) HES TERNAL |
HESTERNAL (of yesterday; yesterday’s) | STERN | HEAL |
| 34 |
Grating hog’s-back soldiers couldn’t finally digest (5) Rating hog’s-back soldiers couldn’t finally digest (5) |
G |
AB (able seaman; rating) + RIDGE (a hog’s-back is a hill-RIDGE) + MEN (soldiers) + T (last letter of [finally] COULDN’T) AB RIDGE MEN T |
ABRIDGEMENT (compendium of a larger work; digest) | BRIDGE | AMENT |
| 36 |
Stimulating wart connected to the ear featuring in important date (7) Stimulating art connected to the ear featuring in important date (7) |
W |
OTIC (related to the ear) contained in (featuring in) ERA (an important date or period of time from a specific point) ER (OTIC) A |
EROTICA (literature or art that arouses) | EROTICA | |
| 39 |
Brats grab sharp comparison charts (9, 2 words) Bats grab sharp comparison charts (9, 2 words) |
R |
Anagram of (bats) GRAB SHARP BAR GRAPHS* |
BAR GRAPHS (diagrams showing comparative quantities by means of rectangular blocks of varying proportional height) |
BAR GRAPHS | |
| 43 |
Move boy gradually during church (4) Move by gradually during church (4) |
O |
IN (during) + CH (church) IN CH |
INCH (move by gradually) | INCH | |
| 44 |
East African dough used in Mexican banking institute (5) East African dough used in Mexican baking institute (5) |
N |
MASA (in Mexican cooking, a dough made from masa harina, ground, dried maize, used to make tamales, etc) + I (institute) MASA I |
MASAI (an East African people of the highlands of Kenya and Tanzania) |
MASAI | |
| 45 |
Descent changed ground and picked up trail (7) Descent changed round and picked up trail (7) |
G |
Anagram of (changed round) DESCENT SCENTED* |
SCENTED (picked up trail) | SCENTED | |
| 46 |
Warm titters perturbed captain of cavalry (6) Arm titters perturbed captain of cavalry (6) |
W |
Anagram of (perturbed) ARM TITTERS RITTMASTER* |
RITT-MASTER (captain of cavalry) | MAST | RITTER |
| 47 |
Wiring Wring |
I |
HARROW (wring, in it’s sense of HARROW or rend the heart)) containing (nets) (EDGE [crawl; inch; steal] + SP [special]) H (EDGE SP) ARROW |
HEDGESPARROW (small bird) | SPAR | HEDGEROW |
| Down | ||||||
| 1 |
Dress formally in poet’s uniform carrying trifle (6) Dress formally in poet’s uniform carrying rifle (6) |
T |
ENE (poetic form of EVEN [uniform]) containing (carrying) ROB (plunder; rifle) EN (ROB) E |
ENROBE (formal word for ‘to dress’) | ENROBE | |
| 2 |
Character from Greece, or German, occupying outer section of hearth (5) Character from Greece, or German, occupying outer section of earth (5) |
H |
G (German) contained in (occupying) SIMA (part of the earth’s crust underlying the sial.[the lighter upper part of the earth’s continental crust composed of rocks rich in silica and alumina]; outer section of earth) SI (G) MA |
SIGMA (letter of the Greek alphabet) | SIGMA | |
| 3 |
Levantine poort seized by retreating Crusader cavalry (4) Levantine port seized by retreating Crusader cavalry (4) |
O |
ACRE (hidden word in [seized by] reversed [retreating] CRUSADER CAVALRY) ACRE< |
ACRE (port city in Israel, part of the Levant) | ACRE | |
| 4 |
Seconds before abandoning rich peasant dually with stealth (5) Seconds before abandoning rich peasant dally with stealth (5) |
U |
S (seconds) + KULAK (rich peasant, in the Communist period regarded as an exploiter of others and a class traitor) excluding (abandoning) A (before) S KULK |
SKULK (lie in wait; dally with stealth) | SKULK | |
| 5 |
Under developed sand hill (4) Unde developed sand hill (4) |
R |
Anagram of (developed) UNDE DUNE* NB: UNDE is a word in Chambers |
DUNE (low sand hill) | DUNE | |
| 7 |
Clutching note, thoroughly examine antique sable (4) Clutching note, thoroughly examine antique sale (4) |
B |
VET (thoroughly examine) containing (clutching) N (note) VE (N) T |
VENT (obsolete [antique] word for sale) | VENT | |
| 8 |
They try to make salles in prep school (4) They try to make sales in prep school (4) |
L |
REPS (hidden word in [in] PREP SCHOOL) REPS |
REPS (sales representatives) | REPS | |
|
9
|
Having Ono end because of broken French note (8) Having no end because of broken French note (8) |
O |
IN (because of) + FINI (defined by Chanmbers as coming from French and meaning finished or completed; ruined or broken + TE (a note of the tonic sol-fa) IN FINI TE |
INFINITE (having no end) | INFINITE | |
| 10 |
So African shrub – not in Scottish headland (5) S African shrub – not in Scottish headland (5) |
O |
NA (Scottish expression meaning ‘no’ or ‘not’) + RAS (headland) NA RAS |
NARAS (edible melon-like fruit of a South West African long-rooted thorny cucurbitaceous shrub) |
NARAS | |
| 11 |
Government cuts: danger signs (7) Government cuts: anger signs (7) |
D |
G (government) + LOWERS (cuts) G LOWERS |
GLOWERS (fierce or threatening stares; anger signs) | GLOWERS | |
| 14 |
Tense Geordie’s to remove randy Quaker (8) Tense Geordie’s to remove rand Quaker (8) |
Y |
T (tense) + REMBLE (North East of England [Geordie] word for ‘to remove’) + R (rand,South African currency) T REMBLE R |
TREMBLER (quaker) | TREMBLER | |
| 18 |
Discarded gospels (English version) in English cathedral (4) Discarded gospel (English version) in English cathedral (4) |
S |
E (English) + V (version) + ANG (ANGlice [Latin for ‘ in English]) + ELY (reference ELY Cathedral) E V ANG ELY |
EVANGELY (obsolete [discarded] word for The Gospel) | VANG | EELY |
| 20 |
Maybe direct thug from navy to fly mechanically around Gabon (8) Maybe direct tug from navy to fly mechanically around Gabon (8) |
H |
N (navy) + (AVIATE [fly mechanically] containing (around) G (International Vehicle Registration for Gabon) N AVI (G) ATE |
NAVIGATE (manage [direct] a ship [e.g. a tug]) | NAVIGATE | |
| 21 |
Jar ruins blocking passage (5) Jar runs blocking passage (5) |
I |
R (runs) contained in (blocking) GATE (passage into a city) G (R) ATE |
GRATE (annoy; jar) | GRATE | |
| 24 |
Fly for example rising over cattle yard for pricey meal (3) Fly for example rising over cattle yard for ricey meal (3) |
P |
KED (wingless fly) + EG (for example) reversed (rising; down clue) + REE (enclosure, especially a [partially-]roofed walled yard, e.g. for coal, for wintering cattle) KED GE< REE |
KEDGEREE (Indian dish of rice, cooked with butter and dal, flavoured with spice, shredded onion, etc; a similar British dish made with rice, cooked fish and hard-boiled eggs; ricey meal) |
KEDGE | REE |
| 25 |
Silicon enclosed in sled and shut up (8) Silicon enclosed in led and shut up (8) |
S |
SI (chemical symbol for Silicon) + (ENC [enclosed] contained in [in] LED) SI L (ENC) ED |
SILENCED (made to be quiet; shut up) | SILENCED | |
| 27 |
Twee salmon are consumed by Romany man in dense brushwood (3) Wee salmon are consumed by Romany man in dense brushwood (3) |
T |
(PARR [young salmon up to two years of age; wee salmon] + A (are [measurement of area]) contained in (consumed by) CHAL (Romany for a person) CHA (PARR A) L |
CHAPARRAL (dense thicket of tangled brushwood) | PARRAL | CHA |
| 28 |
Having wide groin maybe, belong to strict Mennonite sect (7) Having wide grin maybe, belong to strict Mennonite sect (7) |
O |
BE AMISH (belong to the AMISH who are a strict Mennonite sect) BE AMISH |
BEAMISH (radiant; having a wide grin perhaps) | BEAMISH | |
| 29 |
Cardinal’s messed up dinner right away (4) Cardinal’s messed up inner right away (4) |
D |
Anagram of (messed up) INNER excluding (away) R (right) NINE* |
NINE (an example of a cardinal number) | NINE | |
| 33 |
Those concentrating alight and see sermon on Sabbath (6) Those concentrating light and see sermon on Sabbath (6) |
A |
LA (see!) + SER (sermon) + S (Sabbath) LA SER S |
LASERS (devices which amplify an input of light, producing an extremely narrow and intense monochromatic beam [concentrating light] which can be used for a range of tasks, e.g. printing, optical scanning, surgical operations, etc) |
LASERS | |
| 35 |
Affectedly walk about in pity (5) Affectedly walk about in pit (5) |
Y |
C (circa [about]) contained in (in) MINE (pit) MIN (C) E |
MINCE (walk with affected nicety) |
MINCE | |
| 37 |
Attractive bat climbing old ladder (5) Attractive at climbing old ladder (5) |
B |
AT reversed (climbing; down clue) + STY (obsolete [old] word for a ladder) TA< STY |
TASTY (attractive [slang]) | TASTY | |
| 38 |
Maine cook touring island (5) Main cook touring island (5) |
E |
CHEF (cook) containing (touring) I (island) CH (I) EF |
CHIEF (main) | CHIEF | |
| 39 |
French brute’s no longer used to amend fire (4) French brute’s no longer used to mend fire (4) |
A |
BÊTE (French word for a stupid person) BETE |
BETE (obsolete [no longer] word that meant ‘to mend’, especially a fire) double definition |
BETE | |
| 40 |
Revolutionary’s told to start over (4) Revolutionary’s old to start over (4) |
T |
RED (revolutionary) + O (old) RED O |
REDO (start over again) | REDO | |
| 41 |
Bruise Scot’s town bishop in argument (4) Bruise Scot’s own bishop in argument (4) |
T |
(AIN [Scots word for ‘own’ + B [bishop]) contained in (in) ROW (argument) R (AIN B) OW |
RAINBOW (highly discoloured bruise) | BOW | RAIN |
| 42 |
Ed’s clown’s to check pay out (4) Ed’s clown’s to check pa out (4) |
Y |
Anagram of (out) TO CHECK PA PATCHOCKE* |
PATCHOCKE (Edmund Spenser’s word for a clown) | CHOCK | PATE |
This was good fun, although quite tough towards the close. All thanks to Nudd and duncanshiell. I too didn’t get 32A until the very end, after a long struggle with this and 42D (where I’d inferred the Spenserian anagram CHOCKPATE, not alas in Chambers despite seeming ever so plausible).
An early red herring here: CHAPARRAL was my first solution not to fit, and the Chambers definition of PARRAL includes “band”, which in conjunction with the title led to a temporary fixation on the Titanic and its dance band. But MAST in RITT-MASTER came next, and the rest was plain sailing through occasionally troubled waters …
I wasn’t even close to finishing this one and that’s despite working out the message after only a handful of clues, largely by searching for the likely spare letters and then googling “bloody ships beatty”. Like Duncan, I was expecting to have to drop types of boats from certain answers and despite spotting some likely candidates I didn’t manage to solve any of the thematic 13. Disappointed to have struggled really – most of the clues seem relatively straightforward. Hey ho.
I struggled a little to complete the grid despite working out the message and, eventually, figuring out what we needed to do with those 13 clues. A couple of clues in particular needed a lot of scouring through Chambers and a bit of reverse engineering to work out. An enjoyable tussle, and I suppose middling in terms of difficulty.
I failed on five (when lumps are to be jettisoned from words, I always find there’s a point where, if you don’t know the words, there’s nothing to be done). But I found it a very enjoyable challenge all the same, and I’m probably not alone in wondering, for a while, what Warren Beatty’s maritime movie might be.
Thanks to Nudd (and congratulations on a grid of real words) and duncanshiell.
I enjoyed this and was grateful for a straightforward puzzle that wasn’t a slog to finish and didn’t have a disproportionately long final stage. Neil Hunter makes a good point about the difficulties of removing chunks from unfamiliar words, and in this case we were helped by having real words as final grid entries. I didn’t know the quotation and was rather amused to discover its existence.
Thanks Nudd.
Thanks to all for your comments and to Duncan for an excellent and thorough commentary. Yes, my first appearance here for quite some time after a sort-of enforced sabbatical. This puzzle is in fact one I created about four years ago, so I too found myself wrestling with a couple of the more exotic options upon revisiting it during the editorial process. I am now working on a couple of genuinely new offerings so would hope that another of my efforts might land here in due course. Meanwhile thanks again to all, and of course to John H and team.
I got most of this but failed to find 5 of my ships’ missing pieces. I think Neil Hunter is right about the difficulty of hunting for obscure words you don’t know the clue length. Finding real words in the grid did help on many of the clues but not enough for me to finish.
Excellent puzzle – thanks to Duncan and Nudd.
I’m a bit late here but not too late, I hope, to express thanks to Nudd for an excellent puzzle.
I sail, so got the theme pretty quickly, most of the boat parts being familiar. Gammon and parral, however were unknown. A sailing friend brought a 1920’s book of nautical terms to show me – a positive treasure trove of amazing terms, with illustrations – the parral illustration was particularly noteworthy.
I loved the puzzle, despite the “adjustment” of the quotation (there’s in place of there seems to be). A relatively straightforward one, but the construction of the clues containing well-hidden extra letters I found most admirable, as indeed was the fact that the final grid contained real words.