A new setter for this month’s Genius (Ifay), and a puzzle with a new twist.
The special instructions read as follows: “Definitions in 10 of the clues produce solutions that are one letter too long for the grid. Wordplay in these clues leads to the solutions required for the grid entry. All are real words. Taken in order, clockwise from the top, these surplus letters spell out an appropriate three-word phrase, which should be written in the box indicated in the entry form”.
Although I have a few reservations about the syntax of one or two of the clues, I thought others were excellent and the device of placing letters outside the grid to form a message was new to me. For the purposes of the blog I have shown an outer ring that was not present in the puzzle as published, so as to show the letters in context. I couldn’t understand the instruction to read the letters clockwise (usually it’s in clue order) until the penny finally dropped. Welcome, Ifay.
Across
1 Fitting on plug, alternative to special socket (7)
ADAPTOR APT (fitting) on AD (plug) OR (alternative)
5 Heap praise on coffee in France (7)
FLATTER LATTE in FR
9 Irrational fear about Brexit’s conclusion is relatively foolish (5)
AFTER (Brexi)T in *FEAR; the definition is for DAFTER
10 Endure terrible night just before going to bed (4,5)
LAST THING LAST (endure); *NIGHT.
11 University of Cambridge brought back papers literally devoid of content with some trepidation (7)
TIMIDLY MIT (We’re talking Cambridge, Massachusetts here) (rev), ID, L(iterall)Y
12 Incensed about gender reassignment (7)
ENRAGED *(A(bout)GENDER)
13 Radical views about stopping revolutionary leader in Malcolm X’s time (9)
EXTREMISM I think that this is RE (about) M(alcolm) in *XS TIME, with “revolutionary” as the anagrind.
15 Overlooked organisation infiltrating Foreign Office (5)
FORGO ORG in FO. The definition is for FORGOT
17 Tutu perhaps shortened and worn by two thirds of all models (5)
DEALS AL(l) in DES(mond); a Desmond (Tutu) is slang for a lower second class degree. The definition leads to IDEALS
19 Wide–ranging hysteria about travelling Roma (9)
PANORAMIC *ROMA in PANIC
21 Fits one’s short trousers (7)
ACCORDS AC(e), CORDS. Again I’m not entirely happy with the syntax, with the possessive s in the clue not reflected in the answer.
23 Reproduction’s about children! (7)
REISSUE A simple charade of RE and ISSUE.
24 Having bellyache from food fish containing trace of mercury (9)
GRUMBLING M(ercury) in GRUB, LING.
25 Hatred almost erupts in domestic hotspot (5)
HEART *HATRE(d). The definition leads to HEARTH
26 Understanding ten multiplied by three is unbounded (7)
ENTENTE (t)EN TEN TE(n)
27 Italians serve this dip introduced by the French to North America (7)
LASAGNA SAG in LA NA
Down
1 Dither about following, without Church support, hastily sanctioned policy (9)
APARTHEID APA(CE), *DITHER. I liked the misleading double meaning of “sanctioned”.
2 Have a go at evidence in which politician usurps society (7)
ATTEMPT ATTEST with MP for S
3 What one feels when one’s beat residents silly (9)
TIREDNESS *RESIDENTS
4 Friend supports resistance in a vocal manner (5)
RALLY R ALLY. The definition leads to ORALLY
5 The very person to catch first couple to fill tank (9)
FISHERMAN FI(rst) SHERMAN. I’m not sure what “to fill” is doing, other than provide a misleading surface.
6 Fail in real terms (5)
ALTER Hidden in “real terms”. The definition is for FALTER
7 Cause over-enthusiastic bouncer to restrain troublemaker in the end (7)
TRIGGER (troublemake)R in TIGGER (from Winnie-the-Pooh).
8 Frozen stiff (5)
RIGID A one-word charade. The (one-word) definition is for FRIGID
14 Ipswich’s first huge housing project’s entrance is stone–faced (9)
IMPASSIVE I(pswich), P(roject) in MASSIVE.
15 Supplies vessel involved in searches (9)
FURNISHES URN in FISHES.
16 Players stare wildly beyond light that’s first shed (9)
ORCHESTRA (t)ORCH *STARE
18 Relative checking about firm’s invoice (7)
ACCOUNT C(irca) CO in AUNT
20 One with relative in Hackney perhaps should be brought to justice in Bow (7)
MUSTANG A homophone of “must ‘ang”. Both mustangs and hackneys are words for horses
21 View 5 going down (5)
ANGLE Another one word charade. The three word definition is for ANGLER, but I don’t see what “going down” adds to the clue.
22 Hold up fashionable clothing (5)
ROBIN ROB IN. The definition is for ROBING.
23 Entertain government leader in Brazilian capital (5)
REGAL G(overnment) in REAL (Brazilian currency). The definition is for REGALE
Bridgesong, I don’t understand your objection to the syntax of 13ac. The wordplay is RE (about) inside (stopping) *[M(alcolm) XS TIME] which seems perfectly OK to me. There are a great many instances where Guardian clues fail to come up to scratch syntactically, but this is not one of them.
Richard @1; on reflection, I think you’re right and I withdraw my comment.
After solving a few of the clues with overlong answers I noticed that the shortened entries all had five letters and there were 10 five-letter entries in the grid, which I think made the puzzle a little easier.
In 5d, I think ‘first couple to fill’ indicates the first two letters of FILL.
In 21d, I think ‘5 going down’ indicates 5 down rather than 5 across.
I don’t understand why your explanation for 17a mentions slang for a lower second class degree, but not the person both the slang and the clue are referring to.
Matthew @3: in 5d, I thought “first couple” indicated the first two letters of FIrst, but I prefer your suggestion. I also take your point at 21d. I don’t understand your criticism of my explanation of 17a: “a Desmond (Tutu)” is clear enough, isn’t it?
21a: if you read “one’s” as “one is” then the syntax seems fine.
My guess is that Ifay is a Pig-Latinised version of a well-known Independent setter.
Thanks for the blog – the extended grid is a good way of showing the full solution.
A nice idea for the Genius, I thought, and the right level of difficulty, enjoyably tough without being frustratingly so.
Andrew, if you’re suggesting Ifay is Phi, then I think you’re mistaken – Phi would never normally use nounal indicators such as the ones in 12ac and 23dn.
To me, Desmond Tutu being the name of a well-known person is the reason that ‘Tutu perhaps’ indicates Desmond in 17a and also the reason that Desmond is slang for a lower second class (or 2:2) degree.
Matthew @8: I don’t disagree – I thought that was implicit in the blog. Clearly I should have made it explicit?!
I was also baffled by “clockwise from the top”, and didn’t see what your ghost perimeter shows so clearly (or what Matthew spotted about 5-letter lights), but still finally found the lights could be taken in clockwise order to produce the phrase sought.
In 12a, A=about? Not in my old Chambers as far as I can see.
In 2d, ATTEST is only a noun in Shakespearean English in my Chambers.
I think the “one-word charades” you mention are actually double defs, where one of the defs is modified per instructions.
Favourites were 26a, ENTENTE and 14d, IMPASSIVE.
@Richard Heald
There’s no reason why a setter shouldn’t take advantage of the Guardian’s perhaps more liberal editorial line, is there?
Tony @10: a for about is in Chambers; it’s the first abbreviation given in the third entry for the lower case letter.
As for 2d, you’re right about attest, although evidence can be a verb as well as a noun.
No, not me, though I admit I’ve used a similar idea in both Listener and IQ. And, by a fluke, my last IQ was indeed based on Pig Latin. But it’s merely a concatenation of coincidences.
Actually, my usage of nounal indicators is not quite zero but I only do so with my fingers crossed behind my back.
@Bridgesong
Thanks for the reference. My old Chambers is 7th Edn, 1988 and only has one entry for (unaccented) lower case ‘a’ in Abbreviations. Really should update, or maybe get the app.
Evidence (v.) = attest
Good point!
@Phi
” …only do so with my fingers crossed”
Is that protection against your editor’s disapproval, or from that of the ghost of Ximenes, if I may put it that way?
It also took me a while to see that the three word phrase was based upon 360 degree position rather than clue order. Fio a long time I had the extra ‘H’ as the cockney dropped ‘H’ from 20d, but felt that was wrong. I finally noticed the Haart/h entry which I had somehow failed to note earlier that there was an extra ‘H’.
Actually Mustang and Hackney are variants of the same type of horse, not just horses in general.
Thanks to Bridgesong and IFAY.
The positioning of the extra letters was reminiscent of Araucaria’s perimetrical puzzles. I have some books of his puzzles which contain these. I don’t know if any were published in the Guardian. These are similar to the alphabetical jigsaws with no clue numbers. The clues are arranged in alphabetical order of the answers, and the perimeter letters of the grid, clockwise from top left make up a well known phrase or saying.
Really enjoyed this one.
I don’t mind nounal anagram indicators at all, as long as they are used in such a way as to suggest a rearrangement of the fodder, which that in 12a surely does?
Thanks to Ifay and bridesong.
@Kitty
I agree, and regard Ximenes famous pronouncement regarding “train crash” as something of s train crash itself. But then, I’m feeling bold, because I WON THE DRAW! YAY!
Tony: well done! Will you stop entering for a while, to improve the chances for the rest of us?
Now I’ve tasted blood? No chance! (But thanks for the congratulations).
Congratulations Tony!
I didn’t know of, and couldn’t find, any pronouncement by Ximenes about “train crash”, but found this by Azed – was that the one you meant?
Hi Tony
Welcome to the club! I won about 3 or 4 years ago with a Tramp puzzle in January. Tramp responded to tell me that he had also won a while back as well.
Considering that there are about 350 correct entries each month, that is still a coincidence to have us both as regular contributors.
I’ll have a drink for you tonight.
Thanks, Kitty. Well found. I think that probably is it. A lot of wordplay works by applying an operation to the literal word, while superficially it refers to the meaning signified. Azed’s pronouncement seems to suggest an anagrind is only allowable if the cryptic operation can be applied to the thing signified too, as train crash. I don’t, though, see why, eg, “typical problem” can’t, cryptically, mean “a problem with the word typical“.
Btw, I notice that Morse and Lewis both got VHC in that slip, while N. C. Dexter only achieved HC.
@Gordon
Cheers!