A relatively straightforward preamble this week (and my last).
In the completed grid, the contents of the coloured cells can be arranged into six words from which solvers must deduce the unclued ONE FINE DAY, its venue and participants. Removing one letter from the fifth word, and all of the sixth, explains where solvers must look to find an instruction in the clues which must be followed (but does not affect any of the shaded cells). Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.
So, no clue gimmicks here, just an endgame to tackle. Despite knowing that at least one of the trio making up Charismatix can be very much on the devious side, the clues were very generous and the grid was completed in quick time. The unclued entries gave us the venue of the signing of the ARMISTICE at COMPIÈGNE between the ALLIES and GERMANY.
The endgame began with needing to unjumble the letters in the squares shaded yellow. As this puzzle appeared on 11th November, it took no time at all for me to reveal End of the First World War. The preamble then led us to the next step to reveal where we had to look to find an instruction: End of the first word. Thus the last letter of the first word in each clue gave us Colour twenty-eight cells to reveal symbol. This explained some of the somewhat strange starts to clues, and maybe even the relocation of Antwerp!!
So here we were one hundred years after the signing of the Armistice ending WWI, and requiring to show a REMEMBRANCE POPPY in the grid
. The diagram to the right shows all, I hope.
And so my last blog for Enigmatic Variations came to an end after ten years with a very enjoyable, if easy, puzzle. Thanks, guys.
Postscript: EV No 1360, appearing on 9th December, will be blogged in one month by my replacement. I wish them happy solving and blogging and support from the EV community.
Solving time: about an hour.
Legend:
Definition in clue
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | STORM SURGES | Dramatic tides battered smug resorts (11) (SMUG RESORTS)*; should actually be given as (11, two words) |
|
| 10 | COMPIÈGNE | Unclued | |
| 12 | NARQUOIS | To Macron, mocking new version of Quran, nothing happens (8) QURAN* + O (nothing) + IS (happens) |
|
| 13 | SPUR | Spill earth from end of Euphorbia branch (4) SPURGE (Euphorbia) – GE (Earth) |
|
| 15 | ESSENCE | Otto is one Catholic surrounded by six cardinals (7) C (catholic) surrounded by E,S,S,E,N,E (six cardinal points) |
|
| 16 | SHOAT | Tabu source of food for Muslims: one in shell perhaps (5) A (one) in SHOT (shell, perhaps) |
|
| 18 | SOL-FA | Learner engrossed by Ottoman notation (5) L (learner) in SOFA (ottoman) |
|
| 19 | MURRE | Get right in close to see auk (5) R (right) in MURE (close, vb) |
|
| 21 | PAAN | Chew this leaf (as in outskirts of Pekalongan) (4) AA (a’s) in P(ekalonga)N |
|
| 23 | IAMB | One exposed Disney film in bit of verse (4) I (one) + (B)amb(i) |
|
| 24 | APPLY | American plan to fold suit (5) AP (American Plan) + PLY (to fold) |
|
| 25 | STUMM | Quiet tenor rapt by the whole music at first (5) T (tenor) surrounded by SUM (whole) + M(usic) |
|
| 30 | NYALA | Stripy beast, one (unspecified) without head and wings (5) (a)NY (one unspecified) + ALA (wings) |
|
| 33 | MERMAID | Incense created reportedly for siren (7) sounds like Myrrh (incense) MADE (created) |
|
| 35 | REDE | Quasi obsolete tale about gods mostly (4) RE (about) + DE(i) (gods) |
|
| 36 | SILENCER | Gag sincerely in need of rewriting almost completely (8) (SINCEREL(y))* |
|
| 37 | ARMISTICE | Unclued | |
| 38 | POLYMASTISM | Which ugly symptom ails … Scaramanga? (11) (SYMPTOM AILS)*; reference to Scaramanga in Fleming’s The Man with the Golden Gun |
|
| DOWN | |||
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | SENES | Cent not included in old Samoan currency (5) SENESCENT (old) – CENT |
|
| 2 | OURS | ‘Telegraphic’ leader knocked off from Times (4) (h)OURS (times) |
|
| 3 | MOUNTED | Made frame for note in bank (7) TE (note) in MOUND (bank) |
|
| 4 | SMOCK | Coverall sons ridicule (5) S (sons) + MOCK (ridicule) |
|
| 5 | RISPS | Final bit of letter is afterthought for files (5) (lette)R + IS + PS (afterthought) |
|
| 6 | GEST | Princess leaving to mull over old affair (4) DIGEST (mull over) – DI (princess) |
|
| 7 | SNUFF | Put an end to enjoyment turning up in science fiction (5) FUN< (enjoyment) in SF (science fiction) |
|
| 8 | GERMANY | Unclued | |
| 9 | MASHUA | Studio in Hollywood supports 1970s film growth underground (6) UA (American studio, United Artists) after MASH (1970s film) |
|
| 11 | PIER | Hugger-mugger baker’s last Swiss roll? (4) PIE (hugger-mugger, confusion) + (bake)R |
|
| 14 | PALAPA | Structure for shade apparently erected over most of SA city (6) AP< (apparently) + LA PA(z); this is in the Oxford Dictionary of English, not Chambers |
|
| 17 | ORMUZD | Rev, initially within order, regularly buzzed the Creator (6) R(ev) in OM (order of merit) + (b)U(z)Z(e)D |
|
| 19 | MISTRAL | One of the ones not seen in bad case of wind (7) MISTRIAL (bad case) – I (one of the Is) |
|
| 20 | TANRECS | Insectivora: some discern a type from its bottom! (7) reversed in diSCERN A Type |
|
| 22 | ALLIES | Unclued | |
| 26 | TWERP | Original article lifted from Belgian city numpty (5) ANTWERP (that well-known Belgian city!!) – AN (article) |
|
| 27 | MESSY | Footballer’s said to be confused (5) sounds like Messi (Lionel); Argentinian/Spanish footballer |
|
| 28 | OMIT | Intentionally ignore old hand with time to spare (4) O (old) + MITT (hand) – T (time) |
|
| 29 | MELIA | Nim and margosa confused in e-mail (5) EMAIL* |
|
| 31 | AD REM | Rub out chaplain’s page, then mass becomes relevant (5, two words) PADRE (chaplain) – P (page) + M (mass) |
|
| 32 | WEIL | Intro to war story upset Eddy from Accrington (4) W(ar) + LIE< |
|
| 34 | ACAI | Small fruit before food’s excellent (4) AC (ante cibum, before food) + AI (excellent) |
|
I printed this one a little later than usual, by which time Antwerp had been relocated to its more usual location. I thought it was a very nice idea and well implemented. I’m guessing the -tix contributor is the devious one. Have enjoyed your write-ups, Dave. So long, and thanks for all the blogs.
So sorry you are leaving us Dave. Thanks for all the blogs indeed. Of course the …tix contributor is the ‘devious’ one. I think the relocating of Antwerp was a veiled Brexit comment – we all felt numptyish about it but it was perhaps one of the things that occur in a group compilation. One setter thoughtlessly makes a twerpish slip and the others mindlessly trust him (her) instead of carefully checking every word – we all know where Antwerp is (both in New York and Ohio, isn’t it!). Oddly, no-one on any of the websites spotted it or commented on it.
It was noticed on the Crossword Solver website; https://www.crosswordsolver.org/forum/704166/offset/20. There was also some criticism of the clues and the device there too. Nevertheless, an enjoyable and appropriate puzzle. The device is also vaguely similar to Dave H’s avatar, which is also appropriate. My thanks to him too for all the blogging.