It’s a Vigo puzzle this Tuesday.
The grid has 36 entries, 20 across and 16 down. That’s a few more than normal and often an indication that there is some theme or message in the clues or entries. However, if there is anything going on, I can’t see it.
This was a puzzle that didn’t seem too difficult. The entries were fairly well known words, and if any were slightly obscure, the word play was very clear.
There were a few clues in the middle of the downs where the entry was built up from three or more components. Those are the types of clue I like the most, but I realise everyone will have their own favourite clue types.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1 |
Origin of heartless automaton (4) |
ROBOT (automaton) excluding the central letter (heartless) B ROOT |
ROOT (source; origin of) |
| 3 |
Something soothing distressed lamb (4) |
Anagram of (distressed) LAMB BALM* |
BALM (anything that heals or soothes pain;) |
| 6 |
Tea service returned after end of tea (5) |
A (last letter of [end of] TEA + (MASS [church service] reversed [returned]) A SSAM< |
ASSAM (full-bodied tea produced in ASSAM in North East India). |
| 10 |
Writing section about border plants (9) |
(PROSE [writing] + S [section]) containing (about) RIM (border) P (RIM) ROSE S |
PRIMROSES (plants with pale yellow flowers, common in spring in woods and meadows) |
| 11 |
Fish in black stream (5) |
B (black, when describing pencil lead) + RILL (stream) B RILL |
BRILL (fish related to the turbot, spotted with white) |
| 12 |
Supply bending over end of bureau in cavity (7) |
(O [over] + U [last letter of [end of] BUREAU]) contained in (in) SINUS (air-filled cavity in the bones of the skull, connecting with the nose) SINU (O U) S |
SINUOUS (bending in a supple manner; supply bending) |
| 13 |
Domestic animal hospital admits a bishop for head cold (7) |
(CAT [domestic animal] + H [hospital]) containing (admits) (A + RR [Right Revered, form of address for a Bishop]) CAT (A RR) H |
CATARRH (cold in the head) |
| 14 |
Bird revolting loudly (4) |
FOWL (sounds like [loudly] FOUL revolting]) FOWL |
FOWL (bird of the poultry kind) |
| 16 |
Person responsible for exploit in vehicle (6) |
USE (exploit) contained in (in) CAR (vehicle) CA (USE) R |
CAUSER (person who made it happen; person responsible) |
| 18 |
Swim right out of bit of water (3) |
DRIP (bit of water) excluding (out of) R (right) DIP |
DIP (swim) |
| 21 |
Allowed socialists to lose following (3) |
LEFT (in politics, a term to describe socialists) excluding (to lose) F (following) LET |
LET (allowed) |
| 22 |
Servant left queen after objection (6) |
BUT (objection) + L (left) + ER (Elizabeth Regina; Queen) BUT L ER |
BUTLER (servant)
|
| 23 |
Stone old friend (4) |
O (old) + PAL (friend) O PAL |
OPAL (precious or semi-precious stone) |
| 25 |
Initially Alfred the first is non-believer (7) |
A (first letter of [initially] ALFRED) + THE + IST (first) A THE IST |
ATHEIST (one who does not believe in the existence of a God) |
| 27 |
Bother 22 characters dancing around ring (7) |
Anagram of (dancing) BUTLER (entry at 22 across) containing (around) O (ring shaped letter) TR (O) UBLE* |
TROUBLE (bother) |
| 29 |
Take the edge off Frank (5) |
BLUNT (to take the edge off) BLUNT |
BLUNT (candid; frank) double definition |
| 30 |
Super evil manoeuvring is disgusting (9) |
Anagram of (manoeuvring) SUPER EVIL REPULSIVE* |
REPULSIVE (abhorrent; disgusting) |
| 31 |
A tenth of leaders in the investment trade have emigrated (5) |
TITHE (first letters of each of THE, INVESTMENT, TRADE, HAVE and EMIGRATED) TITHE |
TITHE (a tenth part) |
| 32 |
Beauties oddly decrease (4) |
BATE (letters 1, 3, 5 and 7 [oddly] of BEAUTIES) BATE |
BATE (lessen; diminish; decrease; abate) |
| 33 | Altruism rarely covers returning weapons (4) |
ARMS (hidden word [covers] and reversed [returning] in ALTRUISM RARELY) ARMS< |
ARMS (weapons) |
| Down | |||
| 1 |
Foul peers cavorting still (9) |
Anagram of (cavorting) FOUL PEERS REPOSEFUL* |
REPOSEFUL (resting; still) |
| 2 |
Stars about to swallow port (5) |
ON (about) containing (to swallow) RIO (reference the Brazilian port city of RIO de Janeiro) O (RIO) N |
ORION (constellation; stars) |
| 4 |
Satanist’s diabolical helper (9) |
Anagram of (diabolical) SATANIST’S ASSISTANT* |
ASSISTANT (helper) |
| 5 |
Ponder taking drug to institute constant harmony (5) |
MUSE (ponder) excluding (taking) E (ecstasy; drug) + I (institute) + C (letter frequently used the represent the constant speed of light, but can be a general constant in mathematics) MUS I C |
MUSIC (harmony) |
| 6 |
A king having those taking the bait as judges (8) |
A + R (Rex; king) + BITERS (those taking the bait) A R BITERS |
ARBITERS (judges) |
| 7 |
Agitated journalist caught by foot rest (7,2) |
ED (editor; journalist) contained in (caught by) STIRRUP (support for a rider’s foot) STIRR (ED) UP |
STIRRED UP (agitated) |
| 8 |
Material for garden is, to a great extent, found around top of lawn (5) |
MUCH (to a great extent) containing (found around) L (first letter of [top of] LAWN) MU (L) CH |
MULCH (loose material, strawy dung, etc, laid on the soil around plants, to protect roots, keep down weeds and retain moisture, sometimes with a nutritional function) |
| 9 |
Gas about attempt to infiltrate navy (5) |
A (about) + (GO [attempt] contained in [to infiltrate] RN [Royal Navy]) A R (GO) N |
ARGON (colourless odourless inert gaseous element) |
| 15 |
Women desire simple shelter to suppress new form of persecution (5-4) |
W (women) + ITCH (desire) + (HUT [simple shelter] containing [to suppress] N [new]) W ITCH HU (N) T |
WITCH HUNT (HUNTing-down or persecution of a group or an individual alleged to be behaving in a dangerously heretical manner) |
| 17 |
Best place to make contact with special little vacant Thames vessel (5,4) |
S (special) + WEE (little) + TS (letters remaining when the central letters HAME are removed from [vacant] THAMES) + POT (vessel) S WEE T S POT |
SWEET SPOT (the SPOT on a golf club, tennis or squash racket, etc where, for best effect and control, the ball should ideally make contact) |
| 19 |
Thieves turn up and repeatedly express hesitation meeting head of security (9) |
FLIP (turn) reversed (up; down clue) + ER (express hesitation) + ER (express hesitation, again [repeatedly]) + S (first letter of [head of] SECURITY) PILF< ER ER S |
PILFERERS (thieves) |
| 20 |
Muscles in with article for drink (8) |
ABS (muscles) + IN + THE (definite article) ABS IN THE |
ABSINTHE (bitter, green, aniseed-flavoured liqueur containing [originally, at least] extract of wormwood) |
| 24 |
Plant left in sacred environment (5) |
L (left) contained in (in … environment) HOLY (sacred) HO (L) LY either L could be the one contained |
HOLLY (plant) |
| 25 |
Brother advanced with head of bleeding maggot (5) |
A (advanced) + B (first letter of [head of] BLEEDING) + BOT (maggot of a BOTfly) A B BOT |
ABBOT (brother in a religious order) |
| 26 |
Beat covered by Heath Robinson (5) |
THROB (hidden word in [covered by] HEATH ROBINSON) THROB |
THROB (beat) |
| 28 |
Bush support for female Republican embracing independence (5) |
(BRA [item of support for a female] + R (Republican]) containing (embracing) I (independence) BR (I) A R |
BRIAR (prickly shrub; bush) |
Hasn’t bra/support become rather overused in cryptics? Likewise urination (WEE, PEE etc.) Setters do seem to enjoy a schoolboy snigger.
Isn’t Tuesday normally a theme day in the Independent? If so, it has completely passed by me. Over to the rest of you.
No luck with a theme or Nina either. All went in without too much 27a, although I took a while to see how MUSIC worked and missed ‘bending’ as being part of the original def. for 12a.
Don’t think I’ve seen BATE without the A before.
Thanks to Vigo and Duncan.
Good, smooth cluing as ever.
I particularly enjoyed the clue for WITCH HUNT, which may, or may not, have something to do with a theme (?) No doubt Vigo will enlighten us later.
Thanks Vigo and Duncan.
Thanks to Duncansheil for the blog and to those who took the time to comment. The linked answers are 1a 11a, 14a, 21a,23a, 27a, 29a 2d. 8d,
9d 24d 25d and 28d. The theme was suggested by one of my daughters and they are all characters from the Artemis 14a books. No fans out there then?
Wordplodder@3: I expect you’ve seen “bated breath” (although it is often misspelt).
Never read the Artemis Fowl books, so no theme spotting here. I did wonder if The REPOSEFUL ABBOT and TITHE BATE ARMS were pub names.
We fairly romped through this and thought it was more like a Monday (traditionally easy) puzzle that had got misplaced. Nary a chance of spotting the theme as all we know of the books is that name.
But thanks, Vigo for an enjoyable solve, and Duncan for the blog.
I cantered through this, completing in one session, usually need two, but much enjoyed. Vaguely heard of the theme but never read the books, and having now investigated probably won’t bother! Thanks anyway to setter and blogger.