[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
I can only find a blog for one previous puzzle by Chandler on this site. That was also for a Genius back in November 2017 focusing on HORSES and COURSES. It will be interesting to see what is on offer this time.
There was a short preamble for the puzzle that stated seven solutions have something in common, not defined in their clues. All the other clues contain a letter superfluous to their solutions. In clue order, these letters form words that indicate the common theme.
Often with puzzles that involve letters being removed from clue, I look for anagrams first and track down obvious anagram fodder that looks to be one letter more than I need. 1 across fitted that description, so PLACATE went in very quickly throwing up a spare B. I’ve also noted that in this type of puzzles, setters like solvers to omit a letter from a hidden word and SUBTLER at 25 across was an example of that. Other clues that fell fairly quickly were EARMARK (11 across) and SPEECH (1 down).
The first two themed answers I got were YELTSIN (28 across) and JOHNSTON (29 across) and my initial idea was politicians as I thought first of Lyndon B JOHNSON rather than our own dear leader. At this point I wasn’t making much sense of the message from the omitted letters, so I just ploughed on solving more clues.
The penny dropped with GODUNOV at 16 across and BORIS came to mind. I then wrote down a few BORIS‘s with PASTERNAK and BECKER being front runners. I tracked them down in the grid. With a few more crossing letters, SPASSKY and KARLOFF became apparent.
Eventually the missing letters all became clear to spell out BASS OVER ROOK ISLAND SOUTH with the location of each letter being shown in the detail of the blog below. Dictionaries show that each of these words can be abbreviated to their initial letters to form BORIS.
I suspect solvers know who all the BORIS‘s are, but just for completeness I list them below in standard grid order
BORIS KARLOFF (1887 – 1969) – William Henry Pratt, better known by his stage name BORIS KARLOFF was an English actor who was primarily known for his roles in horror films.
BORIS GODUNOV (1551 – 1605) – BORIS Fyodorovich GODUNOV ruled the Tsardom of Russia as de facto regent from 1585 to 1598 and then as the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605. He was also the subject of an opera by Mussorgsky
BORIS SPASSKY (born 1937) – BORIS Vasilievich SPASSKY is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972.
BORIS PASTERNAK (1890 – 1960) – BORIS Leonidovich PASTERNAK was a Russian poet, novelist, and literary translator.
BORIS YELTSIN (1931 – 2007) – BORIS Nikolayevich YELTSIN was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the first President of the Russian Federation from 1991 to 1999
BORIS JOHNSON (born 1964) – You don’t need me to tell you about Alexander BORIS de Pfeffel JOHNSON. Currently Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, there’s plenty about him daily in the press and media.
BORIS BECKER (born 1967) – BORIS Franz BECKER is a German former world No. 1 professional tennis player. He was successful from the start of his career, winning the first of his six major singles titles at age 17. His Grand Slam singles titles included three Wimbledons, two Australian Opens and one US Open
The gilled grid looks like this – highlighting is only for effect. It’s not necessary for submission
There was a good mix of clues in this puzzle including a few with many constituent parts, which I like. As ever in puzzles where there is a cluing device, the clues seem much easier with hindsight than they did when solving them.
I enjoyed this, so thanks to Chandler.
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No |
Clue Amended Clue |
Letter | Wordplay | Entry |
| 9 |
Bet a clap disturbed calm (7) Et a clap disturbed calm (7) |
B |
Anagram of (disturbed) ET A CLAP PLACATE* |
PLACATE (calm) |
| 10 | Prank swapping lips on holiday (7) |
|
LARK (prank) swapping the position of the outer letters [swapping lips] L and K to form KARL + OFF (on holiday) KARL OFF |
[BORIS] KARLOFF |
| 11 |
Avoid anger in European with old currency set aside (7) Void anger in European with old currency set aside (7) |
A |
AR (letters remaining in ANGER when the central letters NGE are removed [void]) contained in (in) (E [European] + MARK [old German currency before the Euro]) E (AR) MARK |
EARMARK (set aside) |
| 12 |
Smear? It’s affected experts with notes (7) Mear? It’s affected experts with notes (7) |
S |
Anagram of (affected) MEAR ITS MAESTRI* |
MAESTRI (master, especially eminent composers and conductors; experts with music) |
| 13 |
Host with skill boards sides of curious light vehicles (9) Hot with skill boards sides of curious light vehicles (9) |
S
|
H (hot) + AND (with) + (ART [skill] contained in [boards] CS [outer letters of [both sides of] CURIOUS]) H AND C (ART) S |
HANDCARTS (light vehicles drawn by hand) |
| 15 |
Standard soon obtained with current dialect (5) Standard son obtained with current dialect (5) |
O |
PAR (standard) + S (son) + I (electric current) PAR S I |
PARSI (Persian dialect) |
| 16 | Energy shown by pair absorbing new verse (7) |
|
GO (energy) + (DUO [pair] containing [absorbing] N [new]) + V (verse) GO DU (N) O V |
[BORIS]GODUNOV |
| 19 | Change wearing blue (7) |
|
PASS (change [from one state to another]. for example]) contained in (wearing) SKY (a shade of blue) S (PASS) KY |
[BORIS] SPASSKY |
| 20 |
A second seven given backing in rugby affair (5) A second seen given backing in rugby affair (5) |
V |
A + MO (moment; second) + RU (Rugby Union) reversed (seen given backing) A MO UR< |
AMOUR (love affair) |
| 21 | A harsh area in park (9) |
|
(A + STERN [harsh] + A [area]) contained in (in) PK (park) P (A STERN A) K
|
[BORIS] PASTERNAK |
| 25 |
More refined store let buskers back partly (7) More refined store lt buskers back partly (7) |
E |
SUBTLER (reversed [back] hidden word in [partly] STORE LT BUSKERS) SUBTLER< |
SUBTLER (more refined) |
| 26 |
Ropy dean misjudged school event (4,3) Opy dean misjudged school event (4,3) |
R |
Anagram of (misjudged) OPY DEAN OPEN DAY* |
OPEN DAY (day on which an institution [especially a school] is open to the public, usually with organized exhibitions or events) |
| 28 | Young sow gets to slip (7) |
|
YELT (young sow) + SIN (misdeed, lapse, slip) [BORIS] YELTSIN |
[BORIS] YELTSIN |
| 29 | Playwright capturing hearts (7) |
|
JONSON (reference Ben JONSON [1572 – 1637], English playwright and poet) containing (capturing) H (hearts) JO (H) NSON |
[BORIS] JOHNSON |
| Down | ||||
| 1 |
Preaches omitting a wild language (6) Peaches omitting a wild language (6) |
R |
Anagram of (wild) PEACHES excluding (omitting) A SPEECH* |
SPEECH (language) |
| 2 |
Unproductive moan given title it’s said (6) Unproductive man given title it’s said (6) |
O |
BARREN (sounds like [it’s said] BARON [one of the titles of rank for males [man]) BARREN |
BARREN (unproductive) |
| 3 |
Grog a load kept for festivity (4) Grog a lad kept for festivity (4) |
O |
GALA (hidden word (kept) in GROG A LAD) GALA |
GALA (festivity) |
| 4 | Archbishop almost by right (6) |
|
BECKET (reference Thomas à BECKET [1118 – 1170], Archbishop of Canterbury) excluding the final letter (almost) T + R (right) BECKE R |
[BORIS] BECKER |
| 5 |
Criminal clothing sunk by man facing questions (3,5) Criminal clothing sun by man facing questions (3,5) |
K |
S (sun) + KIM (man’s name) + ASKS (questions) S KI M ASKS |
SKI MASKS (a form of balaclava; a disguise often worn by criminals to hide their faces) |
| 6 |
Eg a nice peer mobilised campaigning group (10) Eg a nce peer mobilised campaigning group (10) |
I |
Anagram of (mobilised) EG A NCE PEER GREENPEACE* |
GREENPEACE (environmental pressure group) |
| 7 |
Stakes sure to alter attitudes (8) Stake sure to alter attitudes (8) |
S |
POST (stake) + an anagram of (to alter) SURE POST URES* |
POSTURES (particular positions or attitudes of the body) |
| 8 |
Feature of cold maybe in a convenient amenity, lately being attraction (8) Feature of cod maybe in a convenient amenity, lately being attraction (8) |
L |
(FIN ([feature of a fish, a cod being an example of a fish] contained in [in) [A + FIT [convenient]) + Y (final letter of [lately] AMENITY) A F (FIN) IT Y |
AFFINITY (attraction) |
| 14 |
An article’s awfully close to repellent for one opposing devolution? (10) N article’s awfully close to repellent for one opposing devolution? (10) |
A |
Anagram of (awfully) N ARTICLES + T (last letter of [close to] REPELLENT) CENTRALIS* T |
CENTRALIST (one who supports the tendency or policy of administration by the sovereign or central government matters which would be otherwise under local management; i.e.one opposed to devolution) |
| 16 |
Men, we hear, supporting US composer getting artificial aid (5,3) Me, we hear, supporting US composer getting artificial aid (5,3) |
N |
GLASS (reference Philip GLASS [born 1937], American composer) + EYE (sounds like [we hear] I [me]) GLASS EYE As this is a down clue, the letters EYE support the letters GLASS |
GLASS EYE (artificial aid) |
| 17 |
Children held up, lined among the Spanish as a feature of entry? (8) Children held up, line among the Spanish as a feature of entry? (8) |
D |
BROOD (offspring; children) reversed (held up; down clue) + (L [line] contained in [among] EL [Spanish for ‘the’]) DOORB< E (L) L |
DOORBELL (feature of DOOR [entry]) |
| 18 |
Big cheese possibly, seen touring small US state is like a venomous sort? (8) Big cheese possibly, een touring small US state is like a venomous sort? (8) |
S |
VIP (very important person; big cheese) + (an anagram of [possibly] EEN containing [touring] RI [Rhode Island, a small American State]) VIP E (RI) NE* |
VIPERINE (related to or resembling VIPERs [small venomous snakes]) |
| 22 |
Loose jokes about quiet Balkan city (6) Lose jokes about quiet Balkan city (6) |
O |
Anagram of (loose) JOKES containing (about) P (piano; quiet) SKO (P) JE* |
SKOPJE (capital city of the Republic of Macedonia; Balkan city) |
| 23 |
UN study largely wrong about India? Such is barely evident (6) N study largely wrong about India? Such is barely evident (6) |
U |
Anagram of (wrong) N STUDY excluding the final letter (largely) Y containing (about) I (India is the international radio communication code for the letter I) NUD (I) ST* |
NUDIST (one who goes about naked; barely evident) |
| 24 |
Petty vandalism, maybe important in tending of Beijing (6) Petty vandalism, maybe important in ending of Beijing (6) |
T |
KEY (important) + IN + G (final letter of [end of] BEIJING) KEY IN G |
KEYING (running a KEY down the side of a car; petty vandalism) |
| 27 |
Resounding noise in Harlech hotel (4) Resounding noise in Harlec hotel (4) |
H |
ECHO (hidden word in [in] HARLEC HOTEL) ECHO |
ECHO (reflection of sound; resounding noise) |
Since I was heading off for a 10-day holiday on September 5th, I planned to print this and take it with me. I decided to “have a quick look” a couple of days before travelling and had it done within an hour.
A bit too easy for a Genius, IMO.
Thanks Duncan. You’ve illustrated the problem I had with 22dn, writing “loose” as the anagram indicator in the wordplay. The dropped O means it has to be “lose”, which doesn’t seem right.
That apart I found this an enjoyable, if not too taxing, solve. Thanks to Chandler.
It was fairly easy for a Genius puzzle but for once we were pleased as we only realised at coffee time today that we hadn’t even looked at it.
We enjoyed the challenge but queried 22d too. ‘Loose’ as an anagrind makes sense whereas ‘lose’ doesn’t as far as we are concerned. We only worked out the missing letter after we had completed the grid and worked out what was going on with the extra letters.
Thanks Duncan for another blog and Chandler for the puzzle. We thought this may be your debut but we do remember the ‘horses and courses’ one.
I agree with other commenters about ‘loose’. I found that very confusing as I got it very early, well before I’d worked out the theme and, combined with the badly-worded instructions (which should have had “not defined in their clues” before “have something in common”, imo) meant I thought it could be one of the themers.
First real themer in was JOHNSON (not JOHNSTON, btw, Duncan) and I thought we might be looking for British Prime Ministers till I got PASTERNAK.
I didn’t find this too easy, just about right for me with a fair amount of effort. The removed letters did help a little bit, but only right near the very end. I was expecting them to make a sentence not to be five clues to the letters of the theme.
I agree with the consensus about 22d, so nothing to add there.
I misled myself fairly soon on as I got Spassky quite early on and also had a group of the missing letters showing ROOK. I suspected incorrectly that there were other words in the missing letters that related to the answers. Turns out that I was wrong, obviously, but I wasted a fair amount of time on that tack which I never should have.
Thanks to Chandler and Duncan
I thought lose as an indicator was a bit vague, meaning ‘lose the order of’, but just about ok, and the rest of the puzzle good fun. I’m always amazed at the prowess of many solvers, eg kenmac’s sub-hour for this. Weekends, I do a couple that come from the Times, reprinted in our Oz broadsheet, and then look at their blog where solvers give their solving times. For any puzzle that I manage to cogitate through in an hour or so, there are always solvers with times in the sub-tens and teens. Impressive.
Meant to add thanks Chandler and Duncanshiell.
I failed to get a few of the extra letters, and failed to work out what they were supposed to spell. I was expecting a phrase to appear that would indicate the letters I missed, rather than a random jumble of words. The letters I had could just as easily have led to “Bash Over Atom Island South” for example, so no help. (You’ll notice I got at least one wrong letter.)