Guardian Genius 196 by Qaos

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Unless I have missed something devious, this month’s Genius from Qaos seemed relatively gentle…

The preamble states that:

“Half the solutions must have a letter removed before entry in the grid (only valid new words being involved) and half the clues need a letter removed before finding their solutions.”

Short and sweet, with only two possible scenarios, and a nice, precise ‘half’, rather than a more vague ‘most’ or ‘some’.

I printed this off on the Monday of publication, and started it on the train up to London. I dived straight in to a couple of passes of cold solving, to see if anything jumped out in terms of patterns/Ninas, etc. At first I thought we might be going to have a couple of phrases from the removed letters – my solving notes show that the Downs seemed to start with BRUS… with a later R – BRUSSELS SPROUTS anyone?, and the Acrosses looked like R?S?N?… RISING something?

But these were not to be, and the only point of note was that most (in the end, all) the Acrosses seemed to be of the first type – removing a letter from the solution – and most/all the Downs seemed to be clues with letters removed, in most (all) cases from their definitions.

And that was just about that. By the time I reached Waterloo, an hour later, I had all except the top right-hand corner done. And the rest fell into place before Clapham Junction on the way back that evening. My solving notes finish with a plaintive ‘Have I missed something?’… (I’m sure the comments below will let me know if I have!)

 

 

This was a neat device, well executed and with some nice clueing – especially the surface reading of 23A! My LOI (and LOP – last one parsed) was OVER(H)EATING at 11A – it had to be that from the definition/crossers, but I only worked out the anagram as I was writing it up for the blog.

As a blogger, I am always relieved when a Genius/EV isn’t too much of a toughie on my shift. As a solver, I would maybe have liked something a bit more challenging, but if we had Enigmatists every month I might not have time to solve any other puzzles!

Many thanks to Qaos for an enjoyable solve and blog. (Knowing my luck, there will now be an Enigmatist for Genius 202…)

 

ACROSS
Clue No Solution Entry Clue (definition underlined) /
Logic/Parsing
8 FRACTIONS FACTIONS Parts of European deeds? (8) /
FR (French, so European?) + ACTIONS (deeds)
9 PATELLA PAELLA Dish includes T-bone (6) /
PA_ELLA (dish) including T
10 SPASM SPAM Jerk plots revolution to kidnap Scottish leader (4) /
SPA_M (maps, or plots, in revolution) around (kidnapping) S (leading letter of Scottish)
11 OVERHEATING OVEREATING Oxygen burns up, given Earth’s becoming too warm (10) /
O (oxygen) + VERHEATING (anag, i.e. burns up, of GIVEN EARTH)
12 COSINES COSIES It’s wrong to gatecrash Lord’s functions (6) /
CO_ES (Lord Sebastian Coe’s) around (gatecrashed by) SIN (wrong)
14 EMIGRATES EMIRATES Relocates record company with scratches (8) /
EMI (now ?defunct? record label) + GRATES (scrapes, scratches)
15 AVERSION VERSION Dislike raves — disorder #1 on reflection (7) /
AVERS (anag, i.e. disorder, of RAVES) + ION (No 1 – number one, on reflection)
17 ASPIRING ASPIRIN Wishing one well over independence (7) /
A + SP_RING (well) around (over) I (independence)
20 MEDICATED MEDIATED Doctor made edict to get treated (8) /
anag, i.e. doctor, of MADE EDICT
22 TOASTER TASTER It warms oven, in theory, periodically (6) /
T_ER (periodic letters of ‘ThEoRy’) around OAST (oven)
23 PRESUMPTION RESUMPTION Strong possibility Trump is open to corruption (10) /
anag, i.e. corruption, of TRUMP IS OPEN
24 MEDAL MEAL Delivery of fiddle award (4) /
homophone, i.e. delivery of – MEDAL (award) sounds like MEDDLE (fiddle, interfere)
25 DEPLETE DELETE Use up permit in deep trouble (6) /
DEP_E (anag, i.e. trouble, of DEEP) aroiund LET (permit)
26 OVERSTEER OVERSEER Car issue with wheel: turn sharply around at first (8) /
O (wheel, circle) + V_EER (turn sharply) around ERST (at first)
Down
Clue No Solution Entry Clue (definition underlined, removed letter in bold)/
Logic/Parsing
1 PAYPHONE Bringer of happy ground on Earth (8) /
PAYPH (anag, i.e. ground, of HAPPY) + ON + E (earth)
2 ATOM Describe half the alphabet for Brit? (4) /
the first half of the alphabet could be described as A-TO-M
3 ROBOTS Artificial menu puts vitamin into seeds (6) /
RO_OTS (seed?) around B (example of a vitamin)
4 USHERED In Cyprus, he redesigned sled (7) /
hidden word in ‘cyprUS HE REDesigned’
5 SPHERICS Zorb maths shortened interference in the air (8) /
double defn. SPHERICS can refer to the mathematics of spheres, or orbs; and ‘SPHERICS is a shortening of atmospherics, or electrical disturbances in the air/ether
6 BESTIARIES At the end, I sign footballer Brooks (10) /
BEST (George, footballer) + I + ARIES (zodiacal sign)
7 FLANGE Raised wedge of tart and turnover, say (6) /
FLAN (tart) + GE (e.g., or ‘say’, turned over)
13 INSTITUTES Cremates foundations (10) /
double defn. to INSTITUTE can be to create; and an INSTITUTE might be a foundation
16 OCTUPLET A month at university left fellow missing one of weight (8) /
OCT (October, month) + UP (at university) + LE(F)T (left, missing F – fellow)
18 ITERATED One time, two times, finally force field died again (8) /
I (one) + T (time) + ERA (time) + T (time, again!) + ED (final letters of forcE fielD)
19 ADVISOR One provides trips by windy roads touring Virgin Islands (7) /
AD_SOR (anag, i.e; windy, of ROADS) around (touring) VI (Virgin Islands)
21 ELEVEN Tricky to trap energy of steam (6) /
EL_VEN (tricky, mischievous) around (trapping) E (energy)
22 TANDEM Biker meant to cycle around Germany (6) /
TAN_EM (anag, i.e. cycling, of MEANT) around D (Deutschland, Germany)
24 MASK Chide revolting little boy on the weekend (4) /
MAS (Sam, shortened, or little, boy’s name. revolting, or turned) + K (end letter of weeK)

 

10 comments on “Guardian Genius 196 by Qaos”

  1. I was disappointed that the additional and removed letters did not lead to something meaningful, as other setters, including QAOS previously, have managed in the past.

    I also thought 9A was poor as we started with Paella, added the T then took the T away.

    Although I am familiar with a Zorb [not from personal experience I hasten to add] I did not like the surface for 5D.

    Thanks to QAOS and mc_rapper67

  2. That felt pretty nice and gentle; I was expecting something a bit harder, but really don’t mind that it wasn’t. Qaos’s clues are always lovely. 9a took a very long time to go in as I was very suspicious of removing a single letter that I’d been told to add. I don’t *think* there’s anything cunning hidden in the grid or clues, but knowing Qaos I really wouldn’t be surprised if I missed it. I particularly liked the definition in 1d.

  3. I would echo many of the remarks made above. Not overly difficult but well-clued and enjoyable. A couple of expected possibilities not realised: no perimeter nina occupying the sticky-out ends and no hidden message in the removed letters. I also found it unusual to remove a single letter the clue had specifically inserted. This happened in 10a (Scottish leader) as well as with the naked T in 9a.

    Contrary to Mc’s experience, I think OVEREATING was my FOI.

    I rashly entered MIGRANTS for 14ac at first. I think it was getting SPHERICS that made me think again.

  4. Thanks for the various comments/feedback – looks like most enjoyed this one…apart from 9A, maybe (;+>)

  7. A lucky footnote – I have just had an e-mail from the Grauniad saying that I have been selected as the winner for this puzzle…first one for many years – trebles all round!…

  8. Congrats.  I won once about 5 years ago.  It was a Tramp puzzle.  I believe Tony has won once as well.  I’ll have a drink to you later.

  10. Thanks, Gordon & Tony – luck of the draw, but you have to be ‘in it to win it’! My lucky week, as I have also bagged a copy of Chambers from the Listener…

    Gd lck wth Gns 197!

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