It’s been well over a year and a half since we had an Inquisitor from Pointer. This is the first Pointer puzzle I have blogged, but I have enjoyed solving many of his puzzles in The Magpie magazine over the past few years.
The preamble was extensive and told us that following a robbery, a donation and amnesty were requested (in receipt of which the stolen object would be returned). In several clues, the wordplay ignores some letters of the answer, the shorter form to be entered in the grid; the missing letters correspond to empty cells, which collectively represent the void left after the robbery. The two letters missing from the lowest part of the void give a hint to the location. The object was later discovered inside another location, to be found in the grid. Solvers must return the object to its original place, leaving empty cells behind. Finally, the name of the person convicted as a result of the robbery must be highlighted. Solvers should note that both theft and restoration leave many non-words in the final grid.
This was a fairly steady solve. I solved the two long across entries fairly early on and could see the upper part of the grid filling without sign of a void. I concluded then that the void had to be in the lower part of the grid.
It took a while to find an entry where the wordplay was incomplete. OVERPAY was the first one, quickly followed by BUNTING With AEROBE, TONIC and SIAMESE also falling fairly quickly it was clear that the void was solely in the right hand side of the SW corner of the grid.. I was expecting a bigger void given the wording in the preamble. In the end there were only 6 clues that contributed to the void. I’m not sure that 6 clues out of 45 constitutes ‘several’, although I note that Chambers does define ‘several’ as ‘more than one (usually more than three)’.
Looking at the omitted letters I could see that the four rows (9,10,11,12) read PA, IN, TI, NG or PAINTING. Within the word PAINTING, the bottom pair NG suggested National Gallery. A bit of research revealed that Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington was stolen from the Gallery in 1961, the first ever theft from that location. Knowing that Wellington was often referred to as the IRON DUKE was helpful in spotting a similar 4 row by 2 column occurrence of IR, ON, DU, KE in columns 8 and 9 . Further research revealed that the painting was eventually discovered in a left luggage
office in a Birmingham railway station. Studying the grid, the words NEW STREET STATION (16 letters) can be seen surrounding the letters of IRON DUKE.
The preamble told us to return the picture to it’s rightful place in the original void, thereby leaving a new void inside NEW STREET STATION
With the IRON DUKE back in its rightful place the words KEMPTON in row 12 and BUNTON in row 10 are revealed. It was KEMPTON BUNTON who was charged with the robbery, but only convicted of the theft of the frame. National Archive papers released in 2012 revealed that KEMPTON’s son JOHN confessed to stealing the portrait.
The grid is asymmetric which implies that Pointer did not find it easy to fit in entries necessary to get PAINTING, IRON DUKE and NEW STREET STATION in the right place. I suspect trying to get NATIONAL GALLERY to fit round PAINTING would have been many steps too far. I know NATIONAL GALLERY is only 15 letters, rather than the 16 needed to enclose the PAINTING, but perhaps a ‘window’ could have served as a space to enable entry. However, as it is, the grid is a very impressive construction.
The grid shows an animation of the theft and replacement plus the identification of KEMPTON BUNTON
The title FREE TV LICENCES FOR THE POOR relates to KEMPTON BUNTON being outraged at the Government’s decision to but the Goya for £140,000 at a time when BUNTON was struggling to pay his TV licence from his own modest income as a bus driver. He campaigned against the licence fee sent and sent a letter to Reuters news agency, requesting a donation of £140,000 to charity to pay for TV licences for poorer people and demanding an amnesty for the thief If the ransom was paid, the painting would be returned. The government rejected the offer.
This was a good fun Inquisitor that provided an entertaining solve with a good end-game.
I’m not sure at the parsing for STERN at 5 down. In the detail below I’ve tried to make a case for COUNTRY AND WESTERN [film] excluding [walk out on] COUNTRY [people] AND WE [including Pointer, the setter] but I’m not convinced.
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No |
Clue |
Wordplay |
Definition Unclued Letters |
Entry |
| 1 |
Close to lights, beep and go on red (5) |
S (final letter of [close to] LIGHTS) + HOOT (beep) S HOOT |
SHOOT (pass through traffic lights at red without stopping; SHOOT the lights) |
|
| 5 |
Handrail shocks given sign of approval (8) |
MOPS (thick or bushy heads of hair [shocks are similarly defined]) + TICK (sign of approval) MOPS TICK |
MOPSTICK (hand-rail nearly circular in section) |
|
| 12 |
Heading inwards intercept damaged marble (13) |
Anagram of (damaged) INTERCEPT + ALLY (short version of ALLEY-TAW [large marble]) CENTRIPET* ALLY |
CENTRIPETALLY (heading inwards towards the centre) | |
| 13 |
Set US transport system back to get relief (5) |
(PUT [set] + EL [American informal term for an ELevated railway; US transport system) all reversed (back) (LE TUP)< |
LET-UP (relief) | |
| 15 |
Five must leave party to provide dance (4) |
RE REEL |
REEL (dance) | |
| 16 |
Italian reversed the tax (5) |
IT (Italian) reversed (reversed) + THE TI< THE |
TITHE (the tenth of the produce of land and stock taken originally as a tax for church purposes) |
|
| 18 |
It runs out to capture single protein (7) |
Anagram of (out) IT RUNS containing (to capture) I (Roman numeral for one; single) SIRTU (I) N* either I could be the one contained |
SIRTUIN (any of a group of enzymes which regulate cell metabolism and aging; protein) |
|
| 20 |
Eddy has eastern money gained through merit (7) |
WELL (eddy) + WON (standard monetary unit of North and South Korea; eastern money) WELL WON |
WELL-WON (gained honestly or by hard endeavour; gained through merit) |
|
| 24 |
Eve fetched Isaiah, instead of Victor, to engage a lot with the first person (7) |
(E E (GOT) IS E |
EGOTISE (talk a lot about oneself; a lot with the first person) | |
| 25 |
Such customs suited bats (6) |
Anagram of (bats) SUITED DUTIES* |
DUTIES (customs [taxes]) | |
| 28 |
Parrot to fight in cage for the Highlanders (6) |
KEA (large New Zealand parrot) + VIE (fight) KEA VIE |
KEAVIE (Scottish [Highlanders] word for a hen-coop or cage) |
|
| 31 |
Painter copies distorted heads of Scots (13) |
Anagram of (distorted) PAINTER COPIES CAPPERNOITIES* |
CAPPERNOITIES (Scottish word for heads) | |
| 32 |
Spend too much oxygen, remarkably (7) |
O (chemical symbol for Oxygen) + VERY (remarkably) O VERY |
OVERPAY (spend too much) PA |
OVER__Y |
| 36 |
Fungus attacking wheat attracts grand bird (7) |
BUNT (fungus that causes a disease in wheat) + G (grand) BUNT G |
BUNTING (bird) IN |
BUNT__G |
| 38 |
Organism identified in unconventional view of hellebore aphids (6) |
AEROBE (hidden word (identified in) reversed (unconventional view) in HELLEBORE APHIDS AEROBE< |
AEROBE (organism that requires free oxygen for respiration) |
|
| 39 |
Earl following nurse in luxury car, is an investor (7) |
(EN [enrolled nurse] + E [earl]) contained in (in) RR (Rolls-Royce; luxury car) R (EN E) R |
RENTIER (person who has, or who lives on, an income from rents or investments) TI |
REN__ER |
| 41 |
Lascar will be in France (6) |
SERA (French for ‘will be’) SERA |
SERANG (boatswain on an Oriental, especially Indian, ship. LASCAR is defined as an Oriental, originally Indian, sailor or camp-follower) NG |
SERA__ |
| 42 |
Auction disposing of gold represented boost (5) |
Anagram of (represented) TONIC* |
TONIC (boost) | |
| 43 |
Male and female cycling in part of England (5) |
SEXES (male and female) with letters 4 and 5 ES cycling to the front to form ESSEX ESSEX |
ESSEX (County [part of] England) | |
| 44 |
Cat seems troubled hugging one American (7) |
Anagram of (troubled) SEEMS containing (hugging) (I [Roman numeral for one] + AM [American]) S (I AM) ESE* |
SIAMESE (breed of cat) | |
| Down | ||||
| 1 |
Resident of Musselburgh, for instance, is absent from racecourse (4) |
SCOT |
SCOT (resident of Musselburgh, just outside Edinburgh. Musselburgjh also has a racecourse) | |
| 2 |
Old wine appears outside vessel (not new) after corkscrew breaks with ten scratched plates (13) |
(HELI HELI O GRAV (UR) ES |
HELIOGRAVURES (photo-engravings; scratched plates) | |
| 3 |
Passing move went wrong in no-score draw (6) |
Anagram of (wrong) WENT contained in (in) (O-O [nil-nil; no score draw]) O (NE-TW*) O |
ONE-TWO (movement in which a player passes the ball to another player, then runs forward to receive it again; passing move) |
|
| 4 |
Charlie left during peace time. Spot-on! (4) |
TRU TRUE |
TRUE (spot-on!) | |
| 6 |
Picks stop working (4) |
Anagram of (working) STOP OPTS* |
OPTS (makes a choice; picks) | |
| 7 |
Stop to provide decentralised compound (6) |
Anagram of (compound) PRO PERIOD* |
PERIOD ([full] stop at the end of a sentence) | |
| 8 |
Unsmiling people (incl. Pointer) walk out on film (5) |
I’m clutching a straws a bit here by suggesting STERN |
STERN (unsmiling) | |
| 9 |
Two holding attraction up a tree (6) |
II (Roman numeral for two) containing (holding) PULL (attraction) reversed (up; down clue) I (LLUP<) I |
ILLUPI (the mahwa tree) |
|
| 10 |
Sri Lanka must reach target to declare (5) |
CL (International Vehicle Registration for Sri Lanka) + AIM (target) CL AIM |
CLAIM (declare) | |
| 11 |
Kentucky wild nag – it’s an ass! (5) |
KY (Kentucky) + an anagram of (wild) NAG KY ANG* |
KYANG (Tibetan wild ass) |
|
| 14 |
A sun, visible amid right, left, up and up? (6) |
([A + S {sun}] contained in [visible in] [R {right} + L {left} + UP}]) all reversed (up; down clue) (PU L (S A) R)< |
PULSAR (pulsating star [sun]) | |
| 17 |
Angry husband topped 13 (5, 2 words) |
H (husband) + H ET UP |
HET UP (angry) | |
| 19 |
Mix cobalt- and sea-blue to get potential dye (9) |
Anagram of (mix) CO (chemical symbol for Cobalt) and SEA-BLUE LEUCO_BASE* |
LEUCO-BASE ( colourless reduction product of a dye that can be converted back to the dye by oxidation; potential dye) |
|
| 21 |
Citrus fruit skins are treated in here (7) |
LIME (citrus fruit) LIME |
LIMEPIT (a LIME-filled pit in which hides [skins] are steeped to remove hair) PIT |
LIME___ |
| 22 |
Rise of modern Manhattan here symptomatic of congested city (5) |
NEW (modern) reversed (rise of; down clue) + NY (New York; Manhattan is part of New York) WEN< NY |
WENNY (descriptive of an enormous congested city) | |
| 23 |
Master gets too worried making cabin for VIP? (9) |
Anagram of (worried) MASTER and TOO STATEROOM* |
STATEROOM (private cabin usually afforded only by very important people) |
|
| 26 |
Ancient coin shows a strange crest in place of bishop (8) |
Anagram of (strange) CREST contained in (in) SEE (Bishop’s diocese; place of bishop) SE (STERC*) E |
SESTERCE (Roman coin) |
|
| 27 |
Leading batsmen and ordinary fellows going around Edgbaston boundary (7) |
O (ordinary) + (PERS [persons; fellow]) containing (going round) EN (first and last letters of {boundary} EDGBASTON) O P (EN) ERS |
OPENERS (first two [leading] batsmen in cricket are known as the OPENERS) | |
| 29 |
Mac’s busy backing relationship outside study (6) |
TIE (relationship) reversed (backing) containing (outside) DEN (study) EI (DEN) T< |
EIDENT (Scottish [Mac] word for busy) | |
| 30 |
Boy’s elevated after six bottles of plonk? (5) |
VI (Roman numeral for six) + SON (boy) reversed (elevated; down clue) VI NOS< |
VINOS (bottle of wine) | |
| 33 |
Henry’s near to a poet (5) |
H (henry, derived SI unit of inductance) H |
ANIGH (poet’s word for near) ANIG |
____H |
| 34 |
Priest falls in island resort – Bones is called for (5) |
CAPRI (Italian island resort) with P (priest) falling down the word (this is a down entry) to form CARPI CARPI |
CARPI (wrist bones) | |
| 35 |
Devil’s name appears in the B-list (5) |
EBLIS (hidden word in [appears in] THE B-LIST EBLIS |
EBLIS (Muslim name for the Devil) | |
| 37 |
Run out of seeds and things of outstanding quality (4) |
GE GEMS |
GEMS (things of outstanding quality) | |
| 40 |
It occurs regularly in Dunstable, not in Dunfermline (3) |
NAE (letters 3, 6 and 9 [regularly] in DUNSTABLE) NAE |
NAE (Scottish [Dunfermline] word for NOT) |
Yep, all good stuff! I failed miserably to spot that the perpetrator’s first name as well as surname were both in the grid, and only highlighted the latter, but you can’t win them all.
We too wondered about 8d STERN and eventually decided on [we]STERN with “people incl. Pointer” indicating “film” – the idea being that Pointer, the setter, was “me” so “people + me” = “we”. And I think westerns are an actual film genre, whereas “country and western” would reference music. But like you, we (as it were) struggled).
(i meant “people incl. Pointer” indicating “we” of course)
A Western is certainly a film, though I couldn’t parse it at the time.
I thought this was very neat; I saw that ‘painting’ was likely, and found Iron Duke by looking in the grid for something similar-shaped. The rest is google. I had forgotten, or never knew, the story.
Thanks to Pointer and Duncan.
Yes, excellent. I love that the perpetrator wanted a charitable donation for TV licenses. I wish more criminals were like that!
Like JonS I failed to spot Kempton. I had a query about (we)stern – now resolved thanks to Ilan Caron #1, and another about 34 down – what is the purpose of the phrase “is called for”? It doesn’t seem to make a meaningful contribution to the clue.
Hihoba @ 5
I think Bones is being used as a shortened version of sawbones (surgeon or doctor). Also Dr McCoy was referred to as Bones in the early series of Star Trek.
I reckon the clue is just saying a doctor is called for because the priest has fallen, to improve the surface reading.
You can add me to the list of those who spotted BUNTON but not KEMPTON. To make matters worse, I spotted NEW ST but not REET STATION. And finding WELL in a prominent place in the grid led me on a fruitless search for INGTON.
My original thought was that the reference was to the theft of the Mona Lisa (also eight letters) but that didn’t work. I took exception to the reference in the preamble to there having been a robbery. The pedantic lawyer in me requires this to be confined to instances of theft from the person involving violence or threats. In fact here we didn’t even have a theft of the painting, since the prosecution couldn’t prove that Bunton intended to deprive the National Gallery of it permanently. He was acquitted of theft, but was convicted of the theft of the frame, which he never returned. But I don’t suppose anyone was misled, and I agree that the grid was a very impressive construction.
Having solved all the clues and duly formed a ‘painting-shaped’ void, the hint ‘NG’ was fortunately just enough to lead me to the National Gallery and thence to an interesting story that I had never known (or had completely forgotten about).
I’m not very good at finding text ‘hidden’ in grids, but I spotted BUNT that just needed ON to complete that name. I thus found IRON DUKE (to fill the void exactly) and happened to see NEW ST to the left of it. It took me a little while to spot NEW STREET STATION in full, and another little while to see KEMPTON to complement BUNTON.
I admired the grid construction and the implementation of the theme. The interlocking of IRON DUKE with the thief’s full name was clever – also the hiding-place ‘framing’ the painting exactly. The setter might have had some luck with the letters and letter-counts of the thematic items, but the opportunities still had to be exploited. The clues were excellent and crystal clear, and I was spoilt, in a sense, by the higher proportion of ‘accessible’ clues than I normally encounter with Inquisitors.
The asymmetrical grid was unusual, but I liked the fact that we had three full-length solutions to find. (CAPPERNOITIES was tricky. Chambers has an entry for ‘capernoitie’, showing ‘cappernoity’ as a variant spelling, but there is no entry for the latter by way of cross-reference.)
I didn’t mind not being told the number of clues (6) affected by the void, but ‘several’ was pushing it a bit. This is all very subjective, but ‘some’ would perhaps have been nearer the mark.
Thanks to Pointer for a quality puzzle and to Duncan for a clear blog.
A mystifying preamble which, when it became clear, led to a satisfying finish. My experience was pretty much as Duncan’s except I gave up trying to parse 8D. Also the IRON DUKE penny did not drop until I spotted the likely position of the culprit giving me a big nudge with ON & KE, after which everything fell into place. A neat idea and a brilliant grid construction.
Thanks to Pointer and Duncan.
Thanks to duncanshiell and Pointer
Great puzzle.
I have a little trouble equating “centripetally” with “heading inwards” – simply “inwards” seems closer.
For 24a I had “to engage a lot with the first person” as the def.
Great story as well which I’ve heard before but had forgotten about.
Thanks to both.
For 24a I agree with Dansar @10 with the parsing EVE with GOT IS instead of V, allowing ENGAGE to be part of the definition.