[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
Eclogue provides the fun this week. Eclogue sets Inquisitor puzzles two or three times a year. The previous puzzle had us drawing a drunkard’s route along a rolling English road.
There was a fairly short preamble which stated that all clues are normal but should be entered without a letter wherever it occurs. Each omitted letter should be placed in the corresponding border cell in the same row or column as the entry. When complete, reading clockwise from the top-left, the perimeter provides a couplet minus four words. This verse will indicate to solvers what they must delete and what they must highlight. Enumerations refer to clue answers.
As the enumerations related to answer lengths rather than grid entries, it was fairly easy to identify answers where more than one letter was to be removed. There were 13 rows and 13 columns in the central grid with two across entries and two down entries in each so it was fairly clear which end of the row or columns the omitted letters should be placed.
The clues fell fairly steadily although I felt as I wrote the blog that the down clues were more complex than the acrosses.
About half way through, I began to think that the couplet was in French. About three quarters through I had enough perimeter letters to deduce the couple as L’ABSENCE EST À L’AMOUR CE QU’EST AU FEU LE VENT; IL ÉTEINT [LE PETIT], IL ALLUME [LE GRAND] The couplet is taken from Histoire Armoureuse des Gaules: Maxime d’Amour [1665] part 2 by Comte de Bussy-Rabutin, French soldier and poet. The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations cross-references two similar couplets attributed to other Frenchmen at around the same time.
The four words of the couplet omitted in the perimeter of the grid are shown in black above as LE PETIT and LE GRAND. The words PETIT and GRAND however do appear fairly centrally in the grid. The English translation of the couplet is ‘Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it kindles the great‘ Interpreting this couplet, we should then erase [extinguish] PETIT from the grid and highlight [illuminate] GRAND as shown in the animated grid looping below.
I thought that the clues were toward the easier end of Inquisitor spectrum, but this was balanced by my trying to understand the couplet before realising that it was in French.
The grid is shown below, changing from the original filled grid, to indicating the two key words in the grid, followed by the removal of one and the final highlighting of the other.
The title BILLET-DOUX (love letter) describes the sentiments expressed in the couplet when focused on a strong affection.
| Across | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No |
Clue |
Wordplay |
Answer |
Letter |
Entry |
| 1 |
Groom crossing Poland to marry (6) |
SICE (alternative spelling of SYCE [groom]) containing (crossing) PL (International Vehicle Registration for Poland) S (PL) ICE |
SPLICE (unite in matrimony; marry) |
E |
SPLIC |
| 6 |
Clips of Act One showing thereby? (9, 2 words) |
Hidden word in (showing) CLIPS OF ACT ONE IPSO FACTO |
IPSO FACTO (thereby) |
A |
IPSO FCTO |
| 12 |
Master command running others primarily (5) |
MA (Master [of Arts]) + CRO (first letters of [primarily] each of COMMAND, RUNNING and OTHERS MA CRO |
MACRO (single instruction that brings a set of instructions into operation) |
M |
ACRO |
| 14 |
Full of flaws, I’m in stir for the most part (6) |
I’M contained in (in) ROUS R (IM) OUS |
RIMOUS (covered with cracks; full of flaws) |
M |
RIOUS |
| 15 |
Escape artist hid in Oxford University craftily … (7) |
Anagram of (craftily) HID IN and OU (Oxford University) HOUDINI* |
HOUDINI (reference Harry HOUDINI [1874 – 1926], Hungarian-born American illusionist and stunt performer, noted for his sensational escape acts) |
U |
HODINI |
| 16 |
… without safety device for group (5) |
NO (without) + NET (safety device) NO NET |
NONET (a group of nine people or things, especially musicians [defined in the Oxford Dictionary of English as a group rather than a composition]) |
O |
NNET |
| 18 |
Very little courage in story about distinction (5) |
C (just the first letter of [very little] COURAGE) contained in (in) TALE (story) reversed (about) E (C) LAT< |
ECLAT (distinction) |
L |
ECAT |
| 19 |
Remove form of exercise in gym (5) |
RUN (form of exercise) contained in (in) PE (physical education; gym) P (RUN) E |
PRUNE (remove) |
U |
PRNE |
| 20 |
West Point cadet initially excoriated by vulgarian (5) |
PLEB (person of unpolished manners or vulgar tastes) + E (first letter of [initially] EXCORIATED) PLEB E |
PLEBE (first-year cadet at a naval or military academy – West Point is a leading such institution). |
L |
PEBE |
| 22 |
Hot air melts metallic compound (6) |
Anagram of (melts) HOT AIR THORIA* |
THORIA (oxide of THORIum; metallic compound) |
R |
THOIA |
| 23 |
Devout female comes to grips with mostly live Soviet committees (8) |
PIA (feminine adjective meaning pious; devout female) containing (comes to grips with) RESID P (RESID) IA |
PRESIDIA (standing committees in the former Soviet system) |
A |
PRESIDI |
| 25 |
No Caledonian has little room inside aircraft’s engine housing (7) |
NAE (Scots [Caledonian] form of ‘no’) containing (has … inside) CELL (little room) NA (CELL) E |
NACELLE (streamlined structure on an aircraft housing an engine, etc;) |
C |
NAELLE |
| 26 |
Minor transgressions almost spill over onto saint (5) |
S (saint) + SPIL S LIPS< |
SLIPS (minor transgressions) |
L |
SIPS |
| 29 |
Government runs queen? (5) |
RULE (government) + R (runs) RULE R |
RULER (a Queen is often a ruler of a country) |
E |
RULR |
| 32 |
Presidential assassin left free of responsibility by Uganda (7) |
GUI GUIT EAU |
GUITEAU (reference Charles GUITEAU [1841 – 1882], American writer and lawyer who assassinated President James Garfield in 1881) |
I |
GUTEAU |
| 34 |
Pub gathering to include question of outdoor party (8) |
BAR (public house) + (BEE [gathering] containing [to include] QU [question]) BAR BE (QU) E |
BARBEQUE (outdoor party) |
Q |
BARBEUE |
| 36 |
Press sinful wife to leave by Thursday (6) |
TH (Thursday) + TH RONG |
THRONG (press or jostle) |
T |
HRONG |
| 38 |
Space European Union seconds for grounded birds (5) |
EM (term for an M sized space in printing) + EU (European Union) + S (seconds) EM EU S |
EMEUS (flightless [grounded], fast-running Australian birds) |
U |
EMES |
| 39 |
Short-tailed beast belonging to Dundee Royal Infirmary, primarily (5) |
IN (belonging to) + DRI (first letters of [primarily] each of DUNDEE, ROYAL and INFIRMARY) IN DRI |
INDRI (short-tailed lemur found in the forests of eastern and central Madagascar) |
N |
IDRI |
| 40 |
Theatre manager’s staying opening (5) |
TREMA (hidden word in [staying] THEATRE MANAGER) TREMA |
TREMA (orifice; mouth-like opening) |
E |
TRMA |
| 43 |
Oasis rocks alternative in musical direction (5) |
Anagram of (rocks) OASIS OSSIA* |
OSSIA (or, giving an alternative in music) |
I |
OSSA |
| 44 |
Good health in the Highlands entails exercises (7) |
Anagram of (exercises) ENTAILS SLAINTE* |
SLAINTE (‘good health!’ in Gaelic, spoken in the Highlands of Scotland) |
S |
LAINTE |
| 45 |
Sandy tract in the country surrounding mound of debris, intricate material (8) |
DENE (dialect [in the country] word for sandy tract or dune) containing (surrounding) TELL (in Arab lands, a hill or ancient mound formed from the accumulated debris from earlier mud or wattle habitations) DEN (TELL) E |
DENTELLE (lacework or an ornamental pattern or border resembling lace and featuring toothed outlines, used in decorating book covers; intricate material) |
E |
DNTLL |
| 46 |
Take it slowly at first with religious instruction in part of September and October (5) |
TIS (initial letters [at first] of each of TAKE, IT and SLOWLY) + RI (religious instruction) TIS RI |
TISRI ((in the Jewish calendar, the first month of the Jewish civil year, seventh of the ecclesiastical, usually part of September and October) |
T |
ISRI |
| 47 |
Having thought differently, the underworld dispatched editor (9) |
DIS (Pluto, the underworld) + SENT (dispatched) + ED (editor) DIS SENT ED |
DISSENTED (thought differently) |
T |
DISSENED |
| 48 |
Digresses from transactions in old woollen fabrics (6) |
TR (transactions) contained in (in) SAYS (archaic [old] word for woollen fabrics) S (TR) AYS |
STRAYS (digresses from) |
A |
STRYS |
| Down | |||||
| No. |
Clue |
Wordplay | Answer | Letter | Entry |
| 1 |
Drags record inside another into school society (8) |
(EP [extended play record] contained in [inside] LP [long playing record; another record]) all contained in (into) (SCH [school] + S [society]) SCH (L (EP) P) S |
SCHLEPPS (slang for drags) |
L |
SCHEPPS |
| 2 |
What makes children old before their time is understood amid confusion with adult (8) |
(ROGER [radio codeword for received and understood] contained in [amid] PI alternative spelling of PIE [confusion])+ A (adult) P (ROGER) I A |
PROGERIA (rare disease causing premature ageing in children) |
A |
PROGERI |
| 3 |
Happen to get round lord at court for Scottish claret (5) |
BE (happen) containing (get tround) LUD (the judge in a court is often address as M‘LUD [my Lord]) B (LUD) E |
BLUDE (Scottish word for blood, which in turn is sometimes used for the colour claret) |
B |
LUDE |
| 4 |
Chinese philosopher in discussion (5) |
SINIC (sounds like [in discussion] CYNIC [one of a sect of philosophers founded by Antisthenes of Athens, characterized by an ostentatious contempt for riches, arts, science and amusements [so called from their morose manners]) SINIC |
SINIC (Chinese) |
S |
INIC |
| 5 |
Texan ass with stupid getting something served with drinks (6) |
CAN (American [Texan] slang for buttocks [ass]) + APE (American [Texan] term for coarse, clumsy or stupid person) CAN APE |
CANAPE (small biscuit or piece of pastry or bread, etc, with a savoury filling or spread, usually served with drinks) |
E |
CANAP |
| 6 |
Moved to action, townsman is welcomed to dine out (7) |
CIT (citizen; townsman) contained in (welcomed to) an anagram of (out) DINE IN (CIT) ED* |
INCITED (moved to action) |
N |
ICITED |
| 7 |
Intemperate Gisborne is drying out (8) |
Anagram of (intemperate) GISBORNE SOBERING* |
SOBERING (becoming no longer drunk; drying out) |
E |
SOBRING |
| 8 |
Another relation is 4? (8) |
Anagram of (another) RELATION ORIENTAL* |
ORIENTAL (SINIC [Chinese], entry at 4 down, for example) |
E |
ORINTAL |
| 9 |
French brandy and Australian beers wanting a bit of tang in flavoursome mixture (11, 2 words) |
FINE (ordinary French brandy) + SHERBE FINE S HERBES |
FINES HERBES (mixture of herbs used as a garnish or, chopped, as a seasoning) |
S |
FINE HERBE |
| 10 |
Stupidly lose count of liquids being equally miscible (9) |
Anagram of (stupidly) LOSE COUNT CONSOLUTE* |
CONSOLUTE (of liquids, mutually or equally soluble; being equally miscible) |
T |
CONSOLUE |
| 11 |
Large duck sounding like anvil, perhaps, when struck (6) |
OS (outsize; large) + TEAL (any of several kinds of small freshwater duck) OS TEAL |
OSTEAL (sounding like bone [the anvil is a small bone in the inner ear] percussion [when struck]) |
L |
OSTEA |
| 13 |
Pack of hounds part in country at first unseen (7) |
CRY (a pack of hounds) + PT (part) + IC (initial letters of [at first] each of IN and COUNTRY) CRY PT IC |
CRYPTIC (unseen) |
C |
RYPTI |
| 17 |
Irish Bill European raises in message (5) |
(LIAM [Irish name equivalent to William] + E [European]) all reversed (raise; down clue) (E MAIL)< |
EMAIL (message) |
A |
EMIL |
| 21 |
What may be necessary in German city tails off (10) |
ESSEN (German city) + an anagram of (off) TAILS ESSEN TIALS* |
ESSENTIALS (necessities) |
T |
ESSENIALS |
| 24 |
They shorten bed over rack in El Salvador (10) |
(PIT [informal word for a bed] + O [over] + MIST [a rack is a driving mist]) all contained in (in) ES (International Vehicle Registration for El Salvador) E (PIT O MIST) S |
EPITOMISTS (people who abridge texts; they shorten) |
I |
EPTOMSTS |
| 27 |
Did she once lead good man astray? (8) |
Anagram of (astray) LEAD and G (good) and MAN MAGDALEN |
MAGDALEN (reference Mary MAGDALEN or, more commonly MAGDALENE, associate of Jesus in the Bible. Literature describes Mary in many different ways, some less chaste than others, suggesting that she may have led Jesus astray) |
N |
MAGDALE |
| 28 |
Precious material’s elevating spirit over waterway (8) |
RUM (alcoholic spirit) reversed (elevating ; down clue) + RHINE (river, example of a waterway) MUR< RHINE |
MURRHINE (an unidentified precious material for vases, etc, first brought to Rome by Pompey (61BC) from the East, conjectured to be agate) |
E |
MURRHIN |
| 30 |
Net fully cast with ease (8) |
Anagram of (cast) NET FULLY FLUENTLY* |
FLUENTLY (with ease) |
F |
LUENTLY |
| 31 |
Those who save reserve copper over economic retention stock for starters (8) |
RES (reserve) + CU (chemical symbol for copper) + ERS (first letters of [for starters] each of ECONOMIC RETENTION STOCK) RES CU ERS |
RESCUERS (people who save others) |
U |
RESCERS |
| 33 |
Decoys the French surrounding old city (5) |
LES (one of the French forms of the definite article, the) containing (surrounding) UR (old city in southern Mesopotamia) L (UR) ES |
LURES (decoys) |
L |
URES |
| 34 |
Storage spaces containing average bundles of firewood (6) |
BINS (storage spaces) containing (containing) AV (average) B (AV) INS |
BAVINS (bundles of brushwood) |
V |
BAINS |
| 35 |
Bearing weapons, soldier possibly was first to capture engineers (8) |
ANT (reference a soldier ANT) + (LED [was first] containing (to capture) RE [Royal Engineers]) ANT LE (RE) D |
ANTLERED (male stags, who have ANTLERs, use them as weapons when fighting other stags) |
E |
ANTLRD |
| 36 |
Force energy into blowpipe that’s covered (6) |
(OD [Reichenbach’s arbitrary name for a force he supposed to manifest itself in light, magnetism, chemical action, hypnotism, etc] + E [energy]) contained in (into) HOD (a pewterer’s blowpipe) HO (OD E) D |
HOODED (covered) |
E |
HOODD |
| 37 |
Old copper tracks parts of ploughs (6) |
D (symbol for an old penny) + RAILS (tracks) D RAILS |
DRAILS (iron bows of ploughs from which the traces draw) |
L |
DRAIS |
| 41 |
In a frenzy having consumed one powder in the Gorbals once (5) |
MUST (dangerous frenzy in some male animals, such as elephants.) containing (consumed) I (Roman numeral for one) MU (I) ST |
MUIST (obsolete [once] Scottish [the Gorbals is an area of Glasgow] word for musk; hair-powder) |
U |
MIST |
| 42 |
Enrage terribly having lost head? (5) |
Anagram of (terribly) ANGER* |
ANGER (enrage, possibly as a result of having lost one’s head) |
E |
ANGR |
I found this tough, not finishing it till Wednesday, but very enjoyable. The grid construction was a little odd, having four 4-letter words (at 18, 26, 29 and 40 across) with no unchecked letters but a couple of 5-letter words (13 and 34 down) with two unches each. I wondered about the definition of ANTLERED as “bearing weapons” but suppose it is fair enough. The hidden 9 lettter phrase at 6 across was particularly brilliant, in my view. Once the quotation had been identified it was possible to reverse engineer the last few incomplete clues and the end game was then wholly straightforward.
Pretty tricky overall I found, mostly because of doubt for a long time about where to enter solved clues. Thankfully enough of the quote appeared, albeit in bits and bobs, to be able to work out firstly that it was French, and secondly what the remainder would be. Some would argue that I made life difficult for myself by assuming too many Cs were required in 13d, and generally misreading things elsewhere. In my defence I’m overdue an optician’s appointment. 🙂
This was a challenging and most enjoyable puzzle, which at one point I thought I would have to give up on but which in the end gave me much to appreciate.
Just as I did last week, I’ll first applaud the setter for giving us the lengths of the answers, not of the entries. It would have been more challenging, and not in a good way, without that information.
Working with shortened answers took some getting used to. At first, having alternative letters in cells was more confusing than having blanks there, but I made better use of the variable crossers as I progressed. I struggled mostly with the pairs of short words crossing each other – one such pair in each quadrant – although the tricky DENTELLE was my last entry. IPSO FACTO came rather late, and I’m grateful to Jon_S for reminding me of my perfect excuse for that (an overdue optician’s appointment).
I had to work out the quotation without all possible letters, as I had a few blanks and queries. As the couplet was forming it looked a bit French in places, and it was the possibility of l’amour, then qu’est and au feu, that made me try and interpret other parts. L’absence settled it when I realised the couplet did not have to start with ‘La’. The only word I had to look up (for confirmation) was eteindre, although its meaning was clear enough from the context.
Thanks to Eclogue and duncanshiell.
Another fine puzzle. I amazed myself by finding the couplet early on, realising that it was too long for the border then realising what the end game would probably be. It was a great help having the answer lengths, otherwise I might not have attempted this. MUIST took the longest to crack for me. Thanks to duncanshiell and Eclogue for their work.
I thought this involved a lot of toil, but was nevertheless compulsive – if the work was put in, it would fall. But I went very wrong in the bottom left, and was slow to see the quote was in French (googling Labs, Quest, Event and Allure yielded surprisingly little of use).
Many thanks to Eclogue and to duncanshiell for answering several questions I still had.
My second, and possibly last, attempt at an Inquisitor. After having managed without too much trouble last week I was completely floored! I finally solved it with a few hints, and here’s my write-up, which I was told to withhold for a week:
https://guys-diary.blogspot.com/2020/05/inquisitor-1645-billet-doux-by-eclogue.html
Adding my thanks to Eclogue and duncanshiell. Tough but fair, I thought. The title offered a good hint that the couplet would be in French, and the border’s first few letters suggested L’ABSENCE after only a little doomed flirtation with L’ABSOLUTE etc. Shameless Googling then revealed the couplet (not the least bit familiar: I obviously don’t read the right dictionaries of quotations) and what needed to be dropped to fit in with ALLUME at the end. Onward, slowly, through the remaining clues to the happy realization of the symmetrically placed PETIT and GRAND. A satisfying enough finish — anyway, no complaints from me.
Guy @6
I read your blog – I hope all your queries have now been answered.
For what it’s worth, if you like this kind of puzzle (and it’s not too late), I tentatively suggest you try the latest Inquisitor – also Sunday’s Azed for a non-themed puzzle.
Just to add that it was a long steady solve with quite a bit of effort in entering, manipulating and erasing as the letters to be removed emerged. Neil Hunter’s @5 ‘toil’ describes it well. Strangely the grid filled in almost completely as I solved clockwise from the top left. As a non French speaker I made free use of the web translation programmes and eventually got there. I was very pleased to complete it and shade petit and grand without a prolonged search. Another good puzzle from Eclogue .