[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
It’s been over a year since we last saw an Opsimath Inquisitor. This is Opsimath’s fourth puzzle in the series, but the first that I have blogged. Kenmac blogged all of the previous three.
The preamble stated that solvers must highlight four entries (in two rows in the completed grid) which explain the theme. Some cells must contain more than one letter. Numbers in brackets refer to the number of cells available.
I made fairly steady progress solving the clues and fairly quickly hit upon one of the thematic entries at 23 across – STUDIO. I didn’t realise what was going on at the point, but after solving THIRSTS and BY DEFAULT, I could see what was going on. In each case the triplet of consecutive letters fell in an unchecked cell. That fact was quite useful in identifying the remaining thematic clues.
In total there were twelve entries with consecutive letters. FILM NOIR actually contains a quartet LMNO so could be classified as LMN or MNO
The full list is given below
| Triplet | Clue Number | Entry |
|
CDE |
10d |
TOXIC DEBT |
|
DEF |
27d |
BY DEFAULT |
|
FGH |
4a |
AFGHANS |
|
GHI |
18d |
DOGHIP |
|
LMN |
11a |
CALMNESS |
|
LMN and MNO |
46a |
FILM NOIR |
|
NOP |
43a |
COINOP |
|
RST |
48a |
THIRSTS |
|
STU |
23a |
STUDIO |
|
TUV |
29d |
STUVEN |
|
YZA |
34a |
CORYZA |
|
ZAB |
14a |
ZABETA |
There are 12 thematic entries, eight across and four down. Within the grid, these twelve entries are placed symmetrically.
I wonder if Opsimath thought of intersecting entries sharing the same triplet. Some triplets occur in many words.
There are some other triplets that could have been used – ABC, BCD, HIJ, KLM, OPQ, PQR, and XYZ all occur in one or more words, phrases or abbreviations in the current edition of Chambers – examples are DABCHICK / CRAB CANON, EBCDIC, HIJACK / HIJAB, KLM, BARBERSHOP QUARTET, SPQR and HYDROXYZINE. but I reckon Opsimath has done well getting twelve examples into a symmetrical 13 * 13 grid. BARBERSHOP QUARTET would require a 15 * 15 grid to get the triplet in a single cell
The preamble requires us to highlight the theme in four entries in two rows. Keeping the symmetry of thematic entries we have ALPH and ABET, two of the three entries in the top row forming ALPHABET, with TRIP and LETS symmetrically placed to form TRIPLETS in the bottom row.
I thought the clues were towards the easier end of the Inquisitor spectrum of difficulty, but we certainly had plenty of clues for our money. There were fifty-five in all.
The final grid looked like this
The title TRIVIAL PURSUIT is, I think, just an indication of something related to the number three (TRI).
| No | Clue | Wordplay |
Three letters in one cell |
Entry |
| Across | ||||
| 1 |
A Greek cut short Samuel’s river (4) |
ALPH ALPH |
ALPH (This is a reference to Kubla Khan, a poem by SAMUEL Taylor Coleridge [1772 – 1834]. Xanadu, the capital of Kubla Khan is described as being near the river ALPH) | |
| 4 |
Fan upset with damaged shag blankets (5) |
Anagram of (upset … with) FAN and SHAG AFGHANS* |
FGH |
AFGHANS (heavy knitted or crocheted woollen blankets) |
| 8 |
Make good a wager (4) |
A + BET (wager) A BET |
|
ABET (make good) |
| 11 |
Tranquillity of unruly class-men (6) |
Anagram of (unruly) CLASS MEN CALMNESS* |
LMN |
CALMNESS (tranquility) |
| 12 |
Volume of liquid from nipple on empty range (5) |
TIT (nipple) + RE (letters remaining in R TIT RE |
|
TITRE (volume of liquid) |
| 13 |
Barge with no bow left large local vessel (4) |
COW L |
|
COWL (dialect [local] word for a tub or large vessel for liquids) |
| 14 |
Fixed price for sailor in closet before (4) |
AB (able seaman; sailor) contained in (in) ZETA (historical [before] word for a small room or closet of some kind, Z (AB) ETA |
ZAB |
ZABETA (stated tariff; fixed price) |
| 15 |
Harm unknown comic (4) |
MAR (harm) + X (letter frequently used to denote an unknown value in mathematics) MAR X |
|
MARX (reference, the MARX Brothers, an American family comedy act that played from 1905 to 1949. The brothers stage names were Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo and Zeppo) |
| 17 |
Academy set back a month (4) |
RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) reversed (set back) ADAR< |
|
ADAR (in the Jewish calendar, the twelfth month of the ecclesiastical year, the sixth of the civil year [part of February and March]). |
| 19 |
Herb I wanted for Aborigine’s bag (5) |
DILL (example of a herb) + I DILL I |
|
DILLI (Australian Aboriginal bag, made of woven grass or fibre) |
| 20 |
Excellent child gets oxygen in locking technique (6) |
AI (A one; excellent) + KID (child) + O (chemical symbol for oxygen) AI KID O |
|
AIKIDO (Japanese martial art using locks and pressure against joints) |
| 23 |
Film company boss with cry of joy (4) |
STUD (projecting boss, knob or pin) + IO (cry of joy) STUD IO |
STU |
STUDIO (film company) |
| 25 |
Flightless birds have problem heading back to the east (4) |
SUM (problem in addition, or in arithmetic generally) reversed (heading back) + E (East) MUS< E |
EMUS (flightless birds) | |
| 26 |
Yarn of short clergyman (3) |
ABB ABB |
ABB (properly, woof- or weft-yarn, but sometimes warp yarn) |
|
| 27 |
Politician given name after a tree (4) |
BEN (any of several tropical trees of the Moringa genus, especially the horseradish tree) + N BEN N |
BENN (reference Tony BENN [1925 – 2014], Labour Party politician) | |
| 28 |
In the morning priest is showing Tom’s silly behaviour (5) |
(P [priest] + IS) contained in (in) AM (ante meridiem; before noon; morning) A (P IS) M |
APISM (a word used by Thomas [Tom] Carlyle to describe silly behaviour) | |
| 30 |
Opening for soloists taking odd parts (4) |
SLIT (letters 1, 3,5 and 7 [odd parts] of SOLOISTS) SLIT |
SLIT (opening) | |
| 31 |
Idle talk from unknown knight of Australia (3) |
Y (letter frequently used to denote an unknown value in mathematics) + AK (Knight of [the order of] Australia) Y AK |
YAK (persistent idle talk) | |
| 32 |
The German bishop, native of North Africa (4) |
DIE (one of the German forms of ‘the’) + B (bishop) DIE B |
DIEB (jackal of northern Africa; native of North Africa) |
|
| 34 |
Wow! South Africa after a year is cold (4) |
COR (wow!) + Y (year) + ZA (International Vehicle Registration for South Africa) COR Y ZA |
YZA |
CORYZA ( cold in the head) |
| 36 |
Posh Ed ordered religious garments (6) |
Anagram of (ordered) POSH ED EPHODS* |
|
EPHODS (kind of linen surplices worn by the Jewish priests) |
| 38 |
Furrow ploughed back in Scottish parts (5) |
STRIA (furrows) reversed (ploughed back) AIRTS< |
|
AIRTS (Scottish word for regions [parts]) |
| 39 |
Cantankerous American loses railway in French region (4) |
ORNE ORNE |
|
ORNE (department or region in North West France) |
| 42 |
Addict organised ruse (4) |
Anagram of (organised) RUSE USER* |
|
USER (drug addict) |
| 43 |
Tabasco in open sandwiches needing a bit to work (4) |
COINOP (hidden word [sandwiches] in TABASCO IN OPEN COINOP |
NOP |
COINOP (descriptive of a machine operated by inserting a coin [bit] in a slot) |
| 44 |
Volcano in France and North America (4) |
ET (French for ‘in’) + NA (North America) ET NA |
|
ETNA (reference Mt ETNA, an active volcano on the island of Sicily) |
| 45 |
Raise stink over saint (5) |
BO (body odour; stink) + O (over) + ST (saint) BO O ST |
|
BOOST (raise) |
| 46 |
Bleak cinema style in form 51 destroyed (6, 2 words) |
Anagram of (destroyed) IN FORM and LI (roman numeral for 51) FILM NOIR* |
LMN |
FILM NOIR (style of cinema film, popular in American cinema in the 1940s and 50s, in which the darker side of human nature is presented, in a bleak, often starkly urban setting) |
| 47 |
Journey in Turkey, Italy and Portugal (4) |
TR (International Vehicle Registration [IVR] for Turkey) + I (IVR for Italy) + P (IVR for Portugal) TR I P |
|
TRIP (journey) |
| 48 |
Eager desires fabricated t-shirts (5) |
Anagram of (fabricated) T-SHIRTS THIRSTS* |
RST |
THIRSTS (desires) |
| 49 |
Allows obstructions (4) |
LETS (allows) LETS |
LETS (obstructions) double definition | |
| Down | ||||
| 1 |
Capital rowers including cricket club (5) |
ARA (Amateur Rowing Association) containing (including) CC (Cricket Club) A (CC) RA |
ACCRA (Capital city of Ghana) | |
| 2 |
Eleanor’s oddly missing the country (4) |
LAOS (letters 2, 4, 6 and 8 [even letters, i.e.odd letters missing] of ELEANOR‘S) LAOS |
LAOS (country in S E Asia) | |
| 3 |
Wild child creates havoc with a tiny particle (7) |
HELL (havoc) + ION (tiny electrically charge particle) HELL ION |
HELLION (mischievous or wild child) | |
| 4 |
Continent Italian assuredly in support group (4) |
SI (Italian for yes [assuredly]) contained in (in) AA (Alcoholics Anonymous, a support group) A (SI) A |
ASIA (continent) | |
| 5 |
Comfortable, but a tantaliser (6, 2 words) |
A + TEASE (tantaliser) A T EASE |
AT EASE (in a comfortably relaxed frame of mind) |
|
| 6 |
Egg on salt (5) |
NIT (egg of a louse) + RE (with reference to; on) NIT RE |
NITRE (potassium nitrate or saltpetre; a chemical salt) |
|
| 7 |
Courses revolving amidst us (8) |
Anagram of (revolving) AMIDST US STADIUMS* |
STADIUMS (in ancient Greece) a course for races, usually located between two hills providing natural slopes for tiers of seats) |
|
| 8 |
A miser assembled hordes (6) |
A + an anagram of (assembled) MISER A RMIES* |
ARMIES (hordes) | |
| 9 |
Just about time for polling a successful hunter (9, 2 words) |
EARLY BIRD |
EARLY BIRD (the proverbial catcher of the [early] worm; successful hunter) |
|
| 10 |
It’s unlikely to be repaid to team newbie in court (7, 2 words) |
TO + XI (Roman numeral for eleven; many teams have eleven players) + (DEB [debutante; newbie] contained in [in] CT [court]) TO XI C (DEB) T |
CDE |
TOXIC DEBT (loans and other types of DEBT that have a low chance of being repaid with interest) |
| 16 |
Pours out Campbell’s Soups (6) |
SKINKS (pours out) SKINKS |
|
SKINKS (Scottish [Campbell] word for soups originally made with stock from a shin of beef, now usually made with fish) double definition |
| 18 |
Hook in rose fruit (4) |
DOG (hook for holding logs) + HIP (following the latest trends; in) DOG HIP |
GHI |
DOGHIP (fruit of the dog rose) |
| 21 |
Confounded, I read lies he represents as perfect (9) |
Anagram of (confounded [thrown into disorder]) I READ LIES IDEALISER* |
|
IDEALISER (one who represents as perfect) |
| 22 |
Inept chap’s deposited weapon in toilet? Quite the reverse (6) |
LOO (toilet) contained in (deposited in) GAT (gun) which is the opposite(quite the reverse) of the first part of the clue (‘deposited weapon in toilet’) GA (LOO) T |
|
GALOOT (clumsy or inept fellow) |
| 24 |
Cow sat in ploughed up grain (8) |
Anagram of (ploughed up) COW SAT IN WAINSCOT* |
|
WAINSCOT (to grain in imitation of oak) |
| 27 |
Flayed, but misrepresented because of a failure (7, 2 words) |
Anagram of (misrepresented) FLAYED BUT (BY DEFAULT)* |
DEF |
BY DEFAULT (because of a failure to do something) |
| 29 |
Baroque painter recast Venus with a hint of Titian (4) |
Anagram of (recast) VENUS and T (first letter of [hint of] TITIAN) STUVEN* |
TUV |
STUVEN (reference Ernst STUVEN [1657–1712], a German Baroque flower painter) |
| 30 |
German quick to find Ms Trent after school (7) |
SCH (school) + NELL (reference Little NELL Trent in Charles Dickens’ novel The Old Curiosity Shop) SCH NELL |
SCHNELL (German for ‘quick’) | |
| 32 |
Unwelcome Parisian once conveyed northward (6, 2 words) |
PORTED (obsolete [once] carried or conveyed) reversed (northward; down clue) (DE PORT<) |
DE TROP (French [Parisian] for superfluous or in the way; unwelcome) | |
| 33 |
Rub up one small tree – a palm (6) |
RUB reversed (up; down clue) + I (roman numeral for 1) + TI (small Pacific liliaceous tree of the Cordyline genus) BUR< IT I |
BURITI (the miriti palm) |
|
| 35 |
Shoo out hard? (5) |
Anagram of (out) SHOO + H (hard when describing pencil lead) HOOS* H |
HOOSH (drive or shoo away) | |
| 37 |
Vehicle on board leaves marks (5) |
CAR (vehicle) contained in (on board) SS (steamship – ‘on board’ implies being on a ship) S (CAR) S |
SCARS (marks) | |
| 40 |
Quasi-genius on reflection shows a little patronage (4) |
EGIS (hidden word [shows] reversed [on reflection] in QUASI-GENIUS) EGIS< |
EGIS (aegis; protection or patronage) I think ‘little is a reference to the fact we are entering EGIS [4 letters] rather than AEGIS [5 letters] | |
| 41 |
Quarrelsome Scot raised contract (4) |
TINK (Scottish word for a quarrelsome person) reversed (raised; down clue) KNIT< |
KNIT (contract) |
Highly enjoyable. If one of my friends wanted to start doing the IQ, I would recommend this one.
At the easier end of the spectrum indeed. I started when I woke at 6.a.m. and had finished 90 minutes later. I got Afghans and calmness very early on and my only stumbling block was trying to justify TOUR instead of TRIP. Very nicely constructed and enjoyable but left a lot of weekend free! Thanks for pointing out so many other triplets Duncan.
Not only are the affected entries symmetrical. The affected cells are, too. This made the solve easier once one knew what was going on.
As you say, on the gentler end of the IQ scale but great fun.
Thanks to Duncan and Opsimath.
My way into the theme was with FILM NOIR, although at first I wasn’t sure if the gimmick involved numerals (No 1). I then wondered if we were going to get all the letter groupings from the old telephone dial, but some of those are quadruplets, and don’t appear in any words that I know of: WXYZ for example. I thought the clue for EARLY BIRD was a little unfair, as only the first word of the pair (NEARLY) is polled and NEARLY BIRD on its own is not a phrase. But overall I agree a fairly gentle puzzle – unlike this week’s offering!
The preamble was delightfully succinct. Like Hihoba, I twigged what was going on from AFGHANS and CALMNESS, in my case having first tried doubling the letters (in the manner of A-FG-HA-N-S) instead of using a triplet. The puzzle became relatively straightforward after that.
After completion what I appreciated most about this was the symmetrical placement of the twelve cells with triple letters in them, as pointed out by kenmac. In fact I spotted that symmetry with one clue still to solve (COINOP), which I then knew ‘had to’ have a triplet in the unchecked cell.
The most surprising of the triplets were CORYZA and TOXIC DEBT. I too wondered if Dabchick or Hijack might make it, but clearly that wasn’t possible! To add to Duncan’s list, Rijksmuseum is a possibility (not to mention other Dutch words and names).
Many thanks to Opsimath and Duncan.
Enjoyable and straightforward, which suited me that day. Title’s a bit of a stretch, isn’t it? I’m sure the Latin scholars will find some link between trivial and three but it could probably be used as the title every week! Thanks to O for the fun and DS for the comprehensive analysis.
(From a lifelong student, not a scholar): Latin trivium, a place where three roads meet; in the Middle Ages, the three roads to learning: Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic [from Brewer].
What a treat ! No need for massive cold solving to start with, and no need to spend ages on Google trying to understand hugely obscure endgame relationships ! Resulting, for me, in a two-hour solve, just like the good old IQ days. The one thing I felt that a really kind setter would have included was perhaps, the number of thematic cells … I nearly overlooked ZABETA for ZETA. (Always a bonus to learn new words too !) … until I realised, late in the day, that they were symmetrically placed. Brilliant grid construction, thanks Opsimath, I will remember this as a lovely oasis in a tough Sahara where solvers usually need Bedouin capabilities.
Thanks too, as always DS
Murray @8
On your point about what a ‘really kind setter’ would have included (the number of thematic cells), I would say, contrary to what you said, that the design and pitch of this puzzle were such that giving us any quantitative information like that was not necessary, and I think the setter showed good judgement.
I sometimes campaign gently on this site for information like answer lengths, number of special clues and suchlike to be given when, in my opinion, it is clearly called for by the complexity and pitch of a puzzle, but a few setters, I feel, are terribly afraid of giving anything away! (In this instance, answer lengths would have given something away and I’m sure were not even considered.)
Alan B @9
I thought that I had made it quite clear that, once I realised the symmetricality of the triplets, that giving the number of them, which I had earlier hoped for, was indeed totally unnecessary.
Apologies if it wasn’t clear enough.
You could interpret Trivial Pursuit as “Simple” and “Following one another”. As easy as ABC?
I also enjoyed this crossword and guessed the theme from afghans. To add to film noir as a quartet I have found limnophilous, understudy and analyzable for the North American’s.