Wordplay in each clue yields an extra letter not to be entered in the grid. Those from across clues explain the puzzle’s title and source of the theme; solvers must complete the unclued entry and highlight four blocks of cells (19 cells in total) that give a cryptic representation of that source and a specific location associated with it. Extra letters from down clues describe what solvers must do (involving 7 cells) to replicate the activity that occurred therein.
We are to identify two separate relevant phrases from extra letters which explain the title and give us an instruction. The final grid is to be treated accordingly.
My way in was via two anagrams at 20 and 21 across but I then stalled in the upper half and went below to try to identify letters in the unclued answer. I was cloning a hard drive for a friend at the time and this took five hours, so I had plenty of time to ponder some tricky clues with a lot of reasonably familiar words with unfamiliar meanings. I didn’t know that a pink was a chaffinch for instance. My dad used to call it a “spink” after its call.
As is so often the case, I had to virtually complete the grid, with several of the extra letters missing before I could identify the phrases and the extra letters that I had missed. Having an almost filled grid, I was led along a false path by NOTU?, thinking NOT UP and tennis. Wrong! It was NOTUS and was the south or south-wast wind.
The extra letters, after some readjustments, led to the phrases CHAPTER TITLE IN GRAHAME BOOK, and EVICT SQUATTERS FROM RESIDENCE.
These led me (without benefit of Google) to my copy of Kenneth GRAHAME‘s THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS. The Return of Ulysses being the final chapter in which Badger, Mole, Ratty and Toad return to EVICT the SQUATTERS (the WEASELS and stoats) FROM the RESIDENCE, TOAD HALL.
Perusal of the final grid found TOAD HALL on row 4 and running down vertically was WEASELS (no stoats apparently). We have to evict the weasels, presumably by deleting them, which satisfyingly leaves all real words in the grid.
After fruitlessly trying to make willows out of LLOWS which were part of the shallows at 20A, I revisited NOTU? and found the south-west WIND, NOTUS, which must be in the WILLOWS. A short search later and I discovered OSIER and SALLOW (both willows) on the next to the bottom row round the S of NOTUS.
So highlight TOAD HALL, OSIER and SALLOW (19 characters in all) and delete WEASELS. Job done.
A couple of comments about the grid. First the size – 15 columns instead of the usual thirteen, and hence 52 clues. Second, when I counted the clues (for this comment) I realised that the last one was number 51A, hence there was only one occasion in the grid where the first letter of an across clue was the first letter of a down clue – at 13A/D. This must be unusual.
Superb puzzle Kruger, so thank you for causing me to re-read some of the Wind in the Willows. When I read the book as a child I remember skipping chapter 7 The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, but re-reading it as an adult, I found this the most magical piece of writing in the whole book. It forms no part of the toad-related main plot, so is never included in any adaptations, but rewards revisiting.
Across |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue (definition) | Answer | Wordplay [redundant letter] | |
| 1 | Flower-to-be came back to life at Christian Union in Bangladesh (7) | ROSEBUD | ROSE (came back to life) +[C]U (Christian Union) in BD (Bangladesh) | C |
| 7 | Clean ships for festive occasions (8) | WASSAILS | WAS[H] (clean) SAILS (ships) | H |
| 13 | Upstart finishes off in Park Avenue (7) | PARVENU | PAR(k) [A]VENU(e) (last letters removed) | A |
| 15 | Repeating it irritated parent (7) | ITERANT | IT + [[P]ARENT]* | P |
| 18 | Animal at first put outside (5) | BEAST | A[T] in BEST (first) | T |
| 19 | Large knife severed part of foot (5) | CUTTO | CUT (severed) + TO[E] (part of foot) | E |
| 20 | Incomplete shore walls demolished – sea not deep there (8) | SHALLOWS | [SHO[R](e) WALLS]* | R |
| 21 | Boring organs are better tuned (8) | TEREBRAE | [ARE BET[T]ER]* | T |
| 22 | Repair shoe on the ground with second piece of leather (6) | RESOLE | RE (on) + SO[I]L (the ground) + (l)E(ather) | I |
| 24 | It makes it hard to see group of cats withdrawing (4) | SMOG | G(roup of) + [T]OMS (cats) reversed | T |
| 26 | Capital university accepts friend coming back to pass one degree after another (5) | LAPSE | PAL (friend) reversed + [L]SE (capital university) | L |
| 28 | American’s after fish – wise man (5) | HAKAM | AM(erican) after HAK[E] (fish) | E |
| 31 | Cape restricts Italian lodges (5) | NESTS | NESS (cape) round [I]T(alian) | I |
| 33 | Father Christmas not completely wearing silky fabric (5) | SATIN | SA[N]T(a) + IN (wearing) | N |
| 35 | Irrelevantly introduce promotion with no limits (5, 2 words) | LUG IN | (p)LUG[G]IN(g) (promotion with no limits) | G |
| 37 | Lookout departs for some black lead (4) | WADD | WA[R]D (lookout) + D(eparts) | R |
| 39 | Pest from Maine stupidly killing time (6) | MEDFLY | ME (Maine) + D[A]F(t)LY (stupidly minus T(ime)) | A |
| 41 | Leaving suburbs of Stoke, never choose dodgy comprehensive survey (8) | ONCE-OVER | remove SE (suburbs of S(tok)E) from [NEVERC[H]OO(se)]* | H |
| 42 | Rude opening pair for India also fabricated English banter in the middle (8) | INSOLENT | IN(dia) + [[A]LSO]* + E(nglish) + (ba)NT(er) | A |
| 44 | Make dark assuming fashionable fabric (5) | DHOTI | DI[M] (make dark) round HOT (fashionable) | M |
| 47 | Cold Australian followed on without removing last of sweaters (5) | AGUED | A(ustralian) + (s)[E]GUED (followed on minus (sweater)S). I think either without or removing is redundant – the double negative makes no sense. | E |
| 48 | Inhabitant of Fort Wayne house more domineering when son leaves (7) | HOOSIER | Fort Wayne is a town in Indiana, and a Hoosier is an Indianan: HO(use) + [B]OS(s)IER (more domineering minus S(on)) | B |
| 49 | Season almost turned fleece close to sandy – pale-yellowish coloured (7) | SALLOWY | SAL(t) (season almost) + WO[O]L reversed (turned fleece) + (sand)Y | O |
| 50 | Fools cultivated so-so peony (8) | SPOONEYS | [SOSOPE[O]NY]* | O |
| 51 | They’re in alley to capture returning chaffinches (7) | TENPINS | NET (capture) reversed + PIN[K]S (chaffinches) | K |
Down |
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| No. | Clue (definition) | Answer | Wordplay [redundant letter] | |
| 2 | He’s visiting old American university in Pacific island (4) | OAHU | H[E] on O(ld) A(merican) U(niversity) | E |
| 3 | Amphibian starts to eat vegetation – explanation’s on television shortly (4) | EVET | E(at) V(egetation) E(xplanation) starts + T[V] (television shortly) | V |
| 4 | Steals from Ed – twice interrupted by flipping nuisance (6) | BEROBS | Spenserian word: B[I]S (twice) round BORE (nuisance) reversed (flipping) | I |
| 8 | Stripping posh new black vehicle in front of garage (8) | UNBARING | U (posh) + N(ew) +B(lack) [C]AR + IN + G(arage) | C |
| 6 | Mutilated nutter naked and dead – it’s pay-back time (7, 2 words) | DUE DATE | [(n)UT[T]E(r) DEAD]* (naked = remove first and last letters) | T |
| 8 | Girl is embraced by topless Turkish naval officer (5) | AISHA | IS in (p)A[S]HA | S |
| 9 | Following unknown minor not taking part in congress (7) | SEXLESS | SE[Q] (following) + X (unknown) + LESS (minor) | Q |
| 10 | Mismanaged perusal not starting in two areas in once-huge lake (7, 2 words) | ARAL SEA | [(p)ER[U]SAL]* in AA (two areas) | U |
| 11 | Villain in Rio again repellent (4) | IAGO | Hidden reversed in RiO [A]GAIn | A |
| 12 | The legislature no longer limiting society’s periods of inactivity (6) | STASES | STA[T]ES (legislature no longer – historic) round S(ociety) | T |
| 13 | Steele’s painted women’s portraits in Trinidad and Tobago? On the contrary (5) | PICTS | PICS (portraits) round T[T] (Trinidad and Tobago) | T |
| 14 | Frame criminals, finally stopping each devious one (5) | EASEL | EA(ch) + (criminal)S (finally) + E[E]L (devious one) | E |
| 16 | When husband left upset, I tucked into garnish produced recently (7) | NEW-LAID | W(h)EN reversed + I in LA[R]D (garnish) | R |
| 17 | Gently rubbed backs of cats that purr (so owners think they’re contented) (7) | STROKED | Last letters of (cat)S (tha)T (pur)R (s)O (owner)[S] (thin)K (they’r)E (contente)D | S |
| 23 | Very ordinary factories disregarding half of Barrie’s misprinted books (7) | OCTAVOS | [VO [F]ACTO(rie)S]* – (V(ery) O(rdinary) + FACTO(rie)S minus half of (Bar)RIE ) | F |
| 25 | Emperor’s horse in Rome ran amok around foremost of gladiators (7) | MARENGO | [ROME [R]AN]* round G(ladiators) | R |
| 27 | I coped with a so problematic family of insects (8) | PSOCIDAE | [I C[O]PED A SO]* | O |
| 29 | Old King of Spain additionally retains fine family crest (7) | ALFONSO | ALSO (additionally) round F(ine) + [M]ON (Japanese family crest | M |
| 30 | Scottish island to stop shepherd’s club (7) | MULLEIN | MULL (Scottish island) + [R]EIN (stop) | R |
| 32 | Most small entities developed (7) | TINIEST | [ENTITI[E]S] | E |
| 34 | Bent miss oddly hates forgers (6) | SMITHS | [MIS[S] H(a)T(e)S]* | S |
| 36 | Swivelling movements to some extent overawe delinquents (6) | WEDELN | Hidden in overaWE DEL[I]Nquents | I |
| 38 | Did entertaining Rovers’ No1 play regularly in a restrained way? (5) | DRILY | DI[D] round R(overs No1) + (p)L(a)Y | D |
| 40 | Annoyed park official loses his head at entrance to Yosemite (5) | ANGRY | (r)ANG[E]R (park official minus head) + Y(osemite) | E |
| 43 | Go away in dated footwear (4) | SHOO | SHOO[N] (archaic word for footwear) | N |
| 45 | Assist guerrilla to cut nothing out (4) | HELP | [C]HE (Guevara – guerrilla) + LOP (cut) minus O (nothing) | C |
| 46 | Urban community beside big city (4) | TOWN | TO (beside) + W[E]N (big city) | E |
I enjoyed this very much. I saw nothing of the thematic content apart from NOTUS until I had filled the grid and worked out the message. A search using the puzzle’s title revealed the chapter of the relevant book, and the first item I saw in the grid was WEASELS. I was about to look for STOATS but remembered that the seven letters of WEASELS were enough.
I could hardly miss TOAD HALL either side of the weasels. I found OSIER soon enough and should have found SALLOW (in an obvious place) much sooner than I did, but the word was unfamiliar.
It was a good set of clues, and I liked the way Kruger used the ‘extra letter’ to advantage in the wordplay wherever possible.
Thanks to Kruger and Hihoba.
Luckily, I recognized “The Return of Ulysses” as a chapter title from The Wind in the Willows before I looked at the puzzle so I had a head start!
I had a similar query to yours on 47 across, and I didn’t recognize “pink” as “chaffinch” in 51 down either. Didn’t recognize “Ed” as a reference to Spenser in 4 down – is this standard? Thought “pasha” was a military officer in 8 down, and felt the definition in 13 down was rather unfair since it only appears in a single source. But I thought it was generally a fair and enjoyable puzzle.
My solution
Yes, thoroughly enjoyable. And with an endgame that was unambiguous for the first time in a while. 🙂
I ought perhaps to add that I never got to the end of The Wind in the Willows as a child. Having looked at the table of contents and seen there was a chapter near the end called “The Return of Ulysses”, I kept waiting for this character Ulysses to appear, wondering how he could possibly return when he hadn’t been introduced. Having got about halfway through with no sign of Ulysses, I gave up!
Guy Barry #2 & #4. Yes, Ed is a very common abbreviation for Edmund Spenser. The Return of Ulysses refers to the Odyssey by Homer. Ulysses (= Odysseus) returns home after 20 years to find his home invaded, mostly by suitors to his faithful wife Penelope. He has a cunning plan to oust (or kill) them using much smaller forces, rather like Toad, Badger, Mole and Ratty against the massed weasels and stoats.
#5. Well of course I know that now, but as a young child I knew nothing of Greek mythology. I just remember feeling very disappointed, and to this day I have never read to the end of the book.
#6 Sorry, re-reading your post I realise I was teaching my grandmother . . .
The Wind in the Willows is the first time i was introduced to anything approaching literature and many years before i read Ovid, or attempted Joyce (still havent read the Tennyson poem) I have re read it several times and remember chapter titles-particularly The Piper at The Gates of Dawn and Pink Floyd’s first album
But it was a while before the whole thing clicked together-seeing WEASELS and EVICT SQUATTERS.
I thought the Puzzle did great justice to the book
I usually get wiped out by the surf waves of the Inqy but in this (with a little help from my friends) was a very pleasant left hander
may thanks to Kruger and Hihoba
Agreed, lovely puzzle. My thoughts on finishing were the same as those of Jon_S at 3: nice to know that I’d completed the puzzle as the setter intended beyond any reasonable doubt. Thank you, Kruger.
I enjoyed this too. Thanks all round. Seeing the WEASELS in TOAD HALL was a happy moment. The Wind in the Willows is well enough engraved in my memory that I didn’t need to consult the book, although I must admit I wasted some time trying to wrestle the clue for 59A into yielding a second OSIER. Also my wife the classical scholar beat me to NOTUS.
Thanks to Hihoba and Kruger
Endgames can be fun and this was, but for me the clue is always king and this was a great set.
I saw a couple of things a little differently.
24a G = group of
26a L(l)apSE
In 47a I thought the “without” might mean “outside” with the “s” removed after the containment.
Dansar #11, You are right about G being group of, and I have amended the blog accordingly.
It makes no difference which L is removed in 26a – I did realise it could be either.
I see your point about 47a, and the surface of the clue reads well, but I still don’t like the misleading double negative.
I think it’s all been said. A fun puzzle with an endgame which, for me, did not need the internet.
I would just add that I think this theme was used some years ago in an IQ. I seem to remember having to find something like OSI(SIROCCO)ERS.
Thanks to Kruger for the entertainment and to Hi for the usual thorough blog.
Highly enjoyable.
After some of the “controversial” Inquisitors that have appeared recently, this made a welcome change.
Hihoba @ 12
Sorry, I should have been clearer – I meant to point out that I saw that I saw 26a as a containment – “accepts”
An enjoyable solve and endgame – everything an IQ should be!
Thanks to Hihoba and Kruger.
A lovely puzzle thanks Kruger. When I saw Weasel and Toad Hall appear in the grid there could be only one theme. I particularly liked the clue to PARVENU. Not too long and taxing endgame either which was very welcome.
Thanks to Hihoba for another blog featuring animation