Kruger has set this week’s Inquisitor
Note that the final word of the clue at 7 down was corrected from ‘reptile’ to ‘amphibian’ in the following week’s newspaper. The change corrected the definition; it did not affect the word play of the entry.
The preamble stated: The answer to each clue must have a letter removed, whenever it occurs, before entry. Word lengths refer to definitions and word play to the mutilated forms to be entered in the grid. Letters removed from the left / right/upper/lower clue answers in each row/column must be entered in the left/right/upper/lower perimeter squares respectively. Solvers must complete the perimeter to reveal most of a well-known quotation and fill the unclued entry to cryptically complete it.
I find puzzles of this nature (‘letters latent’ is the technical term) quite difficult as solvers don’t know what the missing letter is and the wordplay is not usually forming a normal word. Once the defined word has been identified and the blog is being written the wordplay always seems much simpler than it did when solving the puzzle.
It took me a while to work out what the perimeter phrase was. It was identifying POCKET FU_L that gave me the penny drop moment which allowed me to complete the ‘ATISHOO ATISHOO‘ element of the phrase and identify the letters omitted in the wordplay for a few entries.
It was fairly clear what letters were required to complete the four corners of the grid and complete the partial quotation in the grid as RING A RING O ROSES, A POCKET FULL OF POSIES, ATISHOO, ATISHOO
The final part of the preamble asked us to complete the unclued shaded entry in the central column. When the solving was complete, that entry read _E_L_F_L_. Clearly the entry is going to be related to WE ALL FALL DOWN which is the final phrase of the quotation. I have gone with the simple WE ALL FALL (reading DOWN, to give the cryptic element of the full
four words). I did toy with creating LLAFLLA in the lower 7 cells which is ALL FALL written upside DOWN, after the WE at the top, but decided it would be the simpler form that would be required.
The final grid developed like this:
The title DEAD END could be related to interpreting the quotation as a reference to the Great Plague of 1666 where many people contracted a sneezing fit (ATISHOO, ATISHOO) before falling down dead.
| No |
Clue |
Wordplay |
Defined answer |
Letter |
Entry |
| Across | |||||
| 1 | Theses about distinctive characteristics of race (7) |
Anagram of (about) THESES ETHSES* |
ETHOSES (distinctive habitual characteristics and dispositions of an individual, group or race) |
O |
ETHSES |
| 6 | Principality once became undone in error in the field (6) |
RAN (came undone, e.g. by the dropping or breaking of a stitch or thread) contained in (in) OG (own goal; error on the playing field) O (RAN) G |
ORANGE (reference the Ptincipality of ORANGE, which from 1163 to 1713, was a feudal state in Provence, in the south of modern-day France) |
E |
ORANG |
| 10 | Female in drag (4) |
SHE (female) SHE |
SHOE (a drag for a wheel, the part of a brake that comes in contact with the wheel) |
O |
SHE |
| 11 | Fit Scots team in unoccupied estate (5) |
XI (Roman numeral for eleven, the number of players in many teams) contained in (in) EE (the letters remaining in ESTATE when the central letters are removed [unoccupied]) E (XI) E |
EXIES (a Scottish term for a fit, e.g. of hysterics or ague) |
S |
EXIE |
| 12 | Relishes half of top game (5) |
TEET (4 of the 8 letters [half of] of TEETOTUM [a gambling game played with a small spinning top, decided by the letter that came uppermost]) TEET |
TEETH (relishes) |
H |
TEET |
| 14 | Orly’s article about pilot finally with wings (5) |
LE (one of the French forms of the ‘the’; Orly is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, perhaps best known in Britain as the site of a French airport) containing (about) T (last letter of [finally] PILOT) L (T) E |
ALATE (winged) |
A |
LTE |
| 15 | Leaves suit with head to be altered (8) |
AGREE (suit) changing the first letter changed (head to be altered) to E to form EGREE. I’m not sure why the A is changed to an E rather than any of the 24 possibilities in the alphabet, although I suppose the defined answer forces the E. EGREE |
EGRESSES (departs; leaves) |
S |
EGREE |
| 16 | Shut up fellow trashing German (4) |
ENT |
PENT (held in; shut up) |
P |
ENT |
| 17 | Gulf crossing (6) |
CHASM (gulf) CHASM |
CHIASM (the cross-shaped connection formed by the crossing over of chromatids during meiosis) |
I |
CHASM |
| 18 | Personal devotion to leader‘s dubious ally with hollow treaty (7) |
Anagram of (dubious) ALLY + TY (letters remaining in TREATY when the central letters REAT are removed [empty]) LYAL* TY |
LOYALTY (personal devotion to leader) |
O |
LYALTY |
| 20 | Perturb ameer spending money (acting corruptly) (6) |
Anagram of (corruptly) A AERAE* |
AERATE (excite or perturb) |
T |
AERAE |
| 23 | Rank government disregarded law (5) |
DE DEREE |
DECREE (law) |
C |
DEREE |
| 24 | Opening move in region of hostile offensive: burying dead (7) |
LE-OFF (hidden word in [region of] HOSTILE OFFENSIVE) containing (burying) D (dead) LE (D) OFF |
LEAD-OFF (opening move) |
A |
LEDOFF |
| 26 | State academy falls behind unfortunately (6) |
ALAS (unfortunately) + A (academy) ALAS A |
ALASKA (State in the Untied States of America) |
K |
ALASA |
| 30 | Ambassador covering up navy’s show of grief in Dublin (5) |
HE (His / Her Excellency, the form of address for an ambassador) containing (covering up) N (navy) H (N) E |
OHONE (Irish [Dublin] and Highland Scottish term for expressing lamentation or grief) |
O |
HNE |
| 32 | Sailor holds dry, loose rag (6) |
TAR (sailor) containing (holds) TT (teetotal; dry) TA (TT) R |
TATTER (loose hanging rag) |
E |
TATTR |
| 34 | Nothing at all for seat (4) |
SFA (Sweet Fanny Adams [nothing at all]) SFA |
SOFA (seat) |
O |
SFA |
| 35 | Chosen book lost by star returns (5) |
CELE ELEC< |
ELECT (chosen) |
T |
ELEC |
| 36 | Medicinal plants from Belgium including bitter vetch? On the contrary (5) |
ERS (the bitter vetch) containing (including) B (International Vehicle Registration for Belgium) – this form is the opposite of the instruction in middle of the clue, so on the contrary as stated by the final part. ER (B) S |
HERBS (medicinal plants) |
H |
ERBS |
| 37 | One type of snow’s gross we hear (4) |
IRN (sounds like [we hear] EARN (gross [to make as total income]) IRN |
FIRN (snow on high glaciers while still granular) |
F |
IRN |
| 38 | Another disposal concerning porter perhaps (6) |
RE (concerning) + ALE (porter; both ALE and porter refer to a malt based alcoholic drink) RE ALE |
RESALE (selling again of an item; another disposal) |
S |
REALE |
| 39 | Leaders of militant supremacists smack American resident (7) |
MS (first letters of [leaders of] each of MILITANT and SUPREMACISTS) + TANG (taste; smack) MS TANG |
MUSTANG (feralized horse of the American prairies; American resident) |
U |
MSTANG |
| Down | |||||
| 1 | Distinguished European places vandalised (8) |
E (European) + an anagram of (vandalised) PLACES E SPECAL* |
ESPECIAL (distinguished) |
I |
ESPECAL |
| 2 | Part of limb’s too short. Problem! (5) |
THIG THIG |
THING (problem) |
N |
THIG |
| 3 | Exodus of first-born son accepted (6) |
HEIR (child, especially a first-born son) + A (accepted) HEIR A |
HEGIRA (flight of Mohammed from Mecca, 622 AD, from which is dated the Muslim era; any flight or exodus) |
G |
HEIRA |
| 4 | Rays from sun beginning to tan knight and earl outside rear of Lords (6) |
S + ([K {knight} + E {earl}] containing [outside] T [first letter of {beginning to} TAN]) + S (final letter of [rear of] LORDS) S K (T) E S |
SKATES (large edible kind of rays of tropical and temperate waters) |
A |
SKTES |
| 5 | He buys back last bit of estate of foreign uncle (now dead) (8) |
E (final letter of [last bit of]) ESTATE + DE (French [foreign] for ‘of’) + EME (obsolete [now dead] word for uncle) E DE EME |
REDEEMER (one who recovers by payment; he buys back, at a pawn shop for example) |
R |
EDEEME |
| 6 | Jock’s grandchild accepts middle section of thatch made from straw (5) |
OE (Scottish [Jock] word for grandchild) containing (accepts) AT (central letters of [middle section of] THATCH) O (AT) E |
OATEN (consisting of OATstem straw) |
N |
OATE |
| 7 |
Elevated plateau regularity providing habitat for extra large amphibian (7) (Clue amended when IQ 1678 was published) |
LTA (letters 2, 4 and 6 [regularly] of PLATEAU) reversed (elevated; down entry) containing (providing habitat for) XL (extra large) A (XL) TL< |
AXOLOTL (type of Mexican salamander, an amphibian) |
O |
AXLTL |
| 8 | Fool swallowed fertiliser (7) |
NIT (fool) + ATE (swallowed) NIT ATE |
NITRATE (fertiliser) |
R |
NITATE |
| 9 | Having certain curves in my decorations at first (5) |
GEE (expression of surprise; my!) + D (first letter of [at first] DECORATIONS) GEE D |
OGEED (having S-shaped curves) |
O |
GEED |
| 13 | Book‘s awfully leaner with cover removed (6) |
EANE |
ENGAGE (book or reserve) |
G |
ENAE |
| 19 | Feral roan fenced by burglar from Wyoming almost for 12 months (8) |
Anagram of (feral) ROAN contained in (fenced by) YEG YE (ARON*) G |
YEARLONG (for 12 months) |
L |
YEARONG |
| 21 | Young fish make off upstream to River Exe in the end (7) |
FLEE (run away; make off) reversed (upstream; down entry) + R (river) + E (last letter of [in the end] EXE) EELF< R E |
EELFARE (young eel; young fish) |
A |
EELFRE |
| 22 | Broken sonar not right for ages (5) |
Anagram of (broken) SONA AONS* |
AEONS (vast ages) |
E |
AONS |
| 23 | They’re weakly affectionate potential lovers (7) |
DATERS (people who go out together regularly; potential lovers) DATERS |
DOATERS (people who are weakly affectionate) |
O |
DATERS |
| 25 | Punjabi food stalls had upset graduate (6) |
Anagram of (upset) HAD + BA (Bachelor of Arts; graduate) DHA* BA |
DHABAS (Punjabi food stalls) |
S |
DHABA |
| 27 | To some extent critic always rejected court decision (6) |
LACIT (hidden word [to some extent] reversed [rejected] in CRITIC ALWAYS) LACIT< |
PLACIT (decision of a court or assembly) |
P |
LACIT |
| 28 | Evergreen initially thriving in large area of the planet (6) |
T (first letter of [initially] THRIVING) contained in (in) ASIA (continent; large area of the planet) A (T) SIA |
FATSIA (evergreen spreading shrub of the ivy family) |
F |
ATSIA |
| 29 | Limitless uninhabited canopy (6) |
ESER |
TESTER (canopy) |
T |
ESER |
| 31 | Very odd earth settles on ancient plough (5) |
E (earth) + ERE (alternative spelling of EAR [plough]) E ERE |
EERIE (weird; very odd) |
I |
EERE |
| 33 | Historical letter from Croatia found in deserted town (5) |
HR (Hrvatska; International Vehicle Registration for Croatia) contained in (found in) TN (letters remaining in TOWN when the central letters OW are removed [deserted]) T (HR) N |
THORN (Old English and Old Norse letter) |
O |
THRN |
I started this very late – Friday afternoon I think – so I was quite relieved when it was easier that the average Kruger IQ puzzle. ATISHOO! ATISHOO! was what led me to the rhyme.
Thanks for the puzzle and to Duncan for the blog. Season’s greeting to fellow bloggers, setters, solvers, and of course to John H and his team for keeping us going.
I completed this in two sessions on the same day, and I enjoyed it very much. It had a neat design that was not complex, and the oarts of the quotation were appropriately placed. For me the theme came from POCKET and POSIES when those words were not quite fully formed.
On a couple of previous occasions I have encountered the device whereby a letter is removed wherever it occurs in the answer, and it’s one that I like having to contend with when it is implemented as well as this. (And I now know this is called ‘letters latent’.) It was good to be told the answer-lengths and not the entry-lengths of the clues – it would have been annoying otherwise. The four crossers for WE ALL FALL were easily enough.
Thanks to Kruger and duncanshiell.
I found the right hand side fairly easy… and the left hand side very difficult, as if two different setters had divvied up the job. Googling ‘a pocket full of ponies’ (close enough) enabled me to make the necessary headway into the western front. Good puzzle.
Thanks to Kruger and duncanshiell.
Like you, Duncan, it was the phrase “a pocket full…” that led me to the quotation (not question, as you say in your introduction), and that in turn led to my being able to complete the more difficult left-hand side of the grid. The clues were all perfectly fair. I agree with Alan B that it is a great help to have answer lengths. It didn’t occur to me that there could be any other method of filling the central column than the one you have chosen.
I presume that it’s nearly time to choose our favourite puzzle of the year. Time to start going through the blogs!
Another here who found the LHS to be more difficult. By that point though I had the quote, and the unclued entry, so in the end it proved to be less so. Which is handy, because much of the day in question was taken up with putting up Christmas decorations, which seemed to take a lot longer than both anticipated and necessary. 🙂
Nice puzzle. My way in was via the first few down clues giving me INGAR?N ad then having to find a version of the rhyme which fitted the remainder of the letters. I hadn’t fully parsed 5d, REDEEMER though I had almost all the parts. Thanks to Kruger and Duncan and Seasons Greetings to all. Hope you all survive the isolation and the virus and Brexit!
Sorry to butt in, and apologies if the answer to my query may have been answered elsewhere…but does anyone know when the next Inquisitor will be published? I assume we miss out on Christmas Day. How about 1/1/21? It’s these barred thematics that are making lockdown life bearable!
Happy holidays to all the solvers, setter and bloggers out there.
Phil K @ 7
AS a blogger, I haven’t seen any suggestion that there won’t be an Inquisitor this week. Christmas Day is a Friday and Inquisitors are published in the i newspaper on a Saturday, so there shouldn’t be a problem.
Thanks Duncan…I wondered why I’d not seen anything…it’s simply me getting my dates wrong. At least I’ve got a message ready for this time next year.
There is indeed a little something arriving on Saturday.
Newspapers as normal on Saturday, FT excepted.
John