Quixote makes a return to the Inquisitor series this week, 4 years and 5 months after his previous puzzle. Still that’s shorter than the gap back to the one before that which was 6 years 3 months.
The preamble was clear and told us that: Each across clue contains wordplay that leads to the answer with an extra letter, in clue order spelling an event and its location. The down clues are normal but answers to a number of them must be jumbled before entry (two jumbles coincidentally making other words). The completed grid must be modified in accordance with the aforementioned event in such a way as to produce a final grid consisting entirely of real words.
The tricky part of this puzzle was identifying the entries that had to be entered in a jumbled fashion, and working out what the jumble was in each case. Recognition of the symmetry of these entries half way through solving was a great help in establishing which clues needed the jumbled answers.
The message from the extra letters built up slowly. It wasn’t until I had about three quarters of the letters before the penny dropped. Initially I was having difficulty deciphering the end of the message. It was realising that MIRACLE AT was in the middle of the event / location that helped derive the full message as WEDDING MIRACLE AT CANA. This refers to the story of a wedding feast attended by Jesus where the stock of WINE was running out before the end of the feast Jesus ordered servants to fill containers with WATER and take it to the Chief Steward who tasted it and served it as the WINE it now was.
The North East and South East corners of the grid hold the jumbled entries as shown below:
North East
S T E R
H O R S E
A P E T A
W A T E R
R A C T
N
which converts to
S T E R
H O R S E
A P E T A
M E D O C
R A C T
N
South West
C
S T A D
W A T E R
A L I N E
W I D E N
L A T E
which converts to
C
S T A D
P I N O T
A L I N E
W I D E N
L A T E
MEDOC is a red WINE, while PINOT can be white as a PINOT Grigio or PINOT Gris and red as a PINOT Noir.
The jumbled entries thus change to real words as follows:
| Down Entry | Jumble | Final Word |
| 6 | SHAW | SHAM |
| 7 | TOPAR | TOPER |
| 8 | ESTEC | ESTOC |
| 9 | REART | REACT |
| 12 | RETAN | REDAN |
| 22 | CATID | CANID |
| 26 | SWAWL | SPAWL |
| 27 | TALIA | TILIA |
| 28 | DENET | DONET |
| 30 | RENE | TENE |
All the words in the third column of the table above can be found in Chambers dictionary.
I made fairly steady progress solving this. There were a number of obscure words as entries, but that’s par for the course in a barred crossword. The words used as constituent parts in the wordplay were generally well known, making the clues fair.
The grid developed as shown in the animation below.
The title PROBLEM SOLVED is fairly clear with the WATER changing to WINE
The grid with the wine should be submitted.
Hopefully we will see Quixote again in less than four years.
My 800th blog on fifteensquared
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Letter |
Answer |
Jumbled Entry |
| Across | |||||
| 1 | Trees move up and down in endless commotion (5) |
WAG (move up and down) contained in (in) FUS F (AG) US |
W |
FAGUS (the beech genus of trees) |
|
| 5 | One hurrying to look lecherously at bosom (7) |
BUST (bosom) + LEER (look lecherously at) BUST LER |
E |
BUSTLER (one hurrying) | |
| 10 | One sticky substance concealing identity of a bone (5) |
I (Roman numeral for one) + (LAC [dark-red transparent resin used in making shellac; sticky substance] containing [concealing] ID [abbreviation for identity] I L (I) AC |
D |
ILIAC (descriptive of a wide bone that forms part of the hip) | |
| 11 | A French army invaded by foreigners finally put lancer down? (7) |
UN (one of the French forms of the definite article, the) + (HORDE [army] containing [invaded by] S (last letter of [finally] FOREIGNERS) UN HOR (S) E |
D |
UNHORSE (put lancer [light cavalry {horse-riders} soldier] down) | |
| 13 | Out-of-work performer has this old ale (4) |
NO GIG (if you are an out-of-work you will have NO GIG scheduled for the future) NOG G |
I |
NOGG (obsolete [old] term for Norwich strong ale) | |
| 14 | Fasten band to brown layers (6) |
TAPE (material woven in long narrow bands; band) + TAN (tawny brown colour) TAPE TA |
N |
TAPETA (layer of cells surrounding spore mother cells) |
|
| 15 | Comprehensive girl penning diary, short book (6) |
GAL (girl) containing (penning) (LOG [diary] + B [abbreviation [short] for book) G (LO B) AL |
G |
GLOBAL (comprehensive) | |
| 16 | Man in right uproar (4) |
IOM ([Isle of] Man) contained in (in) RT (right) R (IO) T |
M |
RIOT (uproar) | |
| 17 | Cold atmosphere introducing part of play – a sign of the Bard (6) |
C (cold) + AIR (atmosphere) + ACT (part of a play) C AR ACT |
I |
CARACT (Shakespearean [of the Bard] word for a sign) | |
| 19 | Character continued to protect cold bit of body sticking out (9) |
(ROLE (character] + RAN ON [continued]) containing (to protect) C (cold) OLE (C) RAN ON |
R |
OLECRANON (a projection on the upper end of the ulna, at the elbow; bit of body sticking out) |
|
| 21 | Chum hugging troubled dean – old wiper away of the tears? (9) |
MUCKER (best friend or mate) containing (hugging) an anagram of (troubled) DEAN MUCK (END*) ER |
A |
MUCKENDER (obsolete [old] word for handkerchief; old wiper away of the tears) | |
| 26 | Saw pets maybe circling around tot (6) |
CATS (pets,maybe) reversed (circling) containing (around) ADD (tot [up]) ST (ADD) A< OR Anagram of (circling) CATS containing (around) ADD (tot) ST (ADD) A* |
C |
STADDA (a combmaker’s double-bladed handsaw; saw) |
|
| 29 | Newspaper needs investment of hard cash from Asia (4) |
BLAT (slang for a newspaper) containing (needs investment of) H (hard, when describing pencil lead) BA (H) T |
L |
BAHT (standard monetary unit of Thailand; cash from Asia) | |
| 31 | Fabric that is displayed at back of second dining room (6) |
S (second) + HALL (dining room in a college) + I.E. (that is ; id est) S HALL I |
E |
SHALLI (alternative spelling of CHALLIE [a soft glossless silk or lightweight fabric made of wool, cotton or synthetic fibres]) |
|
| 32 | In a row in America, an ideal proving impossible (6) |
Anagram of (proving impossible) AN IDEAL ALINED* |
A |
ALINED (American spelling of ALIGNED [arranged in a row]) | |
| 33 | What Hindus celebrate round buildings (4) |
THOLI (round buildings) HOLI |
T |
HOLI (Hindu spring festival) |
|
| 34 | New cider supply one extends somehow (7) |
Anagram of (supply [adverb from supple]) NEW CIDER WIDENER* |
C |
WIDENER (tool for extending the width of something) | |
| 35 | Plant in hall (5) |
IN + AULA (hall) IN ULA |
A |
INULA (plant of the genus Inula of the Compositae) |
|
| 36 | Light bird on far side of lake seen by grandma (7) |
L + NAN (grandma) + TERN (long-winged aquatic bird) L AN TERN |
N |
LANTERN (light) | |
| 37 | Adult with very small quantity no longer smiling (5) |
A (adult) + GRAIN (very small quantity) A GRIN |
A |
AGRIN (archaic [no longer] word for the act of grinning [smiling]) | |
| Down | |||||
| 1 | Succeed in getting butter for smoked haddock, no longer fresh (7) |
FIND (succeed in getting) + RAM (an animal or machine that butts [strikes or drives head first]) FIND RAM |
FINDRAM (obsolete [no longer fresh] word for a kind of smoked haddock) |
||
| 2 | An insensitive person, one with a speech problem (6) |
A + LOG (insensitive person) + I (Roman numeral for one) + A A LOG I A |
ALOGIA (inability to speak, due to brain lesion) |
||
| 3 | Once scatty girl in carriage meeting fate (6) |
GIG (light two-wheeled carriage) + LOT (fate) GIG LOT |
GIGLOT (giddy [scatty] girl) | ||
| 4 | Roughly shaped lump of skin after accident hadn’t healed properly? (8) |
SCAB (crust [lump of skin ] formed over a wound or sore after accident) + BLED (seeped blood; hadn’t healed properly) SCAB BLED |
SCABBLED (variant spelling of SCAPPLED [shaped roughly]) |
||
| 5 | Gas poison – note once included (6) |
UT (syllable representing the first note of the scale, now generally superseded by doh; note once) contained in (included) BANE (poison) B (UT) ANE |
BUTANE (a hydrocarbon of the alkane series, C4H10, widely used as a gas fuel) |
||
| 6 | Evergreen State briefly supplying liquor (4) |
WASH (abbreviation for Washington; The American State of Washington is known as the Evergreen State) WASH |
WASH (liquor of fermented malt prior to distillation) |
SHAW | |
| 7 | Gate-like structure needs some support always (5) |
PORTA (hidden word in [some] SUPPORT ALWAYS) PORTA |
PORTA (a gate-like structure, especially the transverse fissure of the liver) |
TOPAR | |
| 8 | Whales in stations being reported (5) |
CETES (sounds like [being reported] SEATS [stations]) CETES |
CETES (whales or sea-monsters) | ESTEC | |
| 9 | Shakespeare’s set on and blackened endlessly (5) |
TARRE TARRE |
TARRE (Shakespearean spelling of TAR [to incite to fight or set on]) | REART | |
| 12 | What’s laid out first when river enters cave (5) |
R (river) contained in (enters) ANTE (advance payment; what’s laid out first) ANT (R) E |
ANTRE (cave) | RETAN | |
| 18 | Birds in sporting venue overlooking drowned valley (8) |
ARENA (sporting venue) + RIA (drowned valley) ARENA RIA |
ARENARIA ( a genus of birds, the turnstones) |
||
| 20 | Fool laughing endlessly in old Egyptian region (7) |
NIT (fool) + RIAN NIT RIAN |
NITRIAN (belonging to Nitriae, a region of ancient Egypt west of the Nile delta, |
||
| 22 | Things said in independent court taken in by US lawyer (5) |
(I [independent] + CT [court]) contained in (taken in by) DA (District Attorney; American lawyer) D (I CT) A |
DICTA (things said) | CATID | |
| 23 | Remove something hard from local doorpost outside house (6) |
DERN (alternative spelling of DURN [doorpost]) containing (outside) HO (house) DE (HO) RN |
DEHORN (remove a HORN [something hard] from) | ||
| 24 | Courage of Norwegian king setting up ancient city (6) |
OLAV (reference one of the five King OLAVs of Norway) reversed (settting) + UR (ancient city of southern Mesopotamia) VALO< UR |
VALOUR (courage) | ||
| 25 | Hot dish to cool down with bit of ice (6) |
CHILL (cool down) + I (first letter of [bit of] ICE) CHILL I |
CHILLI (CHILLI con carne [spicy dish of minced meat, chillis or chilli powder, and often kidney beans, tomatoes, etc,] or just the CHILLI pepper itself. Both are hot dishes) |
||
| 26 | Wife trapped by ridiculous laws cries (5) |
W (wife) contained in (trapped by) an anagram of (ridiculous) LAWS WA (W) LS* |
WAWLS (cries like a cat or a newborn baby) |
SWAWL | |
| 27 | Version of Bible using some digital art (5) |
ITALA (hidden word in [using some] DIGITAL ART) ITALA |
ITALA (reference the ITALA Version of the Bible [translation of the Bible into Latin, based on the ‘Old Latin’ version, and made probably in the time of Augustine]) |
TALIA | |
| 28 | The hotel lacking purpose poet’s set on fire (5) |
T TE END |
TEEND (kindle; set on fire) | DENET | |
| 30 | In Wells, ditch inexperienced leader not wanted (4) |
REEN |
REEN (Somerset [Wells] dialect word for a ditch or watercourse) | RENE |
Congratulations on that impressive milestone duncan
A fairly straightforward puzzle from the Don but no less enjoyable for it.
A DNF even with some help. Very clever and being rather fond of wine I am sorry I was unable to rise to the occasion what with strange words being replaced with other strange words. Full marks to The Don and I hope to do better next time
Thanks duncanshiell.
Struggled a little here too, I think because I was phased somewhat by the possibility of jumbled entries. I spotted the theme pretty early on, which helped with some of the extra letters. Enjoyable, and satisfying overall I thought.
Yes, congratulations on the 800, Duncan.
No surprise to see a Biblical theme from this setter. It was the first from him in the IQ series that I have done, but I’ve only been doing the IQ for a couple of years now. The jumbling of some of the down clues added a level of complexity, but overall it was much less challenging, if just as enjoyable, as some recent offerings.
I found this tough going in places, but I managed to work out the complete message while I still had most of the top left corner to solve, and that gave me the little bit of help I needed to get over the line.
We were not told how many jumbled answers there were, but it gradually became clear that there were some words going down in the top right that would not fit, and, as Duncan also found, it helped that there was another set of jumbled words symmetrically placed in the bottom left.
This puzzle was a first for me by Quixote, and I can expect a challenge when I see the name again. I like puzzles like this with good clues and interesting but uncomplicated themes – they make a fine tonic for the lockdown.
I noted the question mark at the end of the clue to 11a, which I thought indicated a liberty taken. (UNHORSE doesn’t really mean ‘put lancer down’ – it means just ‘put down’, in the sense of ‘throw off’ in reference to a rider on a horse.) Incidentally, Duncan, UN is the indefinite article in the wordplay of that clue.
Thanks to Quixote for the puzzle, and congratulations to duncanshiell on reaching that milestone.
Grateful to fully complete one after failing to see teachers last week, and a DNS.
I found it tough but perfectly judged; what hurt me most was my decision that all the jumbles were five-letter answers, so confidently entering ‘reen’ at 30d held me for much too long. But an excellent entry, and very nice, unobscure, final reveal.
Many thanks to Quixote, and congratulations to duncanshiell. Amazing.
I had difficulty with the jumbled letters, but once I’d spotted where the WATERs went, it helped with some of them. Two clues then held me up, 9d and 28d, because both solutions weren’t words in use today. I don’t like the use of words from Shakespeare or Spenser. But I got there eventually with some reverse engineering using the amended words.
I thought I hadn’t seen a Quixote puzzle here before, although I’d struggled with a couple of his Geniuses.
Very enjoyable solve, so thanks to the Don, and congratulations to Duncan on achieving a very impressive milestone.
Wow, 800 blogs, that is some achievement Duncan. Bravo.
I struck lucky with this fine puzzle, getting Cana at the end of the message quite soon and taking a stab at the likely theme.
The North West corner proved tricky but only caused by myself for entering 16A incorrectly. Once that was rectified I was away.
Very enjoyable, and I like a tipple but am definitely more of a Pinot Noir fan than Claret.
Thanks to Duncan for the blog milestone and Quixote for the problem to solve
Thanks from me too to Quixote and Duncan. I enjoyed this one too, and have nothing to add except a couple of red herrings. The traditional recourse of checking the diagonals revealed a SEA reading down and left from near the NE corner, giving watery hopes that were soon dashed. Happily, MEDOC was the first five-letter wine that came into my head when I spotted the true WATERs, but PINOT took a bit longer thanks to the “obvious” reading SHAWL at 26D and a wander along the garden path looking for a wine that starts with H.
Glad the puzzle was enjoyable. I have to set a puzzle as Quixote now and again to keep that particular identity of mine alive. (My i puzzles recycled from the Indy are running out.)
When I began setting the Independent Magazine puzzles in the 80s ( now accounted retrospectively as Inquisitors) the brief was to offer easier specials rather than hard Listener types (as sometimes are offered now), and my occasional aim is to keep within that tradition. But fresh ideas, I fear, are few and far between.
I solved eight across clues fairly quickly then came to a grinding halt – was this to be a DFN? Eventually got into Q’s way of thinking and made steady progress. About a third of the words were unfamiliar to me so Chambers was essential. I got enough of the message to guess the rest and soon found WATER in the bottom left. Top right was still a bit sparse as I spent ages trying to justify STRATA. Then I entered the symmetrical WATER which allowed me to complete the grid and perform the miracle. A tough but ultimately most satisfying journey. All the hard work was in solving the grid rather than trawling for the endgame. That’s the way I like it!
Thanks to Q for the ride and congrats to HG. Is there a long-service medal John?
Congratulations Duncan – a real achievement.
As some have said, not a difficult IQ but enjoyable to solve.
Thanks to S&B.
Congratulations, Duncan. A fairly smooth solve, for a fine puzzle.
Not sure if this is the right place, but the new look is pretty awful, in my humble… Maybe I’m just too old to like change for change’s sake. If it ain’t broke…
Knowing Don Manley was the setter helped me quickly recognize the theme once CANA emerged given his religious expertise.
Once it had registered that not *all* answers to down clues had to be jumbled I didn’t find this puzzle all that difficult – about middling, & same for enjoyment. Thanks to Don & Duncan.
Dave W @11 “congrats HG”? – not my blog this week.
To partially echo NormanJL @13: losing the borders on the table doesn’t work for me.
HG@15 Oops!!! Another senior moment I’m afraid. Sincere apologies to Duncan. Also to HG, although you must also be in the running for a medal.