Enigmatic Variations No. 1471: What’s Earned by Jaques

I don’t know about you, but I think WHAT’S EARNED is a little lie-down after solving this one! I’m sure Jaques must have needed one after setting it…

The preamble states that:

“Solvers must switch a pair of words within each clue before solving, often to the detriment of the surface reading. In the completed grid solvers must swap two thematic entries and then highlight WHAT’S EARNED (two words). Each pair of switched words has only one letter in common and these, taken in clue order, may be of assistance along with ODQ and 34 across. All entries in the final grid are words; Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”

Not just some, but every clue. I guess that makes it a bit easier than trying to guess which ones, but that is going to lead to a lot of permutations! With that extra nugget of information, about the single letters in common, I did toy with the idea of writing a little Python script to work through the clues, comparing each pair of words and determining how many only had one letter in common. That might have sped up the identification, but it would have taken a while to write, test, debug, etc. I expect someone out there may have embarked on a similar electronic/programmatic quest, rather than checking them all manually?

Instead, I started scanning the clues – not necessarily to rigorously try to find words with one letter in common, but to see if anything jumped out immediately, maybe from a word length and obvious definition, a combination that had to be an anagram, or some wordplay that maybe looked too ‘contrived’ and would be a candidate for swapping.

The first one to rouse my suspicions was 39A – where BALLAD and SENSATION looked like they could be swapped, and only had one letter in common. However I couldn’t quite work it out, as I didn’t know at the time that a FRIS is a Hungarian dance!

Then 2D looked like it had to be an anagram of PIES and LOAD or PIES and MORE, and REIMPOSE seemed to fit the jiggled clue/definition better than EPISODAL. I then skipped to the end, thinking there are usually shorter words down there, and setters may be tiring of the device they are using by then – and 34D and 32D were cracked fairly quickly.

With 34D, if AFRICA and BEGINNING were swapped, the reading suggested a homophone for beginning (ALPHA?), and I wrongly but fortuitously associated esparto grass with ALFALFA, and discovered the shorter ALFA was actually a word! For 32D, the wordplay seemed to suggest EN (nut) and URE (old practice), and the definition seemed to be harden – ENURE. So it was then a case of identifying the swapped words.

And so it went on, picking away at individual clues – and occasionally thinking maybe I should have tried to write that code after all!

After some while, I had got most of the two left-hand columns, including WASHING and WIVING. And at some point I also found LAUNDRY in the right-hand column. And a little something in the back of my mind put two and two together that they were similar words, symmetrically placed (and setters often try to place thematic items in symmetrical places) , and that WIVING had looked like an odd word from the start, but if LAUNDRY and WASHING were swapped, as per the preamble, WIVING would become LIVING – something that is usually ‘earned’…

Trying this out seemed to make real words with the crossers I had for the two words, so I persevered. However, I did spend a while looking for WAGE to go with LIVING, as its symmetrical counterpart, SATINY, didn’t seem to have any relevance, unless there were SATIN Y-fronts in the said washing/laundry…

I had neglected to pay much attention to those common letters dotting the left-hand sides of the clue columns of my working copy, but they gradually started to fill out and, with a few educated guesses on the remaining gaps, looked something like ‘ACCORDING TO MARK TWAIN,  ACCORDING TO WILLIAM MORRIS’, which didn’t really make sense. I have a concise paperback ODQ, in which I scanned through the William Morris and Mark Twain quotes, but nothing obvious came from that.

I then logged on to the main Oxford Reference site, using my UK library card number – which gives you free access to a whole gamut of Oxford reference material – and did the same with the full sets of their quotes. Still nothing obvious, until I re-read the preamble and realised that I should maybe be looking at 34A – ANON – that extremely erudite and oft-quoted individual! And, after much trawling and scrolling through the Anon entries (when I should have just searched for Twain or Morris), I found the following in the 31st entry:

“Earned a precarious living by taking in one another’s washing.” attributed to Mark Twain by William Morris, in The Commonweal 6 August 1887

[This seems to be referring to the idea that small, insular communities might drum up notional economic activity by e.g. ‘taking in one another’s washing’. This academic and erudite-looking (not) blog post explores the provenance of this idea, quoting Twain and Morris along the way, as well as others.]

Anyway, that was just about that – apart from working through a few remaining clues, now with the benefit of the common letters of their swapped words, to complete the grid:

 

Wow – that was tough, a capital T and U, and two capital FFs! A really devious and mind-bending device, and a fairly obscure – and not-all-symmetrical (;+<) – set of thematic material.

I actually managed to finish it (late) on the Sunday of publication, but only because of that lucky PDM with WASHING/LAUNDRY, and helped by the current lockdown-enforced idleness that permeates most of my Sundays. My mind boggles at how difficult this must have been to set – I look forward to seeing the setter’s blog, if there is one, to learn more about the process. Many thanks to Jaques for the challenge.

My personal favourite was probably the Rodin/Kiss clue (21D) with LIPS as part of the anagram fodder! I think my last one in was WHAP at 10D. The ‘hundred at’ making up a ‘kip’ in KIPP at 16A was particularly devious! I also enjoyed the clip-CLOP of the bay horse on a hard surface in 35D. Only one small niggle-ette – can HYGIENE be pluralised, at 23D? Answers on a postcard below…

 

Across
Clue No	Solution / Entry	Common Letter	Clue (switches in bold) / Switched clue (definition underlined) / Logic/Parsing
1	PRECARIOUS	A	Veteran army is too dainty adopting supplicating regulation (10) / Veteran supplicating is too dainty adopting army regulation (10) / PREC_IOUS (too dainty) around (adopting) AR (abbreviation – army regulation)
11	GENOME	C	What’s corresponding in Zurich? Ultimately mobile clones financier grasps (6) / What’s corresponding in clones? Ultimately mobile Zurich financier grasps (6) / G_NOME (Swiss financier, ‘the gnomes of Zurich!) around (grasping) E (ultimate letter of mobilE)
12	UNNEATH	C	In some places below, returned eidolon’s shocking in vacated haunt (7) / In some places below, returned eidolon’s vacated in shocking haunt (7) / UN_ATH (anag, i.e. shocking, of HAUNT) around NE (EidoloN, vacated and returned)
13	WIVING / LIVING	O	Catching knot in flock of plovers and tying four? (6) / Catching four in flock of plovers and tying knot? (6) / W_ING (a flock of plovers) around (catching) IV (four, Roman numerals)
14	PETUNIA	R	American university plant cherished floral area (7) / American floral plant cherished university area (7) / PET (cherished) + UNI (university) + A (area)
15	AMATEUR	D	Buddy is dilettante in acting primitive (7) / Dilettante is buddy in acting primitive (7) / A (acting) + UR (prefix, primitive or original), around MATE (buddy)
16	KIPP	I	Hundred at hill being sharp parking in the Cairngorms (4) / Hundred at parking being sharp hill in the Cairngorms (4) / KIP (Laotian currency unit, 100 at) + P (parking)
17	ISLE	N	Man wrongly informed, potentially endlessly (4) / Man potentially informed, wrongly endlessly (4) / (M)ISLE(D) – informed wrongly, endlessly
18	MISSAL / MISSAW	G	Two engaged (heading opposite directions) and becoming girls plan for church services? (6) / Two girls (heading opposite directions) and becoming engaged plan for church services? (6) / MISS and LASS, two girls, heading in opposite directions and merging, becoming engaged, could be MISS-SSAL becoming MISSAL
20	HOLE / NOLE	T	Poet’s left uncut verse’s conclusion following moderation (4) / Poet’s uncut left verse’s conclusion following moderation (4) / HO (noun, moderation) preceding L (left) + E (concluding letter of versE)
22	MOCHA	O	Mouldy coffee in Edinburgh that is rejected/accepted? (5) / Coffee mouldy in Edinburgh that is rejected/accepted? (5) / MOCH(IE) (mouldy, Scottish, i.e. in Edinburgh, rejecting IE, that is) plus A (accepted)
24	MATICOS	M	Producers of staunch American sitcom to stay mushy (7) / Producers of staunch mushy sitcom to stay American (7) / M_TICOS (anag, i.e. mushy, of SITCOM) around (staying) A (American)
27	NEARS / REARS	A	Admitting nuclear ship approaches differentiation in pitch (5) / Approaches nuclear ship admitting differentiation in pitch (5) / N_S (abbreviation, Nuclear Ship) around (admitting) EAR (ability to differentiate pitch)
30	SIGN / SIGH	R	Regularly mark smidgen to ignore intentionally (4) / Regularly ignore smidgen to mark intentionally (4) / SmIdGeN, ignored regularly!
31	GELLED / YELLED	K	Took in ledge that’s reformed lake shape loosely (6) / Lake in ledge that’s reformed took shape loosely (6) / GEL_ED (anag, i.e. reformed, of LEDGE) around L (lake)
33	ULNA	T	Length in a limb? Irish girl takes on strut (4) / Strut in a limb? Irish girl takes on length (4) / U_NA (Irish girl) around (taking on) L (length)
34	ANON	W	Hearts in hand was what won’t come again? (4) / Hearts in hand won’t what was come again? (4) / middle letters, or hearts, of ‘hANd wONt’
36	SPITTER / SPITTEN	A	Saliva maybe in one with excessive fawn? (7) / Fawn maybe in one with excessive saliva? (7) / double defn(?). a SPITTER can be a young deer, so ‘fawn, maybe’; and someone with excessive saliva may be a SPITTER!
37	LUGHOLE	I	Roughly what permits horrid look – the Parisian, that is listening in (7) / Roughly what permits listening look – the Parisian, that is horrid in (7) / L_OLE (LO – interjection, look!, plus LE, definite article in French, so ‘the, Parisian’) around UGH (that is horrid!)
38	SATINY / SATING	N	Edmund’s put in can try like silk (6) / Can put in Edmund’s try like silk (6) / SA_Y (obsolete, Spenserian – form of assay, or try) around TIN (can)
39	FRISSON	A	Ballad is Hungarian dance sensation maybe to a large extent (7) / Sensation is Hungarian dance ballad maybe to a large extent (7) / FRIS (Hungarian dance) + SON(G) (ballad, maybe, to a large extent, i.e. missing its last letter!)
40	INSTEP	C	Being what’s best for clog dancer’s part? (6) / Being what’s best for dancer’s clog part? (6) / double defn(?) – it is best for a dancer to be IN STEP!; and the INSTEP is part of a shoe, or clog
41	CAPITALISM	C	Economy aim changes being plastic when privately invested (10) / Plastic aim changes being economy when privately invested (10) / anag, i.e. changing, of PLASTIC AIM
Down
Clue No	Solution / Entry	Common Letter	Clue (switches in bold) / Switched clue (definition underlined) / Logic/Parsing
2	REIMPOSE	O	Confused pies with load more for printing in chase again (8) / Confused pies with more load for printing in chase again (8) / anag, i.e. confused, of PIE with MORE
3	ENVAULT	R	Nave’s chamber ultimately to introduce into burial ground (7) / Nave’s ground ultimately to introduce into burial chamber (7) / ENVA (anag, i.e. ground, of NAVE) + ULT (ultimately)
4	AMNESIA	D	Mad to recall Mensa deficiency, recall the best (7) / Deficiency to recall Mensa mad, recall the best (7) / AMNES (anag, i.e. mad, of MENSA) + IA (AI, A1, the best, recalled)
5	REGULATE	I	Island join in fiddle to manage (8) / Island fiddle in join to manage (8) / RE_LATE (connect with, or join) around GU (Shetland, i.e. island, for viol, or fiddle)
6	ONER	N	Run single for mighty swipe (4) / Single run for mighty swipe (4) / ONE (single) + R (run)
7	UNTRIM	G	Ulster arguably removing segment initially for uniform to lose embellishments (6) / Ulster segment removing arguably initially for uniform to lose embellishments (6) / (A)NTRIM (segment, or region, of Ulster) swapping A (initial letter of Arguably) for U (uniform)
8	PANISC	T	Attendant consumed by great fear South of Arcadian setting? (6) / South consumed by great fear attendant of Arcadian setting? (6) / PANI_C (great fear) around (consuming) S (South)
9	STIPA	O	Lifted anonymous heaps of potatoes and covered grass (5) / Lifted covered heaps of potatoes and anonymous grass (5) / STIP (PITS, or covered heaps of potatoes, lifted) + A (anonymous)
10	WHAP	W	Wrap local women up for abrupt fall in the countryside (4) / Women local wrap up for abrupt fall in the countryside (4) / W (women) + HAP (dialect, i.e. local, for cover, or wrap up)
13	WASHING / LAUNDRY	I	Remains covered by thin sail coating (7) / Remains covered by sail thin coating (7) / W_ING (sail) around (covering) ASH (remains)
14	PRECIEUSE	L	Fastidious Madame Curie almost sees beginning of false polonium (9) / Fastidious Madame Curie almost sees beginning of polonium false (9) / anag, i.e. false, of CURI(E) (almost) + SEES + P (beginning of Polonium)
19	LAUNDRY / WASHING	L	Washhouse’s lane supplying one not local water (7) / Washhouse’s lane local one not supplying water (7) / LA (lane, abbreviation) + UN (local, dialect, for one) + DRY (not supplying water)
21	SCULPSIT	I	Kiss may have presented Rodin thus — working lips in singular manner of fashion (8) / Rodin may have presented kiss thus — working lips in singular manner of fashion (8) / S (singular) + CU_T (manner of fashion), around LPSI (anag, i.e. working, of LIPS)
23	HYGIENES	A	Geek’s interminable shiny cleanlinesses awkward (8) / Geek’s interminable shiny awkward cleanlinesses (8) / anag, i.e. awkward, of GEE(K) (interminably, not finishing) + SHINY
25	OMNIANA	M	Motto arising from piece of Santayana in miscellany (7) / Miscellany arising from piece of Santayana in Motto (7) / reversed, hidden, word in, i.e. ‘arising’ and ‘piece of’, ‘santayANA IN MOtto’
26	WISTITI	M	Climbing one chasing marmoset it’s caught by ingenuity (7) / Marmoset one chasing climbing it’s caught by ingenuity (7) / WI_T (ingenuity) around (catching) STI (its, climbing), followed, or chased, by I (one)
28	ALOGIA	O	Inability to speak in record year embracing sloth (6) / Inability to speak in sloth year embracing record (6) / A_IA (AI – sloth, plus A – anno, year) around (embracing) LOG (record)
29	SEROSA	R	Reasons without number membrane is curious (6) / Reasons without number curious is membrane (6) / anag, i.e. curious, of REASO(N)S, without N – number
32	ENURE	R	Support old practice to harden nut (5) / Harden old practice to support nut (5) / EN (printing term, nut) on top of (supported by, as this is a down entry) URE (obsolete word for use, practice)
34	ALFA	I	Esparto grass found in beginning Africa for auditor (4) / Esparto grass found in Africa beginning for auditor (4) / homophone, i.e. for auditor – ALFA (alfalfa, grass found in Africa) can sound like ALPHA (beginning)
35	CLOP	S	Constant sound cut off, maybe bay’s twigs on hard surface (4) / Constant twigs cut off, maybe bay’s sound on hard surface (4) / C (constant) + LOP (cut off) (I think ‘twigs’ is just a joining/ancillary word here?)