A flow chart from Ifor this week – no bars in the grid initially anyway but seven cells bars need to be added at the end. Misprints in wordplay and definitions give two names and a quotation. Then show the flow chart in the final grid and its description. Perhaps it may take more than 5 minutes….
Certainly a lot going on. With the different rules being applied randomly to each across clue, and the consistent approach to the down amendments – the downs proved to be the easier way in to start filling the grid. Many of these clues had some quite subtle changes too.
Eventually all yielded and the two messages were revealed
I WILL NOT PASS THIS WAY AGAIN – Quotation. From the misprint replacements in the wordplay
GRELLET EULER – 2 names. From the misprints in the across definitions
Grellet was a new name to me – a quick search proved him to be quaker missionary Etienne de Grellet. The full quotation is below:
“I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
An admirable statement if ever there was one.
As to the rest of the puzzle that was a much subtler use of the quotation referring to a famous topological problem that Euler pondered over for several years, I believe.
Shading the letters G,R,E,L,T,U and R and yields a remarkably accurate map of the 7 bridges of Konigsberg, with the shaded letters representing the water flow.
Wikipedia gives the picture above https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Bridges_of_K%C3%B6nigsberg
The conundrum being to cross all seven bridges once and once only – I will not pass this way again, whch was impossible.
The final elements were to write Konigsberg below the grid and add grid lines identiying the bridges – my version is below
Many thanks Ifor – a not so easy grid fill and some good interconnection in the end-game. All in all a highly enjoyable puzzle at the harder end of the spectrum.
Key: Rev. reversed; * anagram; DD double definition; underline definition; 1st column Quote, 2nd names
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 He might be desperate for win in casino, amid pressure developing (11) | ||
| G | 1 He might be desperate for Gin in casino, amid pressure developing (11) | |
| (casino + amid + p)* = DIPSOMANIAC | ||
| 9 In playing versus clubs, ace at first offered scope in diamonds, perhaps (6) | ||
| R | 9 In playing versus clubs, ace at first offered scoRe in diamonds, perhaps (6) | |
| In + v (versus) around c (clubs) + a(ace) + o (first offered) = INCAVO | ||
| 11 Uproarious dance set to overturn prisons? (6) | ||
| E | 11 Uproarious dance set to overturE prisons? (6) | |
| Can (prison) x 2 = CAN-CAN | ||
| 12 Will’s foot mob possibly no good in Chicago, unfortunately (9) | ||
| L | 12 Will’s fooL mob possibly no good in Chicago, unfortunately (9) | |
| Cap (mob) + (chicao)* = CAPOCCHIA | ||
| 14 Reset error, maintaining position (4) | ||
| I | 14 ResIt error, maintaining position (4) | |
| Hidden reSIT Error = SITE | ||
| 17 Welcome fun potting new plant (5) | ||
| S | 17 Welcome Sun potting new plant (5) | |
| Ave (welcome) + s (sun) around n(new) = AVENS | ||
| 18 Science posting gold, returning cases of waste from smelting (7) | ||
| H | 18 Science Hosting gold, returning cases of waste from smelting (7) | |
| Sci (Science) around Or (gold) + Rev. ca (cases) = SCORIAC | ||
| 19 Drier chapters penned by gentlemen look endless (7) | ||
| A | 19 Drier chapters penned by gentlemAn look endless (7) | |
| Sir (gentleman) + oo (look endlessly) around cc (chapters) = SIROCCO | ||
| 21 Sprinter first to sidestep crush (5) | ||
| L | 21 SpLinter first to sidestep crush (5) | |
| S (first to sidestep) + mash (crush) = SMASH | ||
| 22 Good spirits make parting go faster (4) | ||
| L | 22 Good spirits Lake parting go faster (4) | |
| Gee (go faster) around l (lake) = GLEE | ||
| 26 St Clara’s birthplace unaltered, cherishing saint ahead of Italy (6) | ||
| E | 26 St ClarE’s birthplace unaltered, cherishing saint ahead of Italy (6) | |
| Asis (unaltered) around s(saint) + I (Italy) = ASSISI | ||
| 27 Mountain sheep in Scottish wood retreat to the west (6) | ||
| L | 27 Mountain sheep in Scottish wooL retreat to the west (6) | |
| Oo (Scottish wool) + Rev. lair (retreat) = OORIAL | ||
| 30 Is a rabble active around parts of castle? (7) | ||
| T | 30 Is a rabble active around parts of caTtle? (7) | |
| Rev. is a + mob (rabble) + a (active) = ABOMASI | ||
| 31 Find date as well as year (5) | ||
| E | 31 FinE date as well as year (5) | |
| D (date) + and (as well as) + y (year) = DANDY | ||
| 32 Fish over lower part of Tyne (5) | ||
| U | 32 Fish over lower part of TUne (5) | |
| Bass (fish) + o (over) = BASSO | ||
| 33 Covering of sick old clown with extremes of opinion (6) | ||
| L | 33 Covering of siLk old clown with extremes of opinion (6) | |
| Coco (old clown) + on (extremes of opinion) = COCOON | ||
| 34 Steal family’s guards while feuding (7) | ||
| E | 34 Steal family’s guards while feEding (7) | |
| Nap (steal) + kins (family’s) = NAPKINS | ||
| 35 Packets that bloke put in steamship (5) | ||
| R | 35 PackeRs that bloke put in steamship (5) | |
| Him (that bloke) in ss (steamship) = SHIMS | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 Sick because gripping tail of venomous snake (6) | ||
| N | 1 SiNk because gripping tail of venomous snake (6) | |
| Dip (sink) + as (because) around s (tail of venomous) = DIPSAS | ||
| 2 Rude image originally live going around upsetting vicar (7) | ||
| O | 2 Rude image originally lOve going around upsetting vicar (7) | |
| I (image originally) + nil (love) around Rev. vic (vicar) = INCIVIL | ||
| 3 Conveyance to lord caught without dame in front (3) | ||
| T | 3 Conveyance to lord caught without daTe in front (3) | |
| sa (without date – sine anno) + c (caught) = SAC | ||
| 4 Low spirits, to some extent from omens (4) | ||
| P | 4 Low spirits, to some extent from oPens (4) | |
| Hidden froM OPEns = MOPE | ||
| 5 Chips and special curries before food stop (6) | ||
| A | 5 Chips and special cArries before food stop (6) | |
| n(and) + s (special) around ac (before food) + ho (stop) = NACHOS | ||
| 6 Suffer louder after sins unveiled (5) | ||
| S | 6 Suffer louSer after sins unveiled (5) | |
| In (sins unveiled) + cur (louser) = INCUR | ||
| 7 Region of Greece caging in area imprisoning migrant’s woman (6) | ||
| S | 7 Region of Greece caSing in area imprisoning migrant’s woman (6) | |
| Chai (migrant’s woman) in aa (casing in area) = ACHAIA | ||
| 8 Bears rising cold with only one left intermittently (9) | ||
| T | 8 BeaTs rising cold with only one left intermittently (9) | |
| Rev. tans (beats) + chilly ( cold) – l = SNATCHILY | ||
| 10 Claps nurses before singular provider of food (8) | ||
| H | 10 CHaps nurses before singular provider of food (8) | |
| Ere (before) in cats(chaps) = CATERESS | ||
| 13 Intercepts turning aback succeeded four times (9) | ||
| I | 13 Intercepts turning abacI succeeded four times (9) | |
| (abaci + ssss)* = ABSCISSAS | ||
| 15 Rigged incomes inventing company in financial management (9) | ||
| S | 15 Rigged incomes inveSting company in financial management (9) | |
| (incomes)* around co (company) = ECONOMICS | ||
| 16 Moral cad’s mildly roguish behaviour (9) | ||
| W | 16 Moral cad’s Wildly roguish behaviour (9) | |
| (moralscad)* = RASCALDOM | ||
| 20 Red against covering groups of strikes in circle (7) | ||
| A | 20 Red against covering groups of strAkes in circle (7) | |
| Con (against) around rims (groups of strAkes in circle) = CRIMSON | ||
| 22 Perfect knight again deplored having women captured (6) | ||
| Y | 22 Perfect knight again deploYed having women captured (6) | |
| (again)* around w (women) = GAWAIN | ||
| 23 Compositions playing indoors, heedlessly (6) | ||
| A | 23 Compositions playing indoors, heAdlessly (6) | |
| (indoors – i)* = RONDOS | ||
| 24 Upset tax collectors pained by every single bloody fine (6) | ||
| G | 24 Upset tax collectors Gained by every single bloody fine (6) | |
| Rev Ir (tax collectors) in each = ERIACH | ||
| 25 Lungfish sag into ground after temperature goes awry (6) | ||
| A | 25 Lungfish sag into ground after temperature goes awAy (6) | |
| Dip (sag) + (into – t)* = DIPNOI | ||
| 28 Father applied to God before abbot flopped (4) | ||
| I | 28 Father applied to God before abbot flIpped (4) | |
| A(before) + Rev. abb (abbot) = ABBA | ||
| 29 Approval to share manuscript in Russian city (4) | ||
| N | 29 Approval to sNare manuscript in Russian city (4) | |
| Ok (approval) around ms (manuscript) = OMSK |
A great puzzle. The preamble was clear, and as succinct as it could be considering the amount of information to be conveyed. The clues were excellent, as was the thematic design with its well-thought-out combination of components. I liked the depiction of the highlighted river and the bridges in the completed grid. And my placement of the seven bridges agrees with yours, twencelas.
My entry to the theme was EULER, the letters of which came from the last five Across clues. I spent a few minutes trying to fast-track the theme (visiting Fermat and going along one other wrong path), but Ifor was too clever for that. I had to solve several more clues before the remark became clear.
That remark attributed to Grellet had nothing directly to do with Euler, but fortunately I made what turned out to be the right sort of connection with Euler’s mathematical analysis (using topology) of the ‘Königsberg’ puzzle of the seven bridges, which I was familiar with.
With some clues, finding the misprinted letter took much longer than getting the answer, but the rewards came just soon enough not to test my patience (too much). I will highlight just one: ‘aback’ corrected to ‘abaci’ in 13d (ABSCISSAE), which was particularly neat and not at all obvious. I was pleased to end up with no parsing queries.
Thanks to Ifor and twencelas.
A neat bit of construction to create the required “flow chart” (also a neat title). Getting the grid filled was pretty swift but working out the endgame took me far longer; a satisfying PDM once I got there. Euler came up with so much stuff, I suppose there’s some excuse for taking a while to find the right thing! Thanks Ifor and twencelas
Thanks to both, and of course to Twencelas for the usual thorough exposition. All I would add to what I’ve said over at the Big Dave site is that of the many images of Konigsberg, Twencelas has hit on the one I used for the grid.
Alan – my favourite clue was that to CANCAN, but I was certainly happy when I saw the potential in “turning aback”.
I thought this was an absolutely lovely puzzle. I got Grellett without any problems but the letters making up Euler proved tricky. Eventually they fell which led me to the wiki page whereupon I fell upon the bridges of Konigsberg. I’d never heard of the tale so was grateful to learn something new.
One of my favourites of the year.
Many thanks to Ifor and twencelas.