Hedgesparrow has set the Inquisitor this time and has provided a fairly long preamble, so this may be a challenge.
The preamble told us that: "Two thematic entries are unclued; 1ac is clued by wordplay only.
In another clue, the wordplay omits one letter of the answer: in the grid, the corresponding cell must be blacked out. All but one of the remaining clues contain an extra letter (to be removed prior to solving, always leaving real words): in clue order, these spell out a thematic event.
Crossing answers clash in six cells: in row order, the retained letters spell the surname of a poet, the first line of whose best-known work outlines in the grid (contiguously, with mirror symmetry about the central column) a thematic shape which solvers must colour appropriately (93 cells in total).
The poem’s first stanza indicates other thematic elements, including symbols to be inserted in the blocked off cells. Letters discarded at clashes, together with the letter omitted from wordplay, may be arranged to give the identity of the speakers (two words),to be written below the grid.
All entries are real words or names.
The entry at 19 is in Collins."
There is obviously quite a lot going on then. Standard practice is to start solving and see what develops. There was a good start with an obvious anagram of MEMBER in the first clue which we already knew was just wordplay. REMEMB seemed a likely anagram, so given the time of year, just after November 11, let’s see if RANCE is a word. Yes! and it means prop, so there is REMEMBRANCE filling the first row.
Symmetry often plays a part in barred crosswords, so it was worth looking at the entry in bottom row. That looked like a anagram of SEA SHANTIES, so there was no omitted letter in the clue. Hence we could deduce that all but one of the remaining clues had a letter to be removed before solving. The one clue without a missing letter, but having a blacked out cell, would almost certainly be somewhere near the middle since we were told there was mirror symmetry about the central column in the thematic shape.
The clues fell fairly steadily although clashes can often be a problem. It was quite late on before I discovered all the clashes. The blacked out cell was indeed near the centre, in 26 across. The thematic event spelled out by the omitted letters was showing signs of ROYAL, BRITISH and POPPY and finally turned out to be THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION POPPY APPEAL CENTENARY. (41 letters). There were 46 entries of which 2 were unclued, 1 just had wordplay in clue, 1 had a cell with an unclued letter to be blanked out and 1 was a normal clue, leaving 41 clues with an omitted letter.
Clearly the poem was going to relate to REMEMBRANCE and a lot of letters in the word POPPIES could be seen going right to left in row 14. Further study of the grid showed the line IN FLANDERS FIELD THE POPPIES BLOW forming a closed contiguous chain symmetrically around the central column.
The line is from the poem IN FLANDER’S FIELD written in April 1915, by Canadian doctor, Lieutenant Colonel John MCCRAE [1872-1918] following the death of colleague at the battle of Ypres. MCCRAE died of pneumonia in 1918.
The clashes appeared in
1 across (letter 5 M [retained) and 3 down (letter 1 D)
15 across (letter 5 H) and 4 down (letter 4 C [retained])
18 across (letter 4 C [retained]) and 19 down (letter 1 T)
23 across (letter 1 R [retained]) and 23 down (letter 1 D)
39 across (letter 3 A [retained]) and 32 down (letter 3 E)
40 across (letter 2 A) and 25 down letter 6 E [retained])
with the retained letters in clue order, spelling MCCRAE. In each case the retained letters generated real words by resolving the clashes, adding MENSE at 3 down, CURLER at 15 across, CESTA at 19 down [this is the entry that is in Collins], REDDY at 23 down, STAPH at 32 down and REIS at 40 across.
The unused letters from the clashes were DHTDEA and the letter blacked out in 26 across was an E. The second verse of MCCRAE‘s poem states that "We are THE DEAD …". The so far unused letters form an anagram of THE DEAD (the speakers) which should be written below the grid.
The two unclued entries at 14 across (LARKS) and 31 across (GUNS) are mentioned in the first verse of the poem, the LARKS in the sky above and the GUNS below.
The final thematic elements are ‘the CROSSES, row on row, that mark our place’ and these are placed in the blank cells in the outer columns of the grid.
As is often the case with barred puzzles like the Inquisitor, the clues seemed far more difficult when first solved than they did when writing the blog. The blog shows the clues before and after the letter is omitted and the graphic builds up from the original solve with clashes, through the resolved clashes and the appearance of the line and the final colouring of the complete poppy with crosses.
The title Fieldwork presumably cross-reference the the word Field in the title of the poem [work].
This puzzle was a fitting tribute for REMEMBRANCE Day. Thanks to Hedge-sparrow.
The grid built up as shown below:
| No |
Clue Amended Clue |
Letter |
| Across | ||
| 1 |
Prop placed by cast member (11) REMEMBRANCE (Wordplay only – no definition) Anagram of (cast) MEMBER + RANCE (a bar or prop) REMEMB* RANCE |
|
| 9 |
One evading police, finally more obtrusive, told to scarper (6) One evading police, finally more obtrusive, old to scarper (6) ELUDER (one who evades discovery or capture) E (final letter of [finally] POLICE) + LOUDER (more obtrusive) excluding (to scarper) O (old) E LUDER |
T |
| 11 |
Alpine wind overturning hedge of Nürnberg court (4) Alpine wind overturning edge of Nürnberg court (4) FOHN (hot dry wind blowing down a mountain valley, especially in the Alps) (N [first letter of {edge of}] NURNBERG + HOF [yard; court]) all reversed (overturning) (FOH N)< |
H |
| 13 |
Plane and oak together conceal Sulawesian native (4) Plan and oak together conceal Sulawesian native (4) ANOA (the sapiutan, or wild ox of Sulawesi in Indonesia, like a small buffalo) ANOA (hidden word in [conceal] PLAN OAK where the two words are put together) ANOA |
E |
| 14 |
Unclued (5) LARKS (word in the first verse of the poem In Flander’s Field) |
|
| 15 |
Track athlete hasn’t heard of discus thrower (6) Track athlete hasn’t head of discus thrower (6) HURLER (thrower) HURDLER (track athlete) excluding (hasn’t) D (first letter of [head of] DISCUS) HURLER |
R |
| 16 |
Solitary boy’s plastered with drink (5) Solitary by’s plastered with drink (5) ALONE (solitary) ON (by) contained in (plastered with) ALE (drink) AL (ON) E |
O |
| 18 |
Aircraftsman taking on board toy skunk (4) Aircraftsman taking on board to skunk (4) ATOC (species of skunk) AC (aircraftsman) containing (taking on board) TO A (TO) C |
Y |
| 20 |
Poet’s quickly flown, turning tail when framed by newspaper (5) Poet’s quickly flown, turning til when framed by newspaper (5) FLITT (Spenserian [poet’s] word meaning ‘to fly quickly’) TIL reversed (turning) contained in (when framed by) FT (Financial Times; newspaper) F (LIT<) T |
A |
| 23 |
Old-timer’s slaying duke wearing ruff (4) Old-timer’s saying duke wearing ruff (4) REDE (archaic [old-timer’s] term for a saying) D (duke) contained in (wearing) REE (the female of the ruff) RE (D) E |
L |
| 24 |
One withdrawing support for mathematician famous for his blogs (6) One withdrawing support for mathematician famous for his logs (6) NAPIER (reference James NAPIER [1550-1617], Scottish mathematician best know for his discovery of logarithms [logs]) AN (one) reversed (withdrawing) + PIER (a support) NA< PIER |
B |
| 26 |
Views Morag’s tax returns (6) TENETS (opinions; views) STENT (Scottish [Morag] term for a tax) – the first E is omitted from the wordplay as mentioned in the preamble TENETS< – entered with cell containing the first E blacked out in the grid to form the centre of the poppy motif |
|
| 27 |
Like a bristly beard worn covered up by some (4) Like a bristly beard won covered up by some (4) AWNY (descriptive of a bristly growth) W (won; notation in a football league table for instance) contained in (covered up by) ANY (some) A (W) NY |
R |
| 28 |
Fly about with houri in region of NW Malaysia (5) Fly about with hour in region of NW Malaysia (5) KEDAH (region of North West Malaysia) KED (wingless fly) + A (about) + H (hour) KED A H |
I |
| 31 |
Unclued (4) GUNS (word in the first verse of the poem In Flander’s Field) |
|
| 33 |
Hebridean trills from Skye reinterpreted by soprano (5) Hebridean rills from Skye reinterpreted by soprano (5) SYKES (Scottish [Hebridean] rills or small ditches) Anagram of (interpreted by) SKYE + S (soprano) SYKE* S |
T |
| 35 |
Local budgies assimilating number of genetic equivalents (6) Local budges assimilating number of genetic equivalents (6) CLONAL (descriptive of genetic equivalents) Anagram of (budges) LOCAL containing (assimilating) N (number) CLO (N) AL* |
I |
| 38 |
Rig spurts oil (5) Rig spurt oil (5) TURPS (oil of turpentine) Anagram of (rig) SPURT TURPS* |
S |
| 39 |
Sir Harry’s first to broach ale cask (4) Sir ‘Arry’s first to broach ale cask (4) TUAN (sir; lord, master; a title of respect in the Malay Archipelago and Indonesia) A (initial letter of [first]) contained in (to broatch) TUN (large cask used to contain ale) TU (A) N |
H |
| 40 |
Rail against section commander who fought with Joan of Arc (4) Rai against section commander who fought with Joan of Arc (4) RAIS (reference Gilles de RAIS [~1405-1440]. companion in arms of Joan of Arc) RAI + S (section) RAI S |
L |
| 41 |
Newspaper page, one pocketed by private secretary, showing winning scores (6) Newspaper page, on pocketed by private secretary, showing winning scores (6) IPPONS (winning scores in judo and karate) I (newspaper) + ([P {page} + ON] contained in [pocketed by] PS [Private Secretary]) I P (P ON) S |
E |
| 42 |
Loss of feeling performing sea shanties (11) Loss of feeling performing sea shanties (11) This is the standard clue without a letter requiring omission ANAESTHESIS (loss of feeling) Anagram of (performing) SEA SHANTIES ANAESTHESIS* |
|
| Down | ||
| 1 |
Peal indistinct in confines of revestiary is rung again (6) Peal indistinct in confines of revestiary is run again (6) REPLAY (run again) Anagram of (indistinct [?]) PEAL contained in (in) RY (outer letters of [confines of] REVESTIARY) R (EPLA*) Y |
G |
| 2 |
Mountain, beneath whose peak dilapidated old ruin lies (5) Mountain, beneath whose peak dilapidated old run lies (5) MUNRO (mountain in Scotland above 3,000 feet – now, according to Chambers, extended to similar peaks in England, Wales and Ireland) M (first letter of [peak] MOUNTAIN) + an anagram of (dilapidated) (O [old] and RUN) M UNRO* |
I |
| 3 |
Damon blandly sinks Nuclear Ship: that’s extremely stupid! (5) Damn blandly sinks Nuclear Ship: that’s extremely stupid! (5) DENSE (extremely stupid) DEE (euphemistic [blandly] substitution for DAMN) containing (sinks) NS (nuclear ship) DE (NS) E |
O |
| 4 |
French surgeon’s only child enthralled by barn dancing (5) French surgeon’s only child enthralled by bar dancing (5) BROCA (reference Paul BROCA [1824-1880], French surgeon specialising in the brain) OC (only child) contained in (enthralled by) an anagram of (dancing) BAR BR (OC) A* |
N |
| 5 |
Distant star half obscured by particle filter’s top (4) Distant star half obscured by article filter’s top (4) AFAR (distant) AF (first letters of each of [top] ARTICLE and FILTER) + (above, thereby obscuring) AR (half of the letters in STAR) AF AR |
P |
| 6 |
Separated wool from flipping big coat (4) Separated wool from flipping big cat (4) NOIL (short pieces of wool or other fibre separated from the longer fibres) LION (big cat) reversed (flipping) NOIL< |
O |
| 7 |
Scots lads, led astray, stuffing chips (7) Scots lads, led astray, stuffing chis (7) CHIELDS (Scottish word for lads) Anagram of (astray) LED contained in (stuffing) CHIS CHI (ELD*) S |
P |
| 8 |
Opening pen box? (6) Opening en box? (6) ENTREE (entry; opening) EN + TREE (reference a box TREE) EN TREE |
P |
| 10 |
For wine, it’s second nature to ferment with yeast (8) For wine, it’s second nature to ferment with east (8) SAUTERNE (wine) S (second) + an anagram of (ferment) NATURE+ E (east) S AUTERN* E |
Y |
| 12 |
Note Catholic in Spain accepting conclusion of papal bull that’s recently appeared? (4) Note Catholic in spin accepting conclusion of papal bull that’s recently appeared? (4) CALF (bull that has recently been born) (FA [note of the musical scale] + C [Catholic]) reversed (in spin) containing (accepting) final letter of (conclusion of) PAPAL (C A (L) F)< |
A |
| 17 |
Frosty New Year: rising, Penny and Pip go inside (5) Frosty New Year: rising, Penny and Pi go inside (5) NIPPY (frosty) (P [penny] + PI) reversed [rising; down entry]) contained in (go inside) N [new] + Y [year]) N (IP P)< Y |
P |
| 19 |
Try to pare hard shell (5) Try to are hard shell (5) TESTA (hard shell) TEST (try) + A (are, acre) TEST A |
P |
| 21 |
British psychiatrist writing answer in something akin to a code (5) British psychiatrist writing answer in something akin to a cod (5) LAING (reference R D LAING [1927-1989], Scottish [British] psychiatrist) A (answer) contained in (in) LING (fish of the cod family) L (A) ING |
E |
| 22 |
Salt great intellectual initially added to tea (8) Salt great intellectual initially added to te (8) TITANATE (salt of TITANic acid) TITAN (person of great intellect) + A (first letter of [initially] ADDED) + TE TITAN A TE |
A |
| 23 |
Unsteady Eddy stays least active locally (5) Unsteady Eddy stays east active locally (5) DEEDY (dialect [locally] term for ‘active’) Anagram of (unsteady) EDDY containing (stays) E (east) DE (E) DY* – either E could be the one contained |
L |
| 25 |
Fatted cow raised in gloomy surroundings you finally released (7) Fatted ow raised in gloomy surroundings you finally released (7) SWOLLEN (fatted) OW reversed (raised in; down entry) contained in (in … surroundings) SULLEN (dull; gloomy) excluding (released) U (last letter of [finally] YOU) S (WO<) LLEN |
C |
| 27 |
In France or Austria, how Pavarotti might respond to a call for more? (6) In Franc or Austria, how Pavarotti might respond to a call for more? (6) ANCORA (Italian word for an encore, something that Pavarotti may have sung when asked for more) ANCORA (hidden word in (in) FRANC OR AUSTRIA) ANCORA |
E |
| 29 |
Made a pile from poetry, then resolved to include bit of prose (4) Made a pile from poetry, the resolved to include bit of prose (4) HEPT (Spenserean [from poetry] term for heaped [made a pile]) Anagram of (resolved) THE containing (to include) P (first letter of [bit of] PROSE) HE (P) T* |
N |
| 30 |
Goofs stun judge (6) Goofs sun judge (6) ASSESS (judge) ASSES (idiots; goofs) + S (sun) ASSES S |
T |
| 32 |
Water channel in SA, fit to provide shelter for eel (5) Water channel in SA, fit to provide shelter for el (5) SLUIT (South African term for a narrow water channel) SUIT (fit) containing (to provide shelter for) L (el) S (L) UIT |
E |
| 33 |
Little girl’s quiet, getting pent up inside (5) Little girl’s quiet, getting pet up inside (5) STEPH (shortened from [little] of the girl’s name STEPHanie) SH (direction to be quiet) containing (getting) PET reversed (up; down entry) S (TEP<) H |
N |
| 34 |
Liberian natives disregarding asides of ski jumpers (5) Liberian natives disregarding sides of ski jumpers (5) KROOS (members of a West African people of the coast of Liberia) K (letter remaining in SKI when the outer letters S and I are removed [disregarding sides]) + ROOS (kangaROOS; animals who jump) K ROOS |
A |
| 36 |
Partiality mostly in support of lover’s ancient witchcraft (4) Partiality mostly in support of love’s ancient witchcraft (4) OBIA (ancient witchcraft and poisoning once practised in the W Indies, Guyana, etc) O (character representing zero [love score in tennis]) + BIAS (partiality) excluding the final letter S (mostly) O BIA |
R |
| 37 |
Smelly boy’s taken up hygiene at last (4) Smell boy’s taken up hygiene at last (4) NOSE (smell) SON (boy) reversed (taken up [down entry) + E (last letter of [at last] HYGIENE) NOS< E |
Y |
One of the best I thought, and not just because I enjoy a spot of colouring. 🙂 A fitting tribute on Remembrance weekend, nicely pitched in terms of difficulty, with enough in the (complicated) preamble to always steer the solver in the right direction. Loved it.
Superb puzzle, rich in thematic material which was implemented in a masterly fashion to create a beautiful tribute to the fallen. What more can one say?
A long list of instructions to contend with, but I needn’t have worried. I read the very beginning of the rubric, went straight to 1A and solved it in an instant (exactly as per Duncan’s description above) since Chambers informed me that RANCE meant what I needed it to. So the theme was indeed pretty apparent, given the date. All was beautifully conceived, with all clues parsed once again. A lovely finish, and a really fitting tribute to the fallen.
Many thanks, as always, to both blogger and setter.
I visited Essex Farm Cemetery (just to the north of Ypres) back in August 2014 for the commemorations for the centenary of the outbreak of WW1, and saw the memorial to John McCrae there. It is a hauntingly poignant but wonderfully peaceful place, immaculately maintained by the CWGC. ‘The Last Post’ stood under the Menin Gate on 23 Aug, the anniversary of the first major encounter for the B.E.F. in Belgium at the Battle of Mons. What a tearjerker that was.
We will remember them.
An excellent puzzle. Highly enjoyable and fitting for the occasion. Another high quality offering from Hedge Sparrow! Thanks to the blogger as well.
I forgot to say – Regarding the title ‘Fieldwork’: Chambers lists two very pertinent definitions – ‘work in the field, as opposed to in a laboratory or an office’ and also ‘a temporary fortification thrown up by troops in the field, either for protection or to cover an attack upon a stronghold.
As the place where McCrae worked was Essex Farm (see@3 above), an old concrete blockhouse captured from the Germans by the British and subsequently used as a dressing station / field hospital, I think it qualifies really nicely on both counts (McCrae undertaking fieldwork within a fieldwork).
Yes, a lot going on, but very solvable, with time. I had lazily entered ‘anaesthesia’, so was puzzled what to do with my spare ‘s’ in The Dead (didn’t spot the Rais / Swollen clash, I just assumed Reis).
Thanks to HedgeSparrow for an excellent puzzle, and duncanshiell for clearing up one or two queries.
It’s all been said. An excellent and timely puzzle which I really enjoyed. Some easy clues to get things moving and, like others, I soon spotted REMEMBRANCE. I guessed I needed to depict a poppy which was a great help in solving and parsing the rest of the clues. At first, I thought I was looking for Brooke’s famous quote “….. forever England” so took a while to spot the correct quote and needed a little research to complete it.* I chose to draw a smooth curve through the boundary cells which I then infilled to produce a more respectful acknowledgement of The Dead.
The only ambiguity was 36D – I omitted the L from LOVER as OVER also can mean O which confused me until I had enough other omissions to see my mistake.
Many thanks to H-S for a great puzzle and, of course, to Duncan for the usual thorough job.
* I managed to complete last week’s Flight Plan without any research. I trust Hi of Hihoba was able to do the same with this one!
Great blog, especially the animated grid. I stumbled a lot on the way through this one but really enjoyed it. I was another one who had a missing L for 36d at first and I did research the poem towards the end as well. Seems like one of this year’s Inquisitor highlights to me.
thanks for the blog! and I found the puzzle “enjoyable” which is probably the wrong adjective given the context. Given it’s 2021 I wasn’t really primed for a WWI centenary but it all made sense (thank-you wikipedia). My favourite clue was the blogging mathematician (which probably describes some of you reading this).
Thanks all around. Very appropriate indeed (especially since I always keep IQ for Sunday) and somehow additionally moving to have all this emerge slowly from clue parsing and gridfill rather than as yet another in-your-face reminder.
@6, @7: Same mistakes here with ANAESTHESIA carelessly scribbled in and the wrong omission in 36D. But the context eventually set me right. I suspect many other solvers guessed BROOKE from the letter count, but the first clash found here was C/H, eliminating him plus outside chances GRAVES and LARKIN. I’d forgotten MCCRAE, though not the first line of his poem….
This was a brilliant puzzle, (another one) by Hedge-sparrow, which I really enjoyed. I wasn’t as quick as everyone else seems to have been picking up the theme, but got there in the end. I always like a bit of colouring in the end-game too 🙂