It’s a puzzle from Wiglaf today
Tuesday is theme day in the Independent, but I’m unable to spot one. There is a MELANGE or ASSORTMENT of entries including a couple of Prime Ministers, a battle and some weapons but nothing I can collect into a theme.
I am a little confused by the CANNONADES / BATTERIES link as it strikes me that CANNONADES [attacks with heavy artillery] are things launched by BATTERIES [groups of artillery weapons] rather than being the same thing.
I hadn’t come across SPACERS as a term for astronauts or spaceships before but the anagram using PARSECS was very apt.
I liked the clue for GUILD once I realised that craft was part of the wordplay rather than part of the definition. I was looking at GUILDs as groups of craftsmen initially.
I though GARDEN FLY IS was a good anagram.
‘Outwith’ is an interesting word. It is used frequently in Scotland, but I don’t think it quite so common in other areas of the UK.
The definition ‘what measures I’ was clever’ as was the use of two Dukes in the clue for WELLINGTON.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 9 |
Sailor prodded by Rear Admiral waving flag in battle (9) TRAFALGAR (reference the Battle of Trafalgar [21 October 1805) which was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition) TAR (sailor) containing (prodded by) (RA [Rear Admiral] + an anagram of [waving] FLAG ) T (RA FALG*) AR |
| 10 |
The sound of humming bird’s call in verse form (5) HAIKU (a Japanese poem in three lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables, developed in the 17th century, often incorporating a word or phrase that symbolizes one of the seasons) HAIKU (sounds like [the sound of] HIGH COO. Humming birds have a very HIGH pitched call [COO]) HAIKU |
| 11 |
The writer joins Jessica in 7 for a medley (7) MELANGE (mixture; medley) ME (the writer) + LANGE (reference film [CINEMA, entry at 7 down] American actress Jessica LANGE [born 1949]) ME LANGE |
| 12 |
Long-distance travellers, parsecs away (7) SPACERS (space travellers or spacecraft; long distance travellers) Anagram of (away) PARSECS SPACERS* |
| 13 |
One can’t fly through the multiverse (3) EMU (flightless, fast-running Australian bird) EMU (hidden word in [through] THE MULTIVERSE) EMU |
| 14 |
African state without capital goes into negative profit sometimes (3,3,5) NOW AND AGAIN (sometimes) RWANDA (African state) excluding the first letter (without capital) contained in (goes into) (NO [negative] + GAIN [profit]) NO W AND A GAIN |
| 17 |
Finally upgraded craft association (5) GUILD (association for mutual aid) GUILE (cunning; deceit; craft) with the last letter (finally) E upgraded to D, as in an exam grade being improved from E to D GUIL D GUILD |
| 18 |
Ready for trip to Transylvania and even parts of Algeria (3) LEI (Transylvania is a Central European cultural region situated in modern day Romania, where the currency [ready{money}] is the LEU or LEI) LEI (letters 2, 4 and 6 [even parts] of ALGERIA) LEI |
| 19 |
Add excitement to long films having switched endings (5) SPICE (add excitement to) EPICS (long films) with the first and last letters [ending] replacing each other [switched] to form SPICE SPICE |
| 21 |
Garden fly is flying around plant (5,6) LADY’S FINGER (name for many plants, especially the kidney-vetch and okra) Anagram of (flying around) GARDEN FLY IS LADY‘S FINGER* |
| 23 |
Desert area, say, without river (3) ERG (a Saharan area of shifting sand dunes; desert area) EG (for example; say) containing (outwith [outside]) R (river) ‘outwith’ is a very common word in Scotland, for example when referring to someone who lives outwith the local area) E (R) G |
| 25 |
Former PM caught knocking prince out (7) CANNING (reference George CANNING [1770-1827], United Kingdom Prime Minister for 119 days from April to August 1827, when he died in office. Until recently he was the shortest serving Prime Minister, but that ‘honour’ has recently passed to Liz Truss who was Prime Minister for 44 or 45 days depending on when you think Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister officially) C (caught) + PANNING (criticising [knocking]) excluding (out) P (prince) C ANNING |
| 27 |
What measures I encountered when diving into a foreign sea (7) AMMETER (an instrument that measures electric current [I is the symbol for electric current]) MET (encountered) contained in (diving into) (A + MER [French [foreign] for ‘sea’ or ”ocean’) A M (MET) ER |
| 28 |
A husband breaks vow in church state (5) IDAHO (State of the United States) (A + H [husband]) contained in (breaks) I DO (a vow expressed when getting married in church [or anywhere]) I D (A H) O |
| 29 |
Byzantine church feature with two heads (5,4) ONION DOME (bulb-shaped DOME characteristic of Byzantine and Russian church architecture) ONION (slang term for the head) + DOME (another term for head as it resembles a hemispherical vault shaped like a head) giving two heads ONION DOME |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Face complaint about major road block (6) STYMIE (a situation on the putting green in golf, once difficult to overcome, in which an opponent’s ball blocks the way to the hole, the rules now allowing the obstructing ball to be lifted and its position marked; hence, a situation from which it is difficult or impossible to proceed; block) STYE (small inflamed swelling at the edge of the eyelid, caused by bacterial infection; face complaint) containing (about) MI (the M1 motorway is a major road in England) STY (MI) E |
| 2 |
One religious teacher keeled over after eating egg and cheese (8) HALLOUMI (mild cheese made in Cyprus, often eaten fried or grilled) ([I {Roman numeral for one} + MULLAH {Muslim teacher}] containing [eating] O [character representing the shape of an egg]) all reversed (keeled over) (HALL (O) UM I)< |
| 3 |
Batteries available with promotion in Riviera resort (10) CANNONADES (attacks with heavy artillery; BATTERIES are defined as a number of cannon or other offensive weapons with their equipment; the place on which the cannon are mounted) CANNONADES seems to be defining the action of CANNONs while BATTERIES are defining a group or placement of CANNONs) (ON [available, as in ‘it’s ON the menu’)] + AD (advertisement; promotion]) contained in (in) CANNES (resort on the French Riviera) CANN (ON AD) ES |
| 4 |
Stare at search engine when out of work (4) OGLE (stare) GOOGLE (example of a search engine) excluding (out of) GO (work) OGLE |
| 5 |
Mutant regent’s nip is showing (10) PRESENTING (showing) Anagram of (mutant) REGENT’S NIP PRESENTING* |
| 6 |
Aged hero oddly doing headstand to see the moon (4) RHEA (fifth satellite [moon] of Saturn) RHEA (AEHR [letters 1, 3, 5 and 7 [oddly] of AGED HERO]) reversed (doing headstand; down entry) RHEA< |
| 7 |
Naughty Mexican casts adults-only flicks (6) CINEMA (informal term for films shown at the cinema and for the cinema itself) Anagram of (naughty) MEXICAN excluding (casts) X (classification indicating a film suitable for adults only) CINEMA* |
| 8 |
Subtlety is introduced? That’s a pest (8) NUISANCE (pest) IS contained in (introduced) NUANCE (subtlety) NU (IS) ANCE |
| 15 |
Anglo-Irish Duke or Welsh Duke? (10) WELLINGTON (reference Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WELLINGTON [1769-1952], Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman) W (Welsh) + ELLINGTON (reference Duke ELLINGTON [Edward Kennedy "Duke" ELLINGTON [1899-1974], American jazz pianist) W ELLINGTON |
| 16 |
Training of son matters for 11 (10) ASSORTMENT (mixture; MELANGE [11 across]) Anagram of (training) SON MATTERS ASSORTMENT* |
| 17 |
Girl at function in charge of lots of stars (8) GALACTIC (descriptive of GALAxies [lots of stars]) GAL (girl) + ACT (perform; function) + I/C (in charge) GAL ACT IC |
| 20 |
Formation of concepts in countryside at Iona (8) IDEATION (the power of the mind for forming ideas or images; formation of concepts) IDEATION (hidden word in [in] COUNTRYSIDE AT IONA) IDEATION |
| 22 |
Dancer strangled debt collector with abandon (6) DUNCAN (reference Isadora DUNCAN [1877 or 1878 – 1928], American dancer who died after being strangled by her scarf she was wearing when it got caught in the spokes of a wheel of the car she was travelling in) DUN (some who collects debts) + CAN (stop doing something; abandon) DUN CAN |
| 24 |
See 26 [IVOR] GURNEY |
| 26/24 |
It’s said the composer has a hospital trolley this composer (4,6) IVOR [GURNEY] (reference IVOR GURNEY [1890-1937], English poet and composer) IVOR (sounds like [it’s said] I HAVE A [has]) + GURNEY (wheeled stretcher or cart [as used in a hospital, etc]) IVOR GURNEY |
| 27 |
A journey almost entirely without water (4) ARID (parched; barren; without water) A + RIDE (journey) excluding the final letter (almost entirely) A RID |
After a tricky start, which did not surprise me as I find Wiglaf one of the tougher setters, everything started to click and I fancied a full clearance. However, I was let down by GK twice over in the final clue and had to reveal DUNCAN. I have only the vaguest of recollections of the name of the actual dancer and had no idea a ‘dun’ is a debt collector. So, even with crossers, I could not solve.
Plenty to like throughout this puzzle – maybe it was one of Wiglaf’s more approachable. Favourites include TRAFALGAR, SPACERS, GUILD, CANNING, AMMETER, STYMIE, CINEMA and WELLINGTON.
I think there might be a Dune theme?
Thanks Wiglaf and duncan
DNF. At 26/24D I should have thought of IVOR GURNEY but didn’t, consequently got nowhere near ERG. 22D had to be Isadora DUNCAN but I didn’t know about the unfortunate accident with the scarf. Otherwise plain sailing, so thanks Wiglaf and Duncan.
22 was last one in for me.
It had to be duncan as the only possible dancer but never heard of dun as a debt collector and I’d always thought of can in that sense to mean keep for later rather than abandon but that’s prpbably just me.
Was going to ocmplain about the surplus I in 27A before I realised what a clever definition it was.
Thought we were heading for a flightless bird theme when I got rhea and emu early on but can’t see anything that links lots of entries.
Thanks to Wiglaf and Duncan.
probably and complain obviously!
Very satisfying. We enjoyed the penny-drop moment when we got AMMETER, and similarly with WELLINGTON. That particular meaning of ERG was new to us, as was GURNEY (which Chambers marks as American, so a minor grumble there). In 3dn we did wonder if Wire was confusing CANNONADE with ‘Carronade’, although the latter is only a single gun not a battery of them.
We can’t see any theme, however, although we noted that both CANNING and WELLINGTON were roughly contemporary with the battle of TRAFALGAR.
Thanks, Wire and Duncan.
Just in case further commenters can add anything to my ventured theme, MELANGE is the drug – commonly known as SPICE – that enables member of the GUILD of Navigators to cover GALACTIC distances. I don’t recall them being referred to as SPACERS but wouldn’t be surprised. Dune, of course, was an ARID desert planet featuring ERGs. The fact the CINEMA’s PRESENTING it for us to OGLE at is probably coincidental. It’s not many theme entries – but it would surely be surprising if they had all appeared by accident? I don’t think either IVOR GURNEY nor the EMU play a part in the story.
22 also my LOI, similarly ignorant of the word DUN.
As a parent of a former Gloucester Catherdral chorister, I got Ivor Gurney straight away; they’re very proud of him there. IDEATION, ERG and LEI all new to me, but fairly simple parsing.
On the Dune theme, I think there’s a character called Duncan as well.
Me@5: I must have had a senior moment I think, confusing Wiglaf with Wire Apologies to both.
As well as those mentioned, we have other Dune characters- Duncan Idaho, Gurney (Halleck), Wellington (Yueh) and ( Lady) Jessica. I seem to remember Spacers being a thing as well.
Obviously no room for Chani, Stilgar or other exotically-named protagonists.
Thanks to Wiglaf for a good challenge- I didn’t see the theme while solving, always a sign of a well-made puzzle.
The usual comprehensive blog from Duncan. Thanks
By the way, the red letters chasing debts that none of us receive are examples of dunning. It is a thing.
Thank you GeordyGordy @9: I suspected there would be more to it but don’t recognise those additional names, I’m afraid.
Fabulous puzzle, thanks, Wiglaf. Very satisfying to solve – especially the witty and cunningly disguised definitions, eg “what measures I”, quite brilliant.
Last one in was DUNCAN – with a clanging penny drop when I realised strangled was part of the definition.
No idea about the technical definition of CANNONADE so it didn’t trouble me at all – one of those occasions where ignorance is bliss.
Thanks for the blog, Duncan.
Oh yeah – completely missed the theme too, though it seems blindingly obvious now.
We missed the theme but as we are not familiar with the film, that wasn’t surprising. We entered DUNCAN as our LOI without being able to parse it so thanks to Duncan for the blog!
A good puzzle – lots to enjoy. It was good to see you, albeit briefly in York.
I had a medical appointment this afternoon and did this on the train there. Quickly spotted the theme, although it has been some years since I last read the book (and I haven’t seen the latest film version).