Inquisitor 1809: Carte Blanche à Trois by Phi

by

Phi is a prolific setter of Inquisitor and Independent crosswords and I believe he is now setting for the Guardian and the Guardian Genius as Pangakupu.

 

 

 

There was a reasonably short preamble for this Inquisitor: Clues are listed in the usual order. The grid is to be considered as divided into three contiguous and connected sections: 2 6×6 blocks, and the remaining 12×6 (or 6×12). Many entries cross from one section to another. Each block contains a different symmetry: 180° rotational, mirror or diagonal (axes to be determined for the last two). The seven bars between the sections follow the mirror symmetry. Solvers must enter bars but not numbers.

I think unless you have a highly tuned sense of symmetry and visualisation you will, like me, have dealt with this puzzle in two stages.  Firstly solving the clues and the jigsaw of entries, and then secondly, identifying the three blocks of symmetry. 

I’ll be very impressed by anyone who used the various symmetries to help them fill the 12*12 grid.

It seemed that the likely split between Across and Down clues would be around the middle of the list of clues which turned out to be the case  as there were 19 across clues and 18 down clues.

I enjoy Carte Blanche puzzles, but the lack of entry lengths plus the lack of overall symmetry gave the puzzle an added layer of difficulty  However, there were a few clues that yielded quite quickly.

I started with a blank 16 * 16 grid to give myself some freedom with the jigsaw build although happily it didn’t take too long to get a good grasp of the likely fit of entries.  The entries OSCILLOSCOPE, GRANTS, INORDINATE, ABEL, SEDAN CHAIR, PRUSSIAN BLUE, OCEANS and MYRIADS formed the basis of my jigsaw.  I was a bit suspicious of the position of OCEANS for a time as there seemed to be a big gap in the grid between it and MYRIADS, even though they were successive clues.

I put bars in as I went along and the remainder of the grid built up slowly as I realised which cells still had to be filled and where some remaining entries would terminate.

The completed grid looked like this:

The sizes of the symmetrical blocks helped with endgame as it was clear that two adjacent quadrants were going to display two of the three symmetries, with either one vertical half or one horizontal half displaying the third symmetry.

180 degree rotational symmetry is the most common and was the easiest to spot in the North West quadrant.  It took a little while to sort out the other two until I realised I had to make SHAKO into SHAKOS.  With this change, the right hand half of the puzzle displayed mirror symmetry, leaving the diagonal symmetry for the South West quadrant

The three blocks of symmetry are shown below

180 degree rotational symmetry

 

Diagonal symmetry about the South West to North East diagonal.

Mirror symmetry about the horizontal between SKEWER and GRANTS

Note that the symmetry simply relates to the bars – there aren’t real words in the various blocks.

The title Carte Blanche à Trois is fairly self-explanatory

By studying the full grid you can see that the 7 bars separating the blocks (shown in red in the full grid above) follow mirror symmetry about the central horizontal line.

Thanks to Phi for the challenge.

 

Clue

Goes off acquisitions 

SPOILS (goes bad; goes off)

SPOILS (plunder; loot; acquisitions)  double definition

SPOILS

Drug source? Local smart to conceal line 

SPLIFF (marijuana cigarette; source of a drug)

SPIFF (dialect [local] term for ‘smart’) containing (to conceal) L (line)

SP (L) IFF

Something in tract, literary? Wasted hour absorbing that 

UROLITH (a calculus in the urine or the urinary tract)

Anagram of (wasted) HOUR containing (absorbing) LIT (literary)

URO (LIT) H*

Tropical fruit plants yielding nothing for governess in Siam 

ANNA (reference ANNA Leonowens who became governess to the King of Siam.  The story is portrayed in at least two films, Anna and the King of Siam and The King and I)

ANONA (a tropical genus of dicotyledons, including custard apple, sweet-sop, and other edible fruits) excluding (yielding) O (a character representing nothing)

ANNA

Joke not entirely feeble 

PUN (play on words; joke)

PUNY (feeble) excluding the final letter (not entirely) Y

PUN

Calming disturbed sea amidst fuel spilling 

EASEFUL (calming)

Anagram of (disturbed) SEA contained in (amidst) an anagram of (splitting) FUEL

E (ASE*) FUL*

Experience most of race  

SEE (experience)

SEED (race) excluding the final letter (mostly) D  double definition

SEE

Piccolos lose out in display of sound forms? 

OSCILLOSCOPE (instruments that show on a fluorescent screen the variation with time of the instantaneous values and waveforms of electrical quantities, including voltages translated from sounds or movements)

Anagram of (out) PICCOLOS LOSE

OSCILLOSCOPE* 

Himalayan region: Karakoram mountain recalled in quick glance 

SIKKIM (State in northeast India, bordered by Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal. It is partly located in the Himalayas,)

K1 (Masherbrum, the 22nd highest mountain in the world and the 9th highest in Pakistan. It was the first mapped peak in the Karakoram mountain range, hence the designation K1) reversed (recalled) and contained in (in) SKIM (glance quickly at a document to pick up the key points)

S (IK)< KIM

Stick more at an angle? 

SKEWER (long pin of wood or metal, especially for holding pieces of meat together for cooking; stick)

SKEWER (more oblique; more at an angle)  double definition

SKEWER

Memorable witch’s familiar, perhaps frightening, but not evil 

CATCHY (of a tune, etc, readily taking hold in the mind; memorable)

CAT (a familiar is a spirit or demon supposed to come to a person, especially a witch, etc, at his or her call; a CAT is often depicted as an example of a witch’s familiar) + CHILLY (frightening) excluding (but not) ILL (evil)

CAT CHY

Outbursts after finally arranging concessions 

GRANTS (concessions)

G (last letter of [finally] ARRANGING) + RANTS (angry tirades; outbursts of anger)

G RANTS

Excessive line reduced at both ends (line parallel to axis) 

INORDINATE (excessive)

IN (LINE excluding the outer letters [reduced at both ends]) L and E) + ORDINATE (a straight line parallel to an axis)

IN ORDINATE

Murder victim done over in horrible bashing 

ABEL (son of Adam and Eve, murdered by his brother Cain; murder victim)

ABEL (reversed [done over] hidden word in [in] HORRIBLE BASHING)

ABEL<

Form of transport hand carries around? Not right (four hands needed!) (2 words) 

SEDAN CHAIR (covered chair for one person, carried on two poles by two people [four hands]; form of transport)

Anagram of (around) HAND CARRIES excluding (not) one of the Rs, doesn’t matter which one

SEDAN CHAIR*

Youngster is collecting degree about old bones 

CUBOIDS (reference CUBOID bones [outer bones of the tarsus connected to the heel bone and the fourth and fifth metatarsal bones])

(CUB [youngster] + [IS containing {collecting} D {degree}]) all containing (about) O (old)

CUB (O) I (D) S

Facial hair offering no initial soreness

ACHE (soreness)

TACHE (mousTACHE; facial hair) excluding the first letter (no initial) T

ACHE

Women accepting no Scottish nail colourings 

HENNAS (red or reddish-orange pigments made from its leaves, used for dyeing the nails and hair and for skin decoration)

HENS (disrespectful informal term for women) containing (accepting) NA (one of the Scottish forms of ‘no’)

HEN (NA) S

Dispose of unusual scum US guy’s probing 

KIBOSH (dispose of finally)

BO (informal American term for a man [guy]) contained in (probing) KISH (solid graphite that has separated from, and floats on the top of, a molten bath of cast iron or pig iron; unusual scum)

KI (BO) SH

Tchaikovsky, say, unhappy after piano appears a shade German? (2 words) 

PRUSSIAN BLUE (a colour with a German [PRUSSIAN] name)

P (piano) + RUSSIAN (Tchaikovsky is an example of a RUSSIAN man) + BLUE (sad; unhappy)

P RUSSIAN BLUE

They’ll remain if medicines become powerless

ILLS (medicinal troubles, which may remain if medicines don’t work [become powerless])

PILLS (medicines) excluding (become … less) P (power)

ILLS

Chance five will escape occupation, allowing one thousand to invade 

LIKELIHOOD (possibility; chance)

LIVELIHOOD (occupation) with V (Roman numeral for five) replaced by (to invade) K (character representing 1000)

LIKELIHOOD

Mother upset about tenor’s nerve 

STEEL (nerve)

LEES (dregs; mothers can also be defined as dregs) reversed (upset; down entry) containing (about) T (tenor)

S (T) EEL<

Headgear nearly upset? Very much upset 

SHAKOS (tall, nearly cylindrical military caps with a plume)

SHAKE (disturb; upset) excluding the final letter (nearly) + SO (very much) reversed (upset; down entry)

SHAK OS<

He will avoid infatuations, making amorous advance

PASS (informal term for an amorous advance)

PASHES (passions; adolescent infatuations) excluding (will avoid) HE

PASS

Arrival of fluid? I currently can accept fluid 

INFLOW (arrival of water for example)

I + (NOW [currently] containing [can accept] FL [fluid])

I N (FL) OW

United mobbed by supporter, a protector of those in the field 

FAUN (the protector of shepherds, a rural deity similar to a satyr, having a man’s body, with a goat’s horns, ears, tail and hind legs; protector of those in the field)

U (United) contained in (mobbed by) FAN (supporter)

FA (U) N

Abundant skill in here’s deployed to make filter (2 words) 

FULLER’S EARTH (an earthy hydrous aluminium silicate, used to absorb grease and as a filter)

FULL (abundant) + (ART [skill] contained in [in] an anagram of [deployed] IN HERE’S]

FULL ER‘S E (ART) H*

Satisfactory? That’s Nick’s decision (3 words)

UP TO SCRATCH (of a high or suitable standard)

UP TO (incumbent upon; that’s someone’s decision to make) + SCRATCH (nick)

UP TO SCRATCH

Drink and cup matches? They’re generally things for men 

NECKTIES (items of clothing generally worn by men)

NECK (drink) + TIES (cup matches in sports competition, eg. TIES in the FA Cup)

NECK TIES

Lots working on case 

OCEANS (vast quantities; lots)

Anagram of (working) ON CASE

OCEANS*

Lots carried by various dairymen going uphill  

MYRIADS (immense numbers; lots)

MYRIADS (reversed [going uphill; down entry] hidden word [in] in VARIOUS DAIRYMEN)

MYRIADS<

Greek storing buoys in port

GDANSK (port city in Poland)

GK (Greek) containing (storing) DANS (small sea marker buoys)

G (DANS) K

Old city in the Americas ignoring a rising native American 

NAVAHO (native American people)

(O [old] + HAVANA [capital of Cuba; city in the Americas] ignoring the final A – there is nothing to indicate that it s the final A that has to be removed rather the other one, but of, course, the answer requires removal of the final A)

(NAVAH O)<

Spanish city, singular, offering new location for Spain 

LEON (a Spanish city)

LONE (solitary; singular) with the E (International Vehicle Registration for Spain) being moved elsewhere in the word to form LEON

LEON

Arachnids taking out river fruit 

AÇAI (small dark purple fruit of the AÇAI palm of South America)

ACARI (mites, a type of arachnid) excluding (taking out) R (river)

ACAI

German wine, not beer, in confused situations 

PIES (confused situations)

PIESPORTER (a type of German wine) excluding (not) PORTER (a type of beer)

PIES

 

15 comments on “Inquisitor 1809: Carte Blanche à Trois by Phi”

  1. I finished this puzzle with help from my daughter – the queen of carte blanche. But I still don’t understand (or see the point of) the three grids.

  2. Understanding the symmetry stuff would probably have stopped me making a mess of several bars on my grid, but I didn’t, and it all seemed a bit odd.

  3. This one wasn’t for me. The carte blanche in itself was not a problem, and I have enjoyed such puzzles where (as here) the clues are presented in a given sequence (in this case ‘the usual order’). It was the lack of enumerations in the clues that was the killer. With one third of the clues solved, the puzzle became a slog, there was no more enjoyment to be had from it, and I was content to come to a stop, with the theme still a long way off. Uncannily, the experience was virtually a repeat of the only other puzzle I have attempted that had the same deficiency (or ‘feature’) in its design, and that was no. 1548 from five years ago!

    The preamble was confusing in places, but I presumed that all would have become clear for those who progressed as far as the endgame.

    Congratulations to those for whom the absence of word-lengths was not the hindrance to solving that I found it to be, or who successfully persevered to a finish in spite of it. And congratulations to Phi for bringing to an end my clean record for all this year’s puzzles since no. 1785!

    Thanks to Duncan for his interesting introduction to this blog.

  4. Well I enjoyed it! The mirror symmetry did help me towards the end — I suppose that means I have a highly tuned sense of symmetry and visualisation.

  5. More fun than I expected from the worryingly complicated preamble and the lack of answer lengths. It took ages to get started, but eventually writing in SPOILS, PRUSSIAN BLUE and OSCILLOSCOPE provided a useful framework for the rest. A slight surprise to finish without any help from the various symmetries — I was afraid they’d turn out to be somehow essential.

    Thanks to Phi and duncanshiell!

  6. I’m with the yea-sayers, and also very surprised to solve it given the absence of typical symmetry. I guess there were enough highly solvable and long answers to give us the handle we needed. Clearly I have poor visualisation because I needed to finish it to work out what the three blocks were. Thanks to Phi and duncanshiell.

  7. Sorry Phi, I really didn’t like this one (though I did eventually finish it, out of a pure refusal to be beaten!)

    The reason I do Inquisitors is partly for the added challenge vs normal crosswords (extra letters, clashes etc) but mainly because I get to discover a new Theme, which is cleverly woven into the crossword and often requires some amendment of, or highlighting in, the grid.

    Over the years I have learnt many new things as well as enjoyed revisiting known topics.

    This particular crossword didn’t have a theme and honestly felt like the setter showing off a bit, “look, I can fit three different symmetries in one grid”, with the solver a helpless accomplice. Especially given that the symmetries really only became apparent at the very end (I used the mirror one to complete the last few bottom-right clues).

    Horses for courses, I guess, but this wasn’t for me.

  8. An empty grid, no clue numbers and no clue lengths! … crikey. Thankfully I solved both OSCILLOSCOPE & PRUSSIAN BLUE pretty quickly and once I’d solved the first three clues too (as well as many later ones) I made a start on filling the grid. I did actually use the symmetry aspects to help me fill the grid, as they enabled me to enter missing bars and so ascertain precise answer lengths to some clues in the areas of the grid that I had populated less well (and where I felt that I’d worked out the symmetry operator). So what looked like being a really tough challenge at the outset suddenly turned into one where suddenly the ball just wouldn’t stop rolling. Some very nice clues in there. All present and correct (and fully parsed) here. A really beautifully designed grid I thought and, I felt, a much more difficult offering that we usually get from Phi. I like the toughies, so a big thumbs up from me.

  9. I cannot decide whether this puzzle had a silly end-game (to quote Gila again) or no end-game. To qualify for a prize, were they still being offered, all that was needed from the preamble was the fact that the 12 x 12 grid had no symmetry! The rest, however, was an interesting twist, which I did solve out of curiosity.
    Notwithstanding, I did enjoy the challenge of a tricky grid fill. I managed to solve most of the 10-12 letter answers fairly soon which, from the cross-checks, allowed me to produce an outline fill and facilitate completing the rest.
    Thanks to Phi and Duncan.

  10. There is a blog coming but I’m combining it with the EV on the same weekend, and I don’t think I’m entirely safe regarding closing dates!

  11. Kenmac had it right from the off. There is little joy to be had in a puzzle where the device is there for no other reason than to make an already difficult puzzle even harder, with no theme behind it. I admit I’m not Phi’s biggest fan at the best of times but I thought this was poor fare. Sorry. (To be clear – I did complete it)

  12. I am continually surprised by how often my feelings about a puzzle are closely aligned with those of arnold. Whilst I’m not in full accord with his first and last paragraph @7, the ones in the middle are pretty much spot on for me.
    Thanks to Duncan (I read the blog) & Phi (I don’t read the blog) – and to arnold.

  13. I’m a little surprised at sone of the negative reactions here. Much as I love an interesting or educational “theme” I thought this was a wonderful celebration of “pure” puzzling – exploring the importance (or otherwise?) of barring, enumeration ,symmetry …. and some super clues to boot. Many thanks Phi & Duncan

  14. I agree, CranberryBoat. It was a stiff challenge which I was genuinely surprised to complete, and very different from Phi’s usual line of colourful, out-of-the way themes (Scooby Doo, Alma Mahler etc). I wouldn’t want a scary, themeless Carte Banche every week. I do understand people missing that thematic fun. But we were due a difficult one and the satisfaction of constructing the strange grid was worth the effort.

    The secret, for me at least, with carte-blanche/jigsaw-type puzzles is always to start filling it in earlier than you think. I know I’ve said this before but I hate to think of people wasting time like me with my first desperate attempts at Azed CBs. My cold-solving was pretty dismal this time as per usual and I don’t find it all that easy to plan visual things in the abstract. A lot of the pleasure comes from the way filling in (and rubbing out) gradually nudges that more logical bit of the brain out of its torpor as everything speeds up and crossers finally begin to give you the “d’oh!” moments to supplement the cold solve.

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