Inquisitor 1815: Watch Your Step by Elpenor

20 comments on “Inquisitor 1815: Watch Your Step by Elpenor”

1. I enjoyed solving this, as it gave me what is often the best kind of experience, whereby I get enough data to find the theme, and the thematic entries then help me to solve the stickier clues and complete the grid.

   When I first came to a temporary stop, I had, for the ‘site’, AUX plus L, V and O and the penultimate letter that could have been T or I. I tried EAUX first (which led nowhere) and then VAUX (FAUX being unlikely), which led me to VAUX-LE-VICOMTE. But the distinctive feature had to wait – also the architect, as there seemed to be two that were relevant, and this was best left to the end.

   The device used in the clues was a familiar one, but one that I nearly always find quite tough when cold-solving. I enjoyed the task very much, though, and it never became a slog. Along the bottom, VARIABLE became a certainty, with just the E left to fill in. TREAD took longer, but it was obviously appropriate with ‘step’ in mind from the title and from the design of the garden.

   Both Louis le Vau and André le Nôtre were mentioned in the Wiki article, and for some reason I looked for the former first, although the latter was more relevant, and I was pleased finally to find him with the name ANDRÉ LE NOSTRE.

   Ken, I think ‘tread’ here is simply what you described, namely, that part of every step in a staircase that you tread on, thereby reflecting the particular design (on a grand scale) of the garden in question.

   Thanks to Elpenor and kenmac.

2. On a point of detail: I shaded in the architect’s name as you have, Ken, but it seems the N of Nostre could have been the other N below it.

3. I liked this one a lot, but was unable to successfully complete it (so another DNF recorded here) as I was hampered by time and also by 38A & 35D. A fine puzzle, with a lot of very well crafted clues.

4. Thanks (also welcome) to Elpenor; thanks too to kenmac. Much enjoyed. I found some of the clues pretty tough but got there in the end. My personal red herring, when sure of the first four letters at right, was VAUXHALL — site of the once notorious Spring Gardens. When the next letter proved to be L a rethink was needed, plus help from Mr Google.

   Alan B @2: I eventually decided the lower N was ruled out by “variable tread” — if you shade that one instead, the first two “steps” are of the same length rather than each being different from the last.

5. PS: I assume NASH in NASHGAB is a deliberate trap for those hopefully scanning the grid for concealed landscape architects. Perhaps also the rearrangement of REPTON in 2d to 2b and and 3c to 3e….

6. great puzzle (any puzzle I can actually solve is great by definition 🙂 — I looked for Louis Le Vau at first as well since he too had a different original name (Louis Le Veau but he was embarrassed by the bestial reference).

7. Alan B @2 I agree with you and had also shaded the bottom row N so as to give a 4-4-3-2 pattern in the ‘tread’.

   The logic being that the ‘variable tread’ isn’t just randomly variable, but the width of the steps progressively narrows so as to accentuate the feeling of perspective: because the width is narrower further on, the steps look bigger than they actually are, which is an example of the ‘anamorphosis abscondita’ set of optical illusions employed, referenced in the Wikipedia article on Vaux-le-Vicomte’s gardens.

   Overall I enjoyed the puzzle, in particular the variable number of letters removed in each row/column, ranging from 1 (in row 1) to 6 (in row 5), though I was not convinced about ‘variable tread’ as the ‘distinctive feature’, as this didn’t really come up strongly in any of the online articles.

   Nonetheless a fun outing and theme, and it was interesting to learn more about the history of Vaux-le-Vicomte, so thank you all.

8. Sorry Alan@2 (and David@4) I actually disagree with your conclusion based on my logic above. Not that it matters…

9. Thanks to Elpenor & to kenmac. Not easy, but not too difficult – I enjoyed the challenge. I found a link to the book The Staircase (Vol.1) by John Templer, published by MIT Press. Below is an extract from Chapter 1, Straight Flight Stairs (p.23) where he discusses Vaux-le-Vicomte:

   “The treads … increase in size from top to bottom (fig. 1.15). The tread at the top is 13.75 inches (35 cm) deep, and the bottom tread is 20.5 inches (52 cm);and the increase in size is consistent. Each riser, on the other hand, is about 6.33 inches (16 cm) high.”
   (See John Templer, The Staircase and scroll down to Straight Flight Stairs.)

   I think the conclusion has to be that descending from row 5 the treads go from 2 cells, to 3, to 4 and finally also 4 in row 8 (because 5 would breach the left edge of the grid).

10. arnold @8: I don’t see how you can disagree with both Alan@2 and David@4 about which N to shade since they came to different conclusions and one of them has to be correct.
    (And – small point – there are only 5 L‘s in row 5 to be removed.)

11. Arnold @7,8
    Good point! I looked up ‘mimetic’ (naturally), but possibly I did not read the article that I found on the subject of the theme as thoroughly as I should have done. If I had noted the progressive nature of the variation in the steps (or regarded it as important) I may have chosen differently. I actually made a more or less random choice based on VARIABLE TREAD and was satisfied with it. (It would have been clearer not to have the choice, but I’m not criticising the design.)

12. HG @10 that’s what I initially thought, hence my later correction, but on second reading I believe Alan and David do agree:
    – Alan@2 “I shaded in the architect’s name as you have, Ken, but it seems the N of Nostre could have been the other N below it”
    – David @4 “I eventually decided the lower N was ruled out by variable tread”

    Hence they agreed with Ken that it would be the “upper” N, and I disagree with all three 🙂

    You are correct however that there were only 5 Ls in row 5.

13. arnold @12: sorry – I read Alan’s ‘could’ as ‘should’. Yes, the two of them agree with Ken; and you & I agree that it’s the lower N.

14. This was such a weird one. An enjoyable solve but a bizarre endgame. There are many interesting things about Vaux-le-Vicomte including the “anamorphosis abscondita” design which I admit I completely missed when I visited, the moat, the story of the owner getting locked up after making Louis XIV jealous at the housewarming party… But these stairs, even if part of the “anamorphosis abscondita”, are neither famous or especially interesting as far as I can tell. I only found that one reference (John Templer) and that took quite a bit of searching. I wonder how they came to be chosen as a theme.

15. HG
    Yes, I sort of ‘agree with Ken’, but that seems to be only because he and I made the same arbitrary choice for the ‘variable tread’ to trace the name. I thought at the time that both ways were equally valid. Thanks to Arnold’s clear analysis @7, I now see a reason for preferring one over the other.

16. High-quality puzzle, blog and discussions.

    A couple of minor points
    RETELLS
    REEL: a cylinder, frame, or other device that turns on an axis and is used to wind something.

    GARDANT works like this, I think:
    Def: Facing
    ‘to joke’=RAG and ‘up’ for reversal.

17. Re the shading in the grid and the two Ns,

    I never noticed and if I had I would probably plumped for the higher one on the basis that the steps are variable.

    tbh, I found it a case of TL;DR as far as the Wikipedia article is concerned.

    On reflection, it seems that the lower one makes more sense. I’ll change the image later.

18. Arnold @7 @8 — I capitulate! My puny weapons are no match for your superior logic.

19. On reflection, while I agree with arnold’s conclusion (@7, 8, 12) I’m not convinced by the reasoning. The ‘anamorphosis abscondita’ applies to the distorted reflecting pools, surrounding lawns, etc. There is no attempt to deceive the eye with the design of the staircase, the effect of the variable tread being to slow the pace of those descending the stairs and entering the main area of the garden.

20. It’s nice to see Arnold’s analysis of the ‘variable treads’ of the staircases in the gardens of the Château confirmed in the brief summary next to today’s published solution. As it happens, I still don’t understand the rationale for such a design, but that hardly matters. Thanks to Arnold, and now HolyGhost @19, for their contributions on this aspect of the theme of this puzzle.

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