Inquisitor 1829: A Journey from Lindisfarne by Kruger

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This week, Kruger takes us on Journey From Lindisfarne

 

 

 

We had a fairly long preamble for this puzzle which stated: "The answer to each clue must have a letter removed, wherever it occurs, before entry. Word lengths refer to definitions and wordplays to the mutilated forms to be entered in the grid. Letters removed from the left/right/ upper/lower clue answers in each row/column must be entered in the left/right/upper/lower perimeter squares respectively. Solvers must complete the perimeter to reveal five thematic members of a set.

Each clue contains an extra word of at least four letters that must be removed before solving. In clue order, the first, third or fifth letters of these words (equal numbers of each) give an instruction as to what must be highlighted in the completed grid".

Although the preamble was long, it was understandable on the first read through, which isn’t always the case.

For the clues we were given the length of the defined answer so we could deduce from the number of cells available how many letters would be unclued in the wordplay.  There were a few entries with two letters omitted and one with three (SURPASS entered as URPA)

For me, the penny didn’t drop immediately.  I got an inkling of a theme when I deduced that HEAVENFIELD was appearing in the perimeter.  An internet search showed that HEAVENFIELD is one of the end points of the 97 mile St Oswald’s Way which runs between Holy Island (Lindisfarne) and HEAVENFIELD.  I assumed that the other items in the perimeter would be villages along the route given that the word Journey was in the title of the puzzle. .  However when that obviously wasn’t going to work, I did a further search including BORDERLANDS which was becoming apparent in the perimeter.  That search generated the DCI RYAN search of murder mysteries by L J ROSS, which then revealed the titles of all the books of the series., some of which are also in the perimeter.  All the books are set in the North East of England where Lindisfarne is related

Reading clockwise round the perimeter from the P in row 1, we find PENSHAW, SEVEN BRIDGES, ANGEL, BORDERLANDS and HEAVENFIELD, respectively Books 13, 8, 4, 14 and 3 from the total series of 14 listed on Amazon.

The clues were fair but it was quite tricky tracking down all the extra words.  iI did a little bit of reverse engineering to find the right word when deriving the highlighting message.  The last one I found was a choice between PREPOSTEROUS and MAUSOLEUM as both have an O in the required fifth letter position.  By this time I had 14 first letters, 14 third letters and 13 fifth letters.  Only when I found that PREPOSTEROUS could mean’ contrary to the order of’ or  ‘literally inverted’ did I realise that it could act as a reversal indicator for a down entry.  That meant MAUSOLEUM was the extra word.

The table below shows how the instruction for highlighting is derived from the words removed from each of the 42 clues.

   Letter position   1 3 5
Across GUILTY   G I T
  HUGELY   H G L
  PRINCESS   P I C
  HARD   H R  
  ACTED   A T D
  EXACTLY   E A T
  EDINBURGH   E I B
  SECOND   S C N
  CHEMISTRY   C E I
  LARGE   L R E
  COLD   C L  
  LEGS   L G  
  STRUCTURE   S R C
  STRANGELY   S R N
  RUEFULLY   R E U
  OBVIOUSLY   O V O
  SUCCESSFULLY   S C E
  ILLFATED   I L A
  LETHAL   L T A
  RETRIEVER   R T I
Down PATENTLY   P T N
  GERMAN   G R A
  DEFEATED   D F A
  CRUDE   C U E
  THANKFULLY   T A K
  RAMSHACKLE   R M H
  PROTECTING   P O E
  RUSTY   R S Y
  ADULT   A U T
  IGNORANT   I N R
  UNDOUBTEDLY   U D U
  CHEAP   C E P
  UNDERTAKE   U D R
  ORDINARY   O D N
  BOTTLE   B T L
  COMPANY   C M A
  GOOD   G O  
  MAUSOLEUM   M U O
  BOSUN   B S N
  USING   U I G
  SPECIAL   S E I
  PATIENTLY   P T E
           
   Total in each column   14 14 14

We are instructed to highlight THIRTEEN CELLS REVEALING AUTHOR AND PROTAGONIST, compiled from 14 first letters, 14 third letters and 14 fifth letters of the words removed from the clues.

The AUTHOR is L J ROSS, found in row 10 and the PROTAGONIST is DCI RYAN, found in row 3

The clues were good Inquisitor fare and I made steady progress although I was jumping about a bit in the grid during the solving process.  The extra words were a good mix of different parts of speech with adjectives, adverbs, nouns and verbs all involved.

The final grid looked like this:

 

This was a puzzle that had a lot of elements.  I wonder whether every solver found all the extra words, letters and hidden instruction as it was fairly obvious what was going to be highlighted once the theme was detected.

The title has been partly explained above.  There is another book in the series titled Holy Island (Lindisfarne).  There is also one called Cuthbert’s Way which is another Saint’s long distance path to Lindisfarne.  That one passes very close to where I live and runs 62 miles from Melrose, in the Scottish Borders, to Lindisfarne.

No Clue Words Letters
Across  Letters in fuchsia in the defined answer are not included in wordplay
    
1

Crown officer’s late guilty confession finishing off fellow (7)

Crown officer’s guilty confession finishing off fellow (7) 

SHERIFF (the chief officer of the Crown in the county, with duties chiefly honorary rather than judicial; crown official)

SHRIFT (confession) excluding the final letter (finishing off) T + F (fellow)

SHRIF F

 LATE E
7

Could be banquet hugely entertains one servant (6)

Could be banquet entertains one servant (6) 

MENIAL (domestic servant)

MEAL (a banquet possibly) containing (entertains) I (Roman numeral for one)

ME (I) AL

 HUGELY N
11

Monaco princess welcomes educated physician (5)

Monaco welcomes educated physician (5) 

MEDIC (physician)

MC (International Vehicle Registration for Monaco) containing (welcomes) ED (educated)

M (ED) C

 PRINCESS I
12

Hard African languages confused aunt (5)

African languages confused aunt (5) 

BANTU (large group of African languages)

Anagram of (confused) AUNT

ANTU*

 HARD B
14

Sailor twice acted in sitcom (5, 2 words)

Sailor twice in sitcom (5, 2 words) 

AB FAB (ABsolutely FABulous – British television situation comedy)

AB (Able Seaman; sailor) + AB (Able Seaman – sailor) giving sailor twice

AB AB

 ACTED F
16

These Scots exactly detailed the place of the speaker (4)

These Scots detailed the place of the speaker (4) 

THIR (Scottish word for ‘these’)

THIS (the place where the speaker is) excluding the last letter (de-tailed) S

THI

 EXACTLY R
17

Mostly, extravagant Edinburgh university to exceed (6)

Mostly, extravagant university to exceed (6) 

OUTRUN (exceed)

OUTRE (beyond what is customary or proper; extravagant) excluding the final letter (mostly) E + U (university)

OUTR U

 EDINBURGH N
18

Note second transactions in Georgian currency (5) 

Note transactions in Georgian currency (5) 

TETRI (monetary unit in Georgia)

TE (note of the tonic sol-fa) + TR (transactions)

TE TR

 SECOND I
19

Daughter involved in chemistry exam anguish (6)

Daughter involved in exam anguish (6) 

ORDEAL (anguish)

D (daughter) contained in (involved in) ORAL (type of examination)

OR (D) AL

 CHEMISTRY E
21

Vehicle initially onboard this large Irish vessel (7)

Vehicle initially onboard this Irish vessel (7) 

CAROTID (artery; vessel)

CAR (vehicle) + OTI (first letters of [initially] each of ONBOARD, THIS and IRISH)

CAR OTI

 LARGE D
24

Each cold beer disoriented widow (7)

Each beer disoriented widow (7) 

BEREAVE (to widow)

Anagram of (disoriented) EA (each) and BEER

BEREAE*

 COLD V
27

Shaving legs beginning to result in suffering (6)

Shaving beginning to result in suffering (6) 

PARING (shaving)

R (first letter of [beginning to] RESULT) contained in (in) PAIN (suffering)

PA (R) IN

 LEGS G
30

Chartered surveyor beside South Island’s tropical tree structure (6)

Chartered surveyor beside South Island’s tropical tree (6) 

CASSIA (a tropical Asian tree)

CS (Chartered Surveyor) + S (South) + I (island) [or just SI [South Island of New Zealand]

CS S I

 STRUCTURE A
32

In Luxor, a strangely clandestine Jewish sanctuary (6)

In Luxor, a clandestine Jewish sanctuary (6) 

ORACLE (Jewish sanctuary)

ORACL (hidden word in [in] LUXOR A CLANDESTINE)

ORACL

 STRANGELY E
34

Subject last to ruefully accept His Majesty (5)

Subject last to accept His Majesty (5) 

THEME (subject)

T (final letter of [last to] ACCEPT) + HM (His Majesty)

T HM

 RUEFULLY E
35

Excel when texting – obviously you are personal assistant (7)

Excel when texting – you are personal assistant (7)

SURPASS (excel)

UR (text speak for ‘you are’) + PA (personal assistant)

UR PA

 OBVIOUSLY S
38

Slaughter everybody before successfully invading (5)

Slaughter everybody before invading (5) 

HALAL (slaughter according to Muslim law)

A (before) contained in (invading) ALL (everybody)

AL (A) L

 SUCCESSFULLY H
39

Briefly, ill-fated savings scheme no longer returning anything of value (5)

Briefly,savings scheme no longer returning anything of value (5) 

ASSET (item of value)

TESSA (acronym for a personal savings scheme of a few years back [no longer]) excluding the final letter (briefly) A then reversed (returning)

SSET<

 ILL-FATED A
40

Ed’s lethal injury to middle of leg brought back thirst for blood (6, 2 words)

Ed’s injury to middle of leg brought back thirst for blood (6, 2 words) 

SEE RED (be very angry; thirst for blood)

(DERE [Spenserian {Ed} word for ‘injury’] + E [central letter of {middle of} LEG]) all reversed (brought back)

(E ERED)<

 LETHAL S
41

Playwright’s thoroughly wet splashing two English retriever pets (7) 

Playwright’s thoroughly wet splashing two English pets (7) 

ENSTEEP (Shakespearean [playwright] word for place under water; thoroughly wet)

Anagram of (splashing) E (English) and E (English – two English) and PETS

ESTEEP*

 RETRIEVER N
Down      
2

Angry male patently upset as … (5, 2 words)

Angry male upset as … (5, 2 words) 

HET UP (angry)

HE (a male) + UT (Latin for ‘as’) reversed (upset)

HE TU<

 PATENTLY P
3

 â€¦ again saw little German lad going the wrong way in road (7)

 â€¦ again saw little lad going the wrong way in road (7) 

REDATED (went out with again; again saw)

TAD (a little lad) reversed (going the wrong) contained in (in) RD

R (DAT<) D

 GERMAN

E
4

Aged South American defeated participants from Athletic Association (4)

Aged South American participants from Athletic Association (4) 

INCA (member of a South American people of Peru before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, who had a complex civilization and empire; aged South American)

ICA (hidden word in [participants from] AthletIC Association)

ICA

 DEFEATED N
5

Lie about owning extremely crude, uncool brooches (7)

Lie about owning extremely uncool brooches (7) 

FIBULAS (brooches in the shape of a safety pin)

FIBS (untruths; lies) containing (owning) UL (outer letters [extremely] of UNCOOL)

FIB (UL) S

 CRUDE

S
6

Brother heads to town and thankfully calms local brawl (6)

Brother heads to town and calms local brawl (6) 

FRATCH (dialect [local] term for a brawl)

FRA (brother or friar) + TC (initial letters of [heads to] TOWN and CAMS)

FRA TC

 THANKFULLY H
7

Possibly raised at one’s ramshackle home in Maine (5)

Possibly raised at one’s home in Maine (5) 

MAYBE (possibly)

BY (at one’s home) reversed (raised; down entry) contained in (in) ME (Maine)

M (YB<) E

 RAMSHACKLE

A
8

Without protecting it, kind and virtuous person does not exist (4)

Without it, kind and virtuous person does not exist (4) 

ISN’T (is not; doesn’t exist)

SAINT (kind and virtuous person) excluding (without) SA (sex appeal; it)

INT

 PROTECTING S
9

Bolt perhaps that unfortunately catches top of rusty latch (7) 

Bolt perhaps that unfortunately catches top of latch (7) 

ATHLETE (reference Usain BOLT [born 1986], Jamaican ATHLETE)

Anagram of (unfortunately) THAT containing (catches) L (first letter of [top of] LATCH)

ATH (L) T*

 RUSTY

E
10

Give false impression about posh adult entertainer (6)

Give false impression about posh entertainer (6) 

LUVVIE (actor or other member of the entertainment industry, especially when regarded as overly pretentious or affected)

LIE (untruth; false impression) containing (about) U (upper class; posh)

L (U) IE

 ADULT V
13

Rampant, ignorant Dutch colonist’s a contemptible person in Tasmania (5)

Rampant, Dutch colonist’s a contemptible person in Tasmania (5) 

DROOB (Australian [Tasmania] term for an ineffectual or contemptible person)

BOOR (Dutch colonist in S Africa) reversed (rampant [rearing]; down entry)

ROOB<

 IGNORANT

D

 
15

Undoubtedly common, not unknown, trifle (5)

Common, not unknown, trifle (5) 

STRAW (trifle)

STRAY (a common) excluding (not) Y (letter frequently used to indicate an unknown value in equations)

STRA

 UNDOUBTEDLY W
20

Fix cheap broken seat (6)

Fix broken seat (6) 

ARREST (fix [one’s attention, for example])

Anagram of (broken) SEAT

AEST*

 CHEAP

 

 

 

 

R
22

Undertake work in accepted position, by the way (7)

Work in accepted position, by the way (7) 

APROPOS (by the way)

OP (opus; work) contained in (in) (A [accepted] + POS [position])

A P (OP) OS

 UNDERTAKE

 

 

 

 

R

23

Ordinary entrance is not permitted when visiting Italy (5)

Entrance is not permitted when visiting Italy (5) 

INLET (entrance)

NL (non licet; not permitted) contained in (when visiting) IT (Italy, abbreviation in Collins])

I (NL) T

 ORDINARY

 

 

 

 

E
25

Extra hydrogen bottle (initially liquified) essentially needs to evaporate (6)

Extra hydrogen (initially liquified) essentially needs to evaporate (6) 

EXHALE (evaporate)

EX (extra) + H (chemical symbol for hydrogen) + L (first letter of [initially] LIQUIFIED) + E (middle letter of [essentially] NEEDS)

EX H L E

 BOTTLE

 

 

 

 

A
26

Irish girl runs company in her own country (7)

Irish girl runs in her own country (7)

DEIRDRE (Irish girl’ name)

R (runs) contained in (in) EIRE (home country for an Irish name)

EIR (R) E

 COMPANY

 

 

 

 

D
28

Produce good stew slowly (6)

Produce stew slowly (6)

BRAISE (stew slowly)

RAISE (to produce)

RAISE

 GOOD

 

 

 

 

B

29

Preposterous offbeat mausoleum architecture uses square columns (5) 

Preposterous offbeat architecture uses square columns (5) 

ANTAE (square columns)

ATEA (reversed [preposterous {literally inverted; down entry} hidden word in [in] OFFBEAT ARCHITECTURE)

ATAE<

 MAUSOLEUM

 

 

 

 

N
31

In South of France, bosun Jack cleaned the decks (6)

In South of France, Jack cleaned the decks (6) 

SUJEED (cleaned the decks with a solution of soap, soda, etc)

J (jack) contained in (in) SUD (French for South)

SU (J) D

 BOSUN

 

 

 

 

E
33

Native American using lobster trap (5)

Native American lobster trap (5) 

CREEL (fish basket, a lobster pot for example)

CREE (native American people)

CREE

 USING

 

 

 

 

L
35

Spoil special fertiliser (4) 

Spoil fertiliser (4)

MARL (calcareous clay often used as fertilizer)

MAR (spoil)

MAR

 SPECIAL

 

 

 

 

L

37

Patiently unwrapped pie in oven (4) 

Unwrapped pie in oven (4) 

OAST (oven)

PASTY (pie) excluding the outer letters (unwrapped) P and Y

AST

 PATIENTLY

 

 

 

 

O

 

8 comments on “Inquisitor 1829: A Journey from Lindisfarne by Kruger”

  1. A fun challenge, as expected from Kruger. Thank you!

    I had a very similar experience to the blogger with HEAVENFIELD sending me down the wrong path (sic), and it taking a second perimeter entry to confirm that the early Christian theme was a red herring and it was in fact all about DCI Ryan. I found both him and LJ Ross quite easily in the grid before back-solving the remaining superfluous words and confirming the instruction to highlight.

    Incidentally HOLY ISLAND is the first book in the DCI Ryan series, hence “Journey from Lidisfarne” seems wholly appropriate.

  2. I enjoyed this, though I did wonder if asking us to find a path through the trios of letters was a somewhat gratuitous and fiddly task, especially when I’d already identified DCI Ryan and LJ Ross in the grid. It was as if the setter worried the puzzle was too plain (not in my book). The trickiness of the previous week’s puzzle, Laertes’ Shroud, was much more organic to the concept.

    All the same, a nice puzzle, thanks to Kruger and duncanshiell.

  3. The ‘extra word’ and ‘letter removed’ devices made this a challenging puzzle, but the fact that all clues were so treated made it an enjoyable challenge.

    About halfway through solving, SEVEN BRIDGES and BORDERLANDS were partially formed, but I didn’t connect them until ANGEL filled gap. The theme was an interesting one that I knew nothing about (but was happy to learn). I saw L J ROSS and DCI RYAN in the grid, but I couldn’t be sure that was all there was to find until I extracted the full message from the triplets.

    The clues were excellent and the design well implemented. This is the first time I have tackled triplets of letters in this way, although I have encountered pairs at least once before. I enjoyed this debut (if it is that).

    Re ‘preposterous’ meaning inverted or reversed: I first learned of this less familiar (but of course correct) meaning of the word from Kruger in an Inquisitor puzzle quite long ago, and here it is again!

    Thanks to Kruger and duncanshiell.

  4. Thanks Kruger. I enjoyed working my way through this and it wasn’t until I had completed most of the perimeter that I resorted to Google for the link, as the theme was new to me. As others have noted, it seemed fairly obvious what to highlight but the message was necessary to confirm this (the method of getting there did feel a little tortuous but fun all the same and good to have a different mechanic). I’d confidently predicted before working it out that “AUTHOR AND PROTAGONIST” would appear in there somewhere 🙂

  5. I think that this was a fine example of an Inquisitor puzzle. Clues that were neither simple nor unfathomably difficult, the device of moving letters to the perimeter (always a challenge), a theme that was largely unknown but not unknowable, and a novel-ish (if slightly annoying) method of generating the instruction. All in all a good work-out. One quibble: please learn how to spell “liquEfied” (see 25d).

    Four of us walked St.Cuthbert’s Way during the very snowy Easter break in 2013. Had I known where Duncan lived, I might have dropped in. (And thanks all round for blog & puzzle.)

  7. nmsindy @6: my Collins (6ed, 2003) goes straight from “liquid …” to “liquor”; maybe I should consult a more recent edition. (It does, however, have “artifact” as a variant of “artefact”.)

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