Vismut sets the Inquisitor this week with a puzzle entitled £25 Club.
The preamble was fairly short and told us that "Grid cells for thematic requirements, which are answers to clues without any definition, should be highlighted to get a hint as to what to enter in the top left-hand square to complete 1ac and 1dn with real words. When read in clue order, a single extra character in the wordplay for every clue, to be removed before solving, gives an instruction"
We were not told how many clues were thematic. Coupled with the fact that every clue, including the thematic ones, had an extra letter, I reckoned it might be quite hard to spot the thematic ones.
As usual, I just tried to solve as many clues as I could, find some extra letters and try to understand the full impact of the preamble later on.
It took me a long time to find a clue without a definition, but eventually I found three is the South West corner. These were POOL at 38 across, plus PISTOL (20 down) and PONY (35 down). I wondered about STRIPPER at 21 down as well, but decided it was a normal clue with some words doing double duty in the definition and the wordplay.
When highlighted, the three thematic entries formed the figure 4, which we had to take as a hint towards what should be used to complete 1 across and 1 down. Those two entries could be completed by FASHION (across) and FAGIN (1 down) but that didn’t seem to relate to the figure 4.
I had noticed that the title £25 Club could be rewritten as PONY Club as PONY is slang for £25. I did a bit of research and identified an event called the PONY Club TETRATHLON with four events – Swimming, Shooting, Riding and Running. As I was writing the blog I realised that the figure 4 was made up of the words PONY [title], PISTOL [shooting] and POOL [swimming]. I haven’t detected any thematic entries relating to riding or running.
The message from the extra letters in the wordplay spelled out COMPLETE THE CONTEST IN SHAPE BY SHADING 16 SQUARES. I’m still a little bit doubtful about the IN but I can’t see any other possibilities other than I and N for the extra letters at 41 and 42 across. As usual with extra letters in clues, I didn’t get them all when solving the clues. Some of my extra letters were deduced from the likely wording of the full message. A bit of reverse engineering identified the position of all the extra letters in the clues. The significance of the word ‘characters’ in the preamble rather than ‘letters’ became apparent when I noticed that the component parts of the event involved 16 squares in the TETRAGON and therefore 1 and 6 had to be in the message. Not surprisingly, omitting the 1 and 6 helped the parsing of 24 and 25 across
The penny then dropped for 1 across and 1 down when I saw that entering TETR in the top left hand square could lead to TETRATHLON at 1 across and TETRAGON at 1 down. A further study of the grid revealed that the words SWIM, SHOOT, RIDE and RUN traced out a 4 -sided figure (TETRAGON) centrally placed in the grid.
The two grid graphics below show firstly, the grid after solving the clues with the figure 4 highlighted and secondly, the final grid with the event, the name of the shape and its component parts highlighted.
The wordplay in the clues was quite intricate. Together with the extra letters in the clues, this made the puzzle quite difficult but very satisfying to solve once it was complete.
I can’t parse CENTILLIONTHS properly. I have a T and an H left over from my attempt, so I look forward to having that parsing explained to me.
As ever, there were some new words for me in the grid including AILES DE PIGEON, UTRICLES, HYDYNE [I liked the definition for that ‘sending up fuel’] and NYSSA Most of the other less well known words I have come across in crosswords before.
The detailed table below shows the clues before and after removing the extra characters, as well as my understanding off the wordplay.
The title is explained above when discussing £25 and PONY. Thanks to Vismut for a challenging but interesting puzzle.
| No | Detail | Letter |
| Across | ||
| 1 |
See preamble See preamble TETRATHLON |
|
| 6 |
Bloke with a haircut leaving cover to collect wife and parking in bogs (6) Bloke with a haircut leaving over to collect wife and parking in bogs (6) SWAMPS (bogs) SAMSON (reference the biblical figure SAMSON whose hair was cut by Delilah) excluding (leaving) ON (on top of; over) containing (to collect) (W [wife] and P [parking]) note that the W and P are contained separately, but I think ‘to collect’ can be interpreted to mean that the letters are inserted at different places. S (W) AM (P) S |
C |
| 10 |
Dusty French locks accepted diesel boats and Scottish vessel working English aboard (13, 3 words) Dusty French locks accepted diesel bats and Scottish vessel working English aboard (13, 3 words) AILES DE PIGEON (French term powdered [dusty] side-curls of hair [locks], known as ‘pigeons wings’) A (accepted) + an anagram of (bats) DIESEL + (E [English] contained in [aboard] [PIG {Scottish word for an earthenware vessel}] + ON [working) A ILES DE* PIG (E) ON |
O |
| 11 |
Plant first of marrows behind magnificent posh shed (8) Plant first of arrows behind magnificent posh shed (8) GLORIOSA (leaf-climbers of the lily family, with showy colourful flowers; plant) GLORIOUS (magnificent) excluding (shed) U (upper-class; posh) + A (initial letter of [first of] ARROWS) GLORIOS A |
M |
| 12 |
Queen’s chaser of Black Pearl ale (4) Queen’s chaser of Black earl ale (4) BEER (ale) B [black, when referring to pencil lead] + E (earl) + ER (Elizabeth Regina; queen) B E ER |
P |
| 16 |
Comic group’s clash when whiskey knocks out leader (5) Comic group’s cash when whiskey knocks out leader (5) WITTY (comic) KITTY (pool or fund of money held in common; group’s cash) with W (whiskey is the international radio communication for the letter W) replacing (knocks out) K (the first letter [leader]) to form WITTY WITTY |
L |
| 17 |
Only local Lord bare (6) Only local Lord bar (6) NOBBUT (dialect [local] term for only) NOB (person of wealth or especially high social rank. A Lord for example) + BUT (except; bar) NOB BUT |
E |
| 18 |
Till linseed alone (7) Ill linseed alone (7) ENISLED (isolated; alone) Anagram of (ill) LINSEED ENISLED* |
T |
| 20 |
Itch as white moving pawn to the front (5) Itch as whit moving pawn to the front (5) PSORA (itch) (SO [as] + RAP [a whit, as in ‘not worth a rap’]) with the P (pawn) moved the front to form PSORA PSORA |
E |
| 22 |
Some millet lost from piles (3) Some mille lost from piles (3) ANY (some) MANY (lots; piles) excluding (lost) M (thousand; mille) ANY |
T |
| 23 |
They draw out European chase runners, so lost (9) They draw out European case runners, so lost (9) ELICITORS (people who draw forth) E (European) + SOLICITORS (people who seek case work; case runners, often referred to as ambulance chasers in America) excluding (lost) SO E LICITORS |
H |
| 26 |
Overseas title for man showing odd snipes from strait (3) Overseas title for man showing odd snips from strait (3) SRI (in India, a title of great respect given to a man, now generally used as the equivalent of Mr) SRI (letters 1, 3 and 5 [odd snips] from STRAIT) SRI |
E |
| 30 |
Heaps craving stage appearance (5) Heaps raving stage appearance (5) PHASE (the aspect or appearance of anything at any stage) Anagram of (raving) HEAPS PHASE* |
C |
| 31 |
Taxing toil cut short affair (7) Taxing til cut short affair (7) TITHING (taking a tenth part as a tax) TIL excluding the final letter (cut short) L + THING (matter; affair) TI THING |
O |
| 32 |
Due to draughts gambling game, brand withdrawn (6) Due to draughts gambling game, brad withdrawn (6) EOLIAN (alternative spelling of AEOLIAN [relating to, acted on by, or due to the agency of, the wind]; due to draughts) EO (mid 18th century gambling game) + NAIL (brad) reversed (withdrawn) EO LIAN< |
N |
| 34 |
Mates challenge ecstasy tout (5) Mates challenge ecstasy out (5) OPPOS (friends; mates) OPPOSE (challenge) excluding (out) E (ecstasy) OPPOS |
T |
| 38 |
First of partygoers late coming back (4) First of partygoers lat coming back (4) POOL (thematic entry – no definition) P (initial letter of [first of] PARTYGOERS) + LOO (lat [latrine]) reversed (coming back) P OOL< |
E |
| 39 |
Little bags, jazzy ties and curls (8) Little bags, jazzy tie and curls (8) UTRICLES (little bags, bladders or cells) Anagram of (jazzy) TIE and CURLS – depending on which S you take out of the clue, it could be an anagram of TIES and CURL UTRICLES* |
S |
| 40 |
Aslant maybe, drunk client’s opener “missing you kids, teeny tiny mites” (13) Aslan maybe, drunk client’s opener “missing you kids, teeny tiny mites” (13) CENTILLIONTHS (in UK and Germany, the hundredth power of a million, ie 1 followed by 600 zeros; in N America and France, the hundred-and-first power of a thousand, ie 1 followed by 303 zeros – which every way you look at it, some very small amounts [teeny tiny mites]) I can parse some of this as LION (Aslan is a LION the Chronicles of Narnia series of books by C S Lewis [1898 – 1963]) contained in (‘s opener) an anagram of (drunk) CLIENTS, to give CENTIL (LION) S, but that still leaves a TH that I can’t relate to the clue CENTIL (LION) TH S* |
T |
| 41 |
Movie Cry Die to get stage effect producer (6, 2 words) Move Cry Die to get stage effect producer (6, 2 words) DRY ICE (material used on stage to produce dense, swirling, floor-level white cloud) Anagram of (move) CRY DIE DRY ICE* |
I |
| 42 |
Taking out spectacles Austrian cook sent letter before noon (7, 2 words) Taking out spectacles Austrian cook set letter before noon (7, 2 words) ACK EMMA (ante meridiem; before noon) A (Austrian) + COOK excluding (taking out) OO (characters representing a pair of spectacles + EMMA (set letter [?], EMMA is a signaller’s term for the letter M) A CK EMMA |
N |
| Down | ||
| 1 |
See preamble See preamble TETRAGON |
|
| 2 |
First to smite off armour stokes troubles (4) First to mite off armour stokes troubles (4) AILS (troubles) MAIL (armour) excluding (off) M (initial letter of [first to] MITE) + S (stokes [CGS unit of kinematic viscosity]) MAIL S |
S |
| 3 |
Singular swimming costume, but not hat cycling for Rosemary or Basil? (4) Singular swimming costume, but not at cycling for Rosemary or Basil? (4) HERB (Rosemary and Basil are both examples of a HERB) BATHER (one swimming costume [singular swimming costume]) excluding (but not) AT with the remaining letters cycled one place to the left and around to form HERB HERB |
H |
| 4 |
Dental nurse initially wearing old coat I’d rumpled (7) Dental nurse initially wearing old cot I’d rumpled (7) ODONTIC (dental) N (first letter of [initially] NURSE) contained in (wearing) an anagram of (rumpled) O [old] and COT I’D ODO (N) TIC* |
A |
| 5 |
After admitting brief prank, hooligan went egg stealing (6) After admitting brief rank, hooligan went egg stealing (6) NESTED (went [bird’s] egg stealing) NED (hooligan) containing (after admitting) STEP (rank) excluding the final letter (brief) P NE (STE) D |
P |
| 6 |
Broods, mean from game on board ship (6) Broods, man from game on board ship (6) SPAWNS (broods) PAWN (man from a chess set) contained in (on board) SS ([steam]ship) S (PAWN) S |
E |
| 7 |
Not liking old vagrant Neil deserting nervous mini beagles (6) Not liking old vagrant Neil deserting nervous mini eagles (6) AGEISM (discrimination of age; not liking old) Anagram of (nervous) MINI EAGLES excluding (deserting) an anagram of (vagrant) NEIL AGEISM* |
B |
| 8 |
Earlier meal for the year’s get together (4) Earlier meal for the ear’s get together (4) MEET (get together) MEET (sounds like [for the ear] MEAT [food; meal]) MEET |
Y |
| 9 |
Shaven Saint taking in 10 marvels (8) Haven Saint taking in 10 marvels (8) PORTENTS (marvels) (PORT [haven] + S [saint]) containing (taking in) TEN (10) POR (TEN) T S |
S |
| 13 |
Sending up fuel, yard put in handy supply overlooking a hearth (6) Sending up fuel, yard put in handy supply overlooking a earth (6) HYDYNE (American rocket-launching [sending up] fuel) Y (yard) contained in (put in) an anagram of (supply [from supple]) HANDY excluding (overlooking) A + E (earth) H (Y) DYN* E |
H |
| 14 |
Boa found inside Old English instrument (4) Bo found inside Old English instrument (4) OBOE (musical instrument) BO contained in (found inside) OE (Old English) O (BO) E |
A |
| 15 |
Irish boy’s smash named Lost, entertaining song (6) Irish boy’s smash name Lost, entertaining song (6) RUAIRI (Irish boy’s name) RUIN (smash) excluding (lost) N (name) containing (entertaining) AIR (song) RU (AIR) I |
D |
| 19 |
Member of hard-skinned order is spinning coin, pocketing old penny (6) Member of hard-skinned order is spinning con, pocketing old penny (6) ISOPOD (member an order of Crustacea including woodlice, fishlice, etc with no carapace; member of a hard skinned order) (IS + PO [swindle; con] reversed [spinning]) containing (pocketing) (O [old] + P [penny]) IS (O P) OD< |
I |
| 20 |
Wrap of pastrami and noodles sent up (6) Wrap of pastrami and oodles sent up (6) PISTOL (thematic entry – no definition) PI (outer letters of [wrap of] PASTRAMI) + LOTS (oodles) reversed (sent up; down entry) PI STOL< |
N |
| 21 |
With one man worried git will get primers paint off (8) With one man worried it will get primers paint off (8) STRIPPER (I think the definition is all of it will get primers paint off, as a paint STRIPPER will do, but PRIMERS PAINT is doing double duty in the definition and wordplay)_ PRIMERS PAINT is an anagram of (worried) STRIPPER (the entry) and I (Roman numeral for one) and MAN STRIPPER |
G |
| 24 |
Bill’s hypothesis put Queen and Empress in the case of 14 (7) Bill’s hypothesis put Queen and Empress in the case of 4 (7) THEORIC (Shakespearean [William; Bill] word for speculation or hypothesis) RI (Queen and Empress) contained in (in) (THE + OC [outer letters of {case of} ODONTIC {entry at 4 down}]) THE O (RI) C |
1 |
| 25 |
Sheet of canvas and 26 spades moved to the van (4) Sheet of canvas and 2 spades moved to the van (4) SAIL (sheet of canvas) AILS (entry at 2 down) with the S [spades] moved the front [van] to form SAIL SAIL |
6 |
| 27 |
Whoops piercing deserted island providing cover for the privates (6) Whoop piercing deserted island providing cover for the privates (6) DHOOTI (alternative spelling of DHOTI [the Hindu loincloth; garment providing cover for the private parts]) HOOT (whoop) contained in (piercing) (D [deserted] + I [island]) D (HOOT) I |
S |
| 28 |
Anarchy and ruin quelled regularly once second part of Qoran is grasped (6) Anarchy and ruin quelled regularly once second part of oran is grasped (6) UNRULE (anarchy) R (second letter of [second part of] ORAN) contained in (is grasped) UNULE (letters 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 [regularly] of RUIN QUELLED) UN (R) ULE |
Q |
| 29 |
Last one to kick Maude out left Australian assembly of tribal elders (6) Last one to kick made out left Australian assembly of tribal elders (6) KGOTLA (assembly of tribal elders in Botswana) K (final letter of [last one to] KICK) + GOT (discerned; made out]) + L (left) + A (Australian) K GOT L A |
U |
| 33 |
Swedes on vacation are under any tree (5) Swedes on vacation are under ny tree (5) NYSSA (small tree with overlapping petals) NY + SS (letters remaining in SWEDES when the central letters WEDE are removed [on vacation]) + A (are, a unit of area) NY SS A |
A |
| 35 |
Prawn starters of oriental nibbles yummy (4) Pawn starters of oriental nibbles yummy (4) PONY (thematic entry – no definition) P (pawn) + ONY (first letters of [starters of] each of ORIENTAL, NIBBLES and YUMMY) P ONY |
R |
| 36 |
Danny’s heart caught by complete perfection, maiden over cute spots (4) Danny’s heart caught by complete perfection, maiden over cut spots (4) ACNE (spots) ACME (complete perfection) excluding (cut) M (maiden over in cricket scoring notation) containing N (middle letter of [heart] DANNY) AC (N) E |
E |
| 37 |
Ferdinand’s lead braces Her Majesty’s old German court (4) Ferdinand’s lead brace Her Majesty’s old German court (4) FEHM (alternative spelling of VEHM [medieval German court]) FE (first two letters of [lead brace] FERDINAND) + HM (Her Majesty’s) FE HM |
S |
40a kids = YOUTHS, missing YOU gives the terminal THS
HolyGhost @ 1
Thanks – that makes sense as I realise now that I have ignored the ‘missing you kids‘ part of the clue, as well as using the S after the apostrophe in the anamgram of CLIENT’S
I enjoyed grappling with the clues, although it took a long time to master them all and complete the grid. I duly highlighted PISTOL, PONY and POOL, making a large ‘4’ shape in the bottom left corner.
As the hint didn’t work for me at first I turned my attention to the instruction formed from the extra letters and the three shaded words. I also hoped for a bit of luck, and it duly came when I spotted SHOOT in a diagonal. I paired it with PISTOL and expected that PONY and POOL would point to other (sport-related?) words, noting that the title could be read as Pony Club. It was the ‘4’ that put TETRATHLON in my mind, and thence into the top left corner. It was a good moment when I saw SHOOT, SWIM, RUN and RIDE making a neat square of 16 cells. TETRAGON completed the puzzle.
I liked the idea of removing a digit from two of the clues – explaining ‘character’ rather than ‘letter’ in the preamble.
Duncan, I think THS in CENTILLIONTHS is YOUTHS (‘kids’) missing YOU.
Thanks to Vismut for the excellent puzzle and to duncanshiell for his umpteenth (!) interesting and clear blog.
Sorry, HG @1, it’s happened again. (Because I write too much, I’m bound to overlap sometimes. There was nothing here when I entered my comment.)
ACK EMMA
Found this interesting:
British Army radiotelephony spelling alphabet
For M: 1904-1956 EMMA (except 1914-18; Monkey!). Post 1956 Mike.
Ok. A ‘set letter’ is one used on a radio set. Right?
A completed grid here, but I missed the final shading. By completing the contest, I was convinced that we were looking for something to do with running to add to the previous PISTOL, PONY, POOL already highlighted. Something like running shoes, or the like. Oh well.
Not a quick solve here but much enjoyed. All thanks to Vismut and duncanshiell. I had some trouble with STRIPPER, took far too long to get PISTOL, and smiled at the neat use of extra “characters” rather than letters to obfuscate numbered references to other answers.
When I’d dutifully shaded the 4 and the TETRAGON shape, it looked rather like a big 40 in the grid and I wondered quite seriously whether it might be the fortieth anniversary of the event. Founded 1969, apparently, so I was barking up the wrong pony there.
After much work I got nearly everything but fell at the last hurdle as it hadn’t occurred to me that ‘what to enter in the top left-hand square’ might be four letters, though it seems obvious now – of course – like all fiendishly clever puzzles do. But it kept me entertained for long enough that I don’t mind that I missed the actual endgame, it’s all good practice!
Thanks both.
Thanks for your the blog Duncanschiell, much appreciated, as are the comments that follow. It’s always very interesting to see the process solvers take with one of these puzzles.
Re 42a the extra letter is from Austria(n) not sent. Hope that helps KVa at 5.
Thanks, Vismut. Yes. It certainly helped. Clear now.
Good multi layered fun with an interesting topic so thank you all!
Though I’m with Jon_S @6 in that I assumed “completing the contest” meant highlighting a running related term given that we already had the remaining three sports. I did get there eventually but felt that we should have either had all 4 sports twice (perhaps by having Gun and Leg instead of Pistol? 🙂 or all 4 only once.
But that is being really nit-picky and it was still a very enjoyable puzzle!
I put this aside having done some minimal research into quadrathlons, and quadragons, and somehow never got round to searching the grid for something to shade. Maybe just as well because I think I would have followed the logic of Jon_S and arnold above. Still, a stiff and enjoyable challenge, thanks to Vismut and duncanshiell for clearing up a few queries – the dropped numbers in 24 and 25d confounded me.
I got the £25 = pony link before even reading the rubric, let alone the clues. Later, having solved all the clues, I was delayed by not re-reading the rubric, first about the wordplay-only answers, then by not highlighting them. After TETR- the rest was simple. Quite neat. (Fortunately I didn’t dwell on the POOL PONY PISTOL connection to 3 of the 4 activities – probably simply passed me by.)
Thanks go to Vismut & Duncan. (Is Vismut an earlier name for Bismuth?)
Vismut was my first horse Holyghost, but he didn’t take part in any pony club events, though I’ve done a few.