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Azed has given us a non-standard puzzle this week where we have to add or subtract letters to or from the clue answers before entry in the grid.
The preamble was quite extensive and told us that "From the answer to each across clue one letter must be omitted wherever it occurs (often more than once) before entry in the diagram. To the answer to each down clue one letter must be added, at any point but not unchecked, before entry in the diagram. Definitions in both across and down clues refer to untreated answers; cryptic indications in both refer to the answers as they appear in the diagram. Numbers in brackets show the length of untreated answers, both across and down.
The letters omitted from the acrosses followed by the letters added to the downs, read in clue order, form a quotation in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, followed by the surname of the author. The line after the quotation indicates its vague relevance to the puzzle’s theme".
This puzzle indicates that wordplay can be written for any combination of letters even if they don’t form a real word.
I found the across clues easier to deal with than the downs, but I think the basic clues were slightly easier than Azed’s normal fare which made it easier to understand the downs.
I’m a bit confused by the definition 24 down (NARCO). I thought a NARCO was a user or a smuggler rather than an agent who goes after the dealers. I thought an agent was a NARC.
While the clues were slightly easier, some of the answers were still new to me. Examples of new words for me included EPIGASTRIA, INHOOPS, HUMPEN, SLUSH UP, PIRAI and ARSHINE.
The omitted and extra letters spelled out the following quotation and author’s surname.:
MY TRUE LOVE HATH MY HEART AND I HAVE HIS, SIDNEY
The quotation is from the poem [Old] Arcadia written by Sir Philip SIDNEY [1554-1586]. Apparently there is a [New] Arcadia published after his death. The next line is:
BY JUST EXCHANGE ONE FOR THE OTHER GIV’N
which relates to the title of the puzzle ‘Give & Take‘
| No | Detail | Letter |
| Across | Omitted or extra letters are highlighted in fuchsia |
|
| 1 | Preserve youth in wild area (9)
MARMALADE (a preserve) Entry: ARALADE LAD (youth) contained in (in) an anagram of (wild) AREA ARA (LAD) E* |
M |
| 6 | Route for vessels was diverted round drainage channel (6)
SEAWAY (route for vessels) Entry: SEAWA Anagram of (diverted) WAS containing (round) EA (drainage channel in the Fens) S (EA) WA* |
Y |
| 10 | Pie transformed vapour to expose back abdominal parts (10)
EPIGASTRIA (the part of the abdomen extending from the sternum towards the navel) Entry: EPIGASRIA Anagram of (transformed) PIE + GAS (vapour) + AIR (expose) reversed (back) EPI GAS RIA< |
T |
| 11 | An ode I recast to arrange anew (8)
REORDAIN (arrange anew) Entry: EODAIN Anagram of (recast) AN ODE I EODAIN* |
R |
| 12 | Lovers of naturism distilled in opposite parts of compass (7)
NUDISTS (lovers of naturism) Entry: NDISTS DIST (distilled) contained in (in) (N [North] and S [South) – opposite points of the compass) N (DIST) S |
U |
| 14 | Ringo maybe catching heart of Beatles? He gets going again (9)
RESTARTER (one who gets going again) Entry: RSTARTR R STARR (perhaps the initial and surname of Ringo Starr, drummer in The Beatles) containing (catching) T (central letter of [heart of] BEATLES) R STAR (T) R |
E |
| 16 | Parts of border changing places took shape (6)
GELLED (formed; took shape) Entry: GEED EDGE (border) with the two parts ED and GE changing places to form GEED GE ED |
L |
| 18 | Broken shin limiting power is confining for Will (7)
INHOOPS (Shakespearean word for ‘confines’; is confining for Will) Entry: INHPS Anagram of (broken) SHIN containing (limiting) P (power) INH (P) S* |
O |
| 19 | Is suffering with diets, e.g. for biscuits (10)
DIGESTIVES (biscuits) Entry: DIGESTIES Anagram of (suffering … with) IS and DIETS EG DIGESTIES* |
V |
| 22 | Cherishing Indian title separating names to coin I omitted (12)
ENSHRINEMENT (cherishing) Entry: NSHRINMNT (SHRI [in India, a title of great respect given to a man, now generally used as the equivalent of Mr] contained in (separating) [N {name} and another N {name] giving names]) + MINT (to coin) excluding (omitted) I N (SHRI) N MNT |
E |
| 25 | Decorated drinking glass from Portugal featured in menu strangely (6)
HUMPEN (a type of usually cylindrical enamelled or painted glass drinking vessel made in Germany from the 17th century) Entry: UMPEN P (International Vehicle Registration for Portugal) contained in (featured in) an anagram of (strangely) MENU UM (P) EN* |
H |
| 27 | Rob to prepare for exams is dropping out (5)
REAVE (rob or plunder) Entry: REVE REVISE (prepare for exams) excluding (dropping out) IS REVE |
A |
| 29 | Marine, small, rebuffed close friends (9)
INTIMATES (close friends) Entry: INIMAES (SEA [marine] + MINI [small]) all reversed (rebuffed) (INIM AES)< |
T |
| 31 | Fill with mortar, usually replacing one in clayey paste (7, 2 words)
SLUSH UP (fill joints of brick with mortar) Entry:SLUSUP USU (usually) replacing (replacing) I [Roman numeral for one] in SLIP (creamy paste of clay and water for coating, decorating and casting pottery) SL (USU) P |
H |
| 32 | Malaysian wood component of older antiques (7)
MERANTI (the wood of any of the Shorea genus of trees of Malaysia) Entry: ERANTI ERANTI (hidden word in [component of] OLDER ANTIQUES) ERANTI |
M |
| 33 | Duke errs wildly in place of simplified rite (10, 2 words)
DRY SERVICE (a rite in which there is neither consecration nor communion; simplified rite) Entry: DRSERVICE D (duke) + an anagram of (wildly) ERRS + VICE (in place of) D RSER* VICE |
Y |
| 34 | Acreage calls on grass (8)
HASHEESH (shoots or resin of hemp, smoked or swallowed as an intoxicant; grass) Entry: ASEES A (acreage) + SEES (calls on) A SEES |
H |
| 35 | Place name incorporating glutinous hydrocarbon (9)
PROPYLENE (a hydrocarbon) Entry: PROPYLN (PL [place] + N [name]) containing (incorporating) ROPY (glutinous) P (ROPY) L N |
E |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Australian mountain measure: bit of hiking equipment? (6)
BERGEN (a large framed rucksack) Entry: ABERGEN A (Australian) + BERG (hill or mountain) + EN (a measurement in printing) A BERG EN |
A |
| 2 | Scream, soil trembling, simultaneously feeling quake (9)
COSEISMAL (experiencing an earthquake shock simultaneously) Entry: RCOSEIMAL Anagram of (trembling) SCREAM and SOIL RCOSEISMAL* |
R |
| 3 | Assistance required, deserted in small island (3)
AID (assistance) Entry: AIDT D (deserted) contained in (in) AIT (a small island) – I’m not sure what ‘required’ is doing in he clue. Is it part of the definition or a link work telling that the required answer means ‘assistance’? AI (D) T |
T |
| 4 | What swimmers should avoid, a stretch of broken water rising in middle of rain (5)
PIRAI (alternative spelling of PIRANHA [ferocious South American river fish] which is a fish that swimmers should avoid) Entry: APIRAI (A + RIP [stretch of broken water]) reversed (rising; down entry) and contained in (in) AI (central letters of [middle of] RAIN) A (PIR A)< I |
A |
| 5 | Tree with medicinal bark, hollow one (4)
DITA (an apocynaceous tree, of India and the Philippines, with tonic bark) Entry: DINTA DINT (hollow made by a blow) + A (one) DINT A |
N |
| 6 | Monkeys, dark-coloured, to caress, tailless (5)
SAKIS (South American monkeys) Entry: SADKIS SAD (dark coloured) + KISS (caress) excluding the final letter (tailless) S SAD KIS |
D |
| 7 | Programme for developing human potential, fit with energy dominating (3)
EST (a philosophical and psychological programme designed to raise awareness and develop human potential, originated in California by Werner Erhard and used by some business organizations) Entry: ESIT E (energy) + SIT (to fit) – the E is above SIT in this down entry, so it dominates E SIT |
I |
| 8 | Shut up in a ditch? Variable measure of old (7)
ARSHINE (an old measure of length, about 71cm in Russia, about 76cm, but legally a metre in Turkey; variable measure of old) Entry: ARSHHINE SH (be quiet; shut up) contained in (in) (A + RHINE [ditch or watercourse in Somerset]) A R (SH) HINE |
H |
| 9 | Seeks newts around Austria (4)
ASKS (seeks) Entry: AASKS ASKS (dialect term for newts) containing (around) A (International Vehicle Registration for Austria) A (A) SKS |
A |
| 13 | Awfully empty, time to stuff meat? It’s used for setting (9, 2 words)
TYPE METAL (metal used for making types in type-setting for printing) Entry: TYPEMVETAL Anagram of (awfully) EMPTY + (T [time] contained in [to stuff] VEAL [meat]) TYPEM* VE (T) AL |
V |
| 15 | Odd Parisian thoroughfare metre short (3)
RUM (odd) Entry: RUEM RUE (French [Parisian] word for street; Parisian thoroughfare) + M (abbreviation for [short] metre) RUE M |
E |
| 17 | Embrace stirred hopes with practice (7)
ESPOUSE (embrace) Entry: ESHPOUSE Anagram of (stirred) HOPES + USE (practice) ESHPO* USE |
H |
| 20 | I roam Serengeti etc, causing nuisance to some extent (3)
GNU (large antelope, superficially like a horse or buffalo that roams the Serengeti and similar areas in Africa) Entry: GNUI GNUI(hidden word in [to some extent] CAUSING NUISANCE) – probably an &Lit clue GNUI |
I |
| 21 | Lecturer involved in mounting rows causing hurt (6)
LESION (an abnormal change in the structure of body tissue caused by disease or injury, especially an injury or wound; causing hurt) Entry: SLESION L (lecturer) contained in (involved in) NOISES (rows) reversed (rising; down entry) S (L) ESION< |
S |
| 23 | At home dogs suffer (5)
INCUR (suffer) Entry: INCURS IN (home) + CURS (dogs) IN CURS |
S |
| 24 | End of cooling system brought to the fore? One goes after the dealers (5)
NARCO – I’m a bit confused here, as I think it a NARC (narcotics agent) that goes after the drug dealers, while NARCO refers to a smuggler or user of drugs) Entry: NAIRCO AIRCON (AIR CONditioner; cooling system) with the final letter (end of] N moving to the front to form NAIRCO NAIRCO |
I |
| 25 | One of a pair in the night sky, colours dazzling in part (4)
URSA (reference URSA Major and URSA Minor, two constellations visible in the northern night sky) Entry: URSDA URSDA (hidden word in [in part] COLOURS DAZZLING) URSDA |
D |
| 26 | Lesson at Glenalmond? Duck French coming up after Latin (4)
LEIR (Scottish [Glenalmond College is a secondary school in Scotland] word for lesson) Entry: LNEIR L (Latin) + RIEN (French word for nothing [nil; duck]) reversed (coming up; down entry) L NEIR< |
N |
| 28 | Early English overtaken by American custom (3)
USE (custom) Entry: USEE US (United States; American) above [overtaken] EE (Early English) US EE |
E |
| 30 | Sort of cuckoo? Some (unspecified) I imported (3)
ANI (tropical American bird also known as the black cuckoo) Entry: ANIY ANY (some unspecified) containing (imported) I AN (I) Y |
Y |
Thanks duncanshiell. Chambers supports NARCO as the agent.
I thought the level of difficulty here was just right. I did look up the quotation as soon as I got SIDNEY though 🙂
Slight ambiguity with 27 as REIVE is a variant spelling.
Thanks as ever to Azed.
I got “MY TRUE LOVE” pretty quickly, and then applying the quotation was very helpful in knocking out the rest of the puzzle. By no means a walkover, though, and the SE quadrant held me up for a good while. Non-word solutions always take a little extra care. Plus, the Valentine’s Day theme, I assume. Specials can be complicated to blog clearly, so good job there.
NARCO
When this appeared in a Picaroon puzzle (blogged by Andrew), FrankieG posted this comment:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/narco
‘Clipping of narcotics … A South American drug baron … Acronym of narcotics control officer’
and in Spanish: ‘Short for narcotraficante (“drug dealer”) … Short for narcotrafico (“drug trafficking”)’
So – the drugs, the trafficking, the dealers, the barons, the police – all NARCOs.
Thanks Azed and duncanshiell (detailed and crystal-clear as always).
My first Azed was 2643 so this was my 52nd and therefore completes my first year! And I have to say this was an absolute favourite.
It didn’t take long for the first few words of the quotation to become apparent and it was a steady solve from there.
Great fun, thanks to Azed and Duncan
Thanks for a very clear blog, I also find the Across easier , mainly because the letter is removed totally but in the Downs it may already be there as well. I had no way to look up the quotation but the words did appear, as Gonzo@1 says only REVE was ambiguous and needed the quotation to decide A or I .
For Jay we have Glenalmond to give a Scottish indication, usually it is Gordonstoun or Fettes.
BERGEN is not in my Chambers93, is it a brand name? Lots of my students have bags and coats with Bergen on them ,very fashionable.
BERGEN
Roz@5 It’s in my Chambers mobile app.
a large framed rucksack
(The blog says the same)
Origin: Ety uncertain; perh from Bergen in Norway
Thanks Roz, I had noted Glenalmond. Fettes I also have, but I can’t include Gordonstoun as it’s not appeared in a puzzle I’ve done personally.
BERGEN is in my Chambers as “a large framed rucksack” just as the blog says and noted as “Ety uncertain; perh from Bergen in Norway”.
I’ve heard it used in a military context.
I agree about “required” in 3 down. It’s a word that Azed uses a lot, without it having any real meaning.
I noted “required” as well – I asumed it was just a link word. BERGEN wasn’t in my Chambers, nor was MERANTI, but both were confirmed online. Bergen was said to be military, as Jay@7 says, the name probably being a confusion of Bergan (the name of the man who made such rucksacks and founded the firm of Bergans) with the Norwegian town.
Glenalmond is a glen (west of Perth), as well as the name of a school.
Not my type of puzzle. Only got a handful of answers and by Tuesday, I gave up. I go too much on pattern recognition so when the entered entries are not actual words, I get lost.
Thanks KVa@6 and Jay@7 , does it say brand name? Nearly all the students have smallish rucksacks with Bergen written on them .
Roz@11
MunroMaiden@9 has the answer. The brand is Bergan.
The ones my students use are definitely Bergen , fashion backpacks not army rucksacks, I think it is just a brand , nothing to do with the answer to the clue.
Hello all! Thanks to Azed & duncanshiel.
This was one of my favourite specials. As said above the downs are harder than the acrosses but I did complete it on the day (nearly midnight) and thoroughly enjoyed it. The quotation was picked up sooner than usual- SIDNE. 1ac &6ac were write-ins so the “My” was there in quick-sticks.
Indicators of Scottish terms have included several golf courses.
My 1993 Chambers does not have BERGEN but the 2008 (now lacking covers and end-papers) does!
I should have said earlier that this is exceptional setting. Non-words in the grid, letters removed or added and spelling out a quotation, where do you even begin ? And the clues are not artificially contrived.
I almost didn’t try this when I saw the instructions, but I’m glad I did – it was fun once I understood what I needed to do. Like others I was helped by getting the quotation early, having got almost immediately that it started My T, though I almost went astray in misremembering that the poem has ‘has’ rather than ‘hath’. Having sorted that out, I knew what letters I needed to look for to add or omit.
[Incidentally, I both studied and taught The New Arcadia (much longer that the Old one!); the sonnet is spoken by a female character to her male lover.]
I suppose we’ll get this week’s AZED tomorrow…
Sarah @16: I share your frustration about today’s Azed. I have in fact already solved it in the paper, but to write my blog requires a pdf of the puzzle. I can create one from scratch, but it’s a lot of work, so here’s hoping that someone at the Guardian/Observer remembers to upload it to the website soon.
Sarah, if you wish to get started on today’s Azed there is a scan available at the Clue Clinic
Thank you, Jay! I do often check if it can be found elsewhere, but I couldn’t be bothered today; I’ll go and find it. I bought a Guardian yesterday, so I really couldn’t afford an Observer as well.
Alas, I did not read fully the preamble, so” My true love hath my heart and I have his kidney.!”
Paul @20 deserves a response for a splendid misreading!!!