Phi is a prolific setter of Inquisitor puzzles and his puzzles have varied themes.
The preamble this week was of medium length and told us that "Eleven references to pieces of a work (ignoring repeats) occur in order in the Across answers and clues. Each is either a one-word anagram of one of the unclued entries or a redundant word in a clue. Fourteen Down clues each contain a misprint; correct letters spell the name of the person who inspired the work. Solvers must highlight a relevant forename among the clued answers."
The first thing I noticed was the asymmetric grid which usually means that there is a lot of thematic material in the puzzle, making it virtually impossible to find entries that could form a symmetric grid.
I worked steadily through the clues and gradually built up letters in many of the unclued entries.. The first one I deduced was REUTILISE which didn’t mean very much to me, although I did note that it was anagram of TUILERIES, which I recognised had a French connection. The next one I thought I had was SCHTIK, but I realised later that was wrong, even though it formed an anagram of a likely thematic word KITSCH. SEMILOG also looked a possibility and that too was an anagram of with French connections. It seemed likely that all the other unclued entries were going to be anagram of a something thematic.
Three of the four extra words in the across clues revealed themselves fairly quickly – cattle, Samuel and catacombs. I had a few misprints from the down clues but not enough to help me. I therefore concentrated on the across entries and clues and tossed a selection of the thematic words into Google. Bingo! – the theme of Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ was revealed. The piece is a piano suite in ten movements with a PROMENADE interspersed. MODEST Mussorgsky [1839 – 1881] was a Russian composer. A bit of reverse engineering showed that hut was a redundant word in 39 across.
You can read a lot about the subject by clicking here, but in summary the movements in the complete orchestral work are as follows:
| No. | Title in score | English translation | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Promenade | OPEN-ARMED | ||
| 1 | Gnomus (Latin) | The Gnome | EMONG |
| Promenade | |||
| 2 | Il vecchio castello (Italian) | The Old Castle | SCLATE |
| Promenade | |||
| 3 | Tuileries (Dispute d’enfants après jeux) (French) | Tuileries (Children’s Quarrel after Games) | REUTILISE |
| 4 | Bydło (Polish) | Cattle | extra word in 25 across clue |
| Promenade | |||
| 5 | Балет невылупившихся птенцов (Russian) | Ballet of Unhatched Chicks | SCHICK |
| 6 | “Samuel” Goldenberg und “Schmuÿle” (Yiddish) | “Samuel” Goldenberg and “Schmuÿle” | extra word in 32 across clue |
| Promenade | |||
| 7 | Limoges. Le marché (La grande nouvelle) (French) | Limoges. The Market (The Great News) | SEMILOG |
| 8 | Catacombae (Sepulcrum romanum) (Latin) | Catacombs (Roman Tomb) | extra word in 38 across clue |
| 9 | Избушка на курьих ножках (Баба-Яга) (Russian) | The Hut on Hen’s Legs (Baba Yaga) | extra word in 39 across clue |
| 10 | Богатырские ворота (В стольном городе во Киеве) (Russian) | The Bogatyr Gates (In the Capital in Kiev) (Often translated as “The Great Gate of Kiev” or “The Heroes’ Gate at Kiev”) |
GEAT |
If all the unclued entries had clue numbers, the thematic words would appear in the order of the Across clues.
A bit more research yielded the information that the inspiration fro Mussorgsky’s work was VIKTOR HARTMANN [1834 – 1873] – a Russian artist, architect, and designer and close friend of Mussorgsky.
As mentioned above, Mussorgsky’s forename was MODEST which can be seen as the entry at 26 down
The detailed table below shows all the amended Down clues as well as the parsing for all clues.
I wasn’t too sure about the parsing of 2 Down but decided that ‘Strangeness’ should be interpreted as the NESS [cape, headland, head; first character] of STRANGE. to yield the required S to include with the anagram of SEAMEN I may well have this wrong so feel free to indicate a better parsing.
I thought Phi did well to find Anagrams for most of the ‘movements’ – EMONG is an obsolete form of AMONG, SCLATE is a Scots form of slate and GEAT is the hole in a mould through which the metal is poured in casting. I note that cattle and Samuel have anagrams in Chambers – TACTEL and ULEMAS but I can understand why Phi chose to use the extra word device in each case, as it must have been difficult enough creating the grid without trying to fit in two more fairly obscure words.
The title ‘Pieces of Work‘ refers to the 10 movements and the PROMENADE comprising the complete ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’
Thanks to Phi or the entertaining puzzle
| No | Detail |
Letter / Word |
| Across | ||
| 1 |
King’s Head, say, getting special quantity of beer (4) KEGS (metal casks in which beer is kept under gas pressure; quantity of beer) K (king) + EG (for example, say) + S (special) K EG S |
|
| OPEN-ARMED | ||
| 11 |
Individual in the village no longer ready to overlook a curious Elizabethan word (6) ONEYRE (a word found in the phrase ‘great oneyers’ (Shakespeare ,1 Henry IV II.1.74), possibly meaning ‘great ones’. Shakespeare wrote most of his plays during the reign of Elizabeth 1, so ONEYRE is a curious Elizabethan word) ONE (individual) + YARE (archaic [no longer] dialect [in the village] word for ‘ready’) excluding (to overlook) A ONE YRE |
|
| 12 |
Bring into inlet ship abandoning mission (5) EMBAY (enclose in a BAY; bring a ship into an inlet) EMBASSY (the person or body of persons sent on an undertaking; an important or official mission) excluding (abandoning) SS ([steam]ship) EMBAY |
|
| EMONG | ||
| 14 |
Fresh transport options with men’s tour being redirected (8) REMOUNTS (fresh horses or supply of horse; fresh transport options) Anagram of (being redirected) MEN’S TOUR REMOUNTS* |
|
| 15 |
Agreement from Germany to import average coffee (4) JAVA (rich variety of coffee) JA (German for ‘yes’ [agreement] containing (to import) AV [average]) J (AV) A |
|
| 16 |
Scots formerly very good, accepting Nationalist (4) ANCE (Scottish for of once [formerly]) ACE (very good) containing (accepting) N (Nationalist) A (N) CE |
|
| 17 |
Circuit in swimming-bath done in reverse (4) LOOP (circuit) POOL (swimming-bath) reversed (done in reverse) LOOP< |
|
| 18 |
I demand to avoid American patch of land (4) ISLE (island; patch of island) I + SALE (volume of selling; demand) excluding (to avoid) A (American) I SLE |
|
| SCLATE | ||
| 22 |
Worth ditching tail-ender in New Zealand club (4) MERI (Maori [New Zealand] war-club) MERIT (worth) excluding the final letter (ditching tail-ender) T MERI |
|
| 23 |
German manor knocked over by Northern mountain wind (4) FÖHN (hot dry wind blowing down a mountain valley, especially in the Alps) HOF (German manor) reversed (knocked over) + N (Northern) FOH< N |
|
| REUTILISE | ||
| 25 |
Old major’s “shoo!” is greeting welcoming initial cattle from Melbourne (5) Old major’s “shoo!” is greeting welcoming initial from Melbourne (5) IMSHI (old military slang [old Major’s expression] for ‘go away’) (IS + HI [greeting]) containing (welcoming) first letter of (initial from) MELBOURNE I (M) S HI |
cattle |
| 27 |
Mineral, source of lining in environmentally sound holiday accommodation (8) ECLOGITE (crystalline rock composed of red garnet and green omphacite or smaragdite; mineral) L (first letter of [source of] LINING) contained in (in) (ECO [environmentally sound] + GITE [simple holiday accommodation in France]) EC (L) O GITE |
|
| 28 |
Valueless coin put out by jerk (6) KOPECK (Russian coin, the hundredth part of a rouble, no longer having any significant worth KO (knock out; put out) + PECK (to jerk) KO PECK |
|
| SCHTIK | ||
| 32 |
Samuel heading for temple, after significant date, that is (5, 2 words) Heading for temple, after significant date, that is (5, 2 words) ID EST (that is) IDES (in ancient Rome, the 15th day of March, May, July, October, and the 13th of the other months; significant date as in Julius Caesar being told to ‘beware the IDES of March’) + T (first letter of [heading for] TEMPLE) ID ES T |
Samuel |
| 34 |
Limit to reimbursement for Victorian racket (4) RORT (Australian [Victoria being an Australian State] word meaning din or racket) R OR T (either R or T can be described as the outermost letter of [limit to] REIMBURSEMENT) R OR T |
|
| SEMILOG | ||
| 37 |
Elected to interrupt visionary fisherman (6) SEINER (fisherman who uses a SEINE net) IN (elected) contained in (to interrupt) SEER (visionary) SE (IN) ER |
|
| 38 |
Recognition collapse of new areas will involve small catacombs (9) Recognition collapse of new areas will involve small (9) AWARENESS (recognition) Anagram of (collapse of) NEW AREAS containing (will involve) S (small) AWARENE (S) S* |
catacombs |
| 39 |
American work as local salesman circling the writer’s hut offering historic ink (8) American work as local salesman circling the writer’s offering historic ink (8) ATRAMENT (archaic [historic] word for ‘ink’) A (American) + (TRANT [hawker; local salesman] containing [circling] ME [the writer]) A TRA (ME) NT |
hut |
| GEAT | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 |
Strangeness amongst seamen at sea collectively (7, 2 words) EN MASSE (all together; collectively) S (first letter of [headland?; ness?] STRANGE) contained in (amongst) an anagram of (at sea) SEAMEN – I’m not sure that I have parsed this correctly as NESS for head or first letter is a bit of a stretch. EN MA (S) SE* |
|
| 3 |
Hoe turned up nothing for one (3) Voe turned up nothing for one (3) GEO (gully in Orkney and Shetland; VOE is defined as a bay or creek in Orkney and Shetland) (O [character indication zero or nothing] + E.G. [for example; for one]) all reversed (turned up; down entry) (GE O)< |
V |
| 4 |
Sadly, he says it’s an end to inconvenience, perceiving tent as sound? (12) Sadly, he says it’s an end to inconvenience, perceiving tint as sound? (12) SYNAESTHESIA (a sensation of another kind suggested by one experienced in colour [tint] hearing for example) Anagram of (sadly) HE SAYS IT’S AN and E (last letter of [end to] INCONVENIENCE) SYNAESTHESIA* |
I |
| 5 |
Sexual pleasure: something exciting with topless figure around (6) ORGASM (the culmination of sexual excitement) GAS (something exciting) contained in (with … around) FORM (figure) excluding the first letter (topless) F OR (GAS) M |
|
| 6 |
Angelic Rector moved to reveal location of leys? (13, 2 words) Angelic Rector moved to reveal location of keys? (13, 2 words) ELECTRIC ORGAN (an instrument played by pressing keys) Anagram of (moved) ANGELIC RECTOR ELECTRIC ORGAN* |
K |
| 7 |
Seed coming up is what’s required (7) Seed coming up is what’s requited (7) NEMESIS (retributive justice; REQUITE means to avenge) SEMEN (liquid carrying sperm or seed) reversed (coming up; down entry) + IS NEMES< IS |
T |
| 8 |
Blok’s writer embraced by Mandelstam (Osip) (4) Book’s writer embraced by Mandelstam (Osip) (4) AMOS (book of the Old Testament) AMOS (hidden word in [embraced by] MANDELSTAM OSIP) AMOS |
O |
| 9 |
No area covered by the last destroyed New Zealand shrubs (7) MANOAOS (Maori [New Zealand] shrub of the heath group) (NO + A [area]) contained in (covered by) an anagram of (destroyed) AMOS [answer to previous [last] clue] MA (NO A) OS* |
|
| 10 |
Shake out initially short feathers amongst long (8) Share out initially short feathers amongst long (8) DISPENSE (deal out; share out) (S [first letter of [initially] SHORT + PENS [feathers]) contained in (amongst) DIE (long for) DI (S PENS) E |
R |
| 13 |
Talk nonsense over a minor thing: arrangement of night event in Córdoba? (12) BULLFIGHTING (an event that takes place in the Spanish city of Córdoba) BULL (talk nonsense) + FIG (a minor thing) + an anagram of (arrangement of) NIGHT BULL FIG HTING* |
|
| 15 |
Risk in going abroad with haji? My protection for travellers is good (10) Risk in going abroad with haji? My protection for travellers is hood (10) JINRIKISHA (rickshaw [a small two-wheeled, hooded carriage drawn by a man or men, or powered by a man]) Anagram of (going abroad) RISK IN and HAJI JINRIKISHA* |
H |
| 19 |
The old hippy feeling is a little senseless (4) The old happy feeling is a little senseless (4) SELE (dialect and probably old word for happiness) SELE (hidden word in [a little] SENSELESS SELE |
A |
| 20 |
Loyal Egyptian criticised loyal Egyptian once at the outset (4) Royal Egyptian criticised loyal Egyptian once at the outset (4) CLEO (CLEOpatra VII was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC; Royal Egyptian) CLEO (first letters (at the outset) of each of CRITICISED, LOYAL, EGYPTIAN and ONCE) CLEO |
R |
| 21 |
Competition to secure singular part of booth (4) Competition to secure singular part of tooth (4) CUSP (a cone-shaped prominence on a tooth, especially a molar or premolar) CUP (competition) containing (to secure) S (singular) CU (S) P |
T |
| 24 |
Sports grounds requiring removal of original pines (6) ITCHES (yearns; pines; itches) PITCHES (sports grounds) excluding (removal of) the first letter (original) P ITCHES |
|
| 26 |
Unassuming of the French, interrupting their own witticism (6) MODEST (unassuming) DES (French for ‘of the’) contained in (interrupting) MOT (MOT d’esprit is the French term for a witticism) MO (DES) T |
|
| 29 |
Sense source of kindness immediately (4) KNOW (sense) K (first letter of (source of) KINDNESS + NOW (immediately) K NOW |
|
| 30 |
Softened set of principles (5) CREED (any system of belief or set of principles) CREED (softened by boiling or soaking) double definition CREED |
|
| 31 |
Area full of life attracts rakehell on the rebound? Not entirely (5) Area full of lime attracts rakehell on the rebound? Not entirely (5) KARST (rough limestone country with underground drainage; area full of lime) KARST (reversed [on the rebound] hidden word in [not entirely] ATTRACTS RAKEHELL KARST< |
M |
| 33 |
Drab leader close to rage over border upset (4) Arab leader close to rage over border upset (4) EMIR (Arab leader) E (last letter of [close to] RAGE) + RIM (border) reversed (upset) – this being a down entry the letter E is over MIR E MIR< |
A |
| 35 |
Shifting head of nail, penetrating joist (4) Shifting head of nail, penetrating joint (4) KNEE (joint) KEEN (penetrating) with the N (first letter of [head of] NAIL) moving [shifting] within the word to form KNEE KNEE |
N |
| 36 |
Tax millions given to Los Angeles (3) Tan millions given to Los Angeles (3) LAM (beat; tan) LA (Los Angeles) + M (millions) LA M |
N |
EN MASSE
In particle physics, strangeness (symbol S) is a property of particles…(Wiki gives more info on this)
An exceptional blog! Thanks a lot duncan!
PROMENADE gave it away for me-the theme linking all the paintings
A lovely piece of music especially after Ravel orchestrated it(did he get a mention?)
Thought it slightly weak to have MODEST as an answer rather than crisscrossing amongst others
I think I have it by Muti coupled with Firebird-one of my fist CDs
Thanks Phi and Duncan
NEMESIS
It’ll be your downfall – come back one second (7)
We had this clue recently (Cyclops/773) elsewhere.
An enjoyable solve. I had to look up Hartmann to get the link and then the detailed titles, and their alternatives, for the references to the movements. I liked the anagram gimmick.
My only query concerns the final highlighting as, for a second week, I found the preamble unclear. The last sentence could mean that the answer is a single clued entry, giving MODEST, as Duncan concluded, but this gives a misspelling of the composer’s name. Or it could mean the name must be found whilst avoiding the shaded entries, which gives the correctly spelt MODESTE in a loop, beginning at 26D. We shall see on Saturday!
I see that Wiki-p opens with the wrong spelling although the correct one is used further down.
Thanks to Phi and Duncan.
KVa @ 1
Thanks – I never thought of looking to see if ‘strangeness’ could be represented by an abbreviation. Physics was never one of my talents.
Dave W @ 5
I’m a bit confused by your reference to MIODESTE at Mussorgsky’s forename, although I do see the spelling you mention as the title of a article mentioned within the Wikipedia entry. All the Google references. including Britannica and Deutche Grammaphon give the name as MODEST.
I just went with 26 down as the name because the preamble said it was among the clued answers.
Over the years I’ve met Mussogorsky quite regularly in crossword puzzles, because MODEST is a helpful handle for setters. Since he was Russian one has to transcribe his name from Russian characters, and how one does that is a matter of personal taste (see Peter, Piotr, Pyotr etc). I don’t think any version could be definitively considered wrong. The puzzle was enjoyable, though it felt a bit odd sticking in a selection of random words whose only common feature was that they were anagrams of parts of the theme, but that’s an aesthetic judgment; I thought the clues were perfectly fair and fun to so.ve. Thanks to KVa @1 for the enlightenment on Strangeness, which no doubt I’ll be meeting again some day, and to Phi and Duncan.
Even allowing for the vagaries of transliteration, there would be no good reason at all to write MODESTE, unless you happen to be French
Enjoyed this one, as I usually do when it’s Phi. All thanks to Phi and duncanshiell! Nothing much to add. “Strangeness” was no problem but then my degree was in physics. Mussorgsky as a theme seemed vaguely familiar, though I don’t think I was remembering the 2013 Kruger IQ that used him in a very different way. Anyway, I’d forgotten all the actual pictures and got there by Googling “cattle samuel catacombs”.
I bow to the overwhelming evidence for MODEST. I have scoured through my hard copy references and yes, they all spell it thus except the oldest, a 1977 copy of Charles Groves’ Dictionary of Composers. It just seemed too much of a coincidence for the 7-letter spelling to be present without Phi intending it.
There’s a setter’s blog at: https://phionline.net.nz/setters-blogs/pieces-of-work/
Sorry it’s a bit late. But I recall I usually put the blogs up on Wednesday NZ time, so maybe this is a day early?
Fun but strangely unsatisfying, as neither the anagrams nor the creator’s name were really required to complete the grid, so felt more of an afterthought. And highlighting Modest wasn’t exactly a thrilling denouement.
But a good afternoon’s entertainment nonetheless and an interesting theme, especially for those of us who looked up a picture of Mussorgsky.
PS: Surprised to find both orgasm and semen in the same crossword…
@12 arnold
Good things come in twos
I had no idea what could connect all these words (although fond of the Ravel version), and was grateful that googling Viktor Hartmann led relatively directly to the link. I see no one mentions the Emerson, Lake and Palmer version any more. Thanks to Phi and duncanshiell.
I was once familiar with Mussorgsky’s masterpiece, and when I read the phrase “pieces of a work (ignoring repeats)” it might even have come to mind, but in fact it did not, and I had to get there via Viktor Hartmann (from the Down clues) and then reading about his association with Mussorgsky, giving me MODEST in passing.
I liked very much the way the eleven pieces were revealed by the seven anagrams and the four redundant words in the Across clues, and the fact that these were in order. I also appreciated, as usual, the exemplary set of clues. (This was my 20th Inquisitor by Phi.)
Thanks to duncanshiell and Phi.
Really just needed something like “Gawd ELP us”
Quite a nice puzzle, though not v hard. Unfortunately, having completed the grid, I committed the sin of not re-reading the rubric – and so completely forgot to highlight a relevant forename.
For those of you who missed any passing reference to Emerson, Lake and Palmer, see Inq#1274 (Modesty by Kruger); also see Inq#1571 (Unassuming Champion by Ploy) for a similar treatment to that given here.