Pangakupu set this month’s offering and it was a fun, if not too taxing, solve. It can be found here:
https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/2024/may/06/genius-crossword-no-251
The instructions read as follows:
Two chains of words run from * to &, and from # to %, with some running upwards or right-to-left as necessary. Each chain is clued in the order of its answers, which should be fitted in where they will go, using the answers to the other clues as guides. Each chain exhibits a common feature that will help placement even if not all clues in the chain have been solved.
So the task was to solve as many of the placed clues as possible in order to determine how to insert the unsited ones. Luckily, many of the clues were relatively easy – though the snake at # and the term at 9 across were new words for me. So one started to build up a structure for the “chains”, with known and missing letters, much as for a regular solve. In the first published version there was an extra across clue but this was later deleted – just another sign that Geniuses are not always thoroughly checked before publication. But, given the complexity of the material, I think this may be forgiven …
The “common feature” appears to be literation – or L-iteration – in that each section of the chains starts or finishes with an L – in the majority of cases, both. I’m not sure how this would help in placement unless one cottoned on quite early that this was the case.
Pangakupu generally includes at least one Maori word as a Nina; I’m not familiar with the Maori language but I haven’t been able to find one amongst the unches or in the main body. The heavily blacked grid allows for only 21 clues. Definitions are in bold and italicised
Chain 1
Bad time in pursuit of flex or chain
CORDILLERA
ILL (bad) ERA (time) after (in pursuit of) CORD (flex)
Chain not right for Frankfurt?
LINKS
Links is the German for left (not right)
Remains sheltered by two lecturers in conflict, a source of
vision in dark times
FLASHLIGHT
ASH (remains) inside (sheltered by) L and L (two lecturers) all inside FIGHT (conflict)
More than one place in the country not opening
PLURAL
PL (place) + URAL (rural – in the country, losing first letter – not opening)
Looking to miss a train
STRING
STaRING (looking) without (to miss) A
Chain 2
Dutch artist following call to depict snake
RINGHALS
Frans HALS (Dutch artist of the early 17th century) following RING (call). “To depict” is just to fit in with “artist”
Book 2 containing line – amusing line, possibly – deploying two
languages
BILINGUALISM
B (book) then I and I (2) surrounding (containing) L (line) + NGUALISM (anagram – “possibly” – of AMUSING + L (line, again)
Rocky tells a blonde: “It’s a boxing trophy” (two words)
LONSDALE BELT
Anagram (rocky) of TELLS A BLONDE. The Lonsdale Belt was created by Lord Lonsdale in 1908 and is the oldest award in British professional boxing
Swan beside skin of adder turned over another snake
COBRA
COB (a male SWAN) + (beside) RA the outside letters (skin) of adder, reversed (turned over)
Across
5 I’m prominent figure dismissing European approach (9)
IMMINENCE
IM (I’m) + MINENCE (EMINENCE – public figure, without E – European)
6 Problem with green – at the end nearly becoming red (4)
RUBY
RUB (problem with green, especially in bowls) + Y (at the end of NEARLY)
7 Fight – gutted fighter about ready? Not quite (6)
FRACAS
FR (first and last letters – gutted – of fighter) + A (about) + CAS (cash – “ready”, missing last letter = not quite)
9 In initial stages auctioneer cannot outwit loaded bidding
system (4)
ACOL
First letters (in initial stages) of auctioneer cannot outwit loaded. Acol is, according to Google, the official bidding system used in national bridge tournaments.
10 Step down, but not about gesture (4)
SIGN
RESIGN (step down) minus RE (but not about)
12 Scoundrel returned in possession of tailless bird (6)
GODWIT
GOD (DOG – scoundrel, reversed – returned) + WIT (WITH – in possession of, missing last letter – tailless) Godwits fly to New Zealand every summer from their breeding grounds in the Arctic …
13 Bird: here’s one, with a request for more (4)
IBIS
I (here’s one) + BIS (musical direction indicating a repeat)
14 Approve including rôle – skit’s ending flat (9)
APARTMENT
AMEN (approve) containing (including) PART (role) + T (ending in SKIT)
Down
1 Concert impresario losing 50% (4)
PROM
PROMOTER (impresario) losing second half (50%)
2 Early end to drudgery prompting smile (4)
GRIN
GRIND (drudgery) minus last letter (early end)
3 Green man in odd bits of green, usually at the outset (6)
INGENU
IN + GEN (odd bits of GREEN) + first letter (at the outset) of USUALLY
4 Hurried to hold son and daughter up, showing little emotion
(9)
HARDNOSED
HARED (hurried) surrounding (to hold) SON + D (daughter) reversed (up, in a down clue)
8 What may offer dual access, letting one escape? Not these!
(4-2-3)
CULS-DE-SAC
anagram of DUAL ACCESS minus A (letting one escape). You can’t escape down a cul-de-sac.
11 Bank of Scotland on the rise in US city? Not far off (4-2)
NEAR-BY
BRAE (bank of a Scottish river) reversed (on the rise, in a down clue) in NY (US city)
15 A female giving up one son sadly (4)
ALAS
A LASS (a female) minus (giving up) S (one son)
16 Old regulation reversed after pound dropped for another
currency (4)
EURO
O (old) RULE (regulation) backwards (reversed) minus L (with pound dropped)
Thanks to prospero for the blog, and Pangakupu for the puzzle.
I always print Genius puzzles so I don’t have to solve them sitting in front of the computer, but this one was over so quickly I thought I probably could have just done it on the computer.
I think the common feature is that there is an L wherever the chain turns, and the L represents that the turns are right-angled. I noticed this when I only had the LONSDALE BELT clue left to solve, so it at least helped me to place the three Ls in that answer. I was a little annoyed that the first chain had an L not placed at a corner.
Many thanks for the blog Prospero. I recall thinking that the fact one ‘chain’ began and ended with CORD and STRING and the other with two
“SNAKES” might have been a pointer to something along the lines of “snakes and ladders”, but perhaps others saw more.
Anyway it was good fun.
Thanks to Pangakupu.
Thanks Pangakupu and prospero.
Took a lot longer to understand the device, as * & and # % were in the same row and column respectively…the path became visible later.
Solved all but one numbered clues first and entered them, before solving the Chains. Couple of unknowns made it harder. Didn’t find the common feature…which was not required as I had all the crossers.
Can’t say I enjoyed this much.
I was worried about solving LONSDALE BELT, but apparently, it is familiar enough in the UK that it was not too difficult to find online. I had the same suspicion as Matthew@1 about the right-angle association, and like Jay@2, the cord/string and “snakes” notion, with the chains wending their way through the grid. I also spent some time trying to figure out whether there was any additional significance to *, &, #, and %, or whether they were simply arbitrary nonalphabetical characters? They correspond to the 8, 7, 3, and 5 keys, but that did not lead me anywhere. I don’t know; I could not see anything additional (even in Maori).
I suspect given the self-imposed restriction of including an “L” at each turning point, the inclusion of a Māori Nina might have been a stretch too far.
There was a definite intent to include ophidian and catenary words. I don’t tend to include Māori words in the Genius puzzle (though I might now…) but certainly a puzzle heavily dependent on a letter not in the Māori alphabet was always likely to skip a Māori Nina!
There have been a few Māori words. I recall warehou, for example.
Well recalled, BuzzyBee. “Warehou” was in Genius 245, also blogged by Prospero.
Link in post was wrong – now corrected:
https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/2024/may/06/genius-crossword-no-251
I got a lucky start with this, getting a toehold in the SW with my first two chain clues (LONSDALE BELT and COBRA) and my first two normal clues (APARTMENT and CULS-DE-SAC). However, I didn’t notice the ‘common feature’ until the very end. It was a good job I did notice it because I had IBERIA instead of PLURAL as the last word of Chain 1. (The clue works perfectly for PLURAL, of course, but it nearly works for IBERIA.) With that change in my grid every L-bend in both chains had the letter L in it.
The 4-way symmetry of the grid was impressive.
Thanks to Pangakupu and Prospero.
I like the Genius to last me a few sessions but this one was over very quickly. The unnumbered clues were mostly easy enough to require little pondering and once the numbered clues started to go in, it became obvious where they went. However, I recognise the cleverness of the construction and also appreciate the symmetry. Thank you.
I rarely manage to finish the Genius, so I enjoyed this challenge, unlike most commenters so far.
Nice artwork, Prospero
One L of a blog
Thanks, copster. I’m a novice really on the site but got lucky in some areas – especially putting in the symbols and moving the clue numbers, which I think even the editor didn’t know how to do!