We haven’t seen much of Wiglaf this year. This is only the fourth puzzle in 2024 from this setter.
Some of Wiglaf’s previous puzzles have included themes, but if there is one today, it has passed me by. Given the clue referencing Richard Dawkin’s book at 1/29, I did a bit of research but couldn’t find anything that clearly linked Dawkins to other entries in the grid, other than a vague association between Dawkins and ARMADILLO.
Wiglaf sometimes includes one or two obscurities in the grid. For me today, the most obscure was the Finnish symphonic metal band NIGHTWISH at 18 down. I have come across LATHI [27 across]in barred crosswords a few times and months of the Jewish calendar, such as NISAN [19 across] are also seen fairly frequently in barred crossword land. I think the wordplay for each of these was reasonably clear.
The clue for EFT [7 across] raised a smile, as did the one for SOMETHING [20 across].
NC as an abbreviation for Network Computer, used in the wordplay for DEFUNCT at 24 across, was new to me.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1/29 | Ali’s question about our planet appears in Dawkins work (3,8,4,2,5)
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (‘THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH: The Evidence for Evolution’ is a 2009 book by British biologist Richard Dawkins [born 1941], which was released in 2009) THE GREATEST’S (possessive form of Muhammad Ali [1942 – 2016] who referred to himself as THE GREATEST) + HOW ([word beginning a] question) + ON (about) + EARTH (our planet) THE GREATEST [S HOW ON EARTH] |
| 7 | Father occasionally gets pissed as a newt (3)
EFT (newt) Anagram of (gets pissed) FTE (letters 1, 3 and 5 [occasionally] of FATHER) EFT* |
| 9 | Sluggish emperor is snubbed in Congress (5)
INERT (inactive, lazy or sluggish) NERO (reference the Roman Emperor NERO [37 – 68]) excluding the final letter (snubbed) O contained in (in) IT (sex;[sexual] congress) I (NER) T |
| 10 | A sprinter resolved to come out (9)
TRANSPIRE (become known; come out) Anagram of (resolved) A SPRINTER TRANSPIRE* |
| 11 | When lecturing, I leave something to help the pupils (3-4)
EYEDROP (a medication that helps the pupils of the eyes) EYE (sounds like [when lecturing] I) + DROP (walk out on; leave) EYE DROP |
| 12 | Half-exposed tenor at work? Not so (7)
TOPLESS (half-exposed) T (tenor) + OP (opus; work) + LESS (not so [much]) T OP LESS |
| 13 | For instance, newspapers, radio and TV service main sources of information apparently (4,5)
MASS MEDIA (channels such as newspapers, radio, television through which information, etc is transmitted to the public) MASS ([church] service] + MED (MEDiterranean sea; [ocean] main) + IA (first letters of [sources of] INFORMATION and APPARENTLY) MASS MED IA |
| 16 | Discover nonsense writer’s first bit of nonsense (5)
LEARN (get to know; discover) LEAR (reference Edward LEAR [1812 – 1888], an English writer of nonsense verse) + N (first letter of [first bit of] NONSENSE) LEAR N |
| 19 | Bread is being imported this month (5)
NISAN (the seventh civil, first ecclesiastical, month of the Jewish calendar) IS contained in (being imported) NAN (one of the spellings of a type of slightly leavened bread, used extensively in India and Pakistan) N (IS) AN |
| 20 | Maybe lied about drug, one featured in Beatles number (9)
SOMETHING (name of a Beatles song) SONG (lied [German lyric song]) containing (about) (METH [METHadone [synthetic addictive drug similar to morphine, longer-acting than heroin] + I [Roman numeral for one]) SO (METH I) NG |
| 21 | Aid for driving glitzy dandy about (3,4)
FOG LAMP (aid for driving in FOGgy conditions). I’ve never been convinced is does anything other than make the fog more obvious and even more difficult to see through) FOP (dandy) containing (about) GLAM (glitzy) FO (G LAM) P |
| 24 | Super network computer in Utah is no longer working (7)
DEFUNCT (no longer working) DEF (slang term meaning very good or super) + (NC [network computer, acronym in Chambers] contained in UT [Utah]) DEF U (NC) T |
| 26 | Working with ancient Greek, endless learners must be alert (2,3,4)
ON THE BALL (alert) ON (working) + THEBAN (inhabitant of the ancient Greek city of Thebes) excluding the final letter (endless) N + (L [learner] + L [learner] giving learners) ON THE BA L L |
| 27 | Long stick used in mudflat hiking (5)
LATHI (long, heavy stick used as a weapon) LATHI (hidden word in [used in] MUDFLAT HIKING LATHI |
| 28 | Veiled woman stripped off to be free (3)
RID (free) BRIDE (many BRIDEs wear a veil) excluding the outer letters (stripped off) B and E RID |
| 29 |
See 1 SHOW ON EARTH |
| Down | |
| 1 | Take one groom’s assistant with very high temperature to see clan member (9)
TRIBESMAN (member of a clan or TRIBE) (R [recipe, Latin for take] + I [Roman numeral for one] + BEST MAN [groom’s assistant at a wedding]) with the T (temperature) moved to the top (very high) of this down entry to form TRIBESMAN T R I BES MAN |
| 2 | A break when cardinals regularly feast? (9)
ELEVENSES (a break for morning coffee or other refreshments) ELEVENS (11 is a cardinal [number]) + ES (letters 2 and 4 [regularly] of FEAST) ELEVENS ES |
| 3 | Armature of motor that’s unchanged after turning (5)
ROTOR (armature of a motor engine) ROTOR is a palindrome so it reads the same when turned through 180 degrees (unchanged after turning) ROTOR |
| 4 | Empty terminals around diametrically opposite points (9)
ANTIPODES (points in diametrically opposite positions) ANODES (terminals of electrolytic cells) containing (around) TIP (empty) AN (TIP) ODES |
| 5 | Old key found in lift (5)
EXALT (raise; upgrade; .ift) EX (former; old) + ALT (reference the ALT key on a keyboard) EX ALT |
| 6 | Skybound risk taker I see during match point (4,5)
TEST PILOT (a person who incurs risk when taking a new plane into the sky to check that it works as expected) (I + LO [see!]) contained in (during) (TEST [an international sports match] + PT [point]) TEST P (I LO) T |
| 7 | Expatriate chucked up life-prolonging concoction (English not Irish) (5)
EXILE (an expatriate can be defined as a person living in EXILE) ELIXIR (liquid chemical preparation once supposed to have the power of indefinitely prolonging life) reversed (chucked up; down entry) with E (English) replacing (not) IR (Irish) (E XILE)< |
| 8 | Some young people finally drown in river (5)
TEENS (TEENagerS; some young people) N (last letter of [finally] DROWN) contained in (in) TEES (river in Northern England) TEE (N) S |
| 14 | Island with apples for voracious women (3- 6)
MAN-EATERS (informal term for women with many lovers; voracious women) MAN (reference the Isle of MAN; island) + EATERS (apples suitable for eating) MAN EATERS |
| 15 | Half-cut Lord Admiral shot American native (9)
ARMADILLO (an animal native to America) Anagram of (shot) LO (letters remaining in LORD when R and D [2 of the 4 {half} letters] are removed) and ADMIRAL ARMADILLO* |
| 17 | Strange rationale for one causing estrangement (9)
ALIENATOR (one who causes an estrangement) Anagram of (strange) RATIONALE ALIENATOR* |
| 18 | Symphonic metal band‘s dark desire (9)
NIGHTWISH (NIGHTWISH is a symphonic metal band from Finland, formed in 1996) NIGHT (dark[ness]) + WISH (desire) NIGHT WISH |
| 21 | Knock down a storey (5)
FLOOR (knock down in a boxing bout for example) FLOOR (storey of a building) double definition FLOOR |
| 22 | Georgia and Edward under curfew (5)
GATED (under curfew) GA (Georgia) + TED (Edward) GA TED |
| 23 | Quiet chanteuse not loud? Certainly not (5)
PIANO (soft; quiet) PIAF (reference Edith PIAF [1915 – 1963], French singer; chanteuse] excluding (not) F (forte; loud) + NO (certainly not) PIA NO |
| 25 | Half-hearted fellas at work? Not so (5)
FALSE (not correct; not so) Anagram of (at work) FELLAS excluding either one of the central Ls [half-hearted) FALSE* |
Enjoyed the puzzle. Idiosyncratic style of clueing which is a plus. ANTIPODES and DEFUNCT my favourites (for their misdirection). The nod to Richard Dawkins was helpful. Thanks for the blog Duncan and thanks Wiglaf for the entertainment.
I thought this was relatively easy for Wiglaf, who usually defeats me, but I’m not complaining! Many thanks to slogger and better, as Rev. Spooner would have said.
20a SOMETHING – the METH is (Crystal) METHamphetamine… …as cooked up in Breaking Bad.
[20a George’s first A-side: SOMETHING (1969, a 55th (Emerald) anniversary) – a US No. 1, but only a No. 4 in the UK.]
Liked EFT, MASS MEDIA and TEST PILOT.
Thanks Wiglaf and duncan.
An enjoyable workout and, yes, some quirks in the setting – a couple of sneaky container instructions appearing after the fodder to be contained, amongst others. It seems I share some of duncan’s experiences – nho NIGHTWISH (or LATHI for that matter), liked EFT and have not encountered network computer for NC. I have no idea how current that last one is – it has the feel of an abbreviation that might have been overtaken by time. Cannot see a theme – and the presence of the aforementioned NIGHTWISH and LATHI makes me wonder if I am missing SOMETHING.
I enjoyed quite a few of the clues for shorter solutions with LEARN, FALSE, PIANO and EXALT all earning ticks, along with EYEDROP, ARMADILLO and the super TRIBESMAN. I was surprised to find mOTOR in the clue for ROTOR and wonder whether anyone else bunged in LEVEL instead of FLOOR for 21d? I was disabused by RID but it seemed a valid solution to the double def.
Thanks Wiglaf and duncan
I thought Ali’s question was “Who’s the greatest?” Which then turns to become “The Greatest Show”?
Peter @7: I like the idea but that would need ‘about’ to serve as the anagram indicator? Which then leaves ‘our planet’ to define ‘ON EARTH which doesn’t really work. And I suspect Wiglaf would not view the switch from ‘Who’s the greatest’ to ‘The Greatest Show’ as much of an anagram. With duncan’s parse, ‘about’ gives us the ON that we need.
There is a link between Nightwish and Richard Dawkins. He was a guest performer on their album Endless forms most Beautiful. Indeed, he was a narrator on the song The Greatest Show on Earth 1/29ac
PostMark @8 I think you are right.
I always thought the purpose of fog lamps is to make cars more visible to road users.
An enjoyable solve all round.
Thanks to all.
Enlumined @11: I’m tempted to say, with regard to fog lamps, you should know 😉
Postmark, I do not claim any special knowledge. My monicker is merely an anagram of the town in NE Illinois where I live.
This was challenging for me and I had to reveal a couple and resort to the blog for several parsings. I enjoyed it though, despite struggling to get started; lots of clues which seem too long for the length of the answer tends to intimidate me!
EFT was a jorum, and I revealed the nho NISAN. I interpret EXILE/expatriate as verbs.
I particularly enjoyed the three “? Not so”-type clues, each usage being different. In the case of TOPLESS I interpret it as in “not so hot / less hot”, say, rather than as “not so [much]”.
[Fog lamps work when they’re properly positioned near the base of the vehicle since they illuminate the road under the fog. It amazes me how many modern cars have atrocious illumination though, and don’t get me started on some of the LED lights – the dazzling blueish headlamps and blinding arrays of brake lights. Don’t know how they get approved for use!]
Thanks both
FLOOR Jansen, best rock singer around.