Independent 11,867 by Atrica

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Atrica provides today’s challenge.

At first glance some of the clue surfaces looked a bit clumsy and impenetrable; there might be a reason for this (see below). Others were excellent; I liked the anagram in 29a, the definitions in 3d and (for its misdirection) 28d, and the wistful approach to entomology in 13d.

It’s Tuesday, and Atrica is known for themed puzzles, so we should be looking out for something today. The references to specific rooms in the wordplay provide a hint, which is reinforced by several of the answers; we’re looking at the board game Cluedo (or Clue if you’re in the US). And finally 2d points us to a rather intricate bit of puzzle construction, which perhaps explains some awkward wording. (Though I still think 12a is an obscure way to define an unfamiliar word, and 15a seems a rather weak clue.)

Atrica has managed to include all six characters from the game: some of the names have changed over time or between the UK and US versions, but I know them as Miss SCARLET (or Scarlett), Colonel MUSTARD, Mrs WHITE, Reverend GREEN, Mrs PEACOCK, Professor PLUM. We also have all six possible murder weapons: again the names vary, but we have CANDLE STICK, DAGGER (Knife), LEAD PIPE, GUN (Revolver), ROPE, WRENCH (Spanner). And all the rooms named in the game appear in the wordplay: Hall, Lounge, Dining Room, Kitchen, Ballroom, Conservatory, Billiard Room, Library, Study. That’s a lot of thematic content in one puzzle; thanks (and well done) to Atrica.

Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1 EGOS
Goes haywire seeing Trump and Vance? (4)
Anagram (haywire = messy) of GOES.

Definition by examples: it’s our setter’s opinion, of course, but the US presidential candidate and his VP pick probably wouldn’t be described as quiet and self-effacing people.
4 SIC
Reportedly off colour, but that’s what I meant (3)
Homophone (reportedly, though some of us wouldn’t pronounce the two words the same) of SICK = off colour = feeling unwell.

A comment in printed text (Latin for “thus”), confirming that something unexpected is intentional and not a mistake. I’m not convinced by the definition, because the comment is usually added by an editor (indicating faithful reporting of an apparent error in the supplied text) rather than by the original writer or speaker.
6 WRENCH
Equipment that can force rector to feed prostitute, perhaps (6)
R (abbreviation for rector, though I don’t know how much that’s used outside crosswords) inserted into (to feed) WENCH (archaic word used generally for a young woman, a female servant, or a prostitute).
9 NEPALI
Extraordinary alpine language (6)
Anagram (extraordinary) of ALPINE, for a language from a rather different mountainous region.
10 EPISTYLE
Newsletter read aloud in church about unknown architectural feature (8)
EPISTLE (a reading from one of the letters in the New Testament, as part of a church service) around Y (mathematical symbol for an unknown quantity).

Another word for architrave: a horizontal beam across the top of a row of columns.
11 ANIL
Indigo American duck (4)
A (abbreviation for American) + NIL (duck, in cricket scoring = zero).

The plant from which indigo dye is obtained, or another name for the dye itself.
12 KOPJE
Ngorongoro prominence perhaps keeping our path jaggedly elevated at first (5)
Initial letters (at first) of K[eeping] O[ur] P[ath] J[aggedly] E[levated].

Afrikaans / Dutch word for an isolated rock hill rising steeply above surrounding ground. There may well be such things in the Ngorongoro region of Tanzania, but it seems a rather obscure definition.
14 ROPE
Thick cord official discovered (4)
[p]ROPE[r] (official = authorised) without the outer letters (dis-covered).
15 EMPTY SPACE
Hollow void separating the stars, soulless character in the centre of Ball Room (5,5)
EMPTY (soulless) + SPACE (the one between the two words in “Ball Room”). At least I think that’s what’s intended, but it’s not the most convincing clue.
19 LEAD
Escort‘s appeal when top stripped off (4)
[p]LEAD (appeal, as a verb = ask earnestly) with the first letter (top) removed.

Escort, as a verb = lead = take someone somewhere.
20 PLUM
Drop last trace of fat to be highly desirable (4)
PLUM[p] (fat = overweight) with the last letter (a trace) dropped).

As in “a plum job” = one you really want to get.
22 BOOKKEEPER
Individual delivering a reckoning in the Library? (10)
Double definition. Someone who keeps financial records (reckoning = adding up money); or an organisation responsible for keeping books, such as the British Library. (Of course “library” usually means the place where the books are kept, but using “keeper” to define a room or building seems a bit loose.)
24 MESS
Not a pretty sight in the Dining Room (4)
Double definition. A state of disorder; or a military term for a location where meals are served.
25 ASKEW
In disarray when horticultural centre’s behind (5)
AS (when) with KEW (short for Kew Gardens, London botanic garden = horticultural centre) behind it.

Askew = knocked sideways or out of place, for example describing a hat that isn’t on straight or a disordered hairstyle.
27 IDLE
No margin to avoid lethality in Lounge (4)
[avo]ID LE[thality], without several letters around the edge (margin).
29 ON TARGET
Going according to plan that’s unfortunately not great (2,6)
Anagram (unfortunately) of NOT GREAT.
31 DAGGER
Reference mark‘s ragged edges changed around (6)
RAGGED with the end letters (edges) swapped.

A dagger-shaped mark used in printing, for example to indicate a footnote reference.
32 CANDLE
Outsiders to control Earl, wicked thing! (6)
C AND L (the outside letters of C[ontro]L), then E (abbreviation for earl).

An old crossword favourite: a candle is a thing that has a wick.
33 GUN
Occasionally gluing piece (3)
Alternate letters (occasionally) from G[l]U[i]N[g].

Generic term for a firearm, used by experts in such things who like to be precise about terminology (and sometimes insist that specific types of firearm shouldn’t be called guns).
34 PIPE
Maybe main church leader’s love supplanted by ego (4)
P[o]PE (the leader of the Roman Catholic Church) with the O (zero = love, in tennis scoring) replaced by I (ego = the self).

For example a gas main or a water main = a large pipe.
DOWN
2 GREEN
Whodunit? Investigate leads from the clues (5)
A somewhat unusual clue, but logical enough. The initial letters (leads) of the clues in this puzzle (across and then down) are an acrostic, spelling out GREEN IN THE DINING ROOM WITH THE THIRTY-ONE A. Replace “thirty-one A” with the solution to 31a DAGGER, and you have a possible resolution to our theme game Cluedo (Clue). So the killer is Reverend Green (or Mr Green or Mayor Green, depending on your version of the game).
3 SCARLET
I censored articles about understandably stiff-looking Captain (7)
Anagram (about) of ART[i]CLES with the letter I removed (censored).

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons was a 1960s TV show; the title character, being a puppet, was understandably stiff-looking.
4 STICK
Tolerate stew of Kitchen’s missing chicken (5)
Anagram (stew) of KITC[hen]S without HEN (chicken).

Stick, as a verb, generally used in the negative: “I couldn’t stick it for long” = I gave up because I couldn’t tolerate it.
5 CUE
Hint: something wielded in the Billiard Room (3)
Double definition. A prompt; or a piece of equipment used in playing billiards.
6 WHITE
The first to move with impact and energy (5)
W (abbreviation for with) + HIT (impact) + E (abbreviation for energy).

In a game of chess, the player using the white pieces makes the first move.
7 ENTHRAL
High rent Hall curtailed for entrance (7)
Anagram (high = intoxicated) of RENT HAL[l] without the last letter (curtailed).

Entrance, as a verb, with the accent on the second syllable = enthral = fascinate.
8 CALIPHATE
Entering an American state quietly, I can’t abide an Islamic one (9)
CAL (abbreviation for the US state of California) + P (p = abbreviation for Italian piano = quietly, in musical notation), with I inserted (entering), then HATE (as a verb = can’t abide).

An Islamic state.
13 PEACOCK
To some extent hope a cockroach might be a more beautiful insect (7)
Hidden answer (to some extent) in [ho]PE A COCK[roach].

Short for peacock butterfly.
16 MILLENNIA
Horribly inane foundation for philosopher’s golden ages (9)
Anagram (horribly) of INANE, after (below, in a down clue = foundation for) MILL (John Stuart Mill, 19th-century philosopher). Mill is usually a good bet for “philosopher” in crosswords, but I can’t be the only crossword solver who responds to this word by mentally running through the Monty Python Philosophers’ Song to find a suitable candidate . . .

Millennium can mean an imagined “golden age” of peace and prosperity, usually not in the foreseeable future.
17 SUB
Inferior brought back tied up when Conservatory finally ruled out (3)
BUS[y] (tied up, as in “I’ll be late because I’m a bit tied up at the office”), without the Y which is the last letter (finally) of [conservator]Y, reversed (brought back).

Short for subordinate (as in sub-editor) = lower-ranked = inferior.
18 ELK
Rocky Mountain resident turning up pickled? That’s too much (3)
Hidden answer (that’s too much = not all of it), reversed (turning up = upwards in a down clue), in [pic]KLE[d].

Animal native to North America, particularly the Rocky Mountains area in the western US and Canada.
21 MUSTARD
This may be hot – had better put on a raised bar inside (7)
MUST (had better? – I’d interpret that as a strong recommendation rather than a requirement), before (above, in a down clue = put on) A + R[aise]D (bar the inside = without the inner letters).

A condiment that may be more or less hot depending on the variety.
23 EYING UP
Yearning without profit after drug high? Or checking out? (5,2)
Y[earn]ING without EARN (profit, as a verb = make a financial gain) after E (slang abbreviation for the drug ecstasy), then UP (high).

Check out, as a verb = eye up = to examine someone or something. I’d spell it “eyeing up”, but the dictionaries accept either form.
25 ANGLE
Obtuse as this may be, fisherman finishes early (5)
ANGLE[r] (someone fishing with rod and line), without the last letter (. . . finishes early).

An angle is defined as obtuse if it’s between 90 and 180 degrees.
26 WIDEN
Now, finally, Study includes the first person to open up (5)
Last letter (finally) of [no]W + DEN (study = a private room), including I (in grammar, the first person singular).
28 LIE UP
Enter the dock and perjure oneself on trial (3,2)
LIE (tell an untruth = perjure oneself) + UP (slang shortening of “up in court” or “up before the magistrate” = on trial).

A ship “lies up” when it goes into dock, especially if it’s there for an extended period (for example when being repaired).
30 TUG
Attraction of corporation on the rise (3)
GUT (corporation = slang for a large belly) reversed (on the rise = upwards in a down clue).

19 comments on “Independent 11,867 by Atrica”

  1. Whilst I’d agree with Quirister that there were a few raised eyebrows, this is a remarkable combination of grid fill, acrostic and surfaces with a nice twist in revealing the culprit. 2d was my second clue and immediately directed me to the overall theme before I’d reached any of the themed surfaces but I was nicely teed up for the ride as a result. I was stuck for a while in the SW – I could not solve the first part of what turned out to be EMPTY SPACE – I had an unparsed OUTER – and did need eventually to reveal that to be able to make progress and finish the puzzle. I daresay if Paul in the G used the ‘space between two words’ = SPACE trick, posters would be falling over themselves to praise it so, whilst I was nowhere near seeing it, I’m happy to cut Atrica some slack.

    I note our blogger’s comment on the SIC homophone. I’m intrigued as to how else that short syllable might be pronounced. I can only see/hear/imagine one way.

    Thanks Atrica and Quirister

  2. Thanks Atrica and Quirister

    Very enjoyable crossword

    “I note our blogger’s comment on the SIC homophone. I’m intrigued as to how else that short syllable might be pronounced. I can only see/hear/imagine one way” – If I blogged as much as some of the 225 Stalwarts I might well have a set of stock phrases ready to go; including Homophone … with proviso that some solvers may not agree already attached to forestall the otherwise inevitable complaints. Although sic and sick show different possible pronunciations in my dictionary – I cannot hear a difference myself

  3. Thanks Atrica and Quirister

    Indeed a very well assembled crossword.

    I think you can get an equivalence of MUST and HAD BETTER in eg the phrase “I must / I’d better be going”, which (to me at least) doesn’t necessarily imply compulsion.

    Synchronistically the SPACE trick was used in a puzzle elsewhere last week.

  4. PostMark @1, matthew newell @2: I’d pronounce “sic” the same as “seek” (not “sick”), because that’s how the Latin word it comes from was pronounced when I learned the language. But Chambers gives both pronunciations, as matthew suggests.

  6. Liked EPISTYLE, GREEN (excellent), STICK, CALIPHATE and EYING UP.

    BOOKKEEPER
    …delivers reckoning (in the sense of ‘settlement of accounts in books’), as I understand.
    KOPJE
    Agree with the blogger’s comment. Familiar with the Ngorongoro Crater (volcanic). Maybe
    the surrounding hilly area could be described as a KOPJE (not sure). In this area, I think
    Swahili is the main language but KOPJE is a South African word. Someone may know the
    connection better and explain it here.
    EGOS
    Didn’t find the def convincing.
    MUSTARD
    OK with had better=MUST like Simon S@3

    Thanks Atrica and Quirister.

  7. I don’t think I have ever made more use of a theme to solve a puzzle. You have to admire the construction, even if one or two things feel slightly shoe-horned in. Thanks, both.

  8. “Correct@ Latin pronunciation depends on whether you’re talking (or singing) to a priest, scientist or classicist. For what it’s worth, I have a degree in classics and have never heard SIC pronounced otherwise than ‘sick’.

  9. Thanks both. Quite a tussle, but very enjoyable, much aided by spotting the theme early. I often feel sorry for Cluedo’s somewhat forgotten character, Dr Black, who has by now been murdered worldwide by every conceivable person and means.

  10. For 4a SIC, Merriam-Webster’s Showing Off Your [Sic] Moves points out that “It’s not just for pointing out errors.” – it’s also for pointing out the absence of one.
    “Funny Aminals (sic)” indicates that there’s no error – that’s the actual name of a book; “Toronto Maple Leafs (sic)” – that the hockey team isn’t called the Leaves…

  11. Thanks Quirister and Atrica.
    The theme has been done before, but the acrostic makes this special.
    Impressive!

  12. Certainly an impressive puzzle, now I have seen the blog. Unfortunately I don’t know much about Cluedo (isn’t the culprit always the same guy?) and until I had to reveal GREEN at the end (I thought it might be GUESS), the theme didn’t come to my mind. But that’s on me, although I am disappointed I didn’t see it because it was quite a tussle to complete the grid as it was. Just want to say thanks to Quirister for the helpful blog and Atrica for being very clever and putting in a lot of hard work.

  14. Loved this. Got 2d as the first in which set up the context nicely (though I did not get ‘thirty one A’ until near the end). I have not played the game in decades but the names, rooms and weapons came flooding back and I was awestruck that all the features were included.

    Back in the late 70s I drove a very second-hand Ford Transit camper van which was prone to engine troubles. It was a thing then to give vehicles names so I had to name the van Gloria so I could talk about ‘Sic(k) Transit Gloria’.

  15. p.s. Forgot to say, big thank yous to Atrica and to Quirister for the splendid (and splendidly coloured) blog.

  16. Thanks everyone for the comments, and special thanks to Quirister for the blog. I originally wanted to set this crossword with the clue for 2D being just “Whodunit?” but that would probably have been a step too far. As it was the acrostic made some of the clues very difficult to compose, necessitating the use of some force to get all the locations crammed in. The editor suggested I should have included a crowbar as one of the weapons and perhaps used it myself. As it is I invite any setters out there to find a clue that includes the words “Ball Room”, defines “empty space”, and starts with the letter “H”. I didn’t do too well with that challenge myself! Incidentally, re. “kopje” (a very unwelcome inclusion in the grid made necessary by the theme words) I did find a few references to examples in Ngorongoro, e.g., https://www.wildlifeworldwide.com/journal/craters-kopjes-and-cats-of-tanzania. I wanted to use Natal (for the required “N”) instead but apparently there aren’t any kopjes there.

  17. A bit late commenting but wanted to say how much we enjoyed the puzzle. We worked out fairly early on what the theme was today but it didn’t spoil the fun.

    Thanks to Atrica and Quirister.

  18. A truly impressive construction. Well done Atrica, enjoyed it immensely. Thanks too to Q for a fantastic (and illustrative!) blog.

  19. Not sure how anyone could get 2d in the early stages of the puzzle, with any certainty, without getting the acrostic first…? Impressive guessing!! Impressive puzzle.. and the theme was a family stalwart at Christmas for decades… but the GB version, with “revolver” and “spanner”. Predictably I didn’t really profit from the theme, but at least 2d went in last, as it was surely designed to do…
    Thanks Quirister (I definitely needed the blog) and Atrica

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