Just over a year since the last Listener puzzle from Charybdis and that was based on the Necker cube. [As of writing, solver and setter blogs for Charybdis Listeners can still be seen over at LWO Charybdis. Ed.] This week, we had clashes in four cells, four unclued entries, word changes in 16 others, four letters to be changed in the endgame and then some highlighting.
If you had looked up the puzzle’s title in the ODQ, you would have immediately been rewarded by an entry for Shakespeare. Unfortunately, it would’ve been to “Shake off this downy sleep, death’s counterfeit…” which is from Macbeth.
The first clue which shouted out “change me” was 6ac Colt in foolish prance with me, striking orillion, results in horse’s injury (8) with orillion (a semicircular projection at the shoulder of a bastion intended to cover the guns and defenders on the flank) being unlikely. It didn’t take long to see CREPANCE [C in (PRANCE + ME)* – M for million]. Not that it really helped much!
13ac Fidelity cases sent to worst cleric’s office (8) would also need a change, but that was far from obvious at this point (it would be worst->west). However, the next was 15ac Jerk’s thorough answer tricks (6) and ANTICS seemed a likely answer [TIC in ANS] with thorough changing to through.
I was still a bit stumped, and it would be some time before a lot of those ORs in the clues would change to another letter. My second favourite change was 12dn Careless person’s old cargo boat with no northermost part (6) [GALLIO(t)], northermost becoming nethermost, although I initially read it as northernmost! Favourite was the simple 3dn Orate etc with energy and gestures (8) for EMOTIONS [E + MOTIONS], orate becoming hate.
The four unclued entries were all alloys containing OR, and the changed letters read in order gave us Merchant three two. This referred to The Merchant of Venice Act III, Scene 2 where Bassanio must choose the lead casket (over the gold and silver ones) which contained Portia’s portrait. The clashes all had to use the non-gold versions leaving real words.
A nice straightforward puzzle before the following week’s that was to be slightly less so! Thanks, Charybdis.
This was a lovely puzzle. The devices were clever and the change from GOLD to LEAD still yielded recognisable words, which was particularly nice.
Looking forward to more Listener blogs, the puzzles themselves are the highlight of my weekend.
Thanks to Charybdis for the puzzle and Shenanigans for the blog.