This week’s puzzle is set by Luxor who is making a debut in the Inquisitor series. Fifteensquared has blogs for Luxor puzzles in the Enigmatic series in the period November 2023 to January 2025. All five had quirky themes, so I wonder what we will find in this puzzle.
The preamble was quite short and told us that the names of four individuals contributing to a team effort are concealed within the clues and must be removed before solving (disregarding some punctuation). Starting in the top left cell, a clockwise-running perimetrical question identifies 19 cells in two straight lines which solvers must highlight. Unchecked letters in the perimeter might give IN AN EVENT AWAKE TO FAME.
The first name I found in the clues was ZEUS in 5 down, so I assumed that we would be looking for three more Gods elsewhere in the clues. Consequently, I thought I had found BAL in 1 down, but I still couldn’t make the clue work. I also realised that the biblical false God I was thinking of was spelled BAAL rather than BAL. I reckoned the answer to 1 down had to be HORNET, so eventually I deduced that the extra letters gave the name BALTO, a name that meant nothing to me.
The third name I found was TOGO in 39 across. For me, initially, this was the name of an African country. At this point I resorted to a search on Google and entered ZEUS, BALTO, TOGO. This brought up individual entries for each of TOGO and BALTO which both referred to dog teams in Alaska in the 1920s. A bit more research showed that ZEUS and FOX [hidden in 24 down] were also dogs in some of the teams of the time. I have not been able to find a story that directly links the four dogs together, even on the stories that referred to the message in the perimeter of the puzzle [see below].
With the letters that were appearing on in the perimeter, the information on the web was enough for me to deduce the early part of the perimeter – WHAT WAS DELIVERED TO NOME ALASKA….. By removing the unchecked letters from the preamble phrase IN AN EVENT AWAKE TO FAME I was able to fit the remaining letters into the perimeter to form IN NINETEEN TWENTY FIVE.
There are several pieces on the web describing the delivery of much-needed medicine to the town of NOME, Alaska in late January / early February 1925. . One such is this Wikipedia piece
Having got the full perimeter message, the next task was to find the additional 19 cells to highlight. We were told that we were looking for two straight lines to highlight. There was nothing obvious reading horizontally or vertically, so the next stage was to look diagonally, where we find DIPHTHERIA (10 letters) running SW / NE from the D of BEARDIE at 24 down. We also have ANTITOXIN (9 letters) running in the same direction rom the A of TWAE (35 down) and AFRO (41 across).
All the highlighting is shown in the grids below. All the letters of IN AN EVENT AWAKE TO FAME have been placed in unchecked positions in the perimeter.
This puzzle was a good example of crosswords opening up interesting bits of history.
The device of removing unspecified names of unknown length from clues before solving was new to me and one I found quite challenging. I suspect I wasn’t the only solver to think that ‘blessed‘ in the clue for CNICUS at 30 down was also a name to be removed [think of the actor Brian BLESSED]. I have discovered that there is a Mediterranean thistle known as CNICUS benedictus or blessed thistle, so ‘blessed‘ is not a redundant word in the clue.
The initial grid fill looked like this:
After completing the perimeter and highlighting the two straight lines, thefinal grid looked like this:
The detailed parsing is shown in the detailed table below. Although a few of the entriesd were new to me, the cluing was fair and clear. The South American plains are commonly referred to in the plural PAMPAS, but Chambers also gives the singular PAMPA.
The title TEAM EFFORT is fairly self explanatory referring to the dogs (more than the four mentioned above) working in teams to pull the sleds to get the medicines to Nome.
I enjoyed this puzzle, so thanks to Luxor for the challenge and the story behind it.
| No | Detail | |
| Across | For the four clues from which a name had to be removed, the table shows the original clue in black with the name highlighted in blue, followed by the amended clue in red. | |
| 8 | Fossil’s old hybrid discovered in thawed ice (6)
EOZOIC (related to fossil organisms; fossil’s) (O [old] + ZO [cross between male yak and common horned cow; hybrid]) contained in (in) an anagram of (thawed) ICE E (O ZO) IC* |
|
| 10 | Well dug with no depth between bases (4)
EUGE (well! or well done!) DUG excluding (with no) D (depth) contained in (between) (E [base of natural logaritms] + E [base of natural logaritms]; two bases) E (UG) E |
|
| 11 | Uncovered dangerous display (3)
AIR (expose; display) HAIRY (dangerous) excluding the outer letters (uncovered) H and Y AIR |
|
| 12 | Straightens uniform and cape covered in beads (7)
UNCURLS (straightens) U (Uniform is the international radio communication code for the letter U) + (C [cape] contained in [covered in] NURLS [ridges or beads]) U N (C) URLS |
|
| 14 | Rose mislaying page essential for printer (3)
INK (a liquid essential for many printers) PINK (a rose) excluding (mislaying) P (page) INK |
|
| 16 | Nothing removed from plainspoken Morag’s list (4)
RUND (Scottish word [Morag] for list or selvage) ROUND (plainspoken) excluding (removed from) O (character representing zero or nothing) RUND |
|
| 17 | Soil and no end of peat for food-producing plant (8)
EARTHPEA (peanut; plant) EARTH (soil) + PEAT excluding the final letter (no end of) T EARTH PEA |
|
| 20 | Loose living in Port Talbot initially (4)
RIOT (loose living) RIO [de Janiero] (a port city) + T (first letter of [initially] Talbot) RIO T |
|
| 21 | Warm and dry, dry, dry finally over in compound (6)
YTTRIA (an oxide [compound] of YTTRIum) Y (last letter of [finally] + TT (teetolal; dry) + AIR (dry) reversed (over) Y TT RIA< |
|
| 22 | Bicycle club at last getting mass vote (3)
BMX (type of bicycle) B (final letter of [at last] cluB) + M (mass) + X (symbol used to record a vote) B M X |
|
| 23 | Gossip about losing middle of guide book in ski-lift (4)
T-BAR (type of ski-lift) RABBIT (gossip) reversed (about) and excluding (losing) (I [central letter of {middle of} guIde] + B [book]) T-BAR< |
|
| 25 | Japanese swimmer heading west in the Adriatic (3)
TAI (Japanese sea bream; Japanese swimmer) TAI (reversed [headed west] hidden word in [in] ADRIATIC) TAI< |
|
| 26 | Ugly news gripping man from Welsh valley (4)
GLYN (Welsh male name) GLYN (hidden word in [gripping] UGLY NEWS) GLYN |
|
| 27 | Recalled half-shared expressions of surprise (3)
AHS (expressions of surprise) AHS (SHA [half of the 6 letters of SHAred {half-shared}]) reversed (recalled) AHS< |
|
| 29 | African tree-dweller’s tedious routine repelled American company (6)
TURACO (any of various African arboreal birds of the family Musophagidae, of the genus Tauraco and related genera, with glossy, brightly-coloured plumage) RUT (tedious routine) reversed (repelled) + A (American) + CO (company) TUR< A CO |
|
| 31 | US lawman delaying conference’s opening as far as possible? (4)
EARP (reference Wyatt EARP [1848 – 1929], American [US] lawman involved in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral) PEAR (reference a Conference PEAR) with the first letter (opening) P moved to the last position (delaying opening as far as possible) to form EARP EARP |
|
| 32 | Dog’s odds in downward spiral (8)
TAILSPIN (downward spiral) TAIL (follow; dog) + SP (starting price [odds on a horse when the race begins]) + IN TAIL SP IN |
|
| 34 | Summons with appeal following rule (4)
WRIT (written document by which one is summoned or required to do, or refrain from doing, something; summons) W (with) + R (rule) + IT ([sex] appeal) W R IT |
|
| 38 | Overheard religious type in confusion (3)
PIE (confusion) PIE (sounds like [overheard] PI [a sanctimonious or religious person]) PIE |
|
| 39 |
Essentially chomps into goose – cooked but not healthy (7) Essentially chomps I nose – cooked but not healthy (7) NOISOME (not healthy) Anagram of (cooked) OM (central letters of [essentially]) chOMps and I NOSE NOISOME* |
TOGO |
| 40 | VIP’s trashcan overturned (3)
NIB (a person of the upper classes; very important person) BIN (trashcan) reversed (overturned) NIB< |
|
| 41 | Mop round after gaffer now and then (4)
AFRO (hairstyle; mop) AFR (letters 1, 3 and 5 [now and then] of gAfFeR) + O (a round character) AFR O |
|
| 42 | Western Honolulu apt setting to accommodate holy man (6, 2 words)
ST PAUL (name of a holy man) ST PAUL (reversed [western] hidden word in [to accommodate] HONOLULU APT SETTING) (ST PAUL)< |
|
| Down | ||
| 1 |
Note herbal tonic brewed – not nice for waspish flyer (6) Note hernic brewed – not nice for waspish flyer (6) HORNET (large type of wasp; waspish flyer) Anagram of (brewed) NOTE HERNIC excluding (not) the letters in NICE HORNET* |
BALTO |
| 2 | Cosmetic drug users exposed (5)
TONER (a cosmetic) STONERS (drug users) excluding the outer letters (exposed) S and S TONER |
|
| 3 | Spiteful editor deleted central thread of enlightening column (4)
WICK (central piece [thread] of a candle [enlightening column]) WICKED (spiteful) excluding (deleted) ED (editor) WICK |
|
| 4 | Angelic character trims upswept crest of hair (6)
SERAPH (an angel of the highest of the nine orders; angelic character) PARES (cuts; trims) reversed (upswept; down entry) + H (first letter of [crest of] HAIR) SERAP< H |
|
| 5 |
Occasionally doze, usually at the proper time (4) Occasionally doually at the proper time (4) DULY (at the proper time) DULY (letters 1,3, 5 and 7 [occasionally] of DoUaLlY) DULY |
ZEUS |
| 6 | One prone to swap vowels for lesson in Selkirk (4)
LEIR (Scottish [Selkirk] word for a lesson) LIER (one lying down; one prone) with the central two vowels swapped round to form LEIR LEIR |
|
| 7 | Very noisy revolutionary taking money for elderly, judging by appearances (7)
VISNOMY (an archaic [elderly] word for physiognomy [the art of judging character from appearance]) V (very) + (an anagram of (revolutionary) NOISY containing [taking] M [money]) V ISNO (M) Y* |
|
| 9 | Scottish birds in pollarded bush surrounded by predators (7)
CUSHATS (Scottish word for ring doves or woodpigeons; Scottish birds) BUSH excluding the first or top letter (pollarded) B, contained in (surrounded by) CATS (predators) C (USH) ATS |
|
| 13 | Pen first letter by independent large plant (7)
QUILLAI (the soapbark tree; a plant) QUILL (old type of pen) + A (first letter [of the alphabet]) + I [independent]) QUILL A I |
|
| 15 | Like 13 well-known Federalists primarily replaced by Republican (6)
RAMOUS (branched, like the QUILLAI tree at 13 down) FAMOUS (well-known with F (first letter of [primarily] Federalists) replaced by (replaced by) R (Republican) to form RAMOUS RAMOUS |
|
| 18 | A pill recipe and home remedy for malaria (7)
ATABRIN (mepacrine [a bitter yellow powder derived from acridine dye compounds, formerly used against malaria]) A + TAB (pill) + R (recipe) + IN (home) A TAB R IN |
|
| 19 | Tense rowing teams lacking cap and legwear (6)
TIGHTS (legwear) T (tense) + EIGHTS (rowing teams) excluding the first letter (lacking cap) E T IGHTS |
|
| 22 | Lacking restraint, like smaller portion? (7)
BITLESS (without the restraining bit of the bridle that a horse holds in its mouth) BIT LESS (descriptive of a smaller portion) BIT LESS |
|
| 24 |
The Left tips off Oxbridge Exam Authority regarding pass for bristly individual (7) The Left tips of bridge Exam Authority regarding pass for bristly individual (7) BEARDIE (person with a BEARD; a bristly individual) BEAR (first letters of [left tips of] each of Bridge Exam Authority and REGARDING) + DIE (pass [away]) BEAR DIE |
FOX |
| 28 | Secure holding arms – not one shot in retreat (6)
PINION (confine [secure] by holding or binding the arm) (NO [not] + I [Roman numeral for one] + NIP [shot of whisky, for example]) all reversed (in retreat) (PIN I ON)< |
|
| 30 | In entertainment venue, rector nowhere to be found, Sturgeon finally blessed thistles (6)
CNICUS (there is a Mediterranean thistle known as CNICUS Benedictus or blessed thistle) N (last letter of [finally] STURGEON) contained in (in) CIRCUS (an entertainment venue) excluding (nowhere to be found) R (rector) C (N) ICUS |
|
| 33 | Plain mobile confiscated by parent (5)
PAMPA (a vast treeless plain in southern S America) M (mobile) contained in (confiscated by) PAPA (a parent) PA (M) PA |
|
| 35 | Old Airline originally employed Glaswegian couple (4)
TWAE (Scottish [Glaswegian] word for two [a couple]) TWA (Trans World Airlines [a former [old] airline acquired by American Airlines in 2001]) + E (first letter of [originally] EMPLOYED) TWA E |
|
| 36 | Historically concealing architectural features (4)
TORI (plural of torus [an architectural term for a large moulding, semicircular or nearly so in section, common at the base of a column]) TORI (hidden word in [concealing] HISTORICALLY) TORI |
|
| 37 | Bread changing hands for African currency (4)
LOTI (currency in the African country of Lesotho) ROTI (in Indian and Caribbean cooking, a cake of unleavened bread) with R (right hand) changing to L [left hand] – changing hands to form LOTI LOTI |
This was a very enjoyable Inquisitor with an interesting theme, on a subject I knew nothing about. It developed very nicely such that when the grid was about half full I had found three of the four names (ZEUS, BALTO and TOGO), and by looking up Balto I found that remarkable story of endurance and bravery in Wikipedia (the 1925 serum run to Nome). After that the question in the perimeter made complete sense.
I liked very much the precision in the clues and the very neat hiding places of the four huskies. (Having got ZEUS first, my first thoughts on a possible theme ran along lines far removed from Alaska and the huskies!)
Thanks to Luxor and Duncan.
Much enjoyed here — many thanks to Luxor and duncanshiell. Another nifty example of IQ opening up vistas of quirky knowledge. The first names I saw were BALTO and ZEUS: Googling them now leads to the right information, including an animated film based on the great serum run, but on the weekend of IQ the search turned up a different animation which proved to be a red herring — a film called Balto or Baltocules that parodied Hercules with dog characters and featured the god Zeus. I wonder whether Google learns from IQ solvers’ searches?
As others have said, a nice centenary puzzle opening up new vistas of knowledge. I suspect that, for Americans of a certain generation, this is a story that everyone would have known about, but it wasn’t included in the tales of heroic endurance that I met as a child (the Americans probably didn’t get Scott of the Antarctic). Zeus feels the odd dog out here; the other three seem to have been leaders of some of the teams that were mobilised to deliver the serum, with Balto the one that led the final leg, but I found Zeus only in a later photo of one of the sledders with their team. Thanks to Lexus and Duncan for an enjoyable and instructive puzzle.
You’d either have to know the story or do some pretty extensive reading to verify the names of the 2 lesser-known participants
A steady gridfill with quite a few uncommon words. I thought all the clues were very solid except for 32A – the wordplay seemed to offer 2 Ss. My first team member was Zeus which, of course, got me looking for other Olympians. When I did find the other three, the need for their removal was quite clear and unambiguous. I soon had enough perimeter letters to make a stab at the message, getting all except the SE corner. I don’t think I would have got that without the remaining letters in the unchecked list. I spotted the 19 letters to highlight before checking the event on-line. I had difficulty confirming all 4 dogs, especially Fox which I did find eventually.
Another education for me! Thanks, and welcome, to Luxor for and enjoyable puzzle and, of course, to Duncan.
What a superb tale to use as an idea for an IQ puzzle. We once met a guy who entered the Iditarod race in Alaska on more than one occasion – an amazing ordeal. However, the teams mentioned had a hard time too with lives depending on a successful journey. It was not easy finding the names of all the dogs but each piece we read added a bit more information to the story which was enjoyable.
The crossword was enjoyable too!
Thanks Luxor and welcome to the IQ setting team and thanks to Duncan for the blog.
I found Balto very early on and got the story via Google straightaway, which helped a lot (and I didn’t bother double checking there that Zeus was one of the related dogs!)
What an incredible tale and a great puzzle thank you
Chief pleasure here, in a very enjoyable puzzle, was the uncovering of the well-disguised dogs – not including Brian Blessed, as gradually became evident. As I was making solid progress, I refrained from search engines until the end, though I had a blip thinking it was 1995 (when a relevant film came out) rather than 1925. Thanks to Luxor and Duncan.