It’s a Friday in the Independent cryptic crossword series, so unsurprisingly we have a puzzle from Phi to soleve.
Phi frequently has themes to his puzzles and today’s grid references the final Discworld novel of Terry Pratchett [1948 – 2015]. This novel, entitled SHEPHERD’S CROWN, appears across the bottom row of the grid. It is one of five novels featuring the WITCH, TIFFANY ACHING.
I am not an expert on Terry Pratchett novels, so there may well be some other thematic material in the grid.
It was obvious which I had to be omitted from I CHING in the wordplay for ACHING at 21 across, but often the setter does indicate which occurrence of a duplicate letter has to be removed.
SWELL ORGAN at 17 across was a new term to me, but the crossing letters dictated SWELL and it fitted the definition of bigwaig.
We have two London suburbs amongst the entries but I don’t think either have a link to Pratchett.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Pagan woman using intelligence against the church (5)
WITCH (an example of a pagan woman) WIT (intelligence) + (against) CH (church) WIT CH |
| 4 | French at home: small space, note, poor internally (2,7)
EN FAMILLE (French phrase meaning ‘at home’) EN (printing term equivalent to the width of a letter N; small space) + (ILL [poor] contained in [internally] FAME [note]) EN FAM (ILL) E |
| 9 | No good abandoning cursing about latest respectful greeting (7)
EFFENDI (generally, in the Eastern Mediterranean, a title of respect for educated or high-ranking people; respectful greeting) EFFING (cursing) excluding (abandoning) NG (no good) and containing (about) END (last; latest) EFF (END) I |
| 10 | Nice, struggling to contain its sea flowing back, covering particular area (7)
ENDEMIC (confined to a particular area; covering particular area) Anagram of (struggling) NICE containing (to contain) MED (MEDiterranean Sea. Nice lies on the coast of the MED) reversed (flowing back) EN (DEM<) IC* |
| 11 | Computer displays our dates after manipulation (4-4)
READ-OUTS (diplays of computer output on a screen; computer displays) Wikipedia tells me that Terry Pratchett was an early adopter of computers to write novels. Anagram of (after manipulation) OUR DATES READ-OUTS* |
| 12 | Entirely supply copyright? That’s a boost (6)
FILLIP (a boost) FILL (supply entirely) + IP (intellectual property; copyright material) FILL IP |
| 14 | Revealing a lot of flesh, but no wicked spirit? Heavens (3)
SKY (the heavens) SKIMPY (descriptive of an outfit revealing a lot of flesh) excluding (but no) IMP (wicked spirit) SKY |
| 15 | British are missing former PM from part of London (10)
BLACKHEATH (area of London) B (British) + LACK (are missing) + HEATH (reference Edward HEATH [1916 – 2005], UK Prime Minister from 1970 to 1974) B LACK HEATH |
| 17 | Newspaper, say, fronted by bigwig offering source of music (5,5)
SWELL ORGAN (A set of pipes on an organ housed in a box (swell box) fitted with a shutter operated by a pedal, which can be opened or closed to control the volume; a source of music) SWELL (bigwig) + ORGAN (a term for a newspaper – ORGAN of the press) SWELL ORGAN |
| 19 | Protection from sun and warmth, dissipating energy (3)
HAT (an item of clothing offering protection from the sun) HEAT (warmth) excluding (dissipating) E (energy) HAT |
| 21 | A system of divination I ignored, expressing desire (6)
ACHING (expressing desire) A + I CHING (an ancient Chinese system of divination) excluding the first I (I ignored) A CHING |
| 22 | Supplier of eggs mostly beset by small guy and comrade (8)
TOVARICH (comrade, as a form of address) (OVARY [supplier of eggs] excluding the final letter [mostly] Y) contained in (surrounded by) TICH (very small person; small guy) T (OVAR) ICH |
| 24 | Traffic control around college is not extensive (7)
CONCISE (brief but pertinent; not extensive) CONE (object used in traffic control) containing (around) (C [college] + IS) CON (C IS) E |
| 25 | Articles about British actor in poor performance as patriarch (7)
ABRAHAM (first of the Hebrew patriarchs) ([A {indefinite article} + A {indefinitie article} giving articles] containing [about] BR [British]) + HAM (incompetent actor; actor in poor performance) A (BR) A HAM |
| 27 | Looks after outhouses around pub with hesitation (9)
SHEPHERDS (tends; cares for; looks after) SHEDS (outhouses) containing (around) (PH [public house; pub] + ER [expression of hesitation]) SHE (PH ER) DS |
| 28 | Boast having attained new leading position (5)
CROWN (king, for example, holder of a leading position) CROW (boast) + N (new) CROW N |
| Down | |
| 1 | Go and cry endlessly (3)
WEE (urinate; go) WEEP (cry) excluding the final letter (endlessly) P WEE |
| 2 | Argument over some American designer (7)
TIFFANY (Charles Lewis TIFFANY (1812 – 1902) was an American businessman and jewellery designer who founded New York City’s TIFFANY & Co. in 1837) TIFF (argument) + ANY (some) – this being a down entry, TIFF appears above (over) ANY TIFF ANY |
| 3 | Husband seen from the rear in part of London (6)
HENDON (area of London) H (husband) + END ON (seen from the rear) H END ON |
| 4 | Soon erasing line about gun in correspondence (10)
EPISTOLARY (a book containing the Epistles [letters, correspondence], used for readings in church) EARLY (soon) excluding (erasing) L (line),containing (about) PISTOL (gun) E (PISTOL) ARY |
| 5 | Unconstrained bank elevating source of finance (4)
FREE (unconstrained) REEF (shoal or bank) with the letter F (first letter of [source of] Finance) moved up this down entry to form FREE FREE |
| 6 | Strength to stay at home around day 12 (8)
MIDNIGHT (12 0’clock in the evening) MIGHT (strength) containing (to stay) (IN [at home] containing [around] D [day]) M (I (D) N) IGHT |
| 7 | Thin plate, unsatisfactory, all turned upside down (7)
LAMELLA (thin plate or layer) LAME (unsatisfactory) + ALL reversed (turned upside down; down entry) LAME LLA< |
| 8 | Chap struggling with the sea beginning to consider ship’s emergency feature (6,5)
ESCAPE HATCH (feature on a ship allowing crew and passengers to escape in an emergency) Anagram of (struggling) CHAP and (with) THE SEA and C (first letter of [beginning to] Consider) ESCAPE HATCH* |
| 11 | More than one opposition is brought in to stop experts limiting navy (11)
RESISTANCES (two or more [more than one] oppositions) (IS contained in [brought in] REST [to stop]) + (ACES [experts] containing [limiting] N [navy]) RES (IS) T A (N) CES |
| 13 | South Americans rampaging on a crusade (10)
ECUADORANS (citizens of the country of ECUADOR; South Americans). Collins lists ECUADORAN as an alternative spelling of Ecuadorian or Ecuadorean) Anagram of (rampaging) ON A CRUSADE ECUADORANS* |
| 16 | Like a family fight about pub kept up (8)
CLANNISH (like a CLAN or family) CLASH (fight) containing (about) INN (public house; pub) reversed (kept up; down entry) CLA (NNI<) SH |
| 18 | Improve opportunity, dismissing Conservative for English Nationalist (7)
ENHANCE (improve) CHANCE (opportunity) with (E [English] + N [Nationalust]) replacing (for) the excluded (dismissing) C (Conservative) E N HANCE |
| 19 | Temperature dropping from peak, not entirely warm – oh well! (5-2)
HEIGH-HO (expression of weariness or routine, denoting a similar sentiment to the phrase ‘oh well’) HEIGHT (a peak) excluding (dropping) T (temperature) + HOT (warm) excluding the final letter (not entirely) T HEIGH–HO |
| 20 | Excellent, mostly sumptuous material (6)
FABRIC (material) FAB (FABulous; excellent) + RICH (sumptuous) excluding the final letter (mostly) H FAB RIC |
| 23 | Tolerate conflict enveloping Europe (4)
WEAR (tolerate) WAR (conflict) containing (enveloping) E (Europe) W (E) AR |
| 26 | Intend to dismiss a squad? (3)
MEN (group of soldiers; squad) MEAN (intend) excluding (to dismiss) A MEN |
I shall wear midnight is a Discworld novel
Enjoyed the puzzle. Thanks Phi.
Detailed and neat blog. Thanks duncanshiell.
EN FAMILLE (TILT), EFFENDI, FILLIP, MIDNIGHT, ENHANCE and HEIGH-HO.
Bit of Russian in 22ac, a change from the usual French, Spanish, Latin and German bits (although dacha turns up here and there). A neat enough puzzle, solved without any idea of theme. Pratchett, admired by many, has never crossed my path, either in print or on screen. Enjoyed it ntl, ta Phi and duncan.
Phi back on form, albeit, Discworld and me are total strangers.
It didn’t spoil a good puzzle… ‘though I had a few Roger Moore eyebrow moments.
Hendon (3d) AND Blackheath (15ac) in one grid?
EN FAMILLE (4ac) yet again; and TOVARICH (22ac).
Re the former, I suppose it is an established expression; I think of it as “all our family together”, as in, “let’s go out for a picnic, en famille” , but I accept the French may use it to mean “at home”.
Not sure if Tovarich is in the same boat? i.e. is it much used? I only recognise it from studying Russian 50 years ago, when the phonetic ending was explained:- as in “Swedi[SH CH]eese, so TovariSHCH.
Then again, I thought it was “TITCH”, rather than TICH”, but I find both are valid, and indeed, “tich” was the forerunner, as in “Little Tich”, the strange music hall act from the late 1800s. ( He died in Hendon, oddly enough).
And finally, SWELL ORGAN (17ac) was a hard one: I only vaguely recall it, but that’s old age for you.
Entertaining stuff, theme forgiven,
Bolshoy Nostrovia, Phi + Duncan
I think more Tiffany Aching novels are in the grid – the WEE FREE MEN, HAT full of SKY, I shall WEAR MIDNIGHT
I could not find any support for that spelling of ECUADORIANS although the alternative parsed OK
I tried hard enough but I know a native so I’ll check with her.
According to her, you can feel the gravitational pull as its right in the ECUATOR!
ECUADORAN is given by Collins, though it seems to be rare. It has the advantage of avoiding having to decide between the -EAN and -IAN options.
I really should have tried to get WINTERSMITH in somehow, to complete the set.
Thanks for popping in Phi-I do have a Collins dic but its a French English one.
A good double act today and at least that spelling parsed.
Missed the theme, despite having read all the Discworld books – my favourite series.
Grant & ENB @ 3 and 4: For my money, they are not only the funniest novels I have read, but at their best, also themost thought-provoking and philospohical.
Great to have a doble dose of PH today, as Phi and Pangakupu
Goujeers@9 OK, you’ve sold it to me. Which book should I read first? Make it a short one….I am very old.
E.N.Boll& @10
I would suggest Mort
I’ve never read any Disc world, though many friends have recommended them. Must get round to it sometime. It didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the puzzle.
For 4d EPISTOLARY, I took the definition to be ‘in correspondence’ and broader than the religious sense mentioned in the blog. An EPISTOLARY novel, for example is one using a series of letters to unfold the plot, i.e. written ‘in correspondence’.
Thanks Phi and duncan.
muffin@11 I shall obey your command, in the hope that “mort” is a book suggestion, as opposed to my next move.
@13
Suggestion only! You will discover that Death rides a horse called Binky, though.
muffin: I am up to the pony in a straw hat, and thought…aha!
But that was a clue today in the FT.
I have ridden many horses, with many strange names.
My Russian Warmblood hunter had a registered name with 33 letters. I just called him “Tosh”.
I shall continue my reading. Sound choice, enjoying it, thank you. Ian B
Back in the day when you could take the 1D out of classmates of smaller stature we’d have had a T in Titch.
There must be sn earworm in here to go with the bookworm. This is when we miss Frankie.
Thanks both.
A day late here. But isn’t the American designer more likely to be Louis Comfort Tiffany of stained-glass fame than his father Charles Lewis (who did found the jewelry company but was not primarily a designer)?
ENB@11: Muffin’s suggestion of Mort is good