The closing date for this Spectator was earlier than usual, so we are publishing the blog earlier as well
Spectator puzzles have several unclued lights which have something in common. The preamble this week told us that the unclued lights (when taken as an individual, three pairs and one trio) are of a kind, verifiable in Chambers (13th edition)
My biggest problem was deducing the unclued lights. I should have paid more attention to the title ‘Herrlines’, which, with hindsight, suggests a German theme. The entry at 11 across, FROR, finally confirmed the German theme. I studied German at school, so UND SO WEITER was the first pair of unclued lights to fall.
Eventually, I realised that I might find the other unclued lights in the appendix of ‘phrases and quotations from foreign languages’ at the back of Chambers Dictionary. I don’t have the print copy of Chambers 13th Edition, but I do have the 11th and 12th Editions and the German phrases are in both. They are also on the 2005 Chambers CD-ROM application.
The individual unclued light was at 1 across as EILE MIT WEILE (make speed with leisure)
The three pairs were:
17 and 31 across UND SO WEITER (and so forth)
19 down and 18 across EIN MAL, KEIN MAL (just once counts nothing)
37 down and 30 down GOTT MIT UNS (God with us)
The trio was found at:
43 across, 20 down and 38 across GROSSE SEELEN DULDEN STILL (great souls suffer in silence), a quote from the historical tragedy Don Carlos by Friedrich von Schiller [1759 – 1805]
The normal clues were a good mix of types and difficulty. With The Ashes series starting the day after this puzzle was published, USMAN [Khawaja] was a topical entry at 24 across.
The game jai alai, referenced in the clue at 29 across was a new game for me, but a bit of research confirmed the answer CESTA (based on the French language for this entry).
I enjoy Spectator crosswords, but I thought the link between the unclued lights this week was slightly bizarre. If you didn’t have a copy of Chambers and had absolutely no knowledge of German I’m not sure you would have come up with some of the entries.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
Unclued EILE MIT WEILE |
| 10 | Father Gold froze thematically (4)
FROR (German word for ‘froze’ – German words and phrases form the theme for this crossword) FR (father) + OR (the tincture gold) FR OR |
| 12 | Awkward bra stealer can be nicked (10)
ARRESTABLE (capable of being nicked [arrested]) Anagram of (awkward) BRA STEALER ARRESTABLE* |
| 14 | An indefinitely large number of alcaics – not odd! (3)
LAC (Indian and Pakistani word for an indefinitely vast number) LAC (letters 2, 4 and 6 [even letters, not odd] of aLcAiCs) LAC |
| 15 | OK turning west, pulled along and grovelled (8)
KOWTOWED (grovelled) OK reversed (turning) + W (west) + TOWED (pulled along) KO< W TOWED |
| 17 |
Unclued UND SO |
| 18 |
Unclued KEIN MAL |
| 19 | Two journalists admitting half the article has been blue-pencilled (6)
EDITED (blue-pencilled) (ED [editor; journalist] + ED [editor; journalist] – giving two journalists) containing (admitting) IT (first two letters of four [half] in ITem [article]) ED (IT) ED |
| 22 | Anger cut short in pursuit of peace (6)
IRENIC (tending to create peace; in pursuit of peace) IRE (anger) + NICk (cut] excluding the final letter K (short) IRE NIC |
| 24 | Australia’s Khawaja is chap from the States (5)
USMAN (reference the Australian batter, USMAN Khawaja [born 1986]) US ([from] the United States) + MAN (chap) US MAN |
| 26 | Metal ring for Jamaican musicians (5,4)
STEEL BAND (metal ring) STEEL BAND (West Indian band that could be formed by Jamaican musicians) double definition STEEL BAND |
| 27 | Cutting grass and tidying up after start of summer (9)
STRIMMING (cutting grass) S (first letter of (start of) Summer) + TRIMMING (setting in order; tidying up) S TRIMMING |
| 29 | In France it is a basket used when playing jai alai (5)
CESTA (in jai alai [a version of pelota played by 2 to 4 players], the long basket used to throw and catch the ball) C’EST (French for ‘it is’) + A CEST A |
| 31 |
Unclued WEITER |
| 34 | Continue to exist and have a specific diet (4,2)
LIVE ON (continue to exist) LIVE ON (eat only a specific few items, but eat them regularly) double definition LIVE ON |
| 36 | ‘I first’ is for such a person (7) — I think ‘such a person’ should read .... ‘such people’ as there are enough cells to enter the plural of EGOIST. The entry can’t be the singular EGOTIST as the crossing letters preclude this)
EGOISTS (people who think or speak too much of themselves; people who frequently use the pronoun I) EGOISTS – There doesn’t seem to be any wordplay beyond a cryptic definition. EGOISTS |
| 38 |
Unclued STILL |
| 39 | Clearly heading towards studying at university? (2,6)
ON COURSE (following the right direction; clearly heading towards) ON COURSE (studying a University, College or School course) double definition ON COURSE |
| 40 | Rod’s letter is spoken of (3)
CUE (in billiards or snooker, a long tapered shaft or rod with a leather tip, used to drive the white or spotted white ball) CUE (sounds like [is spoken of] the letter Q) CUE |
| 41 | Feat of chaps in disgrace (10)
ATTAINMENT (achievement; feat) MEN (chaps) contained in (in) ATTAINT (to disgrace) ATTAIN (MEN) T |
| 42 | Pity it has only four chapters (4)
RUTH (compassion or pity) RUTH (RUTH is one of the shortest Books in the Old Testament, having only four chapters) double definition RUTH |
| 43 |
Unclued GROSSE SEELEN |
| Down | |
| 2 | Rebuilt gantries or frames in fireplaces (4,6)
IRON GRATES (frames in fireplace) Anagram of (rebuilt) GANTRIES OR IRON GRATES* |
| 3 | Removing all traces of time to celebrate (7)
ERASING (rubbing out; destroying; removing all traces of) ERA ([division of geological] time) + SING (celebrate) ERA SING |
| 4 | In the kirk, edgy and annoyed (5)
IRKED (annoyed) IRKED (hidden word in [ in the] kIRK EDgy) IRKED |
| 5 | Wild Picts riot, having such involuntary reflex reactions (9)
TROPISTIC (relating to orientation in response to stimulus; having involuntary reflex reactions) Anagram of (wild) PICTS RIOT TROPISTIC* |
| 6 | Consider end of Close Encounters upset (6)
ESTEEM (consider or think) E (last letter of [end of] closE) + MEETS (encounters) reversed (upset) E STEEM< |
| 7 | Spoke of area of Argyll and Bute’s grasslands (5)
LAWNS (grasslands) LAWNS (sounds like [spoke of] Lorne’s [Lorne is an ancient province in the west of Scotland, which is now a district in the Argyll and Bute council area]) LAWNS |
| 8 | M*A*S*H star appearing during formal dances (4)
ALDA (reference Alan ALDA [born 1936], American actor and filmmaker who played Captain Benjamin ‘Hawkeye’ Pierce in the television series M*A*S*H between 1972 and 1983) ALDA (hidden word in [appearing during] formAL DAnces) ALDA |
| 9 | Without doubt, you and I will turn round with lady (4,3,5)
WELL AND TRULY (completely; thoroughly; without doubt) WE’LL (you and I [we] will] + an anagram of (round) TURN and LADY WELL AND TRULY* |
| 11 | Sweet spinsters and lords and ladies ignored island at sea (3,5)
OLD DEARS (sweet old ladies) Anagram of (at sea) LORds anD lADiES excluding (ignored) the letters of ISLAND OLD DEARS* |
| 13 | Most of the month with one American salad – a tragedy (6,6)
JULIUS CAESAR (The full title of Shakespeare’s play is the Tragedy of JULIUS CAESAR; a tragedy) JULy (month) excluding the final letter Y (briefly) + I (Roman numeral for one) + US (American) + CAESAR (a type of salad) JUL I US CAESAR |
| 16 | End of problems on German river (3)
EMS (river in North West Germany) EMS (final three letters of [end of] problEMS) EMS |
| 19 |
Unclued EINMAL |
| 20 |
Unclued DULDEN |
| 21 | Like some leaves moving all at once, absorbing energy (10)
LANCEOLATE (descriptive of a leaf shape; like some leaves) Anagram of (moving) ALL AT ONCE containing (absorbing) E (energy) LANC (E) OLATE* |
| 23 | State notes Rector has left diocese (9)
TENNESSEE (American State) TENNErS (Ten Pound notes) excluding (has left) R (rector) + SEE (diocese) TENNES SEE |
| 25 | Hate Tim out with posh French boy (8)
MATTHIEU (French boy’s name) Anagram of (out) HATE TIM + U (upper-class; posh) MATTHIE* U |
| 28 | Match the sink, say (7)
FIXTURE (a match between two teams) FIXTURE (a sink is a FIXTURE in a kitchen or bathroom) double definition FIXTURE |
| 30 |
Unclued MIT UNS |
| 32 | Hundredweight! (3)
TON (informal term for one hundred, e.g. as a cricket score or a speed of 100 mph) TON (a weight) double definition TON |
| 33 | Parish priest and little girl by vehicle (5)
VICAR (parish priest) VI (short form of [little] VIolet [girl’s name]) + CAR (vehicle) VI CAR |
| 35 | Signs round loo (5)
OMENS (signs) O (a round-shaped character) + MENS (gents loo) O MENS |