A characteristically fun geographically themed puzzle from Gozo. Find it to solve online or download and print at ft.com/crossword
The usual preamble:
A cryptic puzzle themed on one particular place in the world. Its name should be inserted at 12 across. Work out the place by solving the * asterisked clues. Their solutions have some relevance to the place, such as famous people, locations and culture
An enjoyable puzzle from the veteran setter. I surprised myself by how much I apparently know about Orkney, though I’ve never been there – the closest I’ve got being seeing it in the distance when I arrived at the finish of my Land’s End to John O’Groats bike ride in 2016. Really must visit one day. It was only when I came to write up the blog that I noticed the quite high number of anagrams (or partial anagrams) and hidden words, which are two of the easier types of cryptic clue to solve, with all the letters of the answer there in plain sight in the clue. The main difficulty with anagrams is that if you’re unfamiliar with the solution, it can require a bit of guesswork to fashion the letters into the correct order, which was the case for me today with 8 across – but there were only two possible options once you had the crossing letters in place so not too tricky.
Thanks, Gozo!
Thematic clues are marked by an asterisk and have no further definition. Definitions in non-themed clues are underlined.
| ACROSS | ||
| 8 | HAMNAVOE |
* Poor actor by Avon swirling close to Pershore (8)
|
| HAM (poor actor) + anagram (swirling) of AVON + last letter of (close to) pershorE
Hamnavoe is the old Viking name for Stromness, also the name of a ferry that operates between Orkney and the Scottish mainland |
||
| 9 | TRIERS |
They never give up being essayists (6)
|
| Two definitions | ||
| 10 | AYR |
Racecourse around 21 … (3)
|
| Anagram (around) of RAY (solution to 21) | ||
| 11 | ROYAL OAK |
* … taking a look around with 10 (5,3)
|
| Anagram of A LOOK + AYR
HMS Royal Oak was torpedoed by a German submarine while anchored at Scapa Flow in Orkney in 1939 |
||
| 12 | ORKNEY |
[see Setter Notes] (6)
|
| The place to which the solutions to all asterisked clues are connected | ||
| 13/7 | SKARA BRAE |
* Rough rakes holding graceful horse (5,4)
|
| Anagram (rough) of RAKES containing (holding) ARAB (graceful horse)
A well-preserved Neolithic settlement on the west coast of Orkney’s Mainland |
||
| 14 | GLENGARRY |
Two boys’ Highland cap (9)
|
| GLEN + GARRY (two boys) | ||
| 17 | GRIMOND |
* Muck endlessly on edge of door-step (7)
|
| GRIM[e] (muck) less its last letter (endlessly) + ON + first letter (edge) of Door-step
Jo Grimond, leader of the Liberal party 1956-1967, was MP for Orkney and Shetland for over 30 years |
||
| 20 | PSALTER |
Added note to change liturgical collection (7)
|
| PS (added note) + ALTER (to change) | ||
| 23 | IMPLICATE |
Involve scoundrel with story about Tom (9)
|
| IMP (scoundrel) + LIE (story) about CAT (tom) | ||
| 29 | LAW LORDS |
Judicial peers swapped dollars with wife (3,5)
|
| Anagram (swapped) of DOLLARS + W (wife) | ||
| 31 | URI |
Spoon-bender seen in Turin (3)
|
| Hidden in tURIn
Illusionist Uri Geller who became famous in the 1970s for his apparent ability to bend spoons using the power of his mind |
||
| 32 | MAGNUS |
* Mum has given voice on the way back (6)
|
| MA (mum) + SUNG (given voice) reversed (on the way back)
Saint Magnus Erlendsson, aka Magnus the Martyr, was Earl of Orkney in the early 12th century |
||
| 33 | ALSATIAN |
Dog Latin as a translation (8)
|
| Anagram (translation) of LATIN AS A | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FAROUK |
Game of chance with duke stripped by former king (6)
|
| FARO (game of chance) + [d]UK[e] with outer letters removed (stripped)
Farouk I was King of Egypt from 1936 until he was ousted in a military coup in 1952 |
||
| 2 | UNFAIR |
Not just an amusement park female left (6)
|
| FUNFAIR (amusement park) less F (female) | ||
| 3 | AVRO |
Aircraft manufacturer from Calverton appearing at intervals (4)
|
| Alternate letters (appearing at intervals) from cAlVeRtOn | ||
| 4 | SEAKALE |
Coastal plant cooked as a leek (7)
|
| Anagram (cooked) of AS A LEEK | ||
| 5 | STROMNESS |
* Head of sea monster’s ghastly (9)
|
| First letter (head) of Sea + anagram (ghastly) of MONSTER’S
Second largest town of Orkney |
||
| 6 | KIRKWALL |
* Spooner’s business visit (8)
|
| Spoonerism of “WORK CALL” (business visit)
Largest town of Orkney |
||
| 13 | SAG |
Decline during previous ages (3)
|
| Hidden in (during) previouS AGes | ||
| 15 | RYE |
Every elephant eats this cereal (3)
|
| eveRY Elephant contains (eats) this | ||
| 16 | ANSCHLUSS |
Reviewed UN’s clash with second German political union (9)
|
| Anagram (reviewed) of UN’S CLASH + S (second)
The annexation by Germany of Austria in 1938 |
||
| 18 | RAM |
Mark Ramprakash reveals farm animal going up and down (3)
|
| Hidden twice in two directions (going up and down) in MARk RAMprakash
Mark Ramprakash is a former England cricketer |
||
| 19 | MILLPOND |
Record playing in calm, calm waters (8)
|
| LP (record) + ON (playing) in MILD (calm) | ||
| 22/27 | ITALIAN CHAPEL |
* Cappella? (7,6)
|
| Cappella is ITALIAN for CHAPEL
The Italian chapel on the Orkney island of Lamb Holm was built by two Italian prisoners of war from converted Nissen huts |
||
| 25 | FLOTTA |
* Flat renovated with old-time fittings (6)
|
| Anagram (renovated) of FLAT + O (old) + T (time)
One of the Orkney islands, home of a naval base in the second world war |
||
| 26/24 | OLD MAN OF HOY |
* Slow Horses star accepting yoof theory now and then (3,3,2,3)
|
| OLDMAN (Gary Oldman, star of Slow Horses) + alternate letters (now and then) of yOoF tHeOrY
A 139m-tall stack of rock in the sea off the west coast of Hoy, one of the Orkney islands |
||
| 28 | HEAT |
Warm-up event? (4)
|
| Could be read either as two definitions or one cryptic definition – a heat being an early eliminating round in a competition, hence a “warm-up” before the final | ||
| 30/21 | WESTRAY |
* You and I wander off (7)
|
| WE (you and I) + wander off (stray)
One of the Orkney islands |
I have been to Orkney so the puzzle was quite easy once I had figured out the theme. The islands are certainly worth visiting.
St . Magnus is the name of the cathedral in Kirkwall. The Italian Chapel is quite an elaborate building built by teams of Italian pows. Relations between Italy and Orkney have endured and Italian artists have been involved in the preservation of the chapel and its quite elaborate paintings.
Thanks Gozo for the puzzle and congrats to Widdersbel for a great blog without the benefit of a visit.
I thought Hmm, political union? Invasion, surely. So the effect of the War had remained til now! Of the theme, the Hoy thing rang a bell but I’d no idea what it was, and Royal Oak similarly. Finished feeling a bit dim, but hey ho, thanks anyway, always good to learn.