This month’s geographically themed puzzle is brought to us by Gaff. 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 30 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
A fun but tricky puzzle. There’s some witty, inventive clueing – I liked “utterly” in 12 across and “barefoot” in 26 across among other things, and 21 across is very neat. I’ve been to Cornwall several times in my life but still needed internet assistance to confirm a couple of the thematic clues. Some of the parsing took a fair bit of whittling out but I managed to resolve everything except 1 across, which has left me baffled. Any suggestions welcome.
Thanks for an enjoyable puzzle, Gaff!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. Thematic clues are marked with an asterisk and have no further definition.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | WEBBED |
Go out in matched feet may be (6)
|
| No idea! | ||
| 4 | STARGAZY |
* Watch night sky with your first sweetheart gone (8)
|
| STARGAZ[e] (watch night sky) + first letter of Your less the middle letter (heart) of swEet
A traditional Cornish pie containing pilchards, made with their heads poking out through the pastry topping. I remember first learning about this delicacy from Blue Peter many years ago. Still never tried it though |
||
| 11 | REBECCA |
* Fiddle from 16th century approximately (7)
|
| REBEC (fiddle from 16th century) + CA (approximately)
Last night I dreamt of Manderley… the Cornish setting for the 1938 gothic novel by Daphne Du Maurier |
||
| 12 | DAYS |
Suns maybe confuse utterly (4)
|
| Sounds like “DAZE” (confuse) | ||
| 13 | EPICARDIAL |
Saga with a first rate twist about protection for the heart (10)
|
| EPIC (saga) + A + first letter of Rate + DIAL (twist?)
The epicardium is the protective outer layer of the heart. I assume dial is intended in a verbal sense, as in using a dial by twisting it |
||
| 15 | UPBEAT |
Positive it’s time to clap, sometimes (6)
|
| Two definitions – the second a music term | ||
| 16 | SASSABY |
Flip round a black antelope (7)
|
| SASSY (flip) around A + B (black) | ||
| 20 | SYLPHIC |
Skinny chips with extremely lumpy mash (7)
|
| Anagram (mash) of CHIPS + first and last letters (extremely) of LumpY | ||
| 21 | PARDON |
What a mean fellow! (6)
|
| PAR (average = mean) + DON (fellow) | ||
| 24 | ABERRATION |
Departure of top publisher with quota of eccentricity (10)
|
| [f]ABER (publisher) with first letter removed (departure of top) + RATION (quota) | ||
| 26 | BUDE |
* Shoot barefoot (4)
|
| BUD (shoot) + last letter (foot) of barE
Seaside town in Cornwall |
||
| 28/29 | SURFING BEACHES |
* Riding on board to live with pains (7,7)
|
| SURFING (riding on board) + BE (to live) + ACHES (pains)
Cornwall is famous for its surfing beaches |
||
| 30 | CORNWALL |
[See Notes] (8)
|
| The place to which all asterisked clues are connected | ||
| 31 | KERNOW |
* Family finally escapes New York rioting (6)
|
| Anagram (rioting) of NEW [y]ORK less the last letter (finally) of familY
The Cornish language name for Cornwall itself |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | WIPED OUT |
Eliminated ladies with long face about bleeding heart (5,3)
|
| WI (ladies) + POUT (long face) about the middle letters (heart) of bleEDing | ||
| 2 | BOOBY’S BAY |
* Tit’s on a tree (6,3)
|
| BOOBY’S (tit’s) + BAY (a tree)
One of Cornwall’s famous surfing beaches |
||
| 3/10 | EDEN PROJECT |
* Paradise forecast (4,7)
|
| EDEN (paradise) + PROJECT (forecast)
Botanical garden in Cornwall. Well worth a visit though I found the Lost Gardens of Heligan more interesting |
||
| 5 | TURNCOAT |
Go and skin rat (8)
|
| TURN (go) + COAT (skin) | ||
| 6 | ROBERT SHAW |
* Brother was confused (6,4)
|
| Anagram (confused) of BROTHER WAS
British actor and writer, who was nominated for an Oscar for his Henry VIII in A Man For All Seasons. He was born in Lancashire but grew up in Cornwall |
||
| 7 | ASCII |
A little science fiction without female characters (5)
|
| A + SCI-FI (science fiction) less F (female) | ||
| 8 | YEARLY |
Successful sort of bird found under unknown annual (6)
|
| EARLY (successful sort of bird) under Y (unknown) | ||
| 14 | PAY-PER-VIEW |
FT maybe reported opinion on watch without subscription (3-3-4)
|
| Sounds like “PAPER” (FT maybe) + VIEW (opinion) | ||
| 17/9 | BEDRUTHAN STEPS |
* Upset but had presents (9,5)
|
| Anagram (upset) of BUT HAD PRESENTS
Coastal rock stacks near Carnewas in Cornwall |
||
| 18 | TINTAGEL |
* Cast a clot (8)
|
| TINT (cast) + A + GEL (clot) | ||
| 19 | UNDERSOW |
Farmer’s planting technique makes us wonder (8)
|
| Anagram (makes) of US WONDER | ||
| 22 | PARSEC |
Resolve to start covering a great distance (6)
|
| PARSE (resolve) + first letter (start) of Covering | ||
| 23 | DOUBT |
Question Democrats over unity between their leaders (5)
|
| First letters (leaders) of Democrats Over Unity Between Their | ||
| 25 | ERROR |
Fear being beheaded by mistake (5)
|
| [t]ERROR (fear) less its first letter (being beheaded) | ||
| 27 | TATE |
* Secret a traitor hides in return (4)
|
| Hidden and reversed (in return) in secrET A Traitor
Outpost of the London art gallery in St Ives, Cornwall |
WEBBED
Go out=EBB
matched=WED
EBB in WED
Of course! Thanks, KVa, seems obvious now you’ve spelt it out…
Could 1ac be: EBB( go out) in
WED( matched)
Quite a challenge but fun. Never heard of some of the Cornish references.
Thanks Gaff and Widdersbel.
Harder than usual but enjoyable stuff.
Liked pardon v much.
Thx both.
Well this definitely exposed my ignorance about Cornwall. Neither pasties nor clotted cream, but an enjoyable puzzle once I had teased out some of the trickier answers.