Base – a new setter enters the fold.
Preamble: Half of the 32 clues are normal. Two characters (to be written below the grid) together connect the 4 unclued perimeter entries and 2 other symmetrically disposed grid answers (to be highlighted). Answer D completes a 4-item sequence (A-D) which solvers must deduce from the pictorial clues. A word or phrase from each of 16 clues is to be removed before solving: excisions may be sorted into 4 groups of 4, each connected by one of the 4 perimeter answers. With vowels reinstated, FR MN, B RNWV, FLW RG RL & SL RWN D each contribute to the complete title of the puzzle. 8 is in Collins.
I think I solved only 2 across clues on the first pass, which was both disappointing and worrying. I made some headway with the downs and felt better – no excisions yet but some clues looked promising contenders. A quick foray to the pictures: it soon became apparent that B was HEARTS; the leftmost A was Roy Orbison and as ROYALS fitted with 26d ODEA & 27d LEAT, I assumed that the other two were both Al something-or-other – wrong! And I had no idea what C could represent.
On the next pass (or the one after), a first breakthrough: A day in the life has to be removed from the clue for 9a, and fixing a hole from 29a. Two other Beatles’ tracks soon followed: she’s leaving home in 23a and Getting better in 24d, and all four can be found on Sgt.Pepper. That had to be one of the unclued perimeter entries, and the only slot where it would fit was across the bottom row: SGT. PEPPER’S (absent punctuation). I could see “summer nights“, a song from Grease, in clue 6d so I thought we had a general music theme … but it was not to be.
I finally realised that A ROYALS was wrong, so had another look at the pictures: the rightmost A could be The Police and the only connection between them & Roy O that I could think of were the songs “Only the Lonely” and “So Lonely”; OK, that made A LONELY, so C had to be CLUB leading to D being BAND.
Next up were the excisions from 31a height (h8), 4d as even (a7), 10d done (d1), and 12a cf our (c4): all positions on a CHESSBOARD to be entered in the far right column.
There followed the NEW ZEALAND group: 11a Nelson, 13a Hamilton, 21d Wellington, and 22d Auckland – why had it taken me so long to see these?
And finally 10a gravedigger, 17d Grand-daughter, 1d gaudy-day, and 5d Goddamned; a quick check of Gd in Chambers yielded GADOLINIUM, a rare-earth element with atomic no. 64.
Aha. “When I’m 64” is another track on Sgt.Pepper, and there are 64 squares on a chessboard, so that had to be the link. But what has 64 to do with NZ? Well, that’s the country code to be used when telephoning New Zealand. So I concluded that the “two characters (to be written below the grid)” were not people, but the numerals “64“.
“Two other symmetrically disposed grid answers” to be connected by 64: VIRGINIA and MISSOURI were prime candidates, and they are indeed connected by Interstate 64.
All that remained was the “missing vowels round”, but that was for another day …
What to make of FR MN, B RNWV, FLW RG RL & SL RWN D? Too many possibilities for FR MN, but B RNWV looked like BRAIN WAVE, FLW RG RL like FLOW ER GIRL & SL RWN D like SOLAR WIND. Nothing clicked immediately, and then … FLOWER POWER, GIRL POWER, SOLAR POWER, BRAIN POWER, etc. dawned … which meant that FR MN had to be FIRE MAN – two more POWERs.
So I concluded that “the complete title of the puzzle” is POWER BASE. Not sure what that has to do with 64, though … (2^6, 4^3, 8^2?)
Nearly forgot: the middle picture of A is Akon. I needed help with that, but could’ve discovered it myself by googling “Lonely” and “hit single”.
A great debut – somewhere in my top 5 of the year to date. Bye Base, see you again.
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue [excision] | Group | Answer | Wordplay |
| 9 | [A day in the life] of Uncle Sam, a fine, cracking bo (8) | Sgt. Pepper’s | AMERICAN | A + ERIC (fine) in MAN (bo) |
| 10 | Bludgeon old [gravedigger] with spades in environs of church (4) | Gadolinium | COSH | O(ld) & S(pades) in C(hurc)H |
| 11 | Left Navy, finally having failed Lord [Nelson] (4) | New Zealand | NEAR | N(avy) EAR(l) (lord) |
| 12 | Use correction fluid to eliminate ‘peseta’, p.10, [cf our] obligation (3) | Chessboard | TIE | TIPPEX (use correction fluid ) − P(eseta) & P & X (ten) |
| 13 | Assume [Hamilton] Academicals had back five, following quartet getting red-carded? (6) | New Zealand | ENROBE | BORNE< (had, past participle) FIVE − F(ollowing) & IV (quartet) |
| 14 | One takes new ring road round Old Dominion (8) | VIRGINIA | I (one) [RING]* in VIA (road) | |
| 15 | It’s ale with a bit of zest served to West African village bars (8) | ZAREEBAS | SA (sex appeal, it) BEER (ale) A Z(est) all< | |
| 18 | Make a rule, opening nut (4) | EARN | A R(ule) in EN (nut) | |
| 20 | 9 revoked British book over slapdash cross-reference (8, 2 words) | SUB VERBO | US< (American, answer to 9) B(ritish) [B(ook) OVER]* | |
| 23 | Mo is off across road – [she’s leaving home] (8) | Sgt. Pepper’s | MISSOURI | IS SOUR (off) in MI (M1, road) |
| 28 | What’s artist plucking? (6) | SITTAR | [ARTIST] | |
| 29 | Plugs [fixing a hole] in bad seal (3) | Sgt. Pepper’s | ADS | (b)AD S(eal) |
| 30 | Supplier of medicinal oil from the East hands round drug (4) | NEEM | E(ast) in MEN (hands) all< | |
| 31 | Masters here talked about more imposing [height] (8) | Chessboard | AUGUSTER | homophone: AUGUSTA (golf club, hosts Masters) |
| Down | ||||
| No. | Clue [excision] | Group | Answer | Wordplay |
| 1 | Australian cut [gaudy-day] cuckoo flowers (6) | Gadolinium | AMENTA | A(ustralian) MENTA(l) (cuckoo) |
| 2 | Beloved, more? Re-read novel (6) | DEARER | [RE-READ]* | |
| 3 | Liberal’s admission to swinging borders on destruction (5) | LIMBI | L(iberal) I’M BI (admission to swinging) | |
| 4 | I perceive a broadcast in places [as even] more chilling (5) | Chessboard | ICIER | homophone: I SEE A (I perceive a) |
| 5 | [Goddamned] chatterbox wound up by garden and hospital (7) | Gadolinium | NASHGAB | BAGH (garden) SAN (hospital) all< |
| 6 | A series of summer nights to get worked up about (4, 2 words) | IN RE | (summ)ER NI(ghts) < | |
| 7 | The way one follows footpath cut out a Med region (6) | MOTRIL | MO (modus operandi, the way one follows) TRAIL (footpath) − A | |
| 8 | I reside in East London? Uh-huh (4) | ISIT | I SIT (reside) {note: East London, S Afr} |
|
| 10 | Search [done]: ancestor’s hidden fortune (6) | Chessboard | CHANCE | (sear)CH ANCE(stor) |
| 16 | Introduce to company aged crew members when cycling (6) | ENSEAM | SEAMEN (crew members) with letters cycled | |
| 17 | [Grand-daughter] lifts spirits at last, solvers in bar rampant (7, 2 words) | Gadolinium | BUOYS UP | (spirit)S YOU (solvers) in PUB (bar) all< |
| 19 | Is watering down beer in “session” bottles (6) | RINSES | (bee)R IN SES(sion) | |
| 21 | [Wellington] boot half made to vanish in class turn (6) | New Zealand | ROTATE | (bo)OT in RATE (class) |
| 22 | In disrespect, a Mexican framing a Frenchman heading north to Bishop [Auckland] (6) | New Zealand | BEANER | A in RENÉ (Frenchman) B(ishop) all< |
| 24 | [Getting better] treatment from university master (5) | Sgt. Pepper’s | USAGE | U(niversity) SAGE (master) |
| 25 | What, almost, would make lass dress? (5, 2 words) | RIG UP | answer = GIR(l)< (lass) written UP | |
| 26 | It’s a pity for the audience tragedies were performed here (4) | ODEA | homophone: OH DEAR (it’s a pity) | |
| 27 | Permitted to screen adult channel supplying rustic mill (4) | LEAT | LET (permitted) around A(dult) | |
|
|
||||
A huge amount going on here and huge amount of enjoyment from it all too. Perhaps there was just a bit too much happening for it to be pure enjoyment though, and I was frustrated at the last (hence I’ve stayed up later than I would to scratch the itch that has been niggling for a week or so now). So thanks first to you HG for resolving the final line of the preamble for me (and the parsing of 13A).
There seems to be a bit more happening with the powers of 2 (and perhaps FIREMAN, BRAINWAVE, FLOWERGIRL and SOLAR WIND each being two powers is not coincidental): the preamble contains the numbers 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32, all of which are powers of 2, from 2^-1 to 2^5. Did Base tweak the puzzle so that clue 8 had to be mentioned in the preamble? Now that’s attention to detail if so.
I have to confess that I thought the first picture was Buddy Holly! Fortunately for me he sang a version of Have You Ever Been Lonely?, so no harm done.
Frustrating at times, yes, but overall a highly satisfying challenge so a big thank you to Base.
Reading this blog called to mind Ted Rogers on 3-2-1…..
Definitely lots going on this week. Sgt Pepper luckily is an album I’ve listened to (too!) many times, so a lot of the thematic stuff fell into place pretty quickly. I got what was going on with three of the groups, but couldn’t for the life of me work out what connected the chessboard entries. Not that it really mattered, because I managed to work out 64 from the other three. All in all an enjoyable puzzle, perhaps not too high on the difficulty scale.
I realise I had another question mark on my solution – can anyone justify the ‘on destruction’ in 3d? Is it a play on limbus being a border between structures, and therefore a de-structurer?
I think I disagree with Jon #3 – I’d put this near the top end for difficulty, but then maybe I was disadvantaged by my lack of Beatles knowledge.
Tough but enjoyable, despite my never having heard of the hidden Beatles songs. It took me longer to understand the significance of the answers to the missing vowels section than to complete the grid!
What is picture C meant to be, please?
@5 – It’s a mirror ball suspended from a ceiling with a load of people dancing. Such as you might see in a [night] CLUB.
Click here for more.
Thanks Kenmac. I should have gone to Specsavers…
Amazing exposition, HG. If you are not already competing in an “Only Connect” or “Hive Minds” team, then you should be !
This was yet another occasion where I completed the grid, including LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND and the perimeter, but then ground to a relative halt.
I got all four NZ and GD associations, guessed at the Sgt. Pepper ones, but completely failed on the chessboard positions (H8 etc,), the “Interstate 64” connection, and Picture C, which, like HG,I took to signify CLUB. And I could see no link between the missing vowel quartet, having been initially baffled by the curious spaces, e.g. B RNWV and SLRWN D.(Why were they there ?)
I remember when, thirty years ago, there were certain Listener super-solvers who were openly contemptuous of those resorted to reference books. I’d like to have seen how they would have got on with this one which required one to know minor pop star Ka, the dialling code for NZ, and American highway numbers.
Several weeks ago I attributed the increasing difficulty of IQ end games to setters’ fascination with Only Connect and its spin-off, Hive Minds. But I suspect that even our editor’s brilliant flame-locked consort, and her fellow Cruciverbalist team members, would have had some difficulty in spotting most of the arcane connections in this puzzle. Which is why I doff my hat in respect, yet again, to you, HG.
I guess that some of the “SX WK DLYD” prizes may not be needed this time ?
@4 O’Patrick – I was also looking for on destruction to be superfluous but on closer examination of Chambers, limbi can be the plural of either of:
limbus (anat) – the edge of an organ or part
Limbo or limbo also Limbus – the borderland of Hell…
and Hell can be – anything causing misery, pain or destruction
I think I agree that there was a little too much in this one, enjoyable though it was.
Initially, I thought it was going to be a wipe-out; but once the bottom left began to fall, “lonely” quickly suggested itself, and thanks to the picture clues, so did the Beatles album (incidentally, contrary to Kenmac @6, I’m not seeing a glitter ball but lasers; I wondered if the club was given by Hearts, and this was a band playing. Either way…)
But having found Sgt Pepper, New Zealand and a chessboard, I also ground to a halt. The chessboard hints, I now see, are brilliant.
Thanks to Base for a stiff challenge, and HG for making (almost) everything clear.
OPatrick @1: Thanks for pointing out all the numbers 2^n in the preamble – I noticed them but didn’t then ‘join the dots’.
I wondered why the answer to 8d was noted as being in Collins; it’s not in Chambers, but then neither is 22d BEANER. (Maybe that’s not in Collins either.)
I had help from my Listener friend in sorting out the wordplay for ENROBE at 13a. What a convoluted way to clue a single letter E!
For 3d LIMBI I had the same as John Lowe @9: plural of Limbus, the borderland of Hell, which in turn = destruction.
cruciverbophile @5: knowing that pic C = CLUB, one can convince oneself that it shows people clubbing (quite possibly some of them having ingested MDMA). Probably with a light show – it doesn’t look like a mirror ball to me.
Not sure about Murray Glover’s reference @8 to “minor pop star Ka”: I’m pretty sure that the middle pic of A is Akon – Wikipedia says “He is the first solo artist to hold both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice” and “Lonely” topped the charts in Australia, the UK and Germany. (Tho’ I will admit to never having heard of him before.)
Sorry, HG, about Ka for Akon… I had remembered him as that in your write-up, and not bothered to scroll back up to check.
Was it Edward Lear who wrote the memorable lines ? :
“Who, why, or which, or what
Is the Akond of Swat ?”
(Yes, this time I did check, and it was.)
Getting ADS, and so realising fixing a hole was superfluous, meant the SP tracks fell very quickly. Had NZ not much later but was held up by having Dominion as connected to NZ (Google says so!), then chessboard without identifying the references. At which point I was sure black and white (NZ and Chessboard clearly) were to be the characters… Long time later before I got the element, and only then did I get the 64 common connection. Very much enjoyed it, and didn’t mind that missing vowels as a welcome straightforward addition (very much the only round I do well at when watching the show!) so thanks to setter.
I thought at first this was just a straightforward riff on Only Connect until I noticed all powers of 2 in the preamble and worked out that power was the base word for the missing vowels words. Only then did I make the connections across the various elements that went into making this a coherent whole.
All really clever and expertly constructed, so thanks Base, and to HG for the blog.
Well blogged, HG. I found this a tough and enjoyable puzzle with lots of novel elements, so thanks Base. (My money’s on him being JH in disguise.)
Echoing most of the comments here, I thought this was a very fine puzzle, with a lovely PDM. DH@15, I would be willing to match your money with your setter guess….
The chocolates arrived before we’d got the paper this morning, which was a nice surprise. Our first Inquisitor win since the prize changed, but the euphoria was shortlived as the real Terriers lost 5-0 this afternoon (Kippax will be happier). All the winners were pairs, so clearly this puzzle needed two brains! I must admit that we didn’t crack everything: the chessboard connections were a mystery and the “powers of two” completely passed us by. Well done to HG: not the toughest puzzle to solve this year, but surely the hardest to blog?
Super puzzle which I almost finished. I couldn’t get BEANER. Given that there was a note that 8 was in Collins I expected the rest of the words to be in Chambers, so I didn’t look any further when I failed to find it.
I could not make any sense of the strings of consonants or how they connected to the title Power Base, which was clearly connected to 64. There seemed to be gaps between the letters which misled me into thinking the gaps were word boundaries. The crossword puzzle was over by this point and the consonant strings were not required to be stated in a solution, so I sort of lost interest. It was was nice bonus material though, but a bit beyond me.
Not having a television I was also left mystified about the connection between the puzzle and Howards End.
Thanks HG and Base (aka J…)
Really enjoyed this, to cram an entire episode of Only Connect into one puzzle was very impressive. The base numbers factor passed me by I’m afraid, but I managed to crack everything else. The NZ connection was the way in for me, spotting those four cities early on. That said, I spent a long time staring at the completed grid trying to work out what to write beneath. Despite knowing how 64 related to all 4 unclueds, I mistakenly believed that ‘characters’ referred to people and so spent time wondering about the people on the cover of Sgt Pepper and which ones may have come from VA or MO, or the names mentioned in ‘When I’m 64’. Thanks to Terrier for pointing out that I was overthinking things.
OPatrick@1: I thought it was Buddy Holly too.