A clever and entertaining puzzle with some excellent clues, rather let down for me by bad rubric…
The rubric, after replacing the numbers with their answers, read:
Seven theme clues require ALBPHABETISING THREE LETTERS inserted to reach the solution to be entered in the grid.
It turns out that this really means that three consecutive letters of the alphabet need to be inserted after solving the susidiary part of the theme clues. I find this very unsatisfactory, since we were very puzzled about what to do even after we knew what the instructions said. “Alphabetising” means arranging in alphabetical order, not that those letters are consecutive. It also suggests it’s something you do with letters that you’ve already found somehow, rather than picking an arbitrary consecutive three.
It’s a shame, because this is actually a rather nice device, wordplay-wise – we had quite a few good “Oh!” moments on realizing that words like AFGHAN, HIJAB and PANOPLY, say, fitted that pattern.
Another frustration with this is that there are two different ways of applying this rule in play. In some clues, as the rubric suggests, the letters need to be inserted into the clue for it to make sense, e.g. in “Twice this might express doubt about clothing” that needs to become “Twice this might express doubt about STU clothing” or the “about” is superfluous. But in other clues, e.g. “Heartlessly pursued type of fabric” you have to solve the subsidiary and then insert the letters RST afterwards – there’s nowhere in that clue that you can insert RST such that it still works as a clue.
There’s a second theme of clothing running through the puzzle, which was also rather nice.
As usual with Boatman’s puzzles, he’s more loose with certain bits of cryptic grammar than really fit my taste in crosswords – I’ve mentioned a few examples below. In the case of this puzzle, however, these didn’t bother me too much, I think because of the pleasure of some excellent clues here: both the &lits and some elegant simple clues. Thanks, Boatman.
Across
1. Remove clothing to loud music (7)
DEFROCK
ROCK = “loud music” with DEF inserted (see theme)
Definition: “Remove clothing”
5. Play about with complete collection (7)
PANOPLY
(PLAY)* = “play about” with NOP inserted (see theme)
Definition:
10. Two articles on a type of coat (6)
AFGHAN
A + AN = “Two articles”
Definition: “a type of coat”
11. African princes uncoil lazily — obese, even (4,4)
LION CUBS
(UNCOIL)* (though I don’t think “lazily” is a good anagram indicator) + [o]B[e]S[e] = “obese even”
Definition: “African princes” – I guess this is because lions are associated with kingship, so lion cubs would be “princes” and lions are almost all found in Africa nowadays.
12. Leading person of fashion, looking back (3)
FOP
P[erson] O[f] F[ashion] = “Leading person of fashion” reversed (“looking back”)
Definition: The whole clue – this is a real &lit, I think, because “looking back” could refer to it being a rather old-fashioned term.
13. Where doctor would go to dig beneath the surface in state of anxiety (2,4)
ON EDGE
If you put DR = “doctor” ON EDGE, then you’d get “dredge” or “to dig beneath the surface”
Definition: “in state of anxiety”
14. Gangster grabs every other top layer, making one cross (4,4)
HOLY ROOD
HOOD = “Gangster” around [t]O[p] L[a]Y[e]R
Definition: “one cross” i.e. the True Cross, a Christian relic
15. Boatman’s modest clothing (5)
HIJAB
AB = “Boatman” with HIJ inserted (see theme)
Definition: “modest clothing”
16. Resumes obscure, useless legal measures (9)
ABSTRACTS
ABSTR[use] = “obscure, useless” + ACTS = “legal measures”
Definition: “Resumes” – imagine the accents there for “Résumés”
19. Every other neat clue? (9)
ALTERNATE
A reverse clue: “alter nate” could be a clue for “neat”
Definition: “Every other”
24. Acts of government constraining extremes of unrest by society (8)
STATUTES
STATE = “government” around U[nres]T = “extremes of unrest” + S = “society”
Definition: “Acts”
26. Struggle against Daesh taken on by others (6)
RESIST
IS = “Daesh” in REST = “others”
Definition: “Struggle against”
27. Part of the Arctic environment (3)
ICE
Hidden in “[arct]IC E[nvironment]”
Definition: The whole clue – another lovely &lit
28, 20. A lover fears them: her last tender quivering embraces, sweetheart (4,4,7)
DEAR JOHN LETTERS
(HER LAST TENDER)* around JO = “sweetheart” (as in “John Anderson, My Jo”)
Definition: “A lover fears them”
29. Novices going the wrong way by mistake (4-2)
SLIP-UP
PUPILS = “Novices” reversed. (Minor quibble: I don’t think “by” is a good link word, particularly this way round)
Definition: “mistake”
30. Report of Treasury for Halfwits is libel (7)
ASPERSE
Sounds like “ass purse”, or “Treasury for Halfwits”
Definition: “libel”
31. Heartlessly pursued type of fabric (7)
WORSTED
WO[o]ED = “Heartlessly pursued” with RST inserted (see theme)
Definition:
Down
2. F-stop used on images, first of Turkish gents (7)
EFFENDI
EFF = “F” + END = “stop” + I[mages] = “images, first” (Another link word quibble here: [definition] of [subsidiary] is fine, but [subsidiary] of [definition] is dubious…)
Definition: “Turkish gents”
3. Rectify a dry condition there all round (9)
REHYDRATE
(A DRY)* (anagram indicator: “rectify”) in (THERE)* (anagram indicator: “condition”)
Definition: “Rectify a dry condition” – a semi &lit, I’d say, since “there all round” doesn’t seem to be part of the definition. Very nice, nonetheless.
4. Present debate (6)
CONFER
Double definition
6. Float around in sea, stormy recently (2,2,4)
AS OF LATE
Lovely smooth surface reading… (FLOAT)* in (SEA)*
Definition: “recently”
7. Boy who goes before Italian pope (5)
OSCAR
A fun clue: in the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, Oscar (for “O”) comes before Papa (for “P”) and Papa is the Italian for “pope”
Definition: “Boy”
8. Experimental clothing worn a lot (3,4)
LAB COAT
(A LOT)* with ABC inserted (see theme)
Definition: “Experimental clothing”
9. Arranging characters of pleasing habit in new fashion (13)
ALPHABETISING
(PLEASING HABIT)*
Definition: “Arranging characters”
17. Boatman may be found here initially? (9)
AMIDSHIPS
AMID (i.e. at the centre of) SHIPS is “I” which is Boatman in this case – also the surface reading suggests that a boatman might board a ship AMIDSHIPS.
18. Pi and nu: letters sent back, not stopping on in going away (8)
UNCTUOUS
NU reversed = “nu letters sent back”, followed by C[on]T[in]UOUS = “not stopping on in going away” (clever, but it doesn’t work in the surface reading for me…)
Definition: “Pi” (as in “pious”)
22. Twice this might express doubt about clothing (7)
COSTUME
COME = “Twice this might express doubt” (as in the interjection, “Come, come!”) about [STU inserted (see theme)]
Definition: “clothing”
23. Italian sauce used around start of Ramadan fast (6)
PRESTO
A simple but very nice clue: PESTO = “Italian sauce” around R[amadan]
Definition: “fast”
25, 21. Quality to suit aristocrat, backed by independent European Commission in article (5-5)
THREE PIECE
PEER = “aristocrat” reversed followed by I = “independent” + EC = “European commision” in THE = “article”
Definition: “Quality to suit” – surely this should be “Quality of suit” to work as a definition, unless it’s “to” in the sense of “has a certain quality to it”?
Thanks mhl. I may haveenjoyed this struggle more than you. It took a bit to work out that the ‘inserted’ in the instructions allowed the missing bits to start off the clues, too. It was a relief to get the seventh theme clue at 5A, and that revealed the Italian pope in 7D, last in (till then, ‘vicar’ was a poor option). Though ON edge had to be that, I didn’t like the clue much; ditto for UNCTUOUS.
Thanks mhl. Yes, I agree that the rubric wasn’t great. Still, lots of fun when I eventually got the hang of it. Like molonglo@1 I finished up with Oscar. Thanks to Boatman for the nice challenge.
Thanks Mhl and Boatman.
Good one from Boatman!
Great device – getting 9 early, and parsing 8 and 23 correctly helped to get the rest. Needed parsing for 28-20.
Lots to like in the non-theme clues as well.
I agree the instructions were somewhat vague, (intentionally?) but hey isn’t that part of the fun!! I enjoyed this very much and felt really satisfied when I got to the end, and just now when I realised I had entered everything correctly!! I particularly liked ICE for the &lit and THREE PIECE where although I take your point mhl, the definition ‘quality to suit’ made me smile!! mhl I think there is a slight typo in 10a. Many thanks to Boatman and mhl!!
Having solved enough to get the full instructions, I actually drafted an email to the editor to ask if there was a mistake, as they didn’t really nake sense to me. I decided, though, to hold off and see if I could get anywhere, then immediately guessed 8d, LAB COAT from the definition and got enough of an idea from that to feel it was worth going on. It was incredibly satisfying finishing it, though. I never understood the wordplay for 13a, ON EDGE, and I’m still not too happy with the clue.
Thanks to Boatman and mhl. Too much for me. I filled in a few answers initially (including ALPHABETISING), then a few more later in the week, but I never understood the special instructions so that I was guessing, sometimes correctly, sometimes not, for much of the time without parsing the answers.
I was okay with the instructions but found some of the definitions somewhat loose. I completed the puzzle but failed to parse ‘on edge’ and ‘oscar’
Well I enjoyed this a lot – had no difficulty with the instructions and liked the loose, where it happened. Interesting the use of Daesh for ‘is’, which together with ‘e-victor’ later in the week did get me thinking about current coinages and cryptics.
Pedantic typo-spotting: solution to 10ac is AFGHAN – correct in para 2 of the (v good) intro. Fair argument about the rubric, though in practice it didn’t detaine me for long, once WORSTED was filled in.
I liked this one. AFGHAN was in quite early so the special instruction seemed clear from that. Maskarade did something similar last year. Thanks for the parsing if ON EDGE which I missed.
Thanks to Boatman and mhl
I don’t really like special instructions that basically say “The clue doesn’t lead to the solution in X cases and I’m not going to tell you which ones.”
Solved 9, 25 and 20 first to see if it made sense and then picked my way through. I agree that the expanded rubric is also vague and possibly inaccurate. In 15a HIJ is prepended to the partial solution, not inserted.
Thanks for the parsing of 13a, 16a, 7d, 17d. I didn’t understand those.
I really enjoyed the special condition; even while agreeing it isn’t very precise. But solving the straightforward (for me) 9d etc gave me enough to go on.
So I actually got the thematic clues quite easily, but then fell at the final fence — I had to wait fir this blog to see 17D AMIDSHIPS. I also wrote in 13A (ON EDGE)and 16A (ABSTRACTS)without having much clue how to parse them (but sometimes definition and crossers enough for my low standard solving !)
Thanks Boatman for a great puzzle and to mhl for explaining it all.
I agree the rubric was misleading, but since several early thematic clues were obvious, the true gimmick became clear early on. I spent a few moments wondering if “alphabetising letters” might mean “consecutive letters from the alphabet as used in alphabetising” without being convinced, but then I just got on with it.
I was not familiar with the thematic sense of PANOPLY, so thank you, Boatman, for teaching me something.
I’d agree that the rubric could have been phrased in a rather less obscurantist fashion, ie by making it clear that something needed to be added to the word play for the clues concerned given that they all contained definitions. “Resumes” for “re’sume’s” (I can’t insert the acutes properly on this site) is nothing less than a misspelling. “Asperse” – an iamb, first sound a schwa – and “ass purse” – a trochee – do not make a homophone.
I also agree about the inadequacy of the instructions, although like others I eventually worked out what was required. Thanks for parsing ON EDGE and UNCTUOUS, both of which eluded me – I was grateful that I wasn’t blogging this week. I thought AMIDSHIPS was weak, and “I” isn’t an initial (for Boatman, anyway) it’s a pronoun.
@beery hiker
Yes, Maskarade used a very similar device in Prize 26974. No vagueness in the instructions there, though.
Thanks mhl. I just thought in 17d that AMIDSHIPS was where midshipmen, naval officers at the beginning of their careers, were to be found.
Thank you Boatman and mhl.
I enjoyed solving this crossword. LAB COAT was my first themed entry, and since I remembered Maskarade’s puzzle from last year, Boatman’s bilge did not bother me.
I found AMIDSHIPS great, especially after reading mhl envisaging Boatman boarding there, childhood memories came back, “Make way for a naval officer”. So many other great clues, those for FOP, PANOPLY, ICE, ABSTRACTS, ALTERNATE, SLIP-UP, ASPERSE and I could go on…
2 dn EFFENDI. Thought this meant Turkish gent (= Eng Sir) not gentlemen.
I took LION CUBS (African princes) to be a nod in the direction of the familiar notion that the lion is King of The Beasts.
Like others, I found this perplexing at first, but when I cottoned on, everything went in smoothly.
Thanks Boatman and mhl.
I should say that I wasn’t at all sure about my parsing of AMIDSHIPS, for the reason bridgesong points out, but that was my best guess! The official annotated solution that’s out now say:
… which seem to suggest that was the intention, though I’m sure that the allusion Biggles A refers to (way outside my area of knowledge!) adds a nice extra level to the clue.
Thanks mhl and Boatman.
In 22d, I took “come, come” to be said to express doubt about something. So “about” is not superfluous.
I see there has been a communication from the bridge @15 criticising one of my favourite clues @18; I assumed that Boatman had graduated from amidships and become a fully fledged officer, and Biggles A’s comment @17 supports this idea.
Why “bilge” Cookie? Was this pejorative, or a nod to the sobriquet of the setter?
S Panza @23, because solvers were having trouble with the rubric, a nod to the sobriquet of the setter, and look, I have raised him to the position of a naval officer @18 and @22.
Well done!! I take it you have the authority to give him the promotion?!
S Panza @25, certainly, I was first appointed as a cadet in 1946 when four years old, and my job was to paint the ship, The Port Fairy, red – under the bosun’s instructions, he had a grudge against the captain.
I found this very difficult, but finished it with great satisfaction. I have no complaints about the looseness of the instructions. I assumed it arose from the self-imposed requirement of using grid entries, and it added to the fun (and difficulty).
Not much to add. I was only sure about the special instructions once I’d got DEFROCK followed by HIJAB. Liked SLIP UP and OSCAR.
WORSTED was LOI.
Thanks Boatman.
I thought this was great fun with lots of imaginative clues, my favourites being DREDGE, OSCAR, ICE and ASPERSE as well as all the thematic ones.
I agree about the poorly written SIs. My thought was that “inserted” should have been “and inserting”. Maybe Boatman thought this was too much of a help for 9.
My main niggle was “initially” in 17 for the reasons already discussed.
Good point about EFFENDI, @cholecyst! I didn’t think about it too much at the time.
Thanks, Boatman and mhl. Thoroughly enjoyable Prize.
I knew almost for sure that we’d seen this thing before and – as ever – beeryhiker @ 10 was there to inform us.
And Tony, six comments later, praised Maskarade for a more explicit preamble.
Boatman’s introduction was indeed somewhat vague but at least it didn’t give the game away too quickly.
I think I would have enjoyed the puzzle less than I did now.
[also, Maskarade’s crossword was, if I remember well, a Jumbo where there was a lot more work to do]
Great fun.
Even if there were one or two things that made me shiver (well, in a minor form).
I still don’t think the use of “I” in 17d is fantastic and as it stands, for me, this is not an &lit (despite what the Guardian site tells us).
And to take ‘Resumes’ as a word spelled the same but without accents (aigu, as the French call them) is a bit naughty.
I know, we may ignore punctuation etc but this was not fully kosher in my Playground.
The clue that bothered me most was 10ac (AFGHAN).
In the blog mhl was not keen on ‘by’ as a link word in 29ac.
For a similar reason, I wasn’t happy with ‘on’ in 10ac.
That’s not a neutral link word.
In across clues ‘on a’ often means ‘A+’, and therefore Boatman could have used only one “Article on a type of coat”.
He didn’t.
Having said all this, a very enjoyable Saturday experience.
I still think 17d works, the clue reads “I may be found here initially?”
Boatman would first be a midshipman, and there he is AMID SHIPS.
Cookie, I am not sure whether your comment refers to my take on 17d but what I actually meant to say was that I didn’t find the use of ‘initially’ fantastic.
No doubt that what you say @31 is what it is.
I, for one, could have done without ‘initially’.
[a question mark would have been enough, making this a 100% &lit]
It makes the clue a bit fussy as setters using that word often have other intentions.
Others may say that it makes up for a nice misdirection and one of those things that make cryptic crosswords cryptic.
Quite enjoyable, although I couldn’t solve the NE – despite coming back to my blank spaces a week later and before reading the blog.
I missed 5a PANOPLY, 14a HOLY ROOD and 7d OSCAR, all of which I can see now were fairly clued. However I had no luck even though I had several crossers.
I didn’t mind the “alphabetisising three letters” device and was pleased to get six of the seven.
Many thanks to Boatman and mhl. Interesting comments by all contributors, for which also much thanks.
First time to post on this site. Like many had trouble with UNCTUOUS but disagree with mhl about 22 down, COSTUME. COME with STU inside as per instructions. Come again (twice this) expresses doubt.