Vlad set a challenging but very enjoyable Genius puzzle this month.
The preamble told us that eight solutions (four being of two words) comprise 6 across 29, which is clued without definition. Of the other clues, four across and four down contain superfluous words or phrases that provide either definitions or wordplay for the themed eight. The remaining eight definitions or wordplay are board, deck games, fish, notes, religious image, song, supporter and World Cup winners
I didn’t understand the preamble fully on the first read through but that’s not uncommon for me with a crossword of this nature. I usually just start solving the clues and hope things will become clearer as I go along.
It was fairly easy to see which were the themed eight as they were all initially clued as ‘see preamble’.
One of the problems with a Genius puzzle that is published nearly four weeks before the blog is due is that I solve the puzzle early on and then forget about it again until I suddenly remember that I have to write the blog. I’m struggling a bit to remember where I began but I’m pretty sure it was with HESTIA at 11 across, BOTTLE OUT at 9 across and IVIED at 10 across which gave me superfluous words in the clues to 9 and 10. The superfluous words were Men in 9 and crossing in 10. Neither of these words were a great help initially. I think I then got CUT at 2 down and ROOM at 4 down which gave me one other superfluous word definitely – conductor in 2 down. I didn’t firm up on ‘a function of the countryside’ as a superfluous phrase straight away as I thought that it might be a additional strange definition of ROOM.
I then made a bit of progress towards the centre and bottom left of the grid with MEMORANDUM (14 down), TUNISIAN (21 across) which yielded prime ministers and NAEVI (22 down), I then made a little bit of further progress all over the grid.
The first real breakthrough came when I reckoned SOLTI (conductor) could go in as a theme word at 3 down and JACK SPRAT looked as if it would fit at 1 across.
From then on it all fell into place and I could relate the different definitions and wordplays to the themed entries noting that the superfluous words in the clues split 4/4 wordplay/definition as did the eight in the preamble. All of this came together as follows:
red letters denote definitions or wordplay taken from the preamble
bold fuchsia letters denote definitions or wordplay taken from superfluous words in eight of the clues
| No. | Definition | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1a | a picky eater [from 24 down] | fish | JACK SPRAT |
| 13a | a function of the countryside [4 down] | World Cup winners | HUNT BALL |
| 19a | crossing [10 across] | deck games | PONTOON BRIDGE |
| 23a | supporter | Men [9 across] | PATRON |
| 26a | religious image | letters [18 down] | PIETA |
| 30a | song | prime ministers [21 across] | MAGGIE MAY |
| 3d | conductor [2 down] | notes | SOLTI |
| 7d | board | European agreements [15 across] | OUIJA |
In each case the entry is formed from TWO OF A KIND (6,29) of people and objects defined by the word play
JACK and SPRAT are both fish. JACK is short for JACKfish [a young pike]
Geoff HUNT and Alan BALL both played in England’s World Cup winning team of 1966
PONTOON and BRIDGE are both card [deck of cards] games
PAT and RON are both men’s names
PI and ETA are both Greek letters
MAGGIE Thatcher was and Theresa MAY is a prime minister of the United Kingdom
SOL and TI are both musical notes
OUI is French for yes and JA is German for yes giving two European words for agreement.
I thought the clues for this puzzle were excellent with quite of lot of thought needed to detect the definitions. In particular I liked the definitions ‘Auntie talks’, boxer’s quarters’ and ‘More work’.
The wording of the subsidiary indications was also quite tricky to fathom with phrases hiding instructions expressed in slightly out of the ordinary word order. I thought it was all very fair though and I really enjoyed the puzzle.
As you will see from the blog, there is one bit of wordplay I can’t get quite right in my mind. That’s the one for the gateway clue 6,29 TWO OF A KIND I’ve given what I think is going on but I will not be surprised to be told that I’ve got it completely wrong.
The finished grid looked like this.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
See preamble
|
See comments above
|
JACK SPRAT
|
| 6,29 | With money invested, assuming five hundred’s a thousand (3,2,1,4) |
This is the gateway clue and it’s clear what the entry has to be but I’m embarrassed to say I can’t fathom the wordplay properly. I think it’s something to do with Roman Numerals, M:1000 and D:500 with K: a thousand, thrown in for good measure. I can see there are TWO OF A D [500] IN M/K [1000] and perhaps we change the D to K [assuming five hundred’s a thousand] but I’m not sure how the M or K at the end then goes to D unless we are just swapping the 500 and the 1000 around. I’m also unsure how to handle the ‘with money invested’ bit.
I’m clearly missing something – all help gratefully received. TWO OF A KIND |
TWO OF [A KIND] [no definition] |
| 9 |
Men get cold feet during attack – too much to lose in extremis (6,3) Get cold feet during attack – too much to lose in extremis (6,3) |
(OTT [over the top; too much] + LE [first and last letters of {extremis] LOSE]) contained in (in) BOUT (attack [of illness])) B (OTT LE) OUT |
BOTTLE OUT (lose one’s nerve and withdraw; get cold feet) |
| 10 |
One’s struggle in the past, with climbers crossing (5) One’s struggle in the past, with climbers (5) |
I (one) + VIED (past tense [in the past] of VIE [contend in rivalry; struggle]) I VIED |
IVIED (covered with climbing plants; with climbers) |
|
11
|
Domestic goddess is the new Nigella, ultimately (6)
|
Anagram of (new) IS THE + A (last letter of [ultimately] NIGELLA) Nigella Lawson wrote a cookery book entitled How to be a Domestic Goddess. HESTI* A |
HESTIA (in Ancient Greek religion, HESTIA is a virgin goddess of the hearth, architecture, and the right ordering of domesticity, the family, the home, and the state.
|
|
13
|
See preamble
|
See comments above
|
HUNT BALL
|
| 15 |
Auntie talks with Eric – the result’s affected European agreements (5,8) Auntie talks with Eric – the result’s affected (5,8) |
Anagram of (affected) ERIC THE RESULT REITH LECTURES* |
REITH LECTURES (annual series of talks by leading figures of the broadcast on BBC (affectionately known as Auntie) Radio 4 and the BBC World Service |
|
19
|
See preamble
|
See comments above
|
PONTOON BRIDGE
|
| 21 |
African prime minister’s head back home – is a struggle fitting in (8) African head back home – is a struggle fitting in (8) |
NUT (head) reversed (back) + (an anagram of [struggling] IS A contained in [fitting in] IN [at home]) TUN< I (SIA*) N |
TUNISIAN (example of a native of an African country) |
|
23
|
See preamble
|
See comments above
|
PATRON
|
|
26
|
See preamble
|
See comments above
|
PIETA
|
|
27
|
After training, golden boy enters boxer’s quarters? (3,6) |
KEN (boy’s name) contained in (enters) an anagram of [training] GOLDEN DOG (KEN) NEL* |
DOG KENNEL (home [quarters] for a DOG of which a boxer is an example breed)
|
|
29
|
See 6
|
|
[TWO OF] A KIND
|
|
30
|
See preamble
|
See comments above
|
MAGGIE MAY
|
| Down | |||
| 1 |
Work for two solid hours at first in nude … to endless delight (3,5)
|
JOY (delight) excluding the final letter (endless) Y + (SH [first letters of {at first} of each of SOLID and HOURS] contained in [in] BARE [nude]) JO B (SH) ARE |
JOB SHARE (full time work for, usually, two part-time people)
|
| 2 |
Stop filming lovely short conductor (3) Stop filming lovely short (3) |
CUTE (lovely) excluding the final letter (short) E CUT |
CUT (the word shouted a film director to indicate that filming should stop) |
|
3
|
See preamble
|
See comments above
|
SOLTI
|
|
4
|
Open land to the north providing space – a function of the countryside (4) Open land to the north providing space (4) |
MOOR (wide expanse of uncultivated ground, esp upland, often covered with heath, and having a poor, peaty soil; a heath) reversed (to the north; down clue) ROOM< |
ROOM (space)
|
|
5
|
Half-heartedly plug double money game, initially showing annoyance (3-7)
|
(TOUT [advertise, praise or recommend strongly; plug] excluding one of the middle letters [half-heartedly] O + TOUT [advertise, praise or recommend strongly; plug] excluding one of the middle letters [half-heartedly] O) to give plug double + TIN (slang term for money) + G (first letter TUT TUT TIN G |
TUT-TUTTING (expressing annoyance) |
|
6
|
One laughing about Welsh bird (9)
|
TITTERER (someone laughing) containing (about) W (Welsh) T (W) ITTERER |
TWITTERER (a bird tweets or TWITTERS)
|
|
7
|
See preamble
|
See comments above
|
OUIJA
|
|
8
|
Sharp practice over Anfield difficult to expose (6)
|
FIDDLE (hidden word [to expose] reversed [over] in ANFIELD DIFFICULT) FIDDLE< |
FIDDLE (swindle; sharp practice)
|
|
12
|
Pinch money when Miss goes out (5)
|
SKIP (miss) containing (goes out) M (money as in M0, M1 etc, categories of money supply in the UK) SKI (M) P |
SKIMP (scrimp; pinch)
|
|
14
|
Note to self – second drink also spiked (10)
|
ME (self) + MO (moment; second) + (RUM [drink] containing [spiked] AND [also]) ME MO R (AND) UM |
MEMORANDUM (note)
|
|
16
|
Give way over one department’s balancing act (9)
|
HAND (give) + ST (street; way) + AN (one) + D (department) The word ‘over’ is used as we are constructing a down clue and two of the elements of the wordplay are positioned over the other two in the grid. HAND ST AN D |
HANDSTAND (an act of balancing one’s body of the palms of one’s HANDS)
|
|
17
|
Where Thomas lives is very clean right? (5)
|
SO (very) + DO (clean) + R (right) SO DO R |
SODOR (SODOR is a fictional island located in the Irish Sea, just off the English mainland near Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. It is used as the setting for The Railway Series books. including Thomas the tank Engine, by the Rev. W. Awdry, and later used in the Thomas & Friends television series)
|
|
18
|
Destroying love letters, finished with new friend in spring (8) Destroying love, finished with new friend in spring (8) |
OVER (finished) excluding (destroying) O (zero; love score in tennis) + N (new) + ALLY (friend) VER N ALLY |
VERNALLY (in Spring)
|
|
20
|
More work leading to jams – road’s up (6)
|
(TO contained in [jams] UP [ahead; leading]) + AI (reference the road between Edinburgh and London) reversed (up) U (TO) P IA< |
UTOPIA (reference Sir Thomas More’s Latin political romance or satire Utopia [1516] )
|
|
22
|
Russian about to arrest English moles (5)
|
IVAN (Russian name) reversed (about) containing (to arrest) E (English) NA (E) VI< |
NAEVI (pigmented spots on the skin; moles)
|
| 24 |
Countryman’s a picky eater – in perfect shape, consuming almost nothing (5) Countryman‘s – in perfect shape, consuming almost nothing (5) |
AI (A one; in perfect shape) containing (consuming) ZERO (nothing) excluding the final letter (almost) O A (ZER) I |
AZERI (an AZERbijani, native of AZERbijan; countryman) |
|
25
|
Very keen to see past end of building (4)
|
AGO ([in the] past) + G (last letter of [end of] BUILDING) AGO G |
AGOG (in excited eagerness; very keen to see)
|
|
28
|
Picked up crew where Americans fought, briefly (3)
|
MAN (crew) reversed (picked up; down clue) NAM< |
‘NAM (short form [briefly] of VIETNAM where American forces fought in the 1960s and 1970s)
|
I parsed the gateway clue as W(ith) OOF (old slang for money)inside (invested) TAKING with D for G. Not surprisingly I had to work backwards from the solution to get this!
A very enjoyable and challenging Genius puzzle.
cruciverbophile@1- its the best I’ve heard- OOF indeed? I guess that clue was deliberately opaque.
Great puzzle and thanks Duncan.
OOF! I’d never have got that, but there it is in Chambers.
This certainly was a great puzzle, and I hope that appreciation of ita quality, and that of the blog, is greater than the number of responses here would suggest.
Many thanks to Vlad and Duncan.
This is the first Genius puzzle I’ve attempted and it took much beavering away. I enjoyed it and will definitely be having a go at others if I can justify spending the time. (Or even if I can’t.)
I too had to enlist help to parse the key phrase, so I’m somewhat relieved to learn that I’m in good company there. Oof indeed!
Thanks to Vlad and Duncan.
Many thanks to Vlad and Duncan. A first rate crossword, beautifully constructed.
Well done Kitty; do persevere!
It was good to lock horns with another Vlad. Under the English version of my soubriquet
I used to have a drinking pal who went by the name of Vlad the Impaler; a pure mathematician
who had the dubious distinction of winning rugby blues for both Oxford and Cambridge, but
losing on both occasions. In the intervening year he was on the bench for Cambridge, who won,
but he didn’t get a game.
I’d like to second the sentiments of DuncT@3 and thank Vlad and Duncan for a lot of fun.
The conclusion of this puzzle had a wonderful corollary for me.
Having stared at -U-T-A-L for I don’t know how long, trying to get Uruguay
out of my head, when the penny finally dropped I rushed out for a celebratory beer.
Twenty seconds into trying to explain the clue to my companion at the bar, he
stopped me and reeled off the entire England squad.
Not so surprising in an English pub, but my local is a working men’s bar in
Sardinia and my companion, apart from this piece of knowledge, doesn’t have a single syllable
of English!
Oof indeed!
Thanks to all who gave the right way to parse the gateway clue at 6, 29. I wasn’t remotely near the correct parsing.
Oof for money is definitely a new word for me, but possibly one I’ll remember forever now.
Thanks Vlad and Duncan for the blog. I battled away at this over most of the month, making slow but steady progress and found it very satisfying. As Duncan mentions, some very crafty definitions in there. As well as failing to understand the parsing for 6,29, I was confused by the wordplay for SKIMP too so thanks for clearing that one up. Pieta and Maggie May were the ones that led to the PDM for me.
Thanks to all for explanation of gateway – my best guess gave me ‘one of a kind’, so I got nowhere, trying to think in what way Solti’s uniqueness as a conductor might be similar to Jack Sprat.
Many thanks to Duncan for his excellent blog and to others who commented.
Oof! What a coincidence! I learnt this word just earlier today (yesterday, technically), before reading this blog, when I came across it while looking up something else in Chambers for the April* Genius. Really interesting etymology and a great word to know.
Only first heard of the Genius series late last month, and didn’t get a print till hours before the deadline so didn’t stand a chance — even assuming I would have with the whole month to look at it. Amazingly, I did correctly guess at TWO OF A KIND from the letter count, though got no further. Well done on a very clearly laid-out explication of this complicated format, Duncan.
* I’m happy to say I think I’ve done April’s, which I think is quite a bit easier than this masterwork from Vlad — though I can’t parse 14a, my LOI, even if I’m sure I’ve got it. I look forward to reading 225 next month.
Though, looking closely, shouldn’t OLTI in 3d be in fuschia, not blue? T
Tony @ 15
It took me a while to work out which occurrence of OLTI you were referring to, but yes the one in the picture of the grid should be in fuchsia. I hope I can be forgiven one error of colour in what was quite a complex blog to construct.
Sorry it’s not possible to do colours in the comments as they are restricted to use of only a small subset of html tags.
Sorry, Duncan, I meant to write “in the grid”. I’m sure no-one was misled or confused by it and of course such a tiny mistake among such complexity is entirely forgivable!