Inquisitor 1497: Solidarity by Chalicea

by

Chalicea starts off by giving us a pleasantly short preamble.  Let’s see whether that lulls us into a false sense of security.

 

 

 

This preamble stated "The unclued lights give a phrase describing how modifications must be made to ten solutions, thus resolving twenty clashes.  11 across is confirmed in the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary"

There were no gimmicks in the clues so it was just a question of starting to solve standard clues and see where the clashes occurred.  It was a while before I found  a clash and I was beginning to think I had done something wrong.  Eventually though they started to come fairly thick and fast.

The first penny drop moment was deducing the unclued lights.  I had enough to letters to see that ALL FOR ONE could fit in 20 across and that led to the full phrase, ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL, a motto traditionally associated with The Three Musketeers.  At this point I hadn’t really noticed the fairly frequent occurrence of ONE or ALL in many of the entries, especially the ones generating the clashes I already had.  After seeing the phrase, the occurrences became more apparent and helped in solving some of the remaining clues.

To resolve all the clashes, every occurrence of ONE in an entry had to be replaced by ALL and vice versa.

This affected ten entries as indicated by the preamble.  These were

11 across FOOT BONE to FOOTBALL

16 across AT ALL to ATONE or AT ONE

33 across PALLY to PONEY

38 across ENTHRALL to ENTHRONE

2 down CALL to CONE

4 down TONE to TALL

9 down ONE DAY to ALL DAY

26 down DONEES to DALLES

35 down PALL to PONE; and

36 down GONE to GALL

In all cases except one, the clashes resolved to one of the letters fighting for the cell.  At the intersection of FOOT BONE and ONE DAY however (11 across and 9 down) the clash resolved to the letter L as both words were revised in line with the mantra.

I’m not sure about the intersection of 26 down and 32 across but I’m going with LEE for 32 across even though I don’t understand the word play.  In this case, the clash resolves to the L of LEE.

I found the clues to be at the easier end of Inquisitor difficulty but there’s nothing wrong with that as the end game was interesting.  Form a while I only had 9 amended solutions and nineteen clashes before I finally sussed out FOOT BONE for 11 across by looking up cuboid in the dictionary and finding an entry for cuboid bone,  and then found my extra clash at the intersection with ONE DAY

The original filled grid looked like this with the clashing cells highlighted in green

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the adjustments, the final grid looked like this.  The colour is used simply to highlight where the changes were made, and is not necessary for submission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The title ‘Solidarity‘ is epitomised in the phrase in the unclued lights

No

Clue

 Wordplay Entry
Across  

1

 

Scope including provocation. essentially and time to seize again (7)

 

REACH (scope) containing (including) (R [middle letter of {essentially] PROVOCATION] and  T [time])   I think ‘including’ is a valid term to indicate that the contained letters can appear at any point in the container rather than adjacent to each other

RE (C) A (T) CH

RECATCH (seize again)

 

6

 

Favourite animal amid most of almost its preferred plant? (6)

 

PET (favourite; also an tame animal) contained in (amid) NEAR (almost) excluding the final letter (most of) R

NE (PET) A

NEPETA (catmint; a cat may be a favourite animal.   Apparently, Most cats find eating and rolling in catmint to be pleasurable and intoxicating,so NEPETA can legitimately be termed its preferred plant)

11

 

Maybe cuboid base on curtailed dice (8, 2 words)

 

FOOT (base) + BONES (dice) excluding the final letter (curtailed) S

FOOT BONE

 FOOT BONE (the cuboid BONE is the outer BONE of the tarsus which froms part of the FOOT))

12

 

Unwontedly lessen pathing now and then to perform one computer operation (10)

 

Anagram of (unwontedly) LESSEN and PTIG (letters 1, 3, 5 and 7 [now and then] of PATHING)

SINGLESTEP*

SINGLESTEP (carry out a single instruction on a program)

 

14

 

Fantastic value of eye component (5)

 

Anagram of (fantastic) VALUE

UVEAL*

UVEAL (of the posterior pigment-bearing layer of the iris of the eye)

 

15

 

Shelled, with death as a result, in any circumstances (5, 2 words)

 

FATALLY (with death as a result) excluding the outer letters (shelled) F and Y

AT ALL

AT ALL (in any circumstances)

 

16

 

 Turf celebrations recalled (3)

DOS (parties; celebrations) reversed (recalled)

SOD<

SOD (turf, usually one cut in rectangular shape;

 

17

 

With cables on frames holding extremities of horse, replaces shoe parts (7)

 

REELS (cylinder, drum, spool, bobbin or frame on which thread, fishing-line, wire, cables, photographic film, etc may be wound; cables on frames) containing (holding) HE (first and last letters of [extremities of] HORSE)

RE (HE) ELS

REHEELS (replaces parts of shoes)

 

19

 

Neutral vowel contained in Plattdeutsch warblings (5)

 

SCHWA (hidden word in [contained in] PLATTDEUTSCH WARBLINGS)

SCHWA

SCHWA (neutral vowel)

 

22

 

Plants that intoxicate bodies (5)

 

SOMAS (bodies)

SOMAS

SOMAS (plants or their intoxicating juice, used in ancient Indian religious ceremonies, and personified as a god)  double definition

 
24 Huge blow almost terminal for nut trees (5)

KO (knockout; huge blow) + LAST (terminal) excluding the last letter (almost) T

KO LAS

KOLAS (variant spelling of COLAS, genus of West African trees producing nuts used in drugs and for flavouring soft drinks)

 

28

 

Draft beer Irish man regularly produces full to the very top (5)

 

Letters 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 (regularly) of DRAFT BEER IRISH MAN

ABRIM

ABRIM (full to the very top)

 

30

 

Shower of weird academics I’m perversely quitting (7)

 

Anagram of (weird) ACADEMICS excluding (quitting) I’M reversed (perversely)

CASCADE*

CASCADE (shower)

 
32 Protected shortened form of youth internet communication (3)

LEE?  I’m not sure about this at all.  I think the second E relates to electronic as in E-mail, E-tail which both use the internet for communication but the LE at the beginning defeats me in relation to youth.

TEE is a shortened form of TEEN (youth) but I can’t relate TEE to protected or internet communication.

No doubt I’m missing something blindingly obvious.

 LEE (sheltered; protected)

33

 

Priest and friend having close relationship (5)

 

P (priest) + ALLY (friend)

P ALLY

PALLY (having a close relationship)

 

35

 

Position in game?  Quite the opposite, moves up and down (5)

 

GO (game of skill for two players, who take turns to place black or white stones (or counters) on a board, the object being to capture one’s opponent’s stones and be in control of the larger part of the board. contained in) POS (position)

What we have therefore is game in position, quite the opposite of ‘position in game’

PO (GO) S

POGOS (jumps up and down on the spot to music)

 

37

 

Massive carnivore decomposed in morgue alas! (10)

 

Anagram of (decomposed) MORGUE ALAS

MEGALOSAUR*

MEGALOSAUR (gigantic lizard-hipped Jurassic and Cretaceous dinosaur carnivorous in habits)

 
38 Delight of frolicking all-nighter abandoning hints of guilt and inhibitions (8)

Anagram of (frolicking) ALL-NIGHTER excluding (abandoning) G and I (first letters of [hints of] each of GUILT and INHIBITIONS)

ENTHRALL*

 ENTHRALL (delight)

39

 

Hard getting into swamp plants in thickets (6)

 

H (hard as in description of a pencil lead) contained in (getting into) SOLAS (spongewoods, swamp plants)

S (H) OLAS

SHOLAS (thickets or jungles in South India)

 

40

 

Hardened, spirited horse entertaining the Spanish (7)

 

STEED (spirited horse) containing (entertaining) EL (Spanish for ‘the’)

STE (EL) ED

STEELED (hardened)

 
Down  

1

 

Prince introducing unerring acts of complete elimination (7)

 

RAS (Ethiopian prince) containing (introducing) SURE (unerring)

RA (SURE) S

RASURES (obliterations; acts of complete elimination)

 

2

 

Summon corps comprising every individual (4)

 

C (corps) + ALL (every individual)

C ALL

CALL (summon)

 

3

 

Jove’s bird rises with appetite principally for one European group of plants (5)

 

EAGLE (bird associated with Jupiter or Jove) reversed (rises) with A (first letter of [principally] APPETITE) replacing (for) the second [one of] E [European])

ALGAE<

ALGAE (group of seaweed plants)

 

4

 

In the regions, the one prevailing style of speech (4)

 

T‘ (dialect [in the regions] form of the word ‘the’) + ONE

T ONE

TONE (style of speech)

 

5

 

Receive and entertain great multitude (4)

 

HOST (person who entertains a stranger or guest at his or her house without [or with] reward)

HOST

HOST (great multitude) double definition

 

6

 

Well-known for Scottish lawyers unrelated to us? (6)

 

NOT [un] OUR (related to us)

NOT OUR

NOTOUR (term used by Scottish lawyers to mean ‘well-known’)

 

7

 

Juveniles with slippage of time become old very large people (5)

 

TEENS (juveniles) with the letter T (time) slipping down the word [slippage] to form ETENS

ETENS

ETENS (archaic [old] word for giants)

 

8

 

Ahead of supreme misery, dreads headless sea creature (8)

 

FEARS (dreads) excluding the first letter (headless) F + HELL ([state of] supreme misery)

EARS HELL

EARSHELL (any shell of the family Haliotidae; sea creature)

 

9

 

Assigned to regions, not starting, indeed, at some future date (6, 2 words)

 

ZONED (assigned to regions) excluding the first letter (not starting) Z + AY (yes, indeed)

ONE D AY

ONE DAY (at some future date)

 
10 Intoxicated after conclusion of blind, I’ve acted destructively whilst going down (10)

D (last letter of [conclusion of] BLIND + I’VE + BOMBED (intoxicated by drugs)

D IVE BOMBED

 DIVEBOMBED (attacked with a BOMB released from an aircraft in a steep DIVE; acted destructively whilst going down)

13

 

In a turmoil, don’t wound a destitute person (10)

 

Anagram of (in a turmoil) DON’T WOUND A

DOWN–AND-OUT*

DOWN-AND-OUT (destitute and rejected person)

 

15

 

Sample of equatorial farm grass (4)

 

ALFA (hidden word in [sample of] EQUATORIAL FARM)

ALFA

ALFA (a North African esparto grass)

 

18

 

Real asset occasionally other than what is implied (4)

 

Letters 2, 4, 6 and 8 (occasionally) of REAL ASSET

ELSE

ELSE (except that mentioned; other than what is implied)

 

20

 

Lover in undressed state, Romeo cavorting (8)

 

Anagram of (cavorting) TAT (letters remaining in STATE when the outer letters S and E are removed [undressed]) and ROMEO

AMORETTO*

AMORETTO (lover)

 

21

 

Turkish weights, certainly a pound for Romans (4)

 

OK (okay; certainly) + AS (a Roman unit of weight, a pound of 12 ounces)

OK AS

OKAS (Turkish weights of about 1.3kg or 24/5lb)

 

23

 

Quantity of material used up for nest (4)

 

YARD (quantity of material 3 feet in length) reversed (up; down clue)

DRAY<

DRAY (squirrel’s nest)

 

25

 

Thirsts for blood of anarchist supporting ancient seats of authority (7,2 words)

 

SEES (obsolete [ancient] seats of authority) + RED (terms sometimes applied to an anarchist)  As this is a down entry RED is supporting SEES

SEES RED

 

SEES RED (thirsts for blood)

 

26

 

Cook observed upset people receiving offerings (6)

 

DO (swindle; falsify; cook) + SEEN (observed) reversed (upset; down clue)

DO NEES<

DONEES (people receiving offerings from DONORS)

 

27

 

Prongs collecting old muds and clays (6)

 

FANGS (prongs) containing (collecting) O (old)

FANG (O) S

FANGOS (clays or muds from thermal springs in Italy used in treatment for gout and rheumatism)

 

29

 

Strangely more accepted fate (5)

 

Anagram of (strangely) MORE and A (accepted)

MOER* A

MOERA (any of the three Fates, goddesses controlling Man’s destiny)

 

31

 

Poet’s to approach ancient limit (5)

 

COSTE (Spenserian and Shakespearean [poets] term for ‘to approach’)

COSTE

COSTE (obsolete [ancient] term for COAST [limit or border]) double definition

 

34

 

Bard’s bears, endlessly mean with extremes of nastiness (4)

 

MEAN (excluding the outer [end] letters [endlessly]) + NS (outer letter of [extremes of] NASTINESS)

EA NS

EANS (Shakespearean[bard’s] term for gives birth; bears a child)

 

35

 

Corporal’s become wearisome (4)

 

PALL (corporal [religious term])

PALL

PALL (become wearisome) (double definition)

 

36

 

Wagoner, abandoning state of conflict, departed (4)

 

WAGONER excluding (abandoning) the letters of WAR (state of conflict)

GONE

GONE (departed)

 

 

13 comments on “Inquisitor 1497: Solidarity by Chalicea”

  2. I got myself into a bit of a pickle in the NE corner, but for the most part this was on the gentle side, and no less enjoyable for it. The phrase in the centre of the grid revealed itself quickly enough, and from then on it was obvious what we needed to do, and where the clashes were likely to be.

  3. A nice gentle puzzle. The phrase ONE FOR ALL, etc. revealed itself fairly quickly. My stickiest patch came when counting the “clashes” before finishing NW corner and deciding that I had found all 20 – not realizing that I had counted the unchecked squares too – d’oh!

    Thanks C for the puzzle and D for the colorful blog.

  4. Grateful to have a puzzle towards the easy end of the spectrum, as I was running a week late. TONE -> TALL at 4d was the key that unlocked this one; ever so slightly held up by the clash at the intersection of 11a & 9d (FOOT BONE & ONE DAY) resolving to neither of the initially clashing letters, but not for long. (Not sure why we were referred to the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.)

    Thanks to Chalicea (who neatly provided 5 of each sort of replacement) and to Duncan – I recalled that LEET was an answer in Schadenfreude’s ‘Diamond’ puzzle just a few weeks ago (to 36d).

  5. I loved this very elegant puzzle. How very clever to get so many one/all swaps within the grid. It took a while for penny to drop, and it wasn’t until I solved 12A with its two thematic crossers that things started to progress nicely. I didn’t manage to parse 9D so my thanks for completing that loop. Foot bone/ball was my last one in and I did need to muscle one half of the SOED off the shelves to confirm. It beats going to the gym.

    Thanks as ever to both Duncan and Chalicea.

  6. A restful one, this, but satisfying. All thanks to Chalicea and Duncan. I had to think a bit about LEE(T) despite the fact that my web browser has an add-on called Leetkey! (Never actually used for the dread leetspeak, only to decode the traditional online “rot13” obfuscation.)

  7. This one proved tougher than expected after a flying start quickly revealed the unclued phrase and, like others, we were held up for quite a while by FOOTBONE/BALL.

    For those who have not yet seen it I can strongly recommend Chalicea’s current Listener puzzle (No 4458). It’s a relatively straightforward solve, but a tour de force of puzzle construction.

  9. I am always impressed by the detailed analyses of clues in Duncan’s blogs. Many thanks to Duncan.
    This puzzle was almost abandoned when I couldn’t find a satisfactory dictionary reference for that ‘foot-bone’ (the thing that’s connected to the ankle bone in the old spiritual). It was Shark, who test-solved it (who is a surgeon) who produced that ‘cuboid’ for me.
    I’m honoured by the compliments on the current Listener. The old grumps on the web sites that must not be mentioned have moaned about it being too easy – I appreciate the fact that mine tend to have relatively easy clues and I’m grateful that that is sometimes welcomed in the Inquisitor. Of course, we are due to get a real stinker (probably) to celebrate John’s anniversary at the Manchester event. I hope to meet some of you there.

  10. Enjoyed this although most of the sting was taken out by guessing the modifications after only two clues had been solved – GONE and ONEDAY. Couldnt miss the common ones and started to think of alternatives and quickly got it. Good stuff nevertheless.

  11. After a long break I’ve been solving Inquisitors recently. I thought this was one of the most elegant in the last few weeks. And although it was easy it wasn’t without the odd puzzling clue, such as 15a, the wordplay to which had me stumped for a while. 20d was a lovely clue.
    I also agree about that Chalicea’s Listener was a constructional tour de force.

  12. My last sentence should have been, “I also agree that Chalicea’s Listener was a constructional tour de force.”
    My grammar hasn’t yet fallen to Trump’s illiterate level!

  13. Count me as another one who enjoyed the relatively easy clues for a change. The “all for one” theme made me smile when I saw it; it was just crying out to be made into an IQ puzzle. I am a few puzzles behind at the moment so it was nice to finish it in an afternoon rather than entering the week-long battleground that some puzzles turn out to be.

    Thank you all.

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