From A to B by Triton
Seven pairs of clues are run together (but do not overlap); in each instance the definitions are of two four-letter words whilst the wordplays lead to two longer words. The four-letter words must be entered into the paired groups of shaded cells in the order in which they appear in the clue. Due to its nature, 21 must be made visible by solvers.
The preamble makes no sense at all so let’s just dive in and see what happens.
First to fall was 22a but it was a while before 35a decided to join the party. Perhaps having one eye on the tennis wasn’t helping. Venus Williams must have taken pity on me and “didn’t turn up” for the second set and then things started to move. SW corner filled nicely and then I had an almost full grid except, not surprisingly, for the grey squares (and 21d).
OK, time to roll up the sleeves and begin a full-on attack. I found it quite hard to separate the two clues in many cases. The first one I got a handle on was 19d. Never heard of STANDEDGE (pronounced “stannige”) but a quick trip to Wikipedia led me to think that our “A to B” was The Pennine Way so I started trying to make the rest of the thematics fit points on the aforementioned route. I drew a blank there, obviously so I tried sneaking up on another clue. 38a then fell. I’ve driven through the BLACKWALL tunnel many times so back to Wikipedia to discover that STANDEDGE is also a tunnel. Great! the penny has finally dropped but it still took a while to finish the thematics together with the realisation that we weren’t looking for tunnels, we were looking for river crossings since 6d led to TOWER.
It took me longer than it probably should have to realise that 21d was TOWER as well but why was it entered and none of the others were? What is “its nature”? Then I realised that all the others were tunnels and this was a bridge and another trip to Wikipedia helped me discover that the iconic Tower Bridge actually served as a replacement for the Tower Tunnel, which I’d never heard of before.
The title presumably indicates that, by their very nature, tunnels (and bridges) take you from A to B.
At risk of causing offence to some readers, I found this puzzle a slog (but not in a bad way) and I didn’t finish justifying the thematics until now – second half of 3d being particularly troublesome.
I have to admit that knowing that this was the last puzzle before the anticipated biggie “INQUISITOR 1500” (which will have been seen and solved before this is published) I was expecting a gentle stroll in the park, instead I think this has led to my most taxing blog yet. However, big thanks to Triton.
Thematic stuff
| No. | clue 1 | WP1 | Entry 1 | Entry 2 | Clue 2 | WP2 | Answer |
| 12a | Singer checking weapon | CHER (singer) containing ARM (weapon) | CHARMER | SEYSURE | considers coming round to nail pigheaded person dumping daughter | EYES (considers; rev: coming round) containing SURd (pigheaded person; minus Daughter) | MERSEY |
| 24a | argues with English |
SPARS (argues with)+English | SPARSE | VERNALLY | against permanently deporting alien | V (against)+etERNALLY minus ET (alien) | SEVERN |
| 28a | Ear crushed by fine | LUG (ear) inside PHAT (fine) | PLUG-HAT | FIELDMICE | left shrunken after eccentric medic treated | FIE (eccentric)+Left (first-letter: shrunken)+MEDIC (anag: treated) | HATFIELD |
| 38a | Bale tossed in disgust | BALE (anag: tossed) inside SHOCK (disgust) | SHOEBLACK | WALL-EYED | winding wee lady going round back of goal | WEE LADY goaL (back of) anag: winding | BLACKWALL |
| 3d | European court probing grim | European+WOO (court) inside HARD (grim) | HAREWOOD | HEADHUNT | i.e. German provincial one in trouble | DH (d.h: das heisst: equivalent to i.e, in German)+UN (provincialone) inside HEAT (trouble) | WOODHEAD |
| 6d | points out | POINTS (anag: out) | SPINTO | WERWOLF | hardly any holding despicable Romeo back | FEW (hardly any) containing LOW (despicable)+Romeo rev:back | TOWER |
| 19d | everyone boarding fast train and | HST (fast train) containing ALL (everyone)+AND | HALLSTAND | EDGEWAYS | say we’d uncovered aged, broken | SAY WE’D+aGEd (uncovered) anag: broken | STANDEDGE |
| Across |
||
| Clue |
Entry |
Wordplay |
| 1 Spain best shutting leaders of hard-left insurgents in dingy compound (7) |
ETHIOPS | E (Spain)+TOPS (best) containing Hard-left Insurgents (leaders of) |
| 7 Ate extra fat, mostly getting broader round the bottom (6) |
FLARED | FED containing LARd (fat; mostly) I’m not 100% happy with this one as I can’t get FED to mean “ate extra” and I can’t see the container indicator and I can’t see what “getting” has to do with it. |
| 12 Singer checking weapon daily][undoubtedly considers coming round to nail pigheaded person dumping daughter (4;4) |
CHAR SURE |
See thematic table (above) |
| 14 Son in an excited state starts to run around above (5) |
SUPRA | Son+UP (in an excited state)+Run+Around (starts to) |
| 15 Lover of famous swimmer I celebrate turning into celebrity (9) |
HEROISING | HERO (lover of Leander: swimmer)+I+SING (celebrate) |
| 16 Obliged worker to drink, returning to drop her off (4) |
SERF | reFRESh (to drink; rev: returning) minus HER |
| 18 Difficulty describing Queen and her Uncle David? (6) |
BOTHER | Queen Elizabeth II is ER and her uncle (King) Edward VIII was ER. Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, apparently, was always known to his family and close friends by his last given name, David Thus they are BOTH ER |
| 20 Naturally take water from Scottish town that’s wasted last of whisky (6) |
AIR-DRY | AIRDRie (Scottish town) minus IE (that is)+whiskY (last of) |
| 22 Cut down Australian tree (4) |
MOWA | MOW (cut down)+Australian |
| 24 Pole argues with English][friend against permanently deporting alien (4;4) |
SPAR ALLY |
See thematic table (above) |
| 26 Poet’s subduing Byron’s daughter with doctored gin (7) |
ADAWING | ADA (Byron’s daughter)+With+GIN (anag: doctored) |
| 28 Ear crushed by fine punch][left shrunken after eccentric medic treated black eyes (4;4) |
PLUG MICE |
See thematic table (above) |
| 32 Left enthralled by fine art (4) |
NEAR (as in nearside) |
fiNE ARt (hidden: enthralled by) |
| 33 Checked for emissions being reduced by 40% (6) |
PROVEN | PRO (for)+VENts (omissions; reduced by two-fifths/40%) |
| 34 Eventually cosy (6) | INTIME | IN TIME (eventually) |
| 35 Husband stuffing green parrot (4) |
ECHO | ECO (green) containing Husband |
| 37 Speed of French F1 champ, conceivably flat out (9) |
PROSTRATE | Alain PROST (four times Formula One World Champion) and the RATE (speed) at which he travels |
| 38 Footwear Bale tossed in disgust][spotted winding wee lady going round back of goal (4;4) |
SHOE EYED |
See thematic table (above) |
| 39 Finally the Scots grasp spectacular success (5) |
ÉCLAT | thE (finally)+CLAT (grasp; Scottish) |
| 40 Religious books about conflict with God approaching (6) |
TOWARD | OT (Old Testament: religious books; rev: about)+WAR (conflict)+D (god) |
| 41 Among family, shares things in the main (7) |
FLOTSAM | FAMily containing LOTS (shares) |
| Down |
||
| Clue |
Entry |
|
| 2 BBC bleeps suggestive remarks bracketing intro to hit record (7, 2 words) |
THE PIPS | TIPS (suggestive remarks) containing Hit (entry to)+EP (record) |
| 3 European court probing grim race][course, i.e. German provincial one in trouble (4;4) |
HARE HUNT |
See thematic table (above) |
| 4 Twiggy objects about one turning up in old Sainsbury’s jacket (6) |
OSIERS | RE (about)+I (one) rev: turning up inside Old+Sainsbury’S (first-and-last: jackets) |
| 5 Easy-going person beginning to prune American tree needing more time (8) |
PUSSY-CAT | Prune (beginning to)+US (American)+SYCAmore (needing MORE)+Time |
| 6 Play points out][seducer of women, hardly any holding despicable Romeo back (4;4) |
SPIN WOLF |
See thematic table (above) |
| 8 Look to start playing pool (6) |
LAGOON | LA (look to)+GO ON (start playing) |
| 9 Libertine not offering ring? Consider backing out! (3) |
RUE | RoUÉ (Libertine) minus O (ring) |
| 10 Was responsible for boobs being covered up by better red-tops (5) |
ERRED | bettER RED-tops (hidden: covered up by) |
| 11 Right about amateurs squandering opening following brilliant clearance (10) |
DEFRAYMENT | DEF (brilliant)+RT (right) containing lAYMEN (amateurs; squandering opening) |
| 13 Result of, primarily, one driver with a case for grievance? (8, 2 words) |
ROAD RAGE | &lit Result Of (primarily)+A (one)+DRiver+A+GrievancE (first-and-last: case for) |
| 17 I offered host most substantial sandwiches present (10) |
MASSPRIEST | MASSIEST (most substantial) containing PResent |
| 19 Lobby everyone boarding fast train and][ say we’d uncovered aged, broken tracks (4;4) |
HALL WAYS |
See thematic table (above) |
| 21 See preamble | TOWER | |
| 23 Habitual joker again hiding one in Edmund’s bog (8) |
WAGMOIRE | WAG (habitual joker)+MORE (again) containing I (one) |
| 25 Management initiate call to keep socially inept people clear of department (8) |
DISPOSAL | DIAL (initiate call) containing SPOdS (socially inept people; minus Department) |
| 27 One acted strangely after taking taste of exotic drink (7, 2 words) |
ICED TEA | I (one)+ACTED (anag: strangely) containing Exotic (taste of) |
| 29 Baby’s violent wind leaving nothing to the imagination (6) |
PAMPER | PAMPERo (violent wind) minus O (which you can imagine is “nothing”) |
| 30 Extravagant party almost over in Cavern (6) |
GROTTO | OTT (extravagant)+ORGy (party; almost) rev: over |
| 31 Stopped avoiding red pepper (5) |
ANCHO | ANCHOred (stopped) minus RED |
| 36 Means to turn up missing section (3) |
HOW | sHOW (turn up) minus Section |
I too found this pretty hard going, but got there in the end. I won’t let on how long it took me to realise that Tower Tunnel isn’t still a thing.
I also found this challenging, but enjoyable. The double clues were particularly difficult, not only being merged together but also seemingly deliberately abstruse even when separated. I sorted them out to my satisfaction in the end, but struggled with the second half of 3A – well, didn’t struggle that hard as I appear to have settled for D + HUN, neither part of which fits correctly.
It turns out my tunnel knowledge is limited, though I did vaguely recognise Blackwall, which was my PDM.
I wasn’t entirely sure what the last line of the preamble meant – was it just to write in the word TOWER, as a bridge it would be visible, whilst the tunnels wouldn’t, or should it be highlighted in some way?
I parsed 7A as ate = FED with the addition of (extra) LAR(D), the definition being ‘getting broader around the bottom’.
Like kenmac (who it was a pleasure to meet, along with his daughter, at last Saturday’s Manchester bash), we broke through on the thematics with 19d after solving most of the standard clues. Local knowledge helped with both this one and 3d, as we live within about 8 miles of the western ends of the parallel Standedge canal and rail tunnels and the Woodhead rail tunnel. As these pass through the Pennines, the theme is wider than just “river crossings”, as Ken suggests, but he’s right about the pronunciation of Standedge!
We too were unsure why TOWER had to be filled in and at first assumed that it was because the Tower Tunnel is no longer in use, but that would also apply to Woodhead so the bridge theory looks correct.
Thanks to Triton for a puzzle which still took quite a bit of work after the theme became clear.
All the answers filled in correctly, more by good luck than judgment, but not a clue as to what was going on, even with Tower filled in.
Also found this tough but worthwhile. Wall-EYED was the first thematically clued answer and several others entered as a result of finding a plausible definition without knowing what was going on. SPARSE and VERNALLY revealed what was going on then quickly got Mersey, tower and blackwall. Never did explain Hare/Hunt or Hall/Ways, but seems fair enough on reflection. Thanks all.
Thanks Kenmac. We had some concerns too about 7ac but then Bert realised that ‘extra’ was Latin for outside which gives the container indicator.
It was a tough challenge but actually an enjoyable one.
Thanks to Triton for an interesting and different challenge.
Thanks, Kenmac, it was great to meet you again (and also your daughter) at the Manchester event, and thanks for introducing me to the other bloggers, two of whom I had not met before.
A bit late to this thread, but I should add that I rather enjoyed this one, tough going though it might have been at times. As with others, my way in was BLACK+WALL followed by MER+SEY. A few years back we met up with our narrow-boat friends who had just made their way though the SATAND-EDGE tunnel so I knew that one, and when it came to it I thought that TO-WER was fairly obvious. But then it took me an age to finally tumble to HARE+WOOD – the only one I hadn’t heard of.
Thanks Triton & Ken.
I correctly filled the grid and got 4 out of the 7 tunnels. I knew about the Tower tunnel so that was not a problem. I wrote TOWER in the middle just as a guess and even after reading the blog and comments I still have no idea about why it should be there.
Thanks Triton.