Ifor is an innovative and challenging setter, so it was good to see his name attached to this puzzle
The preamble told us that "Across clues and entries are normal and presented in conventional order. Down clues are in alphabetical order of their solutions; solvers must DELETE a letter from 12 of them before solving. Their answers are entered according to the title of a poem, to be written under the grid; in the filled grid each deleted letter appears in the unclued middle row where it intersects the column containing the relevant entry. Solvers must complete this row such that CONTROL and ALT appear as the poet wished. Remaining down answers are entered where they will fit; modified clues and the final grid (other than the middle row) consist of real words and phrases."
Well, I wasn’t really sure what all that meant, but that’s not unusual for me on the first read of a preamble.
If the across clues are normal then I can study the grid and add entry lengths to end of the clues as shown in the detail of the blog below I then solved a few of the across clues to get some letters into the grid. I started with HELP, ELO, PSIONIC, WARTIME, GNAR and SIGNS.
I then looked at the downs to start getting some first letters which would help later with the clues I had yet to solve. The first one I solved here was ECO which worried me a bit as there are no 3 letter down entries in the grid and as the across clues were normal I did not expect any blanks in the grid. I also solved CONSENT, EELS, RED and RIVET on the first pass, so that was another 3 letter answer. CONSENT, EELS and RIVET at least matched some down entry lengths in the grid.
There was then a fairly difficult period of solving when I struggled to get a few more acrosses and downs, TRADE, REDCOATS, SAGES, SERRS, WARTIME and STETTED were the next acrosses, while I got ALA, ANTHERS, NAIL, OLPES, RE-ECHO, ROADMAN and SPATE in the downs
I wasn’t paying much attention to the omitted letters at this time as I didn’t really know where any of the downs were going to go. However, the penny was starting to drop at this point when I could see that RE-ECHO and BLATE could run together to form REECH and OBLATE within the bars. Similarly, RED and ANTHERS could concatenate to from RED ANT and HERS and look, the letters ending up in the middle row in each case match the omitted letter for the entry that overflows the available space.
Once PEDESTAL and READOPT were teased out in the acrosses, the picture became much clearer and the rest of the puzzle fell fairly quickly. I had SALLOW as a down answer for some time but couldn’t parse it properly, but I finally spotted where it could go and elongated it to SALLOWED which I could parse.
I still had no idea about the endgame even with a fairly full grid but the name TENNYSON leapt out so at least I had a poet’s name as a basis for research. Obviously the missing letter in the centre of the middle row was E TOLIP is not a word but I saw it reversed to PILOT. A request to google for something that related PILOT and TENNYSON produced the goods.
The poem is CROSSING THE BAR by ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON. The 12 entries where a letter was omitted from the clue have lead to entries that are too long for their available space and are indeed CROSSING THE BAR in the grid. I have to admit that it was only at this point that the meaning of ALT hit home and I noticed the relationship between CONTROL and PILOT. The everything fell completely into place when I read the last two lines of the poem: ‘I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crost the bar‘ The first letters of PILOT and TENNYSON are face to face in the middle row of the grid.
All the amended clues contained real words, all the entries within bars are also real words.
It’s often the case when writing an Inquisitor blog that I wonder why the clues seemed so difficult when I was solving the puzzle and it is definitely the case this time. However, I do know the lengths of the down answers now and that makes a big difference. All the clues were very fair with unambiguous parsing. AS ever in a barred puzzle some of the entries or component parts are obscure words but that’s par for the course in such puzzles.
Well done to Ifor for the grid construction and for developing the CONTROL+ ALT + DELETE theme. I look forward to another Ifor puzzle
The completed grid looks like this:
CROSSING THE BAR
The tile is an excellent piece of misdirection towards the IT world, but it’s obvious now that CONTROL is PILOT, ALT is ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON and DELETE is what we had to do to letters in 12 of the down clues.
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. |
Clue Amended Clue (Downs only) |
Letter | Wordplay | Entry |
|
|
Rated derivative swap (5)
|
|
Anagram of (derivative) RATED TRADE* |
TRADE (exchange; swap)
|
|
|
Lost British force separated in fighting hides (8)
|
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RED (an obscure meaning of RED as a variant spelling of REDD is ‘separated in fighting’) + COATS (covers; hides) RED COATS |
REDCOATS (historical [lost] body of British soldiers [force])
|
|
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Give birth without first aid (4)
|
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WHELP (bring forth young; give birth) excluding (without) the first letter (first) W HELP |
HELP (aid)
|
|
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Room clerk put together and endlessly played piped music (7, two words)
|
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Anagram of ROOM and CLERK (put together as ROOM CLERK and played) excluding the last two letters (endlessly) R and K CEÒL MÓR* |
CEÒL MÓR (pibroch; classical music of the bagpipe; piped music)
|
|
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Get another child to learn very well indeed (7)
|
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READ (study; learn) + OPT (abbreviation the Latin word optime [very well indeed])
|
READOPT (take another child voluntarily as one’s own)
|
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Prepare to spray area that is most affected (7)
|
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A (area) + an anagram of (affected) (I.E. [that is] and MOST) A TOMISE* |
ATOMISE (to reduce a liquid [or solid] to a fine spray)
|
|
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Returning home to hooligan (3)
|
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DEN (home) reversed (returning) NED< |
NED (hooligan)
|
|
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False magician gives up again when exhausted (4)
|
SHAMAN (doctor-priest or medicine man working by magic) excluding (given up) AN (letters remaining in AGAIN when the central letters GAI are removed [exhausted]) SHAM |
SHAM (false)
|
|
|
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Wise men forming devices to exclude women (5)
|
SWAGES (any of several tools including a tool in two grooved parts for shaping metal; forming devices) excluding (to exclude) W (women) SAGES |
SAGES (wise men)
|
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|
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Blunder between left and right hands of salutes forces men closer together (5)
|
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ERR (blunder) contained in (between) ([S + S] [first and last [left and right hands of] SALUTES]) S (ERR) S |
SERRS (closes the ranks of; forces men closer together where ranks can refer to groups of military men)
|
|
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Where art can be seen informally to reflect rank (4)
|
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TATE (informal reference to the TATE Gallery or TATE Modern, establishments where art can be seen) reversed (reflect) ÉTAT< |
ÉTAT (state or rank)
|
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Concerned with rating on board below holds (3
|
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ELO (hidden word in [holds] BELOW) ELO |
ELO (denoting a scale on which the ability of chess-players is assessed, concerned with rating on [chess]board)
|
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False suspicions obscuring knowledge regarding subatomic particle (7)
|
|
Anagram of (false) SUSPICIONS excluding (obscuring) SUS (knowledge) PSIONIC* |
PSIONIC (relating to the sub-atomic PSI particle)
|
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Send out inexperienced revolutionary when battles are fought (7)
|
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(EMIT [send out] + RAW [inexperienced]) all reversed (revolutionary) (WAR TIME)< |
WARTIME (a period when battles are fought)
|
|
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Put into groups taking temperature restored after dropping (7)
|
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SETTED (arranged; put into groups) containing (taking) T (temperature) S (T) ETTED |
STETTED (restored after having been marked for deletion; restored after dropping)
|
|
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Knot a string badly after twisting its parts (4)
|
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Anagram of (badly) A STRING excluding (after … parts) an anagram of (twisting) ITS GNAR* |
GNAR (variant spelling of KNAR [knot on a tree)
|
|
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Please don’t hollow out support (8)
|
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Anagram of (out) PLEASE and DT (letters remaining in DON‘T if one removes the central letters [hollow out] ON) PEDESTAL* |
PEDESTAL (support of a column, statue, base etc)
|
|
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Traces of good in crimes (5)
|
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G (good) contained in SINS (crimes) SI (G) NS |
SIGNS (traces)
|
| Down | ||||
|
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Bony projection partly balanced
|
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ALA (hidden word in [partly] BALANCED) ALA |
ALA (any flat winglike process [projection], especially of bone)
|
| Absolute crowd of yokels abandoned here and there |
|
A (absolute) + MONG (dialect [old/ yokels] word for crowd) | AMONG (here and their) | |
|
No withdrawing from someone else’s male organs? O withdrawing from someone else’s male organs? |
N |
ANOTHERS (someone else’s) excluding (withdrawing) O ANTHERS |
ANTHERS (parts of a stamen [male organ of a flower]that produce the pollen.) |
|
|
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Train table reserved at Waverley
|
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Anagram of (train) TABLE BLATE* |
BLATE (Scottish [Waverley is the main railway station in Edinburgh] word bashful, timidly awkward; reserved)
|
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Lent pushed forward following study Let pushed forward following study |
N
|
CON (study) + SENT (pushed forward) CON SENT |
CONSENT (agree to; allow; let)
|
|
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Plots assigned without an alternative Plots assigned without a alternative |
N
|
Anagram of (alternative) ASSIGNED excluding (without) A DESIGNS* |
DESIGNS (plots)
|
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Green algae contaminating harbours
|
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ECO (hidden word in [harbours] ALGAE CONTAMINATING) ECO |
ECO (prefix or combining form denoting ecology or concern for the environment; green)
|
|
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Fish left sinking in sediment
|
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LEES (sediment) with L (left) moving down the entry (sinking; down clue) to form EELS EELS |
EELS (fish)
|
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Rages from father when son turns up late
|
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SIRE (father) with the S (son) appearing at the end (turns up late) to form IRES IRES |
IRES (rages)
|
|
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Expose as false, in league with a criminal
|
|
Anagram of (criminal) IN and L (league) and A NAIL* |
NAIL (expose as a lie)
|
|
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Greek vessels empty oily paste regularly at sea Greek vessels empty oil paste regularly at sea |
Y
|
OL (letters remaining in OIL when the central letter I is removed [empty]) and an anagram of (at seas) PSE (letters 1, 3 and 5 {regularly} of PASTE) OL PES* |
OLPES (Greek jugs[ vessels])
|
|
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Naval squadron‘s reward after losing conflict
|
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REWARD excluding (after losing) WAR RED |
RED (former squadron of the British fleet) |
|
|
Free choice opens ring Free choice pens ring |
O |
RE-ECHO (hidden word in [pens] FREE CHOICE) RE_ECHO |
RE-ECHO (resound; ring)
|
|
|
Stop uprising in return for pointed retaliation Sop uprising in return for pointed retaliation |
T
|
(SOP reversed [uprising; down clue]) contained in (in) RET (return) RE (POS)< T |
REPOST (variant spelling of RIPOSTE [fencing term for quick return thrust after a parry]; pointed retaliation)
|
|
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Bolt from disastrous interview after spilling wine all over the place
|
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Anagram of (disastrous) INTERVIEW excluding (spilling) the letters of WINE where ever they occur (all over the place) in INTERVIEW RIVET* |
RIVET (bolt)
|
|
|
Maroon unoccupied and lost wanderer Maron unoccupied and lost wanderer |
O
|
Anagram of (lost) (MARON and AD [letters remaining in AND when the central letter N is removed [unoccupied]) ROADMAN* |
ROADMAN (itinerant; wanderer)
|
|
Very well yolked, with everything inside turned yellow Very well yoked, with everything inside turned yellow |
L |
(SO [very well] + WED [united; yoked]) containing (with … inside) ALL (everything) S (ALL) O WED |
SALLOWED (turned yellow) | |
|
|
Sudden ruin of priest overwhelmed by glut Sudden run of priest overwhelmed by glut |
I
|
P (priest) contained in (overwhelmed by) SATE (glut) S (P) ATE |
SPATE (sudden rush; sudden run)
|
|
Strain leash Train leash |
S |
STRING (train, succession, file or series)) STRING |
STRING (leash) double definition
|
|
|
|
Prod in butt missing objection – "Stick hurts!" Prod in butt missing objection – "Sick hurts!" |
T
|
BUTT excluding (missing) BUT (objection) + an anagram of (sick) HURTS T HRUST* |
THRUST (prod)
|
|
|
Dashed about, chasing in one direction
|
|
TO (in one direction) + after [chasing]) RE (with reference to; about) TO RE |
TORE (raced; dashed)
|
|
Places letters in press step by step, sadly preserving raised blood pressure Places letters in press step by step, sadly reserving raised blood pressure |
P |
Anagram of (sadly) STEP BY STEP excluding (reserving) BP (blood pressure) reversed (raised; down clue) TYPESETS* |
TYPESETS (places letters in a printing press) |
Super puzzle where I got everything except the reversed TOLIP where I needed a nudge from Gaufrid to point me at right place in the poem. This was a long and satisfying solve, nothing gave itself up easily but the clues were not so hard that I couldn’t get to the end as sometimes happens.
Thanks Duncan and Ifor.
Quite a tricky solve – the fact that the down clues didn’t fit into any of the barred entries threw me for a long time. Once I’d twigged that, progress was fairly rapid, and Google identified the poem for me. Satisfying to complete.
My thanks too to Duncan and Ifor. Really clever, and a terrific mental work-out. I had DESIGNS as my first Down solve and felt a growing sense of panic as the Across entries combined to rule out every possible place where it could go. The lack of three-letter Down slots was also worrying. Then NAIL seemed to fit happily into a slot where the first letter was S, and enlightenment began to dawn. After a couple more such entries the poem title Crossing the Bar seemed plausible, but I wasn’t at all sure of it until TENNYSON himself became evident in the middle row. A great relief.
Yes – tricky to get going, especially as I didn’t start until after the weekend. (And why withhold the entry lengths for the across clues?) It was pleasing as the method of entering down answers slowly dawned, but I was held up with the rightmost columns having confidently entered TATE instead of ÉTAT just below the middle row very early on. And when I’d completed the grid (and read to the end of the poem) I puzzled far too long over the significance of the title before turning to a friend for help to explain it.
Up to Ifor’s usual high standard – thanks (and to Duncan as well for the blog).
PS I think the given wordplay for 12a CEÒL MÓR needs tweaking: ROOM CLERK “put together” = ROOMCLERK and then “endlessly” gives OOMCLER (rather than excluding the last two letters) as the anagram fodder.
A brilliant puzzle. I almost gave up when a fancy that down clues might be wrapped in other down clues proved fruitless. Oblate was my breakthrough. Even after I understood the game, I found the top right corner very slow to give.
I assumed ‘delete’ denoted death? Or is that morbid of me?
Thanks to Ifor and Duncanshiell
It’s all been said but we wanted to add how much we enjoyed the solve – very satisfying!
Thanks to Ifor and Duncan.
After getting two of the first three clues, TRADE and HELP, almost instantly, I thought this was going to be a breeze. Nope. I found it a very tricky solve, with so little help on the down answers (but, as HG asks, why the extra unnecessary irritant of not telling us the answer lengths on the across clues?), but overall an enjoyable challenge, albeit one I completed only with my dictionary practically glued to my hands.
I did think the preamble was a bit unclear – it wasn’t obvious if “Their answers are entered …” was referring to all the down answers or just those with the letter removed, and any extra uncertainly was not welcome at the time!
I don’t think I ever quite sorted out the CONTROL+ALT+DELETE references to my satisfaction – certainly didn’t spot the Alfred Lord Tennyson = ALT bit.
As ever, my thanks to all who commented and to Duncan for his so-thorough explanations, as well as to ALT for his prescience in providing such a setter-friendly title (as well as his ennoblement!) It seems not to have been used before, which surprises me considerably.
By way of answering Neil above – I’d originally thought to title it ALT KEY, then CONTROL = pilot was suggested by a friend, which led me to DELETE. That in turn required some deletions, and it seemed reasonable to use them as confirmation of the column entries via the middle row. The relationship to death wasn’t something that occurred to me, I’m afraid.
Ifor
What is I FOR ?
Innovative, as DS says … and Indisputably Ingenious
but, for me, his last two Inquisitors were …
Initially intimidating.
Increasingly Intractable.
and, In the end, Impossible.
No sour grapes, SB, but rather due admiration for all the above who successfully crossed the bars and bulged the net.
Possibly like the best puzzles, this makes perfect sense in hindsight. At the time, however, I found it too challenging and remained bamboozled by the apparent inability to fit any of the down answers I had solved into the spaces. I can draw slight consolation that I was able to provide Terrier with a few new answers and he did manage to finish.