Enigmatic Variations No. 1371: Yesterday’s Papers by Ifor

It is an old cliché that ‘today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s fish’n’chip wrapper’, although in these days of elf’n’safety you are more likely to get a waxy paper container printed to look like a newspaper…but what does Ifor have in store for YESTERDAY’S PAPERS?…unless we are already in tomorrow, in which case I’ll have a cod and chips, but no mushy peas…

Having struggled and nearly-but-not-quite-succeeded (i.e. failed) with Ifor’s recent Inquisitor (IQ 1582 – Missing Flight Bag), I approached this with some trepidation…the (fairly complex) preamble stated that:

“Two pairs of answers must each be jumbled together on entry to reveal names from YESTERDAY’S PAPERS; these must be highlighted in their appropriate colours. Ten clues must have a letter-string removed from a single word (leaving a shorter word) before solving; the strings may be assembled into four more names. Two letters must be entered (in either order) in the central cell so that a location appears in the form of a relevant shape. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”

If entries need to be jumbled, then there is the likelihood of clashing letters pre-jumble, so I moved into ‘clash mode’, entering (in pencil, on a printed copy) Across solutions in their top right corners, Downs in their bottom left, circling clashes as they arise. That blank central cell implies that there may be some symmetricality involved, with one or more diagonals. And those ‘letter-strings’ will only be found by working through the clues…

I solved this pretty much in four sessions, spread over four days, aligned with my daily commute, and my solving notes indicate the progression thus:

Day 1: I had HORIZON at 1A, and then started to have some clashes with 2, 3, 4 and 6D. So I guessed that the ‘two pairs’ to be jumbled might be the top and bottom rows (setters like symmetry as much as solvers do…discuss!)

Day 2: 9, 10 and 11 D (and a bit of anagram software use, followed by some Wiki-oogling) helped me work out HORATIO FIZKIN as a jumble of HORIZON, IKAT and the F and I of 7 & 8 D. This led to Dickens’ Pickwick Papers, and made some initial sense of the puzzle’s title. But, given that I have never read the work in question, this wasn’t going to be solved without a bit of e-research…and some more hard work in the rest of the grid…

Day 3: More clashing cells confirmed my hypothesis that it would be the top and bottom rows, but I didn’t solve 36/37A until nearly the end, so although on…

Day 4: I found SAMUEL SLUMKEY, from the down answers, as another character from PP, but I wasn’t quite there.

However, along the way I had accumulated a few of the ‘letter-strings’, including TUP and RASS, which looked like they might belong to Tracy TUPMAN and Augustus SNODGRASS, who are both characters from the book. Two others – Samuel PICKWICK himself, and Nathaniel WINKLE – were eventually winkled out.

The final piece of the jigsaw was the discovery that the two thematic names were specifically involved in a ‘Borough election’ at EATANSWILL – which occupies parts of both diagonals and helps fill the central square, making an X (the relevant shape) to cast in said election:

 

 

Quite wonderful – and educational – stuff. I had a vague knowledge of the word EATANSWILL but little context, which I have now…along with electioneering tactics like baby-kissing and keeping voters trapped in the pubs until just before the poll booths open. I’m not sure they had a stagecoach with ‘350 groats a week for ye olde NHS’ emblazoned on the side, though…

I also know a few more Dickensian characters that I may recognise at a future pub quiz – as long as it is in the reasonably near future, before I forget them along with all the others I once knew!

Thanks to Ifor, and I hope I have it all covered below.

(On a sad note, I have just read the announcement about John Harrington (Schadenfreude elsewhere, Oxymoron to the EV). I have had many, many hours of pleasure – and frustration! – solving his puzzles, including the recent Magnificent Seven IQ 1583  – Partial Survival. I have also been lucky enough to have blogged several Oxymoron EVs, from last year’s EV 1327 – Titles and way back to 2010’s EV 933 – Grackles. My thoughts and condolences to his nearest and dearest…a sad loss to cruciverbalism in general.)

 

Across
Clue No	Letter String	Solution / Entry	Clue (definition underlined, removed letters br(ack)eted in bold) / Logic/Parsing
1		HORIZON / HORATIO	Push keeping one cross, as far as I can see (7) / HOR_N (to butt, or push – as a goat might)around (keeping) I (one) + ZO (cross-bred cattle)
9		IKAT / ZKIN	Patterned fabric institute leaves in Arabia (4) / I (institute) + KAT (qat or kat, leaves chewed for stimulant effect, eg. in Arabia)
12		GLEDE	Bird in Bible legend, flying but not heading to Noah (5) / anag, i.e flying, of LEGE(N)D (without N – first letter, or head, of Noah)
13	WINK	CODEINE	Anodyne cipher hood(wink)ing a certain German (7) / COD_E (cipher) around (hooding) EIN (definite article, German)
14		ETHNARCHS	People’s rulers finished second then moved to the front (9) / ETHN (anag, i.e. moved, of THEN) in front of ARCH (finished, accomplished) + S (second)
15		VENEERED	Paid out to keep name on vacation superficially disguised (8) / VE_ERED (paid out, nautical, as in paying out a cable) around (keeping) NE (NamE, vacated of its middle letters)
16		LOVAT	Bluish-green eggs hidden by exhausted linnet (5) / L_T (LinneT exhausted, or empty, of its middle letters) around (hiding) OVA (eggs)
17		EDENTAL	Like a sloth, talented but wasting time badly (7) / anag, i.e. badly, of TALEN(T)ED (losing, or wasting, one T – time)
20		BACKRA	Jamaican whites endorse annual return to the west (6) / BACK (endorse) + RA (AR, Annual Return, reversed, or to the west)
23		EASIER	More relaxed doctor beginning to expect a rise (6) / anag, i.e. doctor, of E (beginning to expect) + A RISE
25		LANTERN	Light that’s new following note put in afterwards (7) / LA_TER (afterwards) around N (note), followed by N (new)
29		AKKAS	Casually change a couple of thousands, for instance (5) / A + KK (a couple of thousands) + AS (for instance)
30	ICK	HYPNOTEE	Promote homes(ick) remark for one sent off with a wave? (8) / HYP_E (promote) around (homes) NOTE (remark)
32		JOB’S TEARS	Deals in flaws in glass round grains of silicates (9, two words) / JOBS (buys and sells, deals in) + TEARS (flaws in glass)
34		INISLES	Isolates benevolent creature ensnared by wicked lies (7) / I_LES (anag, i.e. wicked, of LIES) around (ensnaring) NIS (benevolent creature, or goblin)
35		DÉCOR	Records endlessly playing for ornamental effect (5) / anag, i.e. playing, of (R)ECORD(S) (endlessly!)
36		LAKY / SAMU	Like a mere drunk, spinning a line (4) / ALKY (alcoholic, drunk) spinning A and L (line) could give LAKY
37		MUSEUMS / SLUMKEY	Operate in silence, starting to supervise places of study (7) / M_UM (silence, keep mum) around USE (operate), plus S (starting letter of Supervise)
Down
Clue No	Letter String	Solution / Entry	Clue (definition underlined, removed letters br(ack)eted in bold) / Logic/Parsing
2		OLPE	Petrol supply after spilling right over Greek vessel (4) / anag, i.e. supply, of PE(TR)OL (losing, or spilling, TR – RT, or right, over)
3	SN	REDNECK	Reckoned to lose one’s head, (sn)ugly intolerant (7) / anag, i.e. ugly, of RECK(O)NED (losing O, first letter, or head, of One)
4	LE	ADMEN	Promoters end ma(le) wrestling (5) / anag, i.e. wrestling, of END + MA
5		INTRA	Translator in the middle of squared brackets within Latin (5) / IN_A (IN + A – middle letter of squAred) around (bracketing) TR (translator)
6		OCH	Get away to Aviemore, enthralled by brochures (3) / hidden word, i.e. entralled by, in ‘brOCHures’
7	ODG	FONDLE	Pet idiot once l(odg)ed all over the place (6) / FON (obsolete, i.e. once, for fool, idiot) + DLE (anag, i.e. all over the place, of LED)
8		IDALIAN	Many wild maids, all naked and abandoned to Aphrodite (7) / anag, i.e. abandoned, of (M)AN(Y) + (W)IL(D) + (M)AID(S), all ‘naked’, or stripped of their outer letters)
9		ZEROS	Zips painful when hoisted following impedance (5) / Z (physics, symbol for impedance) + EROS (SORE, or painful, hoisted)
10		INHALE	Draw in crooked line near all the missing sides (6) / anag, i.e. crooked, of (L)IN(E) + (N)EA(R) + (A)L(L) + (T)H(E) , all missing their side letters, as in 8D!
11	MAN	NESTOR	Old man’s rest on re(man)d (6) / anag, i.e. red, or put in order, of REST ON
12	KW	GIVE	Aw(kw)ard setter has to follow guidelines primarily (4) / G (first, or primary, letter of Guidelines) + IVE (I, the setter, has to…)
18		TRESTLE	Letters stirred up support (7) / anag, i.e. stirred up, of LETTERS
19		TIETACK	Item marks out new direction for male adornment (7) / TIE (anag, i.e. new, of ITE(M) without M – marks) + TACK (direction, e.g. nautical)
20		BHAJIS	Pilgrim boarding empty bus for starters (6) / B_S (’empty’ BuS) around HAJI (Muslim pilgrim)
21		AIKONA	How Bantu refuse representation, impressed by extremes in Africa (6) / A_A (extreme letters of AfricA) around (impressing) IKON (icon, representation)
22		AWHEEL	Cycling area with slope (6) / A (area) + W (with) + HEEL (slope, lean)
24		LASSU	Some doubtful assumptions slow movement (5) / hidden word, i.e. some, in ‘doubtfuLASSUmptions)
26		APRIL	Thirty days before parole is regularly reviewed (5) / A (ante, before) + PRIL (anag, i.e. reviewed, of regular letters of ‘PaRoLe Is’
27	PIC	TOTEM	To(pic) was introduced to upstanding family icon (5) / TO + TEM (met, was introduced to, upstanding)
28	RASS	NEAR	B(rass)y number fears undressing (4) / N (number) + (F)EAR(S) (undressed, removing outer letters)
31		EVOE	Frenzied cry heard over hospital network – every second counts (4) / second letters of ‘hEard oVer hOspital nEtwork’
33	TUP	ASS	Stupid permit saving (tup)pence (3) / (P)ASS (permit) losing (saving) P (pence)