There is usually a reason why we get a month or so to solve a Genius, but I managed to get onto Puck’s wavelength and completed this in ‘double’-quick time, as I waited to donate a pint of blood…
The preamble states that:
“Fifteen clues contain a thematic word that must be replaced by a sixteenth common one of the same kind (as suggested by the unclued solutions for 12 and 27 across).”
When I turned up at the blood donation session I was told they were running about 30 minutes late, so I decided to pull out that day’s Genius and see if I could maybe get a foothold…
There are 37 entries, with two unclued, so half-and-half between normal and thematic – which are reasonable odds to plough in to some solving and see a) how many normals I can solve, and b) if there is any recognisable pattern or feature of the thematic ones.
On first run through, there seemed to be a preponderance of alcoholic references – beer, whisky, Guinness, wine…shurely shome short of link to the theme?…hic…
Then, after 10 minutes or so, a first PDM – in 3D the ‘language’ starting with PID must be PIDGIN, which means maybe that ‘sherry’ in the clue needs to be replaced with ‘gin’? This also gave me 12A as G_N – so maybe GIN again?
Soon after that I had U_E at 27A – replacing ‘beer’ with ‘gin’ in 20D to make AUGUST. And 26A referencing ‘this puzzle’ had crossers of G_N_U_, and looks like an anagram of 12 and 27 – so GENIUS <–> GIN USE.
It wasn’t all booze, as GIN can mean a trap, or snare, and both of these made appearances, as well as gin rummy, and GIN being used either explicitly or as anagram fodder in several other places.
After 20 minutes they still hadn’t called my name, and I only had six left to go. Things slowed down a bit towards the end, but after 30 minutes it was down to three – 5, 15 and 19, before I saw TONIC pop up at 15A, although no ‘ice and a slice’…!
After 40 minutes, I was all done – a Genius record for me, by a long way…but I had to wait another 20 minutes before the vampires finally descended on me…
I thought this was a delightful puzzle – certainly at the easier end of the Genius spectrum, but lots of fun along the way and some clever tricks to get so many gin references in, to both clues and the grid..
I also enjoyed 13A, with the great West Indian batsman Rohan Kanhai somehow caught up in an Alaskan hailstorm! Genius!… And the ‘TRAP-PISSED’ monk at 16A caused an involuntary snort that caused a few strange glances from my fellow donors-in-waiting….
The only niggle in the back of my mind is ‘bishop’ for ‘gin’ in the first clue – unless I have missed something? I did find a reference to ‘Bishop’s Gin’ as a brand, but it certainly isn’t one I am familiar with.
Many thanks to Puck, and I hope all is clear below.
| ACROSS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Solution/Entry | Definition / Replacement | Clue / Logic/Parsing |
|
| 1 | SCHNAPS | ?bishop? -> gin (drink) | Bishop quickly photographs church interior (7) / S_NAPS (quickly photographs) with CH (church) as its interior |
|
| 5 | SPRINGE | wine -> gin (trap) | Time of year to start on elderberry wine (7) / SPRING (time of year) + E (starting letter of Elderberry) |
|
| 10 | INGRID | (woman’s) name, and situation where solutions might be (in grid!) / alcohol -> gin | Name of situation where solutions might be wrongly alcohol-free (6) / ING (anag, i.e. wrongly, of GIN) + RID (free) |
|
| 11 | ENTANGLE | catch | Catch fish after casting net (8) / ENT (anag, i.e. casting, of NET) + ANGLE (fish) |
|
| 12 | GIN | thematic deduction | [See special instructions] (3) / thematic deduction |
|
| 13 | KANHAI | old cricketer (Rohan) | Old cricketer caught in Alaskan hailstorm (6) / hidden word, i.e. caught in, in ‘alasKAN HAIlstorm’ |
|
| 14 | VETERANS | ex-servicemen / it -> gin (snare) | Ex-servicemen have to check before returning it? (8) / VET (to check) before ERANS (returning snare, or trap/gin) |
|
| 15 | TONIC | fine -> gin | When conversing, Philip is a fine mixer (5) / homophone (in clue rather than solution), i.e. when conversing – ‘Phillip’ sounds like ‘fillip’, or TONIC |
|
| 16 | TRAPPIST | brother (monk) / vodka -> gin? | Brother keeping quiet, reportedly drunk on vodka? (8) / TRAP (gin) + PIST (homophone, i.e. reportedly – PIST sounds like PISSED, or drunk) |
|
| 19 | SCHIEDAM | porter -> gin | Dutch porter, namely one tucking into hard cheese (8) / SC (scilicet, namely) + H (hard) + I (one) + EDAM (cheese) |
|
| 21 | RUMMY | gin perhaps (variation of card game) / Guinness -> gin | Drink setter’s Guinness, perhaps (5) / RUM (drink) + MY (the setter’s) |
|
| 24 | GIN SLING | ouzo -> gin | Drink ouzo, then heave (3,5) / GIN + SLING (heave) |
|
| 26 | GENIUS | this puzzle! | For this puzzle, liberal 12 27 is needed (6) / anag, i.e. liberal, of GIN (12A) + USE (27A) |
|
| 27 | USE | thematic deduction | [See special instructions] (3) / thematic deduction |
|
| 28 | HOLLANDS | port -> gin | Country with small port (8) / HOLLAND (country) + S (small) |
|
| 29 | NODDLE | head | Fellow coming round with oddly dulled head (6) / NOD (don, fellow, coming round) = DLE (odd letters of DuLlEd) |
|
| 30 | STIR-FRY | dish | Small fish added to prison dish (4-3) / STIR (prison) + FRY (small fish) |
|
| 31 | GAINING | getting / whisky -> gin | Getting a double whisky ordered (7) / anag, i.e. ordered, of A + GIN + GIN (double gin!) |
|
| Down | ||||
| Clue No | Solution/Entry | Definition / Replacement | Clue / Logic/Parsing |
|
| 2 | CENTAVO | in foreign capital, it’s of little value | Surprisingly can vote in foreign capital? It’s of little value (7) / anag, i.e. surprisingly, of CAN VOTE |
|
| 3 | NORTHWICH | town in Cheshire | Throw china around, missing a town in Cheshire (9) / anag, i.e. around, of THROW CHIN( |
|
| 4 | PIDGIN | language / sherry -> gin | Language Sherry used after short swim, when upset (6) / PID (dip, short swim, upset) + GIN |
|
| 6 | PIT STOPS | refuelling breaks | Notices clue brought up refuelling breaks (3,5) / SPOTS (notices) + TIP (clue), all brough up to give PIT STOPS |
|
| 7 | INNER | some (of a) target | Some target meal without starter (5) / ( |
|
| 8 | GILL NET | something hung vertically to catch fish / stella -> gin | Tell Stella about something hung vertically to catch fish (4,3) / anag, i.e. about, of TELL + GIN |
|
| 9 | DENVER | state capital | Study really briefly in state capital (6) / DEN (study) + VER( |
|
| 17 | IGUANODON | dinosaur | Dinosaur upsetting Una in Dog & Duck (9) / anag, i.e. upsetting, of UNA IN DOG + O (zero, duck) |
|
| 18 | BEGINNER | a novice / arak -> gin | Some imbibe arak nervously, as a novice (8) / hidden word, i.e. some, in ‘imbiBE GIN NERvously’ |
|
| 19 | SPIN OUT | prolong | Prolong second drink, when drinking where in Paris? (4,3) / S (second) + PIN_T (drink) around OU (‘where’, in French, i..e. in Paris) |
|
| 20 | AUGUST | imposing / beer -> gin | Imposing an unheralded beer upsets small taverns initially (6) / initial letters of ‘An Unheralded Gin Upsets Small Taverns’ |
|
| 22 | MAUDLIN | when drunk, tearfully sentimental | When drunk, tearfully sentimental female left home (7) / MAUD (female name) + L (left) + IN (at home) |
|
| 23 | AGENDA | things to be done | Things to be done, if a lawyer has inhaled dope (6) / A + DA (District Attorney, lawyer), around (inhaling) GEN (information, dope) |
|
| 25 | SOLAR | from our setter (the sun, not this puzzle’s setter!) | Fly high, having tackled fifth of puzzle from our setter (5) / SO_AR (fly high) around (tackling) L (fifth letter of puzzLe) |
|
Thanks to both. Enjoyable and, for once, attainable. My problem was INGRID as I just could not see it for the odd week. I kept looking for a name where I removed GIN to get the answer. Once I had discovered the GIN through PIDGIN, the rest was not so bad. At that point I went through and highlighted every alcohol reference in the clues and that helped immensely. I didn’t realise I knew so many.
An impressive solving time, mc; I too have spent a few hours waiting for the call but can’t remember solving an entire crossword in the wait. Bishop, according to Chambers is a drink made with mulled wine.
How lovely to come across the blog which reminded me of this excellent and fun puzzle – it was so long ago it had passed from my memory. It did all fall together quickly with one or two question marks, but it all resolved well. Thanks Puck and mc_rapper67 for the blog.
thanks, bridgesong, at #2 – of course, the ‘bishop’ in 1A shouldn’t be a gin, it just has to be a type of alcohol being swapped out for ‘gin’…I did see that definition in Chambers, but was fixated on gin by the time I came to parse the clues for the blog…
Mystogre and thezed – thanks for your comments – looks like this was a generally well received puzzle, so far(!), and one on a subject dear to my heart, if not my liver!…
I enjoyed this and found it quite a bit easier than some of late. Didn’t know that ‘fine’ is ordinary brandy, just thought the definition of TONIC was ‘a fine mixer’. I’m glad I didn’t count for fifteen substitutions or I would have been put out. Didn’t know NORTHWICH, SPRINGE, GILL NET, SCHIEDAM or KANHAI but managed to work them all out.
I only really know gin=trap from crosswords and wasn’t quite sure if it’s a general word for a trap, or a particular type.
Thanks for the blog, and congratulations for solving it so quickly. I agree it was fun, and easy for a genius, which meant it only took us 2-3 days !
I did count the substitutions and was puzzled only to get 14 – like Tony I had no idea fine was booze, so thanks for the explanation.
If I wanted to be critical, which I don’t, I might say that the device was a little unsatisfactory as the word swapped out played no part in the puzzle at all, any form of booze would have done. Some (like fine, also bishop, port) were ‘hiding’ as alternative meanings, but most stood out as alcoholic drinks, which made spotting the thematic clues easier – fine by me, but some might say ‘too easy’.
Hi all
I may be missing something, but why is 15A highlighted in Green rather than Yellow?
Thanks for Puck and mc_rapper67
TONY and Mr Beaver – I didn’t actually count up the 15 while I was solving, and when I did for the blog I was stuck on 14 for a while, until I realised I was missing ‘alcohol’ itself, in 10A. I was OK with ‘fine’, although I think I subconsciously associated it with Fino – dry sherry – and of course we all saw ‘it’ as ‘Italian Vermouth’…an old crossword stalwart…as is gin/trap…I guess an old poaching term, but I don’t think I have seen this used outside the 15 x 15 squares either…
Gordon at #7 – the highlighting is purely for effect in the animated diagram…no highlighting was called for in the preamble, or indeed possible in the submission, as you have to transcribe your answers into a web-form on the Guardian site (sooooo last century!). I highlighted all the gin-related references in the grid (or as many as I could find) in yellow, and then I highlighted TONIC in a different colour for humorous contrast/dénouement…nothing more complicated than that…