Happy New Year! (he says as he stores up this report on Christmas Eve)
This seasonal puzzle had a theme which I guessed from the title – the eight reindeer who pull Santa’s sleigh (I’m never quite sure why Rudolph isn’t one of these, but Mrs B who can remember more of the song than me, reckons his big red nose lit the way on a foggy night – this fits the lyrics, in which he seems rather an outsider). The eight are not clued, but the rows containing them have clues containing letter mixtures of the row’s contents. Rudolph and Santa are the other two names to be shaded in the grid (like the other eight reindeer) – in the centres of the top and bottom rows. Initial letters of surplus words in Across clues tell us where they’ll be going soon. Clues were very straightforward, so the puzzle was completed in about half an hour (untimed), with only 16A requiring a look at Chambers. But there’s still a call for help at 9D below.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | T / PURR – PU rev., RR = Roller (Rolls-Royce) – the message letters are shown first |
| 5 | O / DOLPHINS = (hold, snip)* |
| 11 | T / O.R. = men, ANT = worker |
| 12 | H / MANATI – M = Mark, ANATI = Anita* |
| 13 | – / DASHER/C/DANCER – letter mixture: …ed ranch scared |
| 16 | E / S(KA)IL(e) – Ka is an ancient Egyptian spirit (one of those 2-letter Scrabble words Alan Yentob was talking about on the box last night, and the one that lexicographer Elaine Higgleton had forgotten the def for, despite having a choice of 3), sile is a sieve, and to skail is to scatter or spill |
| 17 | – / PRANCER/E/VIXEN = expire can Vern… |
| 18 | N / IMOGEN = (becoming – BC)* – just checked the First Names section in C and found that Imogen is nearly as false a “Celtic” name as Fiona (q.v. ibid.) – it’s supposedly a misprint for Innogen which actually means daughter |
| 20 | O / DEARS – are* in DS = daughter and son |
| 22 | – / COMET/E/BLITZEN = …ect emit benzol |
| 27 | R / NIC(e),ADS – “bad” is one definition of “nice” in Chambers – just as “good, attractive” is a def. of “bad” |
| 31 | – / DONNER/EA/CUPID = Di pounced near |
| 34 | T / O = old,CTAL = talc* |
| 35 | H / ENNUIS – hidden in “when nuisance”, with the surplus word in the way – a trick you can pretty much guarantee to see somewhere in a puzzle with surplus words |
| 36 | P / EL = (elevated) railway, ‘S = has, A, N=new – Elsan is a brand of chemical toilet which I think I may have used in my parents’ caravan. |
| 37 | O / TAR,TAR = “pair of Jacks” |
| 38 | L / SERAC = rev. of cares |
| 39 | E / (c)AUS(SI)E,S – |
| Down | |
| 1 | P.(OD(d)S. |
| 2 | (pl.)URAL |
| 3 | RASTA – R for P in pasta – nice to see a clue not based on reversal of “an emperor” = “a Tsar” |
| 4 | (ro)UTES |
| 5 | DAR(KEN)E,D – |
| 6 | LA, DIES |
| 7 | HANKIE – ankh = cross with the H moved, then i.e. |
| 8 | (d)ITCH |
| 9 | NI(E)CE – I can’t understand “Pope’s daughter” as the def. from looking things up in C, and a quick look at ODQ and the Oxford Lit Companion didn’t find anything about a niece from Alexander Pope – any ideas? |
| 10 | S(ER)INS – commit is a def. of sin in C |
| 14 | HINGE = reverse. “e.g.”, add in, and H = hospital, and reverse the order of the components – there are enough indicators in the clue to justify this, though it takes careful reading |
| 15 | CAR,O’,B |
| 17 | PIC,ADORS = roads* |
| 19 | MO(NO,C)LE |
| 20 | DIS,C |
| 21 | RETINAE = trainee* (cut = drunk = AI) |
| 23 | M,INTER |
| 24 | TAEL = rev. of (hil)L,EAT – striclty a tael is 1.3 oz., but what’s 9g between friends? |
| 25 | Z,APS = rev. of S.P.A. |
| 26 | NAD=and*,IRS=US taxmen |
| 28 | SENNA = rev. of Anne’s |
| 29 | BANTU = “ban two” |
| 30 | MUIRS – from first letters of words in clue |
| 32 | (ca.)NAL,A – nala is a Hindi word for watercourse or drain |
| 33 | REAL – 2 defs |
Thanks for the New Year wishes – which we reciprocate!
Nice, if easy seasonal puzzle.
To clarify 9D, if you look in Chambers under niece, it gives “a pope’s or priest’s daughter”. I struggled with this too!
The rubric mentioned a jumble of 12 letters, whereas the clues actually contained a jumble of all 13 letters, including those which were not part of reindeer names.
Rudolph and the other eight are actually part of two entirely separate poems/lyrics, so no surprise that they don’t appear in the same “team”.
And finally I think you have to highlight SANTA CLAUS, not just Santa.
Hihoba is pretty much spot on with his comments, as ever.
I thought “Should I take this on holiday with no dictionary, or should I try and polish it off before leaving?” Made the wrong choice – I should have taken it. Like PeterB, I guessed the theme from the title and had little need of Chanbers. C’est la vie.
Thanks Hihoba – where was CLAUS in the grid (copy not to hand) – I looked briefly for it but didn’t find it.
CLAUS was immediately under SANTA!
I’m surprised 6d proved so difficult: as the pope & priests are supposed to be celibate I was aware that their children were described as nieces (or nephews) for the sake of propriety.