Spring is here and so is an elementary puzzle from Opsimath. Extra letters in the word play of some clues to spell out two titles. Find the author and the original title of the elementary work.
A very neat puzzle this week. The extra letters were neatly arranged with two normal clues marking the spaces between words yielding the two works:
IF THIS IS A MAN and THE PERIODIC TABLE
Two works by Primo Levi, the second of which I admit to owning and partially reading – I did find it very disappointing. Perhaps my scientific education meant I expected so much more from it.
PRIMO LEVI is indeed visible in the leading diagonal NW to SE with two unused squares at the top and bottom. The original title of the second work is IL SISTEMA PERIODICO in the top and bottom rows again with two unused squares to left and right. Such beautiful symmetry, which I do appreciate.
Thanks Opsimath for a lovely neat puzzle that was more akin to Carbon than Uranium i.e. the simpler end of the table.
Key: * anagram; Rev. reverse; underline definition
ACROSS
| 1 Omits trade shows where hands are exchanged (5) | |
| Fairs (trade shows) swapping r for l (hands) = FAILS | |
| 6 Mesti fouled but staunch (4) | |
| I | (mesti)* = STEM |
| 10 Facsimile base guitar, some say (3) | |
| F | Fax (facsimile) + e (base) = AXE |
| 12 Corresponding with Soviet agents in heartless content (9) | |
| Gru (soviet agents) in co nt (heartless content) = CONGRUENT | |
| 13 Urge forward emperor with leaders of Estonia and Latvia (5) | |
| Imp (emperor) + e + l (leaders of Estonia and latvia) = IMPEL | |
| 14 Bury bombast never missing the mark (8) | |
| T | Inter (bury) + rant (bombast) = ITERRANT |
| 16 Capital city where monarch replaces a busy person (4) | |
| H | Doha (capital city) swapping er (monarch) for a = DOER |
| 18 General, officer with one idea: cut short Daleks’ intention! (8) | |
| I | Gen (general) + oc (officer) + idea – a (cut short) = GENOCIDE |
| 19 Georgie so not English at all, and not Zingaro (6) | |
| S | (Georgie – e)* = GORGIO |
| 23 Oy! I am not suffering muscle stiffness (8) | |
| (oy I am not)* = MYOTONIA | |
| 25 Intensely forcible removing new plant (6) | |
| Violent (intensely forcible) – n (new) = VIOLET | |
| 26 Trainees beheaded for Indian royalty (6) | |
| I | Trainees – t = RANEES |
| 27 One-time farm worker curiously grins all day (8, two words) | |
| S | (grins all d)8 = LAND GIRL |
| 31 Little club footballer goes round street (6) | |
| Pele (footballer) around st (street) = PESTLE | |
| 32 Refuse the Parisian hosting square dances (8) | |
| Bran (refuse) + les (the Parisian) around s (square) = BRANSLES | |
| 34 Fourth month in Cannes that was Bulwer-Lytton’s idea (4) | |
| A | Avril (fourth month (French)) = VRIL |
| 35 Chemically alter plate with active ingredient (8) | |
| Denture(plate) around a (active) = DENATURE | |
| 36 A female that’s out of order (5) | |
| A miss (female) = AMISS | |
| 38 Poor workers in Australia with a plum in scrambled eggs (9, two words) | |
| M | w(with) + a + plum in (eggs)* = WAGE PLUGS |
| 39 Weaken as soon as possible? (3) | |
| A | ASAP (as soon as possible) = SAP |
| 40 Woolly merino loses its head (4) | |
| N | Merino – m = ERIO |
| 41 Images prisoner concealed in Iceland (5) | |
| Is (Iceland) around con (prisoner) = ICONS | |
| DOWN | |
| 1 Two-thirds of day for one back in cooler (6) | |
| Frid (2/3rds of day) + Rev. eg (for one) = FRIDGE | |
| 2 Weapon found in wrecked tram (3) | |
| T | (tram)* = ARM |
| 3 Phoners-in disturbed by their own act (8, two words) | |
| H | (phoners in)* = IN PERSON |
| 4 At first, Selim’s Ottoman Empire largely oppressive for one (4) | |
| E | Selim’s Ottoman Empire largely oppressive – initials = SOLO |
| 5 Jones, perhaps, first person to enter? (5) | |
| In I go (first person to enter?) = INIGO | |
| 7 River of Italian city (6) | |
| Trent (river) + o (of) = TRENTO | |
| 8 Rates pour out for this rapid connection (8) | |
| P | (rates pour)* = EUROSTAR |
| 9 Only roughly unknown burden, but what a surprise! (9, three words) | |
| E | mere (only) + c (roughly) + y (unknown) + onus (burden) = MERCY ON US |
| 10 Spanish girl regularly seen in Aonian ruins (5) | |
| R | AoNiAn RuInS = ANAIS |
| 11 When tie racing shows guts? (6) | |
| I | Hidden whEN TIE RAcing = ENTERA |
| 15 One weak delivery for American citizen (9, two words) | |
| O | one + w (weak) + yorker (delivery) = NEW YORKER |
| 17 After judgement, the first clue is an open boat (6) | |
| D | Doom (judgement) + 1ac (first clue) = OOMIAC |
| 20 Genial doge abandoned time of happiness, supposedly (9, two words) | |
| I | (genial doge)* = GOLDEN AGE |
| 21 Ornamental works of Cellini destroyed (6) | |
| C | (Cellini)*NIELLI |
| 22 Record about German nun losing top (8) | |
| Re (about) + g (german) + sister (nun) – s = REGISTER | |
| 24 No charge for this troubled trade union cancelling ad (8) | |
| (trade union – ad)* = NEUTRINO | |
| 27 Sad Balt turned up for Greek characters (6) | |
| T | (sad balt)* = LABDAS |
| 28 Tree villa up incline conceals (6) | |
| A | Hidden vILLA UP Incline = ILLUPI |
| 29 Loans underpinning celebrated library at Ephesus (6) | |
| B | Subs (loans) after Cel (celebrated) = CELSUS |
| 30 Will’s prince to steal old wine cup (5) | |
| L | Hal (Will’s prince) + nap (steal) = HANAP |
| 31 By the way, EU journalist is pretentious (5) | |
| E | Ps (by the way) + eu + ed (journalist) = PSEUD |
| 33 Wise people set up independent school (4) | |
| Rev. I (independent) + gam (school) = MAGI | |
| 37 Asians in prime locations commit offences (3) | |
| aSIaNs (prime positions) = SIN |
After a failure last week with a theme I didn’t recognise and couldn’t get (but there was nothing wrong with the puzzle!), it was a relief to find a theme that I knew something about and a pleasure to be forced to discover more in order to complete the puzzle.
THE PERIODIC TABLE came easiy as I was only one letter short, but I made a bit of a mess of the other title. Seeing PRIMO LEVI by chance in the grid (having just begun to look for Mendeleev!) helped me to find that original work and title, of which I was unaware. I have a better appreciation of Primo Levi now, and indeed I have just had a recommendation to read ‘If This is a Man’.
The shaded areas in the grid all had 9 letters – a perfect result. I could say that the setter was lucky that it turned out that way, but setters seem able to make their own luck by noticing and noting these things.
Thanks to Opsimath and twencelas.
Thanks indeed to twencelas and Opsimath. Yes, Alan B, ‘If This is a Man’ is very moving. I strongly recommend it.
A well constructed grid, with the thematic elements pleasingly arranged. I didn’t know the theme but the author on the diagonal wasn’t hard to spot, and everything else easily searchable. A gentle and enjoyable solve overall.
‘A gentle and enjoyable solve ‘ I think that sums it up for me too. Thanks to both setter and blogger.
Thanks to the compiler and the blogger.
I’m fairly new to trying EV. Solved all but one clue and nearly got the author and the books. Spent too long looking for works by Mendeleev.
One question if anyone can help. Why is “gam”=school? (33d). Not met this previously. Thanks in anticipation.
It is another name for a school of whales, Tonyjoe, and is in Chambers.
Thank you John.
I guessed Primo Levi from reading the title and the instructions, and so it turned out to be. The Periodic Table is probably Levis’s most well known book but like our blogger I didn’t find it that great. It felt like a bit of a literary/scientific gimmick. His other works, when he writes more directly about the war and its aftermath, are very moving. Thanks to all.