Vismut completes the run of four Inquisitors by lady setters.
The preamble told us that wordplay in six across clues and seven down clues leads to the answer with one incorrect letter. In clue order the correct letter gives a definition and the incorrect letter a name which together hint at a three letter word to be highlighted for the across clues and a five letter word to be highlighted for the down clues. A third word in the completed grid should also be highlighted to complete a representation of what’s proper from Vismut’s, perhaps controversial, point of view and identifies which letter solvers should choose in two cells with clashing entries.
With a preamble like this, the only way forward is to solve the clues and see which wordplay leads to a mismatch. There’s always the chance that the mismatches apply to symmetrically placed entries (but in this case there was no symmetry involved).
In the end the mismatches between definitions and wordplay were not too difficult to find and are summarised immediately below (more detail in the full analysis further below).
| Clue | Entry | Wordplay | Correct | Incorrect |
| 5a | JAMADARS | JAMWDARS | A | W |
| 15a | CONES OFF | EONES OFF | C | E |
| 22a | CANNERY | CANNELY | R | L |
| 39a | UNLINED | LNLINED | U | L |
| 41a | SATYRESS | SATYREES | S | E |
| 42a | HOSEN | ROSEN | H | R |
| 1d | PART BRASS RAGS | PARC BRASS RAGS | T | C |
| 4d | HID | LID | H | L |
| 11d | SAFETY CURTAIN | SAFATY CURTAIN | E | A |
| 20d | BROKERAGE | PROKERAGE | B | P |
| 23d | ATE | ATT | E | T |
| 30d | SPOILS | SPOLIO | S | O |
| 31d | EVENT | EVENN | T | N |
We therefore have two definitions from the correct letters – A CRUSH and THE BEST as well as two names from the incorrect letters WELLER and CLAPTON.
It was the names rather than the definitions that helped me. I recognised WELLER and CLAPTON as musicians, Paul WELLER initially with the band The JAM and Eric CLAPTON who was a member of the band CREAM. Furthermore the bands fit the requirement of 3 letters from the across mismatches and 5 letters from the down mismatches. Both of these bands also fit the definitions A CRUSH (JAM) and THE BEST (CREAM).
JAM appears centrally in the top row and CREAM appears centrally in the second row. Immediately underneath CREAM and also located centrally we have SCONE. Clearly we are looking at something to do with food.
Moving on to the clashing letters which are V and C at the intersection of BRAVED (18 across) and CENTRALLY (19 down) plus N and R at the intersection of UNITE (26 across) and ORE (21 down), it can be seen they sit in a diagonal string of letters of the form:
DE (V/C) O (N/R) NWALL
so we can select the V and the N to spell DEVON or the C and the R to spell CORNWALL.
There has long been a debate over whether the JAM or the CREAM goes on the SCONE first in South West England cream teas. The way JAM, CREAM and SCONE are positioned in the grid is the order favoured by DEVON. The Cornwall version puts the JAM on the SCONE first with the CREAM on top. I have therefore gone with DEVON and this gives two new words in the grid – VENTRALLY at 19 down and ONE at 21 down.
This choice will be controversial for those who favour the CORNWALL version. It may even be more controversial for Vismut if she lives in CORNWALL and prefers the DEVON version. John Henderson tells us that Vismut lives in the West Country without giving an exact County location.
The way the grid is built up is shown below.
The clues were very fair, all leading to precise wordplay which was important for this puzzle where it was vital to identify the incorrect letter. As usual with Inquisitors, I learnt a few new words and phrases, such as JAMADARS, REVALENTA, AGELASTS and PART BRASS RAGS.
The title is fairly self-explanatory given that different people will have a view on the proper way to serve a cream tea.
| No | Clue | Letter | Entry |
| Across | |||
| 1 |
Some of octopus hybrids obviously aggressive (5) PUSHY (aggressive) PUSHY (hidden word [some of] OCTOPUS HYBRIDS) PUSHY |
||
| 5 |
Officer brought back different wards for junior ranks previously in India (8) JAMADARS (native Indian army officer below a subahdar; junior ranks in India) – one of the second and third As is the correct letter MAJ (major; officer) reversed (brought back) + an anagram of (different) WARDS JAM< WDARS* or JAM< ADWRS* –W is the incorrect letter |
A W | |
| 12 |
Frequently ignored by crazy old clown (5) ANTIC (archaic [old] word for clown) FRANTIC (mad; crazy) excluding (ignored) FR (frequently) ANTIC |
||
| 13 |
Canal excavators do not fancy cut from Dartmoor seen in a storm (7) REAMERS (in dentistry, a spiral-bladed drill for enlarging root canals) Anagram of (in a storm) DARTMOOR SEEN excluding (cut from) an anagram of (fancy) DO NOT REAMERS* |
||
| 15 |
Fine opponent coming back to retain singles blocks way through (8, 2 words) CONES OFF (blocks the way through a carriageway) – the C is the correct letter (F [fine] + FOE opponent]) reversed (coming back) containing (to retain) ONES (singles) E (ONES) OF F< – the E of FOE is the incorrect letter |
C E | |
| 16 |
Hollow tree at centre of Rosemoor to come down heavily (4) TEEM (of rain, fall down in torrents; come down heavily) TE (letters remaining in TREE when the central letters RE are removed [hollow]) + EM (middle letters of [at centre of] ROSEMOOR) TE EM |
||
| 17 |
Ropey tangle that is ensnaring New Milton’s climber? (9) EGLANTINE (in L’Allegro, the poet John Milton [1608 – 1674] refers to the sweet-briar, or the vine or the twisted EGLANTINE [rose, presumably a climbing rose]) Anagram of (ropey) TANGLE + (IE [id est; that is] containing [ensnaring] N [new]) EGLANT* I (N) E |
||
| 18 |
Defied editor for nothing at end of letter we hear? (6) BRAVED (defied) BRAVO (code word for the letter B in the international radio communication) with ED (editor) replacing (for) O (character representing zero or nothing) BRAV ED |
||
| 22 |
Lucky Scots eating meals occasionally packed here? (7) CANNERY (meals can be packed in a CANNERY) – R is the correct letter CANNY (Scots word for lucky) containing (eating) EL (letters 2 and 4 [occasionally) of MEALS) CANN (EL) Y – L is the incorrect letter |
R L | |
| 25 |
Like knitwear pattern amateur printed (4) ARAN (of knitwear),made in a style or with a pattern that originated in the Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland) A (amateur) + RAN (printed; reference a print RUN) A RAN |
||
| 26 |
Join one, taking heart of Powderham … (5) UNITE (join) UNIT (one) + E (middle letter of [heart of] POWDERHAM) UNIT E |
||
| 27 |
Castle’s top character, over by volunteers rolling skunk (4) ATOC (species of skunk) (C [first letter of {top character} CASTLE] + O [over] + TA [Territorial Army {now known as the Army Reserve}; volunteers]) all reversed (rolling) (AT O C)< |
||
| 28 |
Struck Stokes’ glove (7) SMITTEN (struck) S (stokes; the CGS unit of kinematic viscosity) + MITTEN (type of glove) S MITTEN |
||
| 34 |
West Exeter without Times has page for first piece from Town Crier (6) WEEPER (one who cries; crier) W [West] + EXETER excluding (without) X (multiplication sign; times) and P (page) replacing (for) T (initial letter of [first piece from] TOWN) W EE P ER |
||
| 35 |
Meal queen ant leaves unfinished possibly (9) REVALENTA (lentil meal) Anagram of (possibly) ER (Elizabeth Regina; queen) and ANT and (LEAVE excluding the final letter E [unfinished]) REVALENTA* |
||
| 36 |
Left harbour bearing wine (4) PORT (left side of a ship) PORT (harbour) PORT (demeanour; bearing) PORT (fortified wine) quadruple definition PORT |
||
| 37 |
Uncheerful prospect for OAPs? They never laugh (8) AGELASTS (people who never laugh) AGE LASTS (you don’t get younger; perhaps an uncheerful prospect for old age pensioners) AGE LASTS |
||
| 39 |
Duck rolled in linseed oddly without markings (7) UNLINED (without any markings) – U is the correct letter NIL (nothing; duck score in cricket) reversed (rolled) and contained in (in) LNED (letters 1, 3, 5 and 7 [oddly] of LINSEED) LN (LIN<) ED – the first L is the incorrect letter |
U L | |
| 40 |
Italian cell researcher’s work with group imprisoned by Lundy Island initially (5) GOLGI (reference Camillo GOLGI [1843 – 1926], Italian biologist and pathologist, known for his work on the central nervous system; Italian cell researcher) GO (work) + (G [group] contained in [imprisoned by] LI [first letters of {initially} LUNDY and ISLAND]) GO L (G) I |
||
| 41 |
Greek goddess held back the tides engulfing ancient city (8) SATYRESS (Greek goddess of the woodlands) – the second S is the correct letter SEAS (tides) reversed (held back) containing (engulfing) TYRE (ancient Phoenician port city, now a more modern city, in Lebanon) SA (TYRE) ES< – the E of SEAS is the incorrect letter |
S E | |
| 42 |
Old-fashioned stockings finally run after light support fitting (5) HOSEN (old-fashioned stocking) – H is the correct letter ROSE (reference ceiling ROSE [light support fitting]) + N (last letter of [finally]) RUN ROSE N – the R is the incorrect letter |
H R | |
| Down | |||
| 1 |
Row to sailor’s wife leaving cooked crabs and gars wraps (13, 3 words) PART BRASS RAGS (nautical slang for quarrel or row) – the T is the correct letter Anagram of (cooked) CRABS and GARS WRAPS excluding (leaving) W (wife) PARC BRASS RAGS – the C is the incorrect letter |
T C | |
| 2 |
Ready to fight in the pits? (9) UNDERARMS (the ARMpits) UNDER ARMS (with weapons; ready to fight) UNDER ARMS |
||
| 3 |
Are heads to St Michael’s Mount’s final letter mixed together in wash? (6) STREAM (wash earth in search of ore) Anagram of (mixed together) ARE and SM (first letters of [heads to] each of ST and MICHAEL’S) and T (last letter of [final letter] of MOUNT) STREAM* |
||
| 4 |
Concealed cover (3) HID (concealed) – the H is the correct letter LID (cover) LID – the L is the incorrect letter |
H L | |
| 6 |
Same Scottish line within limits for old Greek’s language (6) AEOLIC (dialect of ancient Greeks who settled in AEOLIA in North West Asia Minor) AE (Scottish word for ‘same’) + OLIC (central letters of [within limits of the outer letters] of POLICY [line to take]) AE OLIC |
||
| 7 |
Chap’s accepting Australian Maori’s personal authorities (5) MANAS (Maori term for supernatural powers associated with people and things; Maori’s personal authorities) MAN’S (chap’s) containing (accepting) A (Australian) MAN (A) S |
||
| 8 |
Better to conclude on Land’s End (5) AMEND (to mend; to better) AMEN (to conclude) + D (last letter of [end] LAND) AMEN D |
||
| 9 |
Intend previously difficult Tintagel rides without useless girl (9) DESTINATE (obsolete [previously] word for destine [intend] Anagram of (difficult) TINTAGEL RIDES excluding (without) an anagram of (useless) GIRL DESTINATE* |
||
| 10 |
Friar’s cowl for example anonymous French fashion designer rejected (5) AROID (Friar’s cowl is another name for wake-robin or cuckoo- pint [Arum maculatum], a plant of the Arum family [an AROID]) A (anonymous) + DIOR (reference Christian DIOR [1905-1957], French fashion designer) reversed (rejected) A ROID< |
||
| 11 |
Try Fantasia in performance to entertain Christian Union, it’s fireproof (13, 2 words) SAFETY CURTAIN (fireproof CURTAIN between stage and audience in a theatre) – the E is the correct letter Anagram of (in performance) TRY FANTASIA containing (to entertain) CU (Christian Union) SAFATY (CU) RTAIN* – the second A in SAFATY is the incorrect letter |
E A | |
| 14 |
Discontented ensemble interrupting unfinished direction show the way to go (6, 2 words) SEE OUT (show to the exit; show the way to go) EE (letters remaining in ENSEMBLE when the central letters NSEMBL are removed [dis-contented]) contained in (interrupting) SOUTH (direction) excluding the final letter H (unfinished) S (EE) OUT |
||
| 19 |
At the heart of demo in support of American change (9) CENTRALLY (at the heart of) CENT (units of American currency; American change) + RALLY (demonstration; demo) – being a down entry the letters in RALLY support the letters in CENT CENT RALLY |
||
| 20 |
Before procuring fish to feed servant (9) BROKERAGE (obsolete [before] word for the act of procuring or pimping) – the B is the correct letter ROKER (any ray other than skate, especially the thornback; fish) contained in (to feed) PAGE (servant) P (ROKER) AGE – the P is the incorrect letter) |
B P | |
| 21 |
Latest couple in Truro to return starter of edible seaweed (3) ORE (seaweed) RO (final [latest] two letters in TRURO) reversed (to return) + E (first letter of [starter of] EDIBLE) OR< E |
||
| 23 |
Upset absolute non-drinker (3) ATE (worried; upset) – the E is the correct letter A (absolute) + TT (tee-total, descriptive of a non-drinker of alcohol) A TT – the second T is the incorrect letter |
E T | |
| 24 |
Average male born at the head of the valley of Argolis (6) NEMEAN (of NEMEA, the valley of Argolis, famous for its games held in the second and fourth years of each Olympiad, and for the lion killed by Hercules) NE (of a male, born) + MEAN (average) NE MEAN |
||
| 29 |
Eden’s borders lifted to keep worker and sons in French city (6) NANTES (French city) (NE [outer letters of {borders} EDEN)] reversed [lifted] containing [to keep] ANT [worker]) + S (sons) N (ANT) E S |
||
| 30 |
Loot wrecked sloop across island (6) SPOILS (plunder; booty; loot) – the last S is the correct letter Anagram of (wrecked) SLOOP containing (across) I (island) SPO (I) LO – the last O is the incorrect letter |
S O | |
| 31 |
European man who devised diagram as contingency (5) EVENT (contingency or possibility of occurrence) – the T is the correct letter E (European) + VENN (reference John VENN [1834-1923], English mathematician, best known for devising a diagram style that shows the logical relation between sets) E VENN – the second N is the incorrect letter |
T N | |
| 32 |
Picked up torch as a gift (5) FLAIR (natural aptitude; gift) FLAIR (sounds like [picked up] FLARE [torch]) FLAIR |
||
| 33 |
Legally intermediate master is above former slave (5) MESNE (legal term for intermediate) M (Master) + ESNE (domestic slave in Anglo-Saxon times) M ESNE |
||
| 38 |
John’s game (3) LOO (lavatory; John is an American informal term for lavatory) LOO (card game) double definition LOO |
Another very enjoyable IQ — all thanks to Vismut and duncanshiell. My invincible ignorance of music made me slow to pick up on Weller (Sam Weller from The Pickwick Papers???) and the P in Clapton eluded me until very nearly the end (I’d been thinking Clacton, a long way from the scene of the action). But the definitions A CRUSH and THE BEST were straightforward, and the layering at the top soon reminded me of the great Devon/Cornwall dispute.
I suppose I incline to Cornwallism in this matter thanks to upbringing, Cornwall being a the usual family holiday venue when I were a lad; but am certainly not so fanatical as to shout “Heretic!” and pelt Vismut with scones.
David, you can pelt me with scones if you like, but just make sure you put the cream on the scone and the jam on the top 🙂
A thoroughly enjoyable Inquisitor, reasonably quick to complete, and with a fun finish.
I tend to solve the old Devon/Cornwall issue by loading a scone with cream, then jam, then cream again. That way you’re treated to double rations of clotted cream, and in theory everyone should be happy, as there is jam on top of cream, and also cream on top of jam.
Now I just need to find a way to solve the other long standing issue – is it SCONE as in gone, or SCONE as in stone?
A lovely Inquisitor, well clued with a clever but accessible endgame. I have one quibble about the instructions, which refer to “a definition” and “a name” when in both cases there were two. This confused me for some time (along with uncertainty about 42A), to the extent that I spotted Jam, Cream, Tea, and Devon/Cornwall before reverse engineering to finalise the letter sequences.
Many thanks to Vismut and duncanshiell
I thought I saw WELLER on the horizon which obviously led me to Dickens -after which I faded-shame.
I liked Sam Weller but Eric is Eric.
I really enjoyed the whole Weller / Clapton Jam / Cream switch (for me, Weller = Paul). Failed to solve 21D, so I never got to the West Country, which is always a shame.
Thanks to Vismut for a stiff challenge, and to duncanshiell for final elucidations. I agree about the precision of the clueing.
Good fun, thanks very much. Like Neil, I really enjoyed the links.
I was based in Plymouth for a couple of years in the mid 70s, but we rented a house across the bridge in Cornwall. I suppose it should have depended on what time of day I ate one, but I am pretty sure I always took the Cornish approach.
A nicely executed theme, which I completely missed. I really should have seen CREAM and SCONE in the grid (an avoidable error preventing me from seeing JAM), but I would never have got Jam and Cream from ‘a definition’ and ‘a name’.
An enjoyable crossword puzzle nevertheless, with a good set of clues, as noted already.
A mouth-watering puzzle in all senses – many thanks Vismut. A lovely surprise when I twigged the endgame, as I’d feared this was going to be all about pop music.
I’m not too bothered which way round the jam and cream go, as long as there’s loads of both!
Entertaining and quite tricky. I saw the thematic material before I worked out the correct letter sequences
I’ve never found the scone etiquette controversial, more puzzling really. Can’t stand scones in any way whatsoever. An utterly evil foodstuff in my opinion.
Thanks to Duncan and Vismut as ever and apologies for the lack of scone enthusiasm
A good mix of some straightforward clues and plus some which, although perfectly sound, I mis-parsed at first. So I had ERCLAPTON and began to wonder whether our Eric had a middle name beginning with R! However, once I had corrected things, the PDMs came thick and fast, leading to scrumptious finish.
Another entertaining puzzle from our lady setters – more of them please John.
Thanks to Vismut and Duncan.
Just sneak in this little piece about National Cream Tea day….
https://www.devonlive.com/whats-on/food-drink/devon-national-cream-tea-day-1331042
…and many thanks to everyone for your kind and encouraging comments.
Super puzzle, thanks to all.
The title reminded me of the joke: why do Marxists drink herbal tea?
Answer: because proper tea is theft.
I’m rather late to comment, but I thought this was a really good puzzle – the best of the month’s quartet.
(And it reminded me of the one about the plan for Cream and The Jam to reunite and play some gigs in Devon and Cornwall, but it was shelved because they couldn’t decide who should go on first.)
PeeDee @13&14: the quote is generally attributed to Proudhon, a French anarchist, rather than Marx.
Thanks HG, I did not realize this was a quote from Proudhon who I did not know. I looked him up on Wikipedia, an influential man I see. I don’t think it would work with him as a joke though.