Hi everyone. As 2021 rolls towards its end it is becoming more usual to get OUT AND ABOUT. I hope you all manage to keep well.
Not much to say this week. All is just as in the preamble below: no endgame*, just a pleasant enough solve. Thanks to Kruger.
The preamble reads:
Two fully-checked entries are clued and entered normally. The answers to all other clues must have one letter taken OUT and the remaining letters moved ABOUT to provide the grid entry. All clue answers and grid entries are real words and phrases. The removed letter is given in each clue following the enumeration, which refers to the answer, as does the word count. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended; the entry at 16 is in ODE.
*(Actually, I couldn’t resist making my own mini endgame by looking at the two fully-crossed normal clues and applying one to another – so ERRANT REASON could be SENORA. This reminded me of something to do with checking letters … I won’t spell it out here because I first want to make a recommendation: if you haven’t done Maize’s Independent puzzle of the 19 June this year then you can find it here. If you just want to see what I’m on about, the blog for it is here – as well as the intro, look at comment 13.)
| Clue No | ANSWER (ENTRY) |
Clue with definition underlined |
| Explanation, with quoted indicators in italics and ANSWER letters in bold capitals | ||
| Across | ||
| 1a | RATINGS (GRATIS) |
Numbers of people watching sailors (7n) |
| Two definitions | ||
| 6a | CORNERS (SNORER) |
Inferior Texan mostly detained during Court of Session recesses (7c) |
| ORNERy (inferior Texan) without the last letter (mostly) inside (detained during) CS (Court of Session) | ||
| 11a | VERGENCE (REGENCE) |
Church official losing right to join new church – a sign of change of focus (8v) |
| VERGE[r] (church official) without R (losing right) + N (new) + CE (church) | ||
| 12a | BOREES (OBESE) |
Insects devouring yellow acacias (6r) |
| BEES around (devouring) OR (yellow) | ||
| 13a | CREATE (ERECT) |
To make a fuss, earl breaks up old banger (6a) |
| E (earl) goes inside (breaks up) CRATE (old banger) | ||
| 14a | ASLANT (ATLAS) |
Not straight up – like Latin parent’s sister (so some say) (6n) |
| AS (like) + L (Latin) + ANT, which in some accents sounds like (… so some say) AUNT (parent’s sister) | ||
| 15a | ANTONIA (AONIAN) |
Woman visiting Shanghai not native to the west (7t) |
| She’s inside (visiting) shanghAI NOT NAtive reversed (to the west) | ||
| 16a | SHINIER (REISHI) |
Surprisingly, Rhine is more lustrous (7n) |
| An anagram of (surprisingly) RHINE IS | ||
| 18a | GOD’S ACRE (CARGOES) |
Setter perhaps returns to most of consecrated cemetery (8d, two words) |
| DOG (setter perhaps) is reversed (returns) + most of SACREd (consecrated) | ||
| 19a | EN EFFET (EFFETE) |
In fact, nurse chewed no ordinary toffee (7n, two words) |
| EN (nurse) + an anagram of (chewed), without O (no ordinary), T[o]FFEE | ||
| 20a | AVANT (ANTA) |
Forward Italy’s dropped before (5v) |
| AVANT[i] (forward); I (Italy) is removed (dropped) | ||
| 21a | EDICT (TIED) |
Vile dictator issues order (5c) |
| VilE DICTator supplies (issues) the answer | ||
| 25a | DIALECT (DETAIL) |
Face European Court in a manner of speaking (7c) |
| DIAL (face) + E (European) + CT (court) | ||
| 28a | GREENLET (EN RÈGLE) |
New permit for USA songbird (8t) |
| GREEN (new) + LET (permit) | ||
| 31a | REAR-END (REREAD) |
Crash is behind death (7n) |
| REAR (behind) + END (death) | ||
| 32a | TALOOKA (LAKOTA) |
Anonymous appearance stopping cheers in collectorate (7o) |
| A (anonymous) and LOOK (appearance) in (stopping) TA (cheers) | ||
| 33a | MISHAP (SAMPI) |
Deciphering map is hard – bad luck! (6h) |
| We get to the answer by making an anagram of (deciphering) MAP IS and H (hard) | ||
| 34a | TIMBRE (MERIT) |
Oriental tabor’s inadequate quality of sound (6b) |
| TIMBREl (oriental tabor) is lacking its last letter (inadequate) | ||
| 35a | CANAPÉ (APNEA) |
Is able to copy method of bidding (6c) |
| CAN (is able to) + APE (copy) | ||
| 36a | XENOGAMY (EXOGAMY) |
Cross-fertilisation of oxen may initially go wrong (8n) |
| OXEN MAY and initially Go, anagrammed (wrong) | ||
| 37a | BLISTER (LITRES) |
Taking tablet essentially to remove head of sibling’s pustule (7b) |
| The middle of (… essentially) taBLet is to displace (to remove) the initial (head) of sISTER (sibling) | ||
| 38a | CAREERS (ERASER) |
Moves rapidly – making crease (and run) (7c) |
| An anagram of (making) CREASE and R (run) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1d | TARGET (GREAT) |
Seaman to attain what’s aimed for (6t) |
| TAR (seaman) + GET (to attain) | ||
| 2d | FLOORER (REROOF) |
Unusual role for retort (7l) |
| An anagram of (unusual) ROLE FOR | ||
| 3d | GARNET (AGENT) |
Composer invested in great gem (6r) |
| ARNE (composer) invested in GT (great) | ||
| 4d | CATMINT (INTACT) |
Without too much information, is unable to attract queen with this (7m) |
| Outside (without) TMI (too much information), CAN’T (is unable to) | ||
| 5d | CONCISE (SCONCE) |
Council of Europe accepts what was replaced by SOCA brief (7i) |
| COE (Council of Europe) goes around (accepts) NCIS (what was replaced by SOCA) | ||
| 6d | FAR EAST (SEARAT) |
China, Korea etc are encroaching rapidly (7f, two words) |
| ARE inside (encroaching) FAST (rapidly) | ||
| 7d | TONSURE (TONERS) |
Shaving of head : fashion it would seem (7u) |
| TON (fashion) + SURE (it would seem) | ||
| 8d | COGITABLE (OBLIGATE) |
To cheat independent panel’s conceivable (9c) |
| COG (to cheat) + I (independent) + TABLE (panel) | ||
| 9d | REASON | Conclude Troy supplanted by dishonesty (6) |
| T (troy) removed from (supplanted by) [t]REASON (dishonesty) | ||
| 10d | VISCERAL (REVISAL) |
Intuitive performance of claviers (8c) |
| An anagram (performance) of CLAVIERS | ||
| 17d | RE-EMERGED (REDEEMER) |
Sandpiper plunged once and came into view again (9g) |
| REE (sandpiper) + MERGED (plunged once) | ||
| 19d | LEVANTER (ETERNAL) |
One from Lebanon, say, could be relevant (8v) |
| An anagram of (could be) RELEVANT | ||
| 22d | ERRANT | Mistake soldier for adventurous knight (6) |
| ERR (soldier) + ANT (soldier) | ||
| 23d | À LA PAGE (AGAPAE) |
Current porter maybe takes afternoon break when upset (7l, three words) |
| ALE (porter maybe) contains (takes) A (afternoon) and GAP (break) when reversed (upset) | ||
| 24d | SOLDIER (OLDIES) |
Diligent worker starts to set out local restrictions covering upcoming Muslim festival (7r) |
| The first letters of (starts to) Set Out Local Restrictions around (covering) the reversal of (upcoming) EID (Muslim festival) | ||
| 25d | EXCLUDE (DE LUXE) |
Ignore extra suggestion about daughter (7c) |
| EX (extra) + CLUE (suggestion) around (about) D (daughter) | ||
| 26d | CREMONA (ENAMOR) |
Spilt cream on instrument (7c) |
| An anagram of (spilt) CREAM ON | ||
| 27d | MINIVET (INTIME) |
Bird, in perfect condition, I’ve netted (7v) |
| MINT (in perfect condition) with I’VE inside (netted) | ||
| 29d | HOARDS (HORAS) |
Vocal crowds in stores (6d) |
| A homophone of (vocal) HORDES (crowds) | ||
| 30d | ASTRAY
SATYR |
Wrong smoking accessory husband discarded (6a) |
| AS[h]TRAY (smoking accessory) with H removed (husband discarded) | ||
This is the first “cut and mix” puzzle I’ve come across where the removed letters are apparently random. Usually there’s some sort of theme to be deduced to account for the removals, which then follow a pattern – e.g. all initial letters, or letters which in clue order spell something meaningful. I definitely don’t recall being told which letters are to be removed, and wonder if this was introduced at a later stage in the composition because random removals would have made the puzzle too difficult and/or led to ambiguity?
As it was, this made for a pleasant diversion from the ever-reliable Kruger, even if this wasn’t one of his most memorable puzzles.
I too cannot remember having to work with this kind of device before. I tried the top left quadrant first, and it took me a while to get used to tackling each clue in the best way – either by cold-solving it and entering the only or most likely anagram or (when there are enough letters) by using a possible entry as an aid to solving the clue. I’m sure that if the removed letters had not been given the puzzle would have been more complex, and not in a nice way, as it would have involved spending (wasting) time looking for duals that might have to be eliminated.
As usual, I got on well with Kruger’s clues, and I felt they were pitched just right for this thematic design. (I think it would have been too easy to pitch them too high and thereby test the solvers’ patience.) In fact I completed the puzzle in a couple of sessions on the day I started it, but it was not what I would call a quick solve. There seemed to be a higher than usual proportion of unfamiliar words, but that just meant having to use my reference books more! (I took REISHI on trust.)
Thanks to Kruger and Kitty.
Quite a tough solve for me, with a fair bit of cold solving required before entries could start going in. As others have said, I initially wondered why the removed letters were being given, rather than needing to be worked out, but was glad they were as the solve progressed. (I presume it was to make things less difficult rather than to remove any ambiguity with entries, but I may have missed one.) Thanks Kruger and Kitty.