Enigmatic Variations No. 1513 Pretty Lights by Vismut

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Vismut this week with misprints in clues spelling out a message to allow two further messages to be read. Then some shading and a curve to be drawn. Sounds interesting and what are the pretty lights, I wonder?

Step one as always solve the clues and fill the grid to reveal the instruction

FIRST LAST AND THEN LAST FIRST LETTER IN EACH CLUE

A very cryptic message but one that did eventually make some sense if you take the first then last letter in each clue alternately there are two messages revealed

First message was:

PATRICK REYNTIENS JOHN EGERTON CHRISTMAS PIPER

Initially, I thought these were 2 names and an object but google confirmed them as two experts in stained glass windows – an area were I have absolutely zero knowledge.

Second message was:

NOVEMBER FOURTEENTH NINETEEN FORTY

Again google came to my aid (other search engines are available as indeed are reference books) helped me find the theme Coventry cathedral being the connection

The shading in yellow became COVENTRY CATHEDRAL BAPTISTRY WINDOW with the 43 squares lying outside (red) or that was my interpretation anyway.

And I should add the final bit – to indicate what sits in front of the coloured lights i.e. window – 4 cells spelling FONT in the bottom left corner – shaped as you would hop for a baptism.  Thanks Vismut for the nudge. It was on my written solution just missed it off.

A very elegant construction and the end game reveals were good too. Not too obscure nor too well sign-posted if you get my drift.

Thanks Vismut for some fun, some education and a lovely endgame reveal.

Key: Rev. Reverse; * Anagram; DD double definition; underline definition

ACROSS

P 1 Pudding Edward and Richard mix first (11, two words)
T F 1 Pudding Edward and Richard fix first (11, two words)
spot (fix) + ted (edward) + dick (Richard) = SPOTTED DICK
A 10 Helter-skelter unicolour, striking painted in lone annatta (6)
H I 10 Helter-skelter unicolour, striking painted in line annatta (6)
(unicolour – inl)* = ROUCOU
T 11 Troops on foot once, twice manoeuvred by second letter from you (6)
U R 11 Troops on foot once, trice manoeuvred by second letter from you (6)
(trice)* + o (second from you) = TERCIO
R 12 Run put last in 7 good chances of getting a winner (5)
R S 12 Sun put last in 7 good chances of getting a winner (5)
seven moving s(sun) to last = EVENS
I 13 I must leave Max by eastern gallows (4)
S T 13 I must leave tax by eastern gallows (4)
tire(tax) – i + e (eastern) = TREE
C 15 Divine Office time has odd clean-cut Saint becoming Catholic (5)
D L 15 Divine Office time has old clean-cut Saint becoming Catholic (5)
terse (old clean-cut) swapping c(catholic) for s(saint) = TERCE
K 17 Keen-sighted herds of llama you never could envisage across Nigeria (7)
A A 17 Keen-sighted heads of llama you never could envisage across Nigeria (7)
heads of Llama You Never Could Envisage Across Nigeria = LYNCEAN
R 18 Years in the part, the Parisian turned director (3)
Y S 18 Years in the past, the Parisian turned director (3)
Rev. le (the Parisian) + d(director) =  ELD
E 19 Embroidery that hangs from pub in order to section yard off (5)
F T 19 Embroidery that hangs from put in order to section yard off (5)
array (put in order) + s (section) – y (yard) = ARRAS
Y 20 Original ability in pert doggy (3)
O A 20 Original ability in part doggy (3)
Hidden originaL ABility = LAB
N 21 Not keen backing magic leader of Peru (4)
U N 21 Not keen backing manic leader of Peru (4)
Rev mad (manic) + p (leader of Peru) = DAMP
T 22 Real ale in these spares I sent effervescent (6)
R D 22 Real ale in these spades I sent effervescent (6)
(s i sent)* = STEINS
I 26 Ignoring independence made French shout (3)
T T 26 Ignoring independence made French stout (3)
fait (mad French) – i (independence) = FAT
E 28 English playwright Fry posting a note (5)
E H 28 English playwright Fry hosting a note (5)
Fry around a + n (note) = FRAYN
N 29 No-show regularly from the past of what name? (3)
E E 29 No-show regularly from the east of what name? (3)
Rev, nOsHoW = WHO
S 31 Nancy’s one! Grass pushing shilling back blurts (7)
N N 31 Nancy’s one! Grass pushing shilling back blunts (7)
un (Nancy’s one) + sedge(grass) moving s = UNEDGES
J 32 Juliet’s cover of rugged Exmoor, Times left out (5)
T L 32 Juliet’s lover of rugged Exmoor, Times left out (5)
(exmoor – x)* = ROMEO
O 33 Harmful sip of a soup cooked without last bit of chorizo (4)
H A 33 Harmful sap of a soup cooked without last bit of chorizo (4)
(a soup – o)* = UPAS
H 34 Having disinterest, bachelor male cuckoo (5)
O S 34 Having disinterest, bachelor sale cuckoo (5)
(b sale)* = BLASE
N 36 For bribes, sacred object is “it” in mysterious Oman (6)
F T 36 For tribes, sacred object is “it” in mysterious Oman (6)
it in (Oman)* = MANITO
E 38 Edinburgh nights have soul coming back to capture heart of Briton (6)
N F 38 Edinburgh fights have soul coming back to capture heart of Briton (6)
rev self(soul) around it (heart of Briton) = FLITES
G 39 OT leader accepting new lovely chair, possibly rules as King (11)
O I 39 OT leader accepting new lovely chair, possibly rules as King (11)
moses (OT leader) around n (new) + (chair)* = MONARCHISES

DOWN

E 1 Employed compromise with Foreign Office supporting N Yorks town date back to Kiev (10, two words)
V R 1 Employed compromise with Foreign Office supporting N Yorks town date back to Kier (10, two words)
Settle (N Yorks town) + d (Date) + FO (Foreign Office) + r (back to Kier) = SETTLED FOR
R 2 Exerciser awfully early to see skinny plume bearer (7)
E S 2 Exercises awfully early to see skinny plume bearer (7)
pt (exercises) + (early)* = PTERYLA
T 3 ‘tis yours and mine with no lambers on loom (3)
M T 3 ‘tis yours and mine with no lambert on loom (3)
Lour (loom) – l (lamber) = OUR
O 4 Braiders being crones securing middle bits for hero (7)
B L 4 Braiders being clones securing middle bits for hero (7)
twins (clones) around er (middle bits of hero) = TWINERS
N 5 Name forgotten by worn-out dear female (3)
E E 5 Name forgotten by worn-out deer female (3)
done (worn=out) – n (name) = DOE
C 6 Returned south in France to collect audio covers in Gallic (6)
R T 6 Returned south in France to collect audit covers in Gallic (6)
Rev. sud (south in France) around vet (audit) = DUVETS
H 7 Hard-sugar makers, kitchen equipment now starting run (5)
N T 7 Hard-sugar makers, kitchen equipment not starting run (5)
ricers (kitchen equipment) – r (run) = ICERS
R 8 Inmate with tea in outer bar (6)
I E 8 Inmate with tea in outer ear (6)
con (inmate) + cha (tea) = CONCHA
I 9 In change, lifted rate in zone that’s always frozen (6)
N R 9 In charge, lifted rate in zone that’s always frozen (6)
ic (in charge) + Rev. pace (rate in zone) = ICECAP
S 14 Edible crabs from Scotland having baby fish hats (7)
E I 14 Edible crabs from Scotland having baby fish hits (7)
par (baby fish) + tans (hits) = PARTANS
T 16 Tops with flowers some ordered, cursing doctor with debt (10)
T N 16 Tops with flowers some ordered, cursing doctor with debt (10)
mb (doctor) + loss (debt) in (some)* = EMBLOSSOMS
M 23 European treks scam (7)
E E 23 European trees scam (7)
e (european) + yew + ash (trees) = EYEWASH
A 24 African lender in demand for payment gets ante (6)
E A 24 African leader in demand for payment gets ante (6)
in + dun (demand for payment) + a (ante) = INDUNA
S 25 Nut-bearing tree above the Rover with something that protects (7)
N C 25 Nut-bearing tree above the cover with something that protects (7)
shea (nut-bearing tree) + the = SHEATHE
P 27 Punky lad adult cut hair of (6)
F H 27 hunky lad adult cut hair of (6)
a (adult) + poll (cut hair) + o (of) = APOLLO
I 28 One-off ie St Agnes harrying eg Holi (6)
O C 28 One-off ie St Agnes carrying eg Holi (6)
one-ofF IE ST Agnes = FIESTA
P 30 Poet’s at full speed, auto locked up by old dictator (5)
R L 30 Poet’s at full speed, auto locked up by old dictator (5)
amin (old dictator) around a (auto) = AMAIN
E 35 Take up riff cut at any time (3)
T U 35 Take up ruff cut at any time (3)
Rev. Ree (ruff) = EER
R 37 Remains found around Forth, more than one uncertainty (3)
Y E 37 Remains found around Forte, more than one uncertainty (3)
is (remains) around f (forte) = IFS

11 comments on “Enigmatic Variations No. 1513 Pretty Lights by Vismut”

  2. Thanks Vismut – have added the final bit – there is always a mistake in everything I do in this case a bad oversight.

  3. The kind of clue manipulation stipulated here (corrections to misprints) for all the clues seems to be the favourite among setters at the moment. I happen to like it best when the manipulation applies to a whole group of clues or, as here, to all of them.

    It wasn’t obvious at first which way to read the message, but when the name PATRICK appeared on reading the letters in what was obviously the correct sequence the rest was easy. It was a pleasure to learn the two unknown names and to find (in Wikipedia) their connection to Coventry on and after the day of the blitz. The FONT (the Stone of Bethlehem) took rather longer to find.

    The whole design was most impressive, with the main thematic item occupying a large swathe of the almost symmetrical grid. And writing clues as good as that with forced start and end letters was an amazing feat. (I would not like to be forced to write a clue with ‘v’ as the last letter!)

    Thanks to Vismut and twencelas.

  4. Absolutely wonderful, with such a lot to admire. Fabulous clues, which didn’t seem forced in any way despite the restrictions the settler was under. Lovely final grid. Great construction. I could go on bit will spare the setter’s blushes. In my top 3 EVs of the year. Many thanks Vismut for the enjoyment and twencelas for the blog

    PS like Alan@3 it took me a while to track down the font.

  5. A very elegant construction, matching the thematic object. Took me a few moments to work out how the messages were being formed (thought first last might mean last letter of first word to begin with) but all became clear and the names (of which the second was particularly impressive) and date made the internet search straightforward. Thanks Vismut and twencelas.

  6. Unlike Phil above, I won’t spare the setter’s blushes! This is an incredible feat of setting which deserves to be shouted from the rooftops. It’s an impressive enough achievement to create clues with fixed first and last letters as well as misprints, but to produce clues, in spite of these constraints, which are witty, 100% fair and have smooth surfaces too is mind-boggling.

    Then we have a grid which must have taken hours to construct. I don’t possess a set of coloured pens, and as I don’t submit solutions I just shade in whatever pens I have to have. If anything will inspire me to buy a set of crayons, it’s this puzzle.

    For me easily the best EV of the year, and up there with Shark’s Listener 4680 (Manhunt) as Puzzle of the Year in any category.

    Did I say I liked this puzzle?

  8. I had the pleasure of test-solving this puzzle for Vismut, and the views expressed above mirror my own – a beautifully-constructed and immensely enjoyable puzzle. Brought back happy memories for me singing as a choirboy at Coventry Cathedral and looking at the Baptistry window and the other wonderful windows there (especially during sermons ?).

  9. Thought I would just add that there is a setter’s blog over on the BD site, where Vismut gives some background detail.

    Thanks to twencelas for the blog – I just went for pencil-grey shading of the 43 cells, as the preamble didn’t seem to stipulate any particular colour.

    I would like to echo cruciverbophile’s mind-boggled shouting from the rooftops: I think it is a stunning puzzle, just from the grid construction alone – I described it as ‘Harribobs-ian’ over on the BD site – and the interweaving of the messages in the clues is a devilish and Herculean achievement.

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