21 clues with an extra letter give an example of a false pseudonym. Then four entries to be amended adding a word of four letters to make non-words. these give the real pseudonym – Blimey.
The clues, as ever, were the place to start. The additional letters spelling out CATCH FIRE and DENNIS HOPPER. 29ac proving to be ALAN SMITHEE, for which I required google to inform me that this is the name used on ‘disowned’ films by their directors. Catch Fire by Dennis Hopper being one example.
The modifications:
- ‘ala’ from 3d replaced by KILO
- ‘nsm’ from 24ac replaced by COLT
- ‘ith’ from 17ac replaced by ISLE
- ee from 7dn replaced by TONS
The abbreviations yielding the compiler KCIT.
A novel idea and good fun, thanks Kcit – not one to disown certainly. Merry Christmas all.
Key Rev. reversed, * anagram, DD double definition, underline defintion
| ACROSS | |
| 1 Chard seller, confusing users with sketch (11) | |
| C | 1 Hard seller, confusing users with sketch (11) |
| (users + sketch)* = HUCKSTERESS | |
| 9 Recalled a regret about church aisle displaying marine creatures (7) | |
| A | 9 Recalled a regret about church isle displaying marine creatures (7) |
| Rev. a rue (regret) about ch(church) + i (isle) | |
| 10 Response from champion in game (4) | |
| eo (game) around ch (champion) = ECHO | |
| 11 Tart linked to the Spanish murder victim (4) | |
| T | 11 Tar linked to the Spanish murder victim (4) |
| AB (tar) + el (the spanish) = ABEL | |
| 12 Chat recalled by Henry is about old Stone Age implement (6) | |
| C | 12 Hat recalled by Henry is about old Stone Age implement (6) |
| Rev h(henry) + tile(hat) about o (old) = EOLITH | |
| 13 One thrill, when playing, is to involve men in orchestral passage (10) | |
| H | 13 One trill, when playing, is to involve men in orchestral passage (10) |
| (one trill)* around or (men) = RITORNELLO | |
| 15 Fair of the writer, putting name at end (4) | |
| F | 15 Air of the writer, putting name at end (4) |
| mine (of the writer) moving n (name) to the end = MIEN | |
| 17 I’m hesitant disseminating secular viewpoint (11) | |
| (Im hesitant)* = ANTITHEISM entered as ANTISLEEISM | |
| 19 Feeling no note will identify dubious Shakespearean term (4) | |
| sense (feeling) – n(note) = SESE | |
| 24 Rancher, perhaps, herded animals in confines of pen (10) | |
| (animals)* in pn (confines of pen) = PLAINSMAN entered as PLAICOLTAN | |
| 25 Computer’s latest peripheral? (6) | |
| r(Computer’s latest) + outer (peripheral) = ROUTER | |
| 26 Recalled a male alias for god of death (4) | |
| I | 26 Recalled a male alias for god of death (4) |
| Rev. a m(male) + ay (alas) = YAMA | |
| 27 Rector and I going round Japan to see Japanese garden design (4) | |
| R | 27 Recto and I going round Japan to see Japanese garden design (4) |
| Ro (recto) + i around j (japan) = ROJI | |
| 28 Detective keeping a seat free for file (7, two words) | |
| E | 28 Detective keeping a sat free for file (7, two words) |
| det (detective) around (a sat)* = DATA SET | |
| 29 See preamble (11, two words) | |
| ALAN SMITHEE | |
| DOWN | |
| 1 Word of mouth: no longer fenced round quantities of cereal (7) | |
| D | 1 Word of mouth: no longer fence round quantities of cereal (7) |
| hay (fence) around ears (quantities of cereal) = HEARSAY | |
| 2 Check the mead for character (5) | |
| E | 2 Check the mad for character (5) |
| ch (check) + (the)* = CHETH | |
| 3 Orchard chemical offering a lot of anxiety (5) | |
| alarm (anxiety) – m = ALAR entered as KILOR | |
| 4 Runs badly with sonar not initiating? Now light dawns (7) | |
| N | 4 Runs badly with soar not initiating? Now light dawns (7) |
| (runs)* + rise (soar) – r (not starting) = SUNRISE | |
| 5 Finnish chasing sources of the raging wind (5) | |
| N | 5 Finish chasing sources of the raging wind (5) |
| end (finish) after t r (sources of the raging) = TREND | |
| 6 Victoria’s brother perhaps not assumed to skip a resit (6) | |
| I | 6 Victoria’s brother perhaps not assumed to skip a rest (6) |
| real (not assumed) – a + lie (rest) = RELLIE | |
| 7 Newspaper ready to accept something explosive (7) | |
| set (ready) around he (something explosive) = SHEET entered as SHTONST | |
| 8 Swell house for computer market (4) | |
| S | 8 Well house for computer market (4) |
| so (well) + ho(house) = SOHO | |
| 14 Unwind in American lido around noon (7) | |
| us(american) around n(noon) + pool(lido) = UNSPOOL | |
| 15 Italian-American composer not appearing in time, sadly (7) | |
| (time)* around not = MENOTTI | |
| 16 Therm used up – worried what radiator may do? (7) | |
| H | 16 Term used up – worried what radiator may do? (7) |
| Rev. name (term used) + ate (worried) = EMANATE | |
| 18 Something used to colour olives on a can (6) | |
| O | 18 Something used to colour lives on a can (6) |
| is (lives) + a tin (can) = ISATIN | |
| 20 Spun stuff? Get away! (5) | |
| P | 20 Sun stuff? Get away! (5) |
| s (sun) + cram (stuff) = SCRAM | |
| 21 Attack staple holding end of essay (5, two words) | |
| P | 21 Attack stale holding end of essay (5, two words) |
| Flat (stale) Around y (end of essay) = FLY AT | |
| 22 Stone residue, quite old (5) | |
| E | 22 Stone residue, quit old (5) |
| st (stone) + ash (residue) = STASH | |
| 23 Sandy’s left Rover in car – Rover’s upset (4) | |
| R | 23 Sandy’s left over in car – Rover’s upset (4) |
| Rev. hidden cAR ROver = ORRA |
Should you have time amidst the festive preparations, there’s a blog at: http://phionline.net.nz/setters-blogs/pseudonym/
Merry Christmas
A fun solve, with an interesting theme I hadn’t heard of before. The device for revealing the setter was a neat one and didn’t yield itself up until the very end. Thanks to twencelas for the blog and especially explaining 6 down, which I couldn’t parse (as ever, with hindsight, I can’t see why) and to Kcit for the entertainment.
Merry Christmas to all.
I really enjoyed this, very clever and for me at least enlightening.
I broke into the theme only when most of the grid was filled. I had solved ANTITHEISM and SHEET and at last saw how they were treated by reference to the last two segments of 29, ITH and EE, giving me the 4-letter words ISLE (probably) and TONS (definitely). COLT and KILO more easily followed after that. In the correct order, the four words gave me K C I T, a name I knew!
I had to look up Dennis Hopper and ‘catch fire’ to find Alan Smithee – a name that was new to me.
The clues were excellent.
Thanks to Kcit (for it is he) and to twencelas.