This week’s Inquisitor is set by eXtent (a pairing of eXternal and Serpent), who have appeared twice a year, on average, since early 2017.
The preamble told us that four clues consisting of wordplay only lead to thematic answers which must be entered in the top and bottom rows where they will
fit. Twenty-four clues contain an extra word to be removed before solving, with each being a jumble of a certain kind plus an extra letter. The extra letters, in clue order, provide a hint as to what must leave the grid and what replaces it. All entries in the initial and final grid are real words (except for the top and bottom rows which are formed by concatenating two or more words).
I solved a couple of the Wordplay only clues quite quickly – SEA-PIG and CETACEAN. These obviously had something in common, so it seemed a fair chance that the other two would lead to similar marine animals. I hoped also that there were no tricks in the top and bottom row such that the (8) and one (7) would go in the top row and the (6) and the second (7) would go in the bottom row. Fortunately that was the case. After solving a few clues it was clear where CETACEAN and SEA-PIG were going to fit.
I didn’t get the second two wordplay only answers until the grid was fairly full and I could reverse engineer from the letters I had.
The clues were very fair and I progressed to fill the grid steadily. I didn’t get the link to ‘fish’ in the extra words immediately as I was struggling in the North West corner and picked some extras words in clues that didn’t have extra words!. Eventually I twigged that the extra words were all anagrams of fish and an extra letter. That made it easier to work out which words (if any) to remove from entries where I was having trouble. Throughout, it was the North West corner where I had the difficulty and it was late on before I was confident the first word was ADAMS. TRILOGY also took a while to become clear given that FOURTH was in the message.
Finally, I got to the full message spelt out by the letters omitted from the jumbles – ADAMS FOURTH BOOK IN TRILOGY. I have only read one book in Douglas Adams’ series, the first one, but I have learned that the deliberately misnamed Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy "TRILOGY" consists of six BOOKs, the FOURTH of which is titled SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH.
With all the entries in top and bottom rows being marine animals and the fact that we had already removed 24 fish from the clues, it seemed likely that the four wordplay only ‘FISH‘ would also go. The title of the FOURTH BOOK is 28 letters long, as is the sum of the letters in wordplay only clues, so it seemed logical to replace the ‘FISH‘ with the title and see if real words remained in the grid. Indeed they did – a very impressive piece of grid construction.
The 24 fish removed from the clues in the standard order were: sprat (12a), blay (13), elver (16), carp (21), trout (22), dace (24), stingray (27), sole (30), plaice (34), huss (26), tuna (7), barbel (2d), grouper (3), sild (4), cod (5), shark (6), albacore (7), wrasse (9), skate (17), perch (20), bream (25), tetra (26), sardine (29) and sturgeon (32).
I knew most of them but blay was new to me. For albecore, also unknown to me, I was looking at barnacle to begin with, which gave me an extra O rather than the required N.
The detailed table below shows how the clues changed as a result of removing all the fish.
The first grid after the text shows the gridfill after solving all the clues and the second shows what happens when you replace CETACEAN GRAMPUS with SO LONG AND THANKS and replace SEA-PIG PORPESS with FOR ALL THE FISH
Changing the top and bottom rows generated 15 new down words and left 4 unchanged as follows
Top Row
EARLOCK > OARLOCK
TIRE > LIRE (plural of the old Italian currency, lira)
CUTTINGS > NUTTINGS
ARIEL unchanged
NINE unchanged
GECKO > DECKO
ROAD > TOAD
MITCHES > AITCHES
PETS > NETS
STRIDES unchanged
Bottom row
FADE > FADO (Portuguese folk song or dance)
CHALDEA > CHALDER (Scottish dry measure)
PERI > PERL (programming language)
DROOG > DROOL
HASP > HAST
BUNCO > BUNCH
OVERLEAP > OVERLEAF
IBIS unchanged
MASTICS > MASTICH
The puzzle is a masterpiece in grid construction and cluing to ensure that all the thematic elements work together. The extra words weren’t all just adjectives thrown in to pad out the actual clue. There were examples of many different parts of speech (verbs, adverbs, nouns, adjectives etc) which not only fitted in with the surface but had to be anagram of a fish and a specific letter. Bravo!
With a lot of thematic material it is often easy to overlook the actual clues. I thought the clues today were very good and set at the right level to balance the intricacy of the theme. The table below parses the clues in detail. My favourites were the clues for INCA, OCEANIDS, ARIEL, NINE and DROOG. I hope I haven’t picked clues just written by one of the setters.
The title VALEDICTION (a farewell) fits very well with SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH.
Thanks to eXternal and Serpent.
| No | Clue |
Word Unjumble Letter |
|
Wordplay Only |
||
|
Stray magpies leaving mass (6) SEA-PIG – no definition in the clue, but it is variously described as a porpoise; a dolphin; a dugong; FISH Anagram of (stray) MAGPIES excluding (leaving) M (mass) SEA-PIG* |
||
|
Drink spread around (7) GRAMPUS– no definition in the clue, but technically, Risso’s dolphin or a popular name for many whales, especially the killer; FISH (SUP [drink] + MARG [MARGarine; spread]) all reversed (around) (GRAM PUS)< |
||
|
Reviewed regularly: system support (7) PORPESS – no definition in the clue, but a short-snouted genus of the dolphin family; FISH) (SSE [letters 1, 3 and 5 [regularly] of SYSTEM + PROP [support]) all reversed (reviewed) (PORP ESS)< |
||
|
Church Times’ leader introduces excellent article (8) CETACEAN – no definition in the clue, but a member of the order CETACEA of aquatic mammals having streamlined fish-like form, including the toothed whales; FISH) CE (Church [of England]) + T (first letter of [leader] + ACE [excellent] + AN [indefinite article]) CE T ACE AN |
||
| Across | ||
| 11 |
Sprayed Fairy Liquid, killing fly swimming in drink (8) DAIQUIRI (cocktail containing rum and lime juice; drink) Anagram of (sprayed) FAIRY LIQUID excluding (killing) an anagram of (swimming) FLY DAIQUIRI* |
|
| 12 |
Determine the position of Eastern Sparta (6) Determine the position of Eastern (6) ORIENT (determine the position of, relatively to fixed or known directions) ORIENT (the East; Eastern) double definition ORIENT |
SPARTA SPRAT A |
| 13 |
Mistakes made by singer badly in time (6) Mistakes made by singer in time (6) ERRATA (mistakes) RAT (informer; singer) contained in (in) ERA (a period of time) ER (RAT) A |
BADLY BLAY D |
| 15 |
Murderer’s about to swap places with popular South American monarch (4) INCA (a king or emperor of a South American people; monarch) CAIN (in the Bible, CAIN murder his brother ABEL) with the two two-letter parts swapping places to from IN (popular) + CA (circa; about) IN CA |
|
| 16 |
Reveal fur’s essential oil to audience (5) Fur’s essential oil to audience (5) OTTER (brown short fur of the aquatic carnivore of the same name) OTTER (sounds like [to audience] OTTAR, an alternative spelling of ATTAR [a very fragrant essential oil made in Bulgaria and elsewhere, chiefly from the damask rose]) OTTER |
REVEAL ELVER A |
| 19 |
Try to find witness close to attack (4) SEEK (try to find) SEE (witness) + K (last letter of [close to] ATTACK) SEE K |
|
| 21 |
Surgery to stop cramp hit unusually hard swellings in body (5) Surgery to stop hit unusually hard swellings in body (5) TOPHI (hard nodulea formed of sodium biurate crystals in soft body tissue) OP (operation; surgery) contained in (to stop) an anagram of (unusually) HIT T (OP) HI* |
CRAMP CARP M |
| 22 |
Audacity of old tutors warning senior colleague (8) Audacity of old warning senior colleague (8) FOREHEAD (obsolete [of old] term for confidence or audacity) FORE (warning shout, frequently heard on a golf course to warn others of danger from a mishit shot) + HEAD (senior colleague) FORE HEAD |
TUTORS TROUT S |
| 24 |
Sea nymphs once faced heartless divas at sea (8) Sea nymphs once heartless divas at sea (8) OCEANIDS (daughters of Oceanus; ocean nymphs) Anagram of (at sea) ONCE and DIVAS excluding the middle letter (heartless) V OCEANIDS* |
FACED DACE F |
| 27 |
Say no to skipping beginning to fear gyrations in exercise again (5) Say no to skipping beginning to fear in exercise again (5) REUSE (repeat or exercise again) REFUSE (say no to) excluding (skipping) F (first letter of [beginning to] FEAR) REUSE |
GYRATIONS STINGRAY O |
| 30 |
Plant louse clever husband traps (4) Plant clever husband traps (4) RHUS (plant of the sumach genus) RHUS (hidden word in [traps] CLEVER HUSBAND) RHUS |
LOUSE SOLE U |
| 33 |
Driving aids run with plugs (5) GOADS (sharp-pointed sticks, often tipped with iron, for driving oxen) GO (work; operate; run) + ADS (advertisements; plugs) GO ADS |
|
| 34 |
Period clothing amateur replica of early times (4) Period clothing amateur of early times (4) EOAN (of or relating to dawn; of earlier times of day) EON (vast age; long period) containing (clothing) A (amateur) EO (A) N |
REPLICA PLAICE R |
| 35 |
According to Spooner, Scotsman’s mount damaged speedwell (6) HENBIT (the ivy-leaved speedwell) Reverend Spooner would pronounce HENBIT as BEN (Scottish mountain; mount) + HIT (damaged) HENBIT |
|
| 36 |
Attract attention after terminal shuts (6) Attract attention after terminal (6) ENDEAR (attract) END (terminal) + EAR (attention) END EAR |
HUTS HUSS T |
| 37 |
Twitching parts haunt Isaac battling neuritis (8) Twitching parts Isaac battling neuritis (8) SCIATICA (neuritis of the major nerve of the leg) TIC (convulsive twitching) contained in (parting) an anagram of (battling) ISAAC SCIA (TIC) A* |
HAUNT TUNA H |
| Down | ||
| 1 |
Foppish attachment of nobleman and naked philosopher (7) EARLOCK (curl near the EAR worn by Elizabethan dandies) EARL (nobleman) + LOCKE (reference John LOCKE [1632 -1704], English philosopher) excluding the outer letters (naked) L and E EARL OCK |
|
| 2 |
Blabber about supporting the best regressive tax (4) About supporting the best regressive tax (4) TIRE (wear out; tax) IT (the best) reversed (regressive) + RE (with reference to; about). In this down entry the letters RE are supporting the letters TI TI< RE |
BLABBER BARBEL B |
| 3 |
Prorogue opening of Senate after scathing pieces from the press (8) Opening of Senate after scathing pieces from the press (8) CUTTINGS (pieces from the newspapers [press]) CUTTING (scathing) + S (first letter of [opening of] SENATE CUTTING S |
PROROGUE GROUPER O |
| 4 |
Idols swallow angel and gazelle (5) Swallow angel and gazelle (5) ARIEL (species of swallow) ARIEL (spirit of the air; angel) ARIEL (kind of mountain gazelle native to Arabia) triple definition |
IDOLS SILD O |
| 5 |
Cardinal taking bishop from African country round dock (4) Cardinal taking bishop from African country round (4) NINE (a cardinal number) BENIN (a West African country) excluding (taking) B (bishop) and then reversed (round) NINE< |
DOCK COD K |
| 6 |
Sanction clubs for example elevating cold-blooded rakish individual (5) Sanction clubs for example elevating cold-blooded individual (5) GECKO (a cold-blooded lizard) (OK [okay; agree to; sanction] + C [clubs] + EG [for example]) all reversed (elevating) (GE C KO)< |
RAKISH SHARK I |
| 7 |
Half-cut toreador defiled Barcelona street (4) Half-cut toreador defiled street (4) ROAD (street) Anagram of (defiled) ADOR, the last 4 [of 8] letters in TOREADOR [half cut] ROAD* |
BARCELONA ALBACORE N |
| 8 |
Local truants upset leader of coven? (7) MITCHES (dialect [local] word for truants) WITCHES (coven is the collective noun for a group of WITCHES) with the W (first letter of [leader of]) turned upside down (upset) to become an M and create the word MITCHES M ITCHES |
|
| 9 |
Waster’s rung about slighted and offended feelings (4) Rung about slighted and offended feelings (4) PETS (slighted and offended feelings) STEP (rung of a ladder) reversed (about) PETS< |
WASTER’S WRASSE T
|
| 10 |
Section attempts to control department’s processes purposefully? (7) STRIDES (walks [processes] purposefully) S (section) + (TRIES [attempts] containing [to control] D [department]) S TRI (D) ES |
|
| 14 |
Bubbly and enthusiastic when taking part (4) ASTI (Italian white wine fizz) ASTI (hidden word in [taking part] ENTHUSIASTIC) ASTI |
|
| 16 |
Excess drink bottles back in wine vault (8) OVERLEAP (LEAP OVER; vault) OVER [excess] + (LAP [drink] containing [bottles] E [last letter of {back} WINE]) OVER L (E) AP |
|
| 17 |
Very small streak marks up sides of granite gorge (6) Very small marks up sides of granite gorge (6) STODGE (stuff, cram or gorge with food) DOTS (very small marks) reversed (up; down entry) + GE (outer letters of [sides of] GRANITE) STOD< GE |
STREAK SKATE R |
| 18 |
Ancient land had lace mills (7) CHALDEA (an ancient region of Babylonia) Anagram of (mills) HAD LACE CHALDEA* |
|
| 20 |
Spiritualists using a cipher for unknown resins (7) Spiritualists using a for unknown resins (7) MASTICS (pale yellow gum resins from certain Mediterranean trees) MYSTICS (spiritualists) with A replacing (using … for …) Y (letter frequently used to refer to an unknown value in mathematics) MASTICS |
CIPHER PERCH I |
| 23 |
Euphoric feeling when person you fancy goes topless (4) RUSH (euphoric feeling) CRUSH (person you fancy) excluding the first letter (goes topless) RUSH |
|
| 25 |
Hooligan overturned marble idol inlaid with gold (5) Hooligan overturned idol inlaid with gold (5) DROOG (a violent hooligan of the type portrayed by Anthony Burgess in his novel A Clockwork Orange [1962]) (GOD [idol] containing [inlaid with] OR [gold {tincture}]) all reversed (overturned) (D (RO) OG)< |
MARBLE BREAM L |
| 26 |
Roll and rotate firm racket of McEnroe (5) Roll and firm racket of McEnroe (5) BUNCO (American term [John McEnroe is an American tennis player and pundit] for a form of confidence trick in which the victim is swindled or taken somewhere and robbed) BUN (bread roll) + CO (company; firm) BUN CO |
ROTATE TETRA O |
| 28 |
Decline Ecstasy, needing superior buzz (4) FADE (decline) FAD (trend; buzz) + E (ecstasy tablet) FAD E |
|
| 29 |
Magical readings being endless danger (4) Magical being endless danger (4) PERI (in Persian mythology, a beautiful but malevolent being with supernatural powers) PERIL (danger) excluding the final letter (endless) L PERI |
READINGS SARDINE G |
| 31 |
Gets pressure plate for security (4) HASP (a hinged plate with a hole through which a staple fits and is secured by a padlock, eg for fastening a gate) HAS (gets) + P (pressure) HAS P |
|
| 32 |
Bird remains beneath limb youngster oddly removed (4) Bird remains beneath limb oddly removed (4) IBIS (a wading bird) IB (letters 1 and 3 [oddly] of LIMB) + IS (exists; remains) As a down entry the letters IS lie beneath the letters IB) IB IS |
YOUNGSTER STURGEON Y |
Yet another DNF recorded here – this week I simply didn’t have enough time. A beautifully constructed grid and a wonderful homage to the late great ‘Sir Douglas of Adams’. May he rest in peace. I’ve just nipped to the bathroom to double-check … and yes, I can confirm to one and all, that I do ‘Know where my towel is’ !!!
Very clever stuff, but… I’m struggling with why the shaded rows contained sea life that are not fish. Am I missing something?
And a minor point, Duncan: there’s an error in the message (pink letters, fifth para): THE was not part of the message.
Kippax @2: It was the dolphins who said “So long and thanks for all the fish” as they left planet earth just before it was demolished.
Kippax @ 2
Thanks for spotting the extra word – I’ve taken it out now,
I described the wordplay answers as dolphins, whales or mammals and put ‘FISH’ in quotes in the text of the blog to suggest that I wasn’t sure whether FISH was appropriate to those answers, but, not having read the relevant book, I wondered if there was something special about these creatures that I didn’t understand.
Aha, thank you both! The title is the extent of my knowledge of the book so that feature entirely passed me by.
Lovely stuff with a clear endgame that for a change required no mind reading on the part of the solver
I went down a short rabbit-hole thinking Richard Adams might have got round to fish, but got there in the end. Ended up with zero queries, which probably speaks to the excellence of the puzzle. Very impressive endgame. Thanks to eXtent and duncanshiell.
Thoroughly enjoyed that – it took me too long to decipher what the message was getting at, despite being somewhat of a fan of the works in question. Just goes to show what tunnel vision when solving can do to you!
I believe all 4 top and bottom row entries (CETACEAN SEA-PIG GRAMPUS and PORPESS) are dolphins of one sort or another (sea-pig being the literal translation of the French term for a porpoise.)
In the book, the dolphins all depart the earth, leaving behind the titular message “so long, and thanks for all the fish.”
Hence at the end, all the dolphins must leave the grid and their message must replace them – very neat I thought.
I cannot see why both “sprayed” and “swimming” are necessary in 11 – an anagram of an anagram is still just an anagram. Nor can I see why “monarch” is necessary in 15, as an Inca is a South American.
An Inca was a South American ruler
@10 – it is a convention (and one I’m fully behind) that because the letters of the smaller word do not appear in usual
order (in this case FLY)in the larger anagram string, the indicator must suggest that they have to be ‘de-anagrammed’ so to speak. We’re it to be otherwise, there would be objections along the lines that in this example FLY does not appear in the string. The letters F, L and Y do, however.
Great stuff from eXtent – it’s going to make the job of picking my top puzzles of the year more difficult!
Duncan just about summed it up in his concluding comments above the grids. A brilliant crossword. A daunting preamble which soon became clear. My way in was 5D where there seemed only one 3-letter word to be had from DOCK. I knew most of the fish but had to look up some. For a long time, I had parsed INCA without using the first word and struggled to find a fish from “Murderer’s” until the hint emerged and I realised my error (Yes, Jon@8, tunnel vision!). The rest was plain sailing as I have read and enjoyed all the books.
Many thanks to eXternal and Serpent for an entertaining ride and to Duncan for the usual thorough job.
This is what IQs are all about and why they are our favourite crossword puzzle.
Thanks for such a splendid challenge. We are familiar with the four Douglas Adam’s books in his trilogy and it was great to be reminded of them.
Thanks to eXternal and Serpent as well as Duncan for the blog.
I tend to get confused by “clue order” so I started on clue1, 2 etc and only found BOOK
after”phoning a friend” I did them in clue order as opposed to order of clue numbers
to find that I had read the book, forgetting that the title was spoken by the aquatic mammals who exited
That was better-as i had the four entries in that category
What a neat puzzle
Thanks all
Brilliant grid construction. I’m with HolyGhost at#13. Another tough decision come POTY points distribution