Inquisitor 1837: Sea Air by Chalicea

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Chalicea has been setting Inquisitor puzzles since 2011 and this is her thirtieth in her own name.

 

 

 

 

Chalicea tends to come up with quirky themes and has done so again with this puzzle.

The preamble was fairly short and stated: "Unclued entries introduce a personality (3 words) and present what he is promoting (4 words). Single extra letters given by wordplay in down clues lead solvers to the theme and what must be highlighted (11 letters).

I made fairly steady progress with the clues and filled the grid far enough to begin to deduce the unclued entries.  I was slightly confused trying to run the first unclued entry into the second, but eventually realised that the personality was situated in rows 1 and 12 while what he was promoting was placed in rows 5 and 8.

We have THE JOLLY FISHERMAN in rows 1 and 11 and the slogan SKEGNESS IS SO BRACING in rows 5 and 8

The message from the extra letters in the down wordplay gave the message TAKE ACROSS CLUES FINAL LETTERS.  For a while I had an L where the S of CLUES is as I used PURLED for ‘in folds’ in the clue at 21 down rather than PURSED – Chambers uses the word ‘fold’ in the definition of both.

Reading the last letters of the across clues we find GNR POSTER DESIGNER.

A little bit of research on a couple of websites which can be accessed by clicking – Wikipedia  and Skegness Council ; led me to the Great Northern Railway posters advertising SKEGNESS created by the artist JOHN HASSALL [1868 – 1848], English illustrator.

I know that Chalicea favours the diagonals for hiding names and / or messages and JOHN HASSALL appears on the North West – South East diagonal as highlighted in the grid below.

I enjoyed this puzzle which I think sits at the easier end of the Inquisitor spectrum but the joy of the Inquisitor series is that delivers an excellent mix of themes and difficulties throughout the year.

I didn’t really notice that the final wordings in the across clues were slightly odd, other than wodering wahat a desman was, so well done Chalicea for hiding that from me until I read the message from the additional wordplay letters in the down clues.  I must admit though, I had established the SKEGNESS link earlier and  had seen JOHN HASSALL in the grid before I got the full message from the extra letters

The grids below show the completed crossword and then the grid with the necessary highlighting.


The title SEA AIR relates to the nature of the SKEGNESS environment.  For those unsure of the location of SKEGNESS it can be found on the North Sea coast of Lincolnshire coast, just north of The Wash.

Thanks to Chalicea for an pleasant and entertaining puzzle.

No Detail Letter
Across   last letter of clues
1 Some phosphorus makes stuff for hair removing (5) 

RUSMA (application for removing superfluous hairs)

RUSMA (hidden word in [some] PHOSPHORUS MAKES)

RUSMA

 G
12 West American name expressed approval for a desman (9, 2 words) 

WATERMOLE (the desman, a shrew-like aquatic animal)

W [West] + A (American) + TERM (word; name) + OLÉ (expression of approval)

W A TERM OLE

 N
13 Low temperature in assembly’s place to gather (4) 

MOOT (meeting place; place to gather)

MOO (low, as a cow does) + T (temperature)

MOO T

 R
14 Occasion mostly welcomed by old mate; tip-top! (7) 

OPTIMAL (very best; tip-top)

TIME (occasion) excluding the final letter (mostly) E contained in (welcomed by) (O [old] + PAL [mate])

O P (TIM) AL

 O
15 Type of rock hoe tip gives rise to (6) 

PIQUÉ (name given to various rocks mottled with green)

Anagram of (gives rise to [?]) HOE TIP

PIQUÉ*

 O
16 Wrong recipe ultimately for pastry with, say, fruit or nuts (5) 

TORTE (rich sweet cake or pastry, Austrian in origin, often garnished or filled with fruit, nuts, cream, chocolate, etc)

TORT (wrong, a legal term) + E (final letter of [ultimately] RECIPE)

TORT E

 S
20 Special stroke of satire to prominently print (6) 

SPLASH (print prominently)

SP (special) + LASH (stroke of satire)

SP LASH

 T
22 Express gratitude husband’s left cap and sleeveless attire (7, 2 words) 

TANK TOP (sleeveless pullover)

THANK (express gratitude) excluding (left) G (husband) + TOP (cap)

TANK TOP

 E
23 Relating to group of ferns, European tag is unclear (13) 

EUSPORANGIATE (relating to a group of ferns, having each sporangium derived from a group of cells)

Anagram of (unclear [?]) EUROPEAN TAG IS

EUSPORANGIATE*

 R
26 Lover of cruelty running wild – it’s distressing to head (6) 

SADIST (lover of cruelty)

SAD (distressing) + an anagram of (running wild) IT’S

SAD ITS*

 D
29 Way to produce slow motion; object aimed at by the French steamship equipage (12, 2 words) 

ENDLESS SCREW (an arrangement for producing slow motion in machinery)

END (aim; object) + LE (one of the French forms of ‘the’) + SS (steamship) + CREW (equipage is defined as carriage and attendants [CREW])

END LE SS CREW

 E
33 Perfect plan lecturer follows (5) 

IDEAL (perfect)

IDEA (plan) + L (lecturer)

IDEA L

 S
34 At sea tackle new drag after end of uni (6) 

INHAUL (nautical [at sea] term for a rope or line [tackle] for hauling in something)

I (last letter of [end of] UNI) + N (new) + HAUL (drag)

I N HAUL

 I
37 A character to be sold in a single sitting (7, 3 words) 

AT ONE GO (in a single sitting)

A + TONE (character [of a sound]) + GO (to be sold)

A T ONE GO

 G
39 In the regions, shallow or flat pipe in an organ (4) 

FLUE (dialect [in the regions] term for shallow or flat)

FLUE (in music, a FLUE-pipe in an organ)  double definition

FLUE

 N
40 Gives relief to outspoken muttonheads in workplace? (8) 

EMBOSSES (raises in relief)

EM (sound of the letter M [first letter {head} of MUTTONHEADS when spoken) + BOSSES (heads in the workplace)

EM BOSSES

 E
41 Remove characters in opera’s exemplar (5) 

ERASE (remove)

ERASE (hidden word in [characters in] OPERA’S EXEMPLAR)

ERASE

 R
Down  In the Down wordplay, the extra letter is highlighted in the colour fuchsia
  extra letters
1 Negligent with regard to clouds limiting visibility (6) 

REMISS (negligent)

RE (with regard to) + MISTS (clouds limiting visibility)

RE MISS

 T
2 Witnessed casual operation’s rare flop (4) 

SWOP (rare word meaning ‘flop’)

SAW (witnessed) + OP (abbreviation for [casual] operation)

SW OP

 A
3 Perhaps make haste, lacking ease, sadly, in local mowing (4) 

MATH (dialect [local] word for a mowing)

Anagram of (perhaps) MAKE HASTE excluding (lacking) the letters in EASE

MATH*

 K
4 Diet doctor eats absorbing weight in Japan (6) 

ATKINS (reference the ATKINS diet, [a low carb diet popularised by Dr Robert ATKINS, a heart specialist)

EATS containing (absorbs) KIN (a Japanese and Chinese weight also known as a catty)

AT (KIN) S

 E
5 At Easter, lacking restraints, acting as witness (5) 

TESTE (acting as witness)

AT EASTER excluding the outer letters (lacking restraints) A and R

TESTE

 A
6 European campus engineered genus of parasitic fungi (6) 

EMPUSA (a genus of fungi parasitic upon houseflies and other insects)

E (European) + an anagram of (engineered)  CAMPUS

E MPUSA*

 C
7 Judge becoming weak, writing hurriedly (7) 

JOTTING (writing hurriedly [the Oxford Dictionary of English gives this definition.  Chambers and Collins suggest ‘write briefly’])

J (judge) + ROTTING (becoming weak)

J OTTING

 R
8 Miscellanies of ordinary bogs surrounding island (5) 

OLIOS (miscellanies)

O (ordinary) + (LOOS [toilets; bog is a slang term for toilet] containing [surrounding] I [island])

O L (I) OS – either O an be the extra letter

 O
9 Measure of yarn in a jumble sale (3) 

LEA (a measure of yarn)

Anagram of (jumble) SALE

LEA*

 S
10 For Spenser, call a groom outside to plaster with dung (7) 

YCLEEPE (Spenserian term for the equally archaic word CLEPE [to call or name])

SYCE (groom or mounted attendant) containing (outside) LEEP (to plaster with cow-dung)

YC (LEEP) E

 S
11 In Perth dodge macho young fellow with nothing inside (4) 

JOOK (Scottish [Perth] word for ‘dodge’ or ‘duck’)

JOCK (a macho young man whose clothes accentuate and display his physique) containing (with … inside) O (character representing zero or nothing)

JO (O) K

 C
17 Sweetheart in Hollywood to large numbers (5) 

TOOTS (American [Hollywood] term for sweetheart)

TO + LOTS (large numbers)

TO OTS

 L
18 Mounting nausea endless going round heart of overflowing portaloo (5) 

ELSAN (brand name of a portaloo)

NAUSEA reversed (mounting; down entry) excluding the final letter (endless) A containing (going round) L (central letter of [heart of] OVERFLOWING)

E (L) SAN<

 U
19 Put in place publicity for flight (5) 

STAIR (reference a flight of STAIRs)

SET (put in place) + AIR (publicity)

ST AIR

 E
21 Refined in folds (5) 

PURED (refined)

PURSED (drawn into folds)

PURED

 S
22 Principally tiresome drudgery to attach labels (3) 

TAG (attach labels)

T (first letter of [principally] TIRESOME) + FAG (drudgery)

T AG

 F
23 The worse for wear from gone off brie one consumed (7) 

EBRIATE (intoxicated; the worse for wear)

Anagram of (gone off) BRIE + I (Roman numeral for one) + ATE (consumed)

EBR* I ATE – I have chosen to identify the I in BRIE as the extra letter, but it could equally well be the ‘one’

 I
24 Zip condition short of lubrication (7) 

OILLESS (short of lubrication)

O (character representing zero, nil, zip is an informal term for nothing) + ILLNESS (medical condition)

O ILLESS

 N
25 Utters animal sound, article on rowing teams having no point, finally (6) 

NEIGHS (sounds like a horse; makes animal sound)

AN (indefinite article) + EIGHTS (rowing teams) excluding (having no) T (last letter of [finally] POINT

N EIGHS

 A
27 Feel humiliation once in the role of Bard’s prince, forgetting end of part (6) 

ASHAME (obsolete [once] term meaning ‘to feel humiliation)

AS (in the role of) + HAMLET (Shakespeare’s Prince of Denmark) excluding the final letter (forgetting end of part) T

AS HAME

 L
28 Tense wife leery about blowing out nozzle (6) 

TWYERE (nozzle for a blast of air; blowing out nozzle)

T (tense) + W (wife) + an anagram of (about) LEERY

T W YERE*

 L
30 Scandinavian principally irritated over tropical fish (5) 

DANIO (any of several brightly-coloured tropical freshwater fish)

DANE (native of Denmark; Scandinavian) + I (first letter of [principally] IRRITATED) + O (over)

DAN I O 

 E
31 Ed’s ill-natured growls when celebrities circle north (5) 

SNARS (Edmund Spenser’s word of SNARLS [ill-natured growls])

STARS (celebrities) containing (circle) N (north)

S (N) ARS

 T
32 Fell essentially in the last month, 12th in the Jewish civil year (4) 

ELUL (12th month of the Jewish civil year)

EL (central letters of [essentially] FELL + ULT (ultimo [in the last month])

EL UL

 T
35 Adult price of passage from a long way off (4) 

AFAR (a long way off)

A (adult) + FARE (price of passage)

A FAR

 E
36 Well-regulated condition mostly not applicable for bone (4) 

ULNA (the inner and larger of the two bones of the forearm)

RULE (well-regulated condition) excluding the final letter (mostly) E + NA (not applicable)

UL NA

 R
38 Most upset cat (3) 

TOM (male cat)

MOST reversed (upset; down entry)

TOM<

 S

 

13 comments on “Inquisitor 1837: Sea Air by Chalicea”

  1. A classic Inquisitor, with the thematic elements hiding in the grid and messages that are revealed on solving the clues. The extra letter device used in all the Down clues is a popular one, which was implemented very well in this puzzle, giving me a few head-scratching moments, mainly (for some reason) towards the SE of the grid.

    I may have seen the posters long ago, but if so I had forgotten them. They made a very entertaining theme for this puzzle.

    Thanks to Chalicea and duncanshiell.

  2. Much enjoyed here too. Hiding a message in the across clues is a neat device that I haven’t seen in IQ for a while. Lots of thanks to Chalicea and duncanshiell!

    I too had PURLED rather than PURSED for 21D until corrected by context.

    The classic poster — well remembered though I hadn’t seen the image in years — must have inspired P.G. Wodehouse’s 1939 story “Bramley Is So Bracing”.

  3. I was more familiar with the theme than most…my Dad hailed from Lincolnshire and I’ve had more trips there then I would have wished…losing plenty of coppers in the arcades as a teenager. I’m also familiar with Viz comic’s version of the poster. It appeals to my puerile sense of humour, but is not suitable for work.

    Crossword wise, an enjoyable start to the Inquisitor year. For some reason I found SADIST very hard to parse even though it looks fairly obvious in retrospect. Thanks to setter and blogger.

  4. EMBOSSES
    Muttonhead could be M/EM but muttonheads?
    ‘Heads’ again used to arrive at BOSSES. Something doesn’t look right.

  6. @4 & @5 – Mutton is an Em in printing so muttonheads must be read as two separate words.
    Duncan, there is a misprint in the last line of your explanation for 14 across.
    Thanks to setter and blogger.

  8. John Lowe @ 7

    Thanks for the explanation of ‘mutton’, I hadn’t picked that up in the dictionary although I now see that it is there.

    I have corrected the typo.

  9. The easiest Inquisitor in a long while, it was finished almost before I’d started. Held up briefly by just one clue, but no longer remember which.
    My sister has had a framed copy of the poster in her bathroom since at least the late 70s, so very familiar with the image but never knew it was called The Jolly Fisherman (nor was I aware of the designer).
    Thanks go to blogger & setter.

  10. I also found it relatively easy, in part because I got to THEJOLLY fairly quickly and there weren’t many options that would fit. Once FISHERMAN was in, the remainder of the blank cells (and the location of the highlight) tumbled very quickly, making the rest easy.

    I have often found that in Inquisitors with large unclued sections; they are hard until the Theme becomes clear, then the grid fills itself.

    A nice start to the year although I was less enthused about it all than some other solvers. Horses for courses I suppose.

  11. Many thanks to duncanshiell and all. I am quite pleased that the last letter device wasn’t over-obvious and didn’t leap out at solvers though, of course, my habit of using diagonals is well-known – I’ll have to learn to be more devious!

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