Six months has passed since I last blogged a Guardian Genius, although I do try and solve them every month. This month we have a puzzle from Karla whose history on fifteensquared shows him / her to be a setter of Genius, Inquisitor and Enigmatic Variations puzzles rather than daily cryptics.
The preamble told us that the two (similar) unclued entries are cryptically different and must be entered thematically. These indicate treatment required in all other clues of either the answer before entry or a single word (not in the definition) before solving.
Usually all the entries are treated in some way or all the clues are treated in some way, but today we have a mix of the two different treatments of clues and entries.
I got an idea of what was going one with the intersection of the clues for INSATIABLE (1 down), ALTAR (15 across) and DOG KENNEL (18 across). I reckoned there had to be an anagram indicator in 1 down and reversing Ram looked as if it might generate a suitable indicator. ALTAR fitted with INSATIABLE and could be clued if we changed Hoppers to shopper in the clue. DOG KENNEL would also fit if the final L went to the front, in the same style as Hoppers to shopper. A study of the remaining across clues showed that there were possibilities for a similar change to words in some of the clues. 1 across had trains changing to strain to clue INDUSTRY.
I then looked at the down clues to see if there were any likely reversals of clue words. The most obvious contender was Levon which reverses to novel in the clue for BROTHER-IN-LAW at 11 down.
The grid fill then built up steadily using the knowledge that across clues or entries would involve a word or entry where the BACK letter went TO the FRONT as indicated thematically by the unclued entry at 12 across (TBACKTOFRON). The down clues and entries mixed the YVRUTYSPOT (reversal [topsyturvy] unclued entry at 14 down).
The detailed table below itemises all the various treatments and shows the amended clues that were used for solving the untreated entries.
This was an entertaining puzzle with interesting cluing devices. Thanks to Karla.
| No | Detail | Entry |
| Across |
Clue Amended clue where required |
|
| 1 |
A runner trains: it’s hard work (8) A runner strain: it’s hard work (8) INDUSTRY (hard work) INDUS (river of South Central Asia; runner) + TRY (strain) INDUS TRY |
INDUSTRY |
| 5 | Negligent teacher at back of class (6)
REMISS (negligent) RE (Religious Education; example of a school class) + MISS (teacher) RE MISS |
SREMIS |
| 9 |
Escape from malls with fish rotten (5,3) Escape from small with fish rotten (5,3) SHAKE OFF (escape from) S (small) + HAKE (fish) + OFF (rotten) S HAKE OFF |
SHAKE OFF |
| 10 | City in its state is a European port (6)
CALAIS (European port) LA (Californian city) contained in (in) (CA [California] + IS) CA (LA) IS |
SCALAI |
| 12 |
see instructions BACK TO FRONT |
TBACKTOFRON |
| 15 |
Hoppers cartwheeling on middle of tall church table (5) Shopper cartwheeling on middle of tall church table (5) ALTAR (table used for mass or the Eucharist; church table) AL (central letters of [middle of] TALL + RAT (one who tells tales; shopper) reversed (cartwheeling) AL TAR< |
ALTAR |
| 17 |
Mindful of extremely absorbent shelter setter has (9) ATTENTIVE (mindful) AT (outer letters of [extremely] ABSORBENT) + TENT (shelter) + I’VE (setter has) AT TENT IVE |
EATTENTIV |
| 18 | New lodge built to house Barbie’s pet? (3-6)
DOG KENNEL (a home for Taffy, Barbie’s DOG) Anagram of (built) (N [new] and LODGE) containing (to house) KEN (Barbie’s boyfriend [pet, a term of endearment]) DOG (KEN) NEL* |
LDOG KENNE |
| 19 | First rule of protection ignored in affair (5)
AMOUR ([love] affair) ARMOUR (protection) excluding the first [first … ignored] occurrence of the letter R [rule] AMOUR |
RAMOU |
| 20 |
No.1 volume Puns friend delivers with love (11) No.1 volume spun friend delivers with love (11) EMOTIONALLY (with love) (NO [number] + I [Roman numeral for one] + TOME [volume]) all reversed (spun) + ALLY (friend) (EMOT I ON)< ALLY |
EMOTIONALLY |
| 24 |
Plump spouse with last of rice (6) Plump spouse with last of eric (6) CHUBBY (plump) C (final letter of [last of] ERIC) + HUBBY (husband; spouse) C HUBBY |
CHUBBY |
| 25 | Trademark mostly spied periodically on register (8)
LOGOTYPE (trademark) LOG (register) + OTYPE (letters 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 [regularly] of MOSTLY SPIED) LOG OTYPE |
ELOGOTYP |
| 26 |
Crude jokes involving tarts in permissive capital (6) Crude jokes involving start in permissive capital (6) SKOPJE (capital city of North Macedonia) Anagram of (crude) JOKES containing (involving) P (first letter of [start in] PERMISSIVE) SKO (P) JE* |
SKOPJE |
| 27 | Tiles covered with comedian’s gismos? (8)
WHATSITS (devices or gadgets [gismos], the names of which you can’t remember or never knew) HATS (a tile is a top HAT) contained in (covered with) WIT’S (comedian’s) W (HATS) ITS |
SWHATSIT |
| Down | ||
| 1 |
Ram is a bit lean, difficult to feed fully (10) Mar is a bit lean, difficult to feed fully (10) INSATIABLE (not capable of being satisfied; difficult to feed fully) Anagram of (mar) IS A BIT LEAN INSATIABLE* |
INSATIABLE |
| 2 | Illegal company books artist with group (10)
CONTRABAND (forbidden by law to be imported or exported; illegal) CO (company) + NT (New testament; books) + RA (member of the Royal Academy of Arts; artist) + BAND (group) CO NT RA BAND |
DNABARTNOC |
| 3 | Knight observed rolling joints (5)
KNEES (joints) (K [knight] + SEEN [observed]) all reversed (rolling) K NEES< |
SEENK |
| 4 | Alternative proposal in summer from Queen (12)
COUNTEROFFER (alternative proposal) COUNTER (one who counts or adds or sums; summer) + OFF (from) + ER (Elizabeth Regina; Queen) COUNTER OFF ER |
REFFORETNUOC |
| 6 |
Gal pressed by judge and jury exposed as storyteller (9) Lag pressed by judge and jury exposed as storyteller (9) RACONTEUR (teller of anecdotes; storyteller) (CON [prisoner; lag] contained in [pressed by] RATE [judge]) + UR (letters remaining in JURY when the outer letters J and Y are removed [exposed]) RA (CON) TE UR |
RACONTEUR |
| 7 |
James (007) essentially eviscerated evil agent (4) James (007) essentially eviscerated live agent (4) MOLE (spy who successfully infiltrates a rival organisation; agent) M (central letter of [essential] JAMES) + O (character representing 0, the central digit [essentially] of 007) + LE (letters remaining in LIVE when the central letters IV are removed [eviscerated]) M O LE |
MOLE |
| 8 |
Excite sister about Eton (4) Excite sister about note (4) STIR (excite) SR (sister) containing (about) TI (a note of the tonic sol-fa) S (TI) R |
STIR |
| 11 |
Family member on barrel with Levon (7-2-3) Family member on barrel with novel (7-2-3) BROTHER-IN-LAW (a family member) Anagram of (novel) ON BARREL WITH BROTHER-IN-LAW* |
BROTHER-IN-LAW |
| 13 |
Excites saint with one slap across tops of upper leg (10) Excites saint with one pals across tops of upper leg (10) STIMULATES (excites) ST (Saint) + I (Roman numeral for one) + (MATES [pals] containing [across] UL [first letters of {tops of} each of UPPER and LEG]) ST I M (UL) ATES |
STIMULATES |
| 14 | see instructions TOPSY TURVY |
YVRUTYSPOT |
| 16 |
One wanting work inscribing card with busy bees (9) JOBSEEKER (one wanting work) Anagram of (busy) BEES contained in (inscribing) JOKER (one of a deck of cards) JO (BSEE*) KER |
REKEESBOJ |
| 21 | Ship linked to nationalist element (5)
ARGON (gaseous element) ARGO (ship sailed by Jason, an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the ARGOnauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature) + N (nationalist) ARGO N |
NOGRA |
| 22 | Pole lifting ton poorly (4)
SICK (poorly) STICK (rod or pole) excluding (lifting) T (ton) SICK |
KCIS |
| 23 |
Burden of working with Americans (4) ONUS (burden) ON (working) + US (United States; American) ON US |
SUNO |
Brilliant stuff from Akarl…alrak…Karla!
And an exceptional duncan double today.
BACK TO FRONT, TOPSYTURVY: almost got into a tailspin.
The eventual recovery was thrilling and joyous.
Thanks Karla and duncan.
Among my faves were: DOG KENNEL, COUNTEROFFER and MOLE.
A painful reminder of this Brummie Prize clue from last month ‘Artist gets national emblem back to front (4)’
Some solvers (me included) reversed LEEK to get an obscure artist named KEEL…
Thanks K&DS
Oh!Yea! There was quite some discussion on that!
I really enjoyed this. Key moment was realising that the across and down clues were treated differently. As noted above, “back to front” would actually work as an instruction for both.
Many thanks to Karla and Duncan
Of the two devices, the back-to-front feature was harder for me to wrap my head around (so to speak . . .), with REMISS taking me a while to figure out. My experience was much like that of DuncT@4. Excellent puzzle and blog.
I got the idea behind both types of treatment, of the clues as well as the answers, after solving about a quarter of the clues, but it took me until the grid was about half full to realise that ‘back-to-front’ would itself be entered in the way that applied to the Across clues or answers (i.e. the last letter to the front) and, likewise, ‘topsy-turvy’ was entered in the way that applied to Down clues or answers (i.e. upside down). I liked the way that the two mechanisms were consistently applied, bearing in mind that both ‘back-to-front’ and ‘topsy-turvy’ are ambiguous!
I enjoyed working with this tricky theme. I can imagine how challenging it must have been for the setter to fill the grid with a generous helping of long words while accommodating all those manipulated answers along with the unaltered ones with the adulterated clues. The NE corner held me up a bit, but those excellent clues for CALAIS and STIR helped me to finish. I eventually understood the way MOLE worked.
Thanks to both Karla and Duncan.
Good Genius, Karla, thanks.
Thanks, duncanshiell.
Enjoyed it. Nice trick.
Many thanks Duncan for the blog and thanks to all who have commented. I wanted to avoid obscure entries as there were enough moving parts for solvers to get to grips with. LOGOTYPE didn’t quite fit the bill but I guessed that by the time everyone got to that quadrant (assuming solvers go from top to bottom??) it would have been reasonably solvable. Easter BH continues here in Blighty, hope everyone is having an excellent time. Cheers, all.
As good a Genius as I can remember! Many thanks.
Top puzzle, very much enjoyed, solved in the pub with some friends (our first solving session in months) – also very much enjoyed!