Inquisitor 1906: Missing in Action by Serpent

11 comments on “Inquisitor 1906: Missing in Action by Serpent”

1. A super puzzle with an original and entertaining theme. Getting my first EMU (where STIMULATE and REEF cross) was a satisfying moment, making other EMUs easier to find. Making each EMU split either E/MU or EM/U was cleverly done.

   However, there seems to be an error. There are indeed four clues that do not generate an extra letter, leaving 38 clues that do generate a letter, but there are only 37 letters in the name MAJOR GWYNYDD PURVES WYNNE-AUBREY MEREDITH. Both 22a and 25a generate the letter N, forcing the incorrect spelling GWYNNYDD instead of GWYNYDD for the Major’s first name.

   Many thanks anyway to Serpent, and to Bertandjoyce for the blog.

2. @Alan B – Major GWYNNYDD – you missed an N

3. I too noticed that error in what was otherwise an excellent puzzle (or was it perhaps an alternative spelling as the name ‘GWYNNYDD’ does seem to exist? But I can’t find a reference to our Major with that name, only GWYNYDD). What a splendid name though, and I was pleased to see that he had a moustache to go with it.

   The story and execution however was really well done, Googling “Emu 1930s” quite early on was rather helpful, but it still took some time to fill the grid given extra letter and clashes in the same answers.

   I also only eliminated 3 EMUs (what a fun endgame!) although was surprised that STILATE wasn’t a word – it feels like that should be a word and it would have neatly removed 2 out of 5 EMUs in each half of the grid. But I let it live alongside the others, although I didn’t consider Bertandjoyce’s idea of decapitating some EMUs to leave only the E behind!

   Overall a top drawer Inquisitor as expected from Serpent. Thank you!

4. bingy @2: I think you’ve missed Alan B’s point. The Major is generally given as GWYNYDD (one N) but the puzzle’s extra letters generate GWYNNYDD (two N’s).

5. Sorry, I don’t understand the endgame – I got most of the gridfill but couldn’t and still don’t understand how to treat some of the clashes if the answers have to be real words.
   Where you have three letters left in the cell, are all three to be included in both crossing answers? That doesn’t make real words. Or if you just use the ones that works for that answer, doesn’t that leave the clash unresolved?

   I knew about the theme, and on reading the preamble it actually passed through my mind as an amusing unlikelihood. I was quite entertained when it emerged that it really was the theme.

6. A very satisfying puzzle to complete (mostly – I missed Cremation/Musses, which allowed an emu to go free, so 9/10 this week). Like Alan, I struggled to match the number of extra letters in 38 clues to the 37 letters in Major Meredith’s full name, finally arriving at the same conclusion. But this is hardly a fatal flaw in an otherwise engaging challenge. I enjoyed learning about the Emu War, so thanks to Serpent for digging up this historical gem. Appreciation also to B&J for the comprehensive exposé.

7. Louise @5: I agree that the endgame could have been expressed more clearly. When the setter says: eliminate some of the targets, in accordance with the theme, leaving real words or phrases, we are assuming he means: only eliminate those targets where doing so leaves real words or phrases; leave the others as they are (with clashes unresolved)

   This to reflect the story in which only a minority of EMUs were successfully eliminated.

8. Thanks arnold@7, I guess that makes sense. A bit frustrating but never mind, it was a fun solve and I’m pretty good at falling at the last hurdle in the endgame.

   Thanks Serpent and B&J

9. I took the endgame to simply mean that if in removing EMU you were left with non-words or phrases, then don’t remove it!

   Thoroughly enjoyable as ever from Serpent

10. Like Louise@5 I couldn’t properly understand what the end-game required and got fixated on resolving clashes, rather than entering emus and leaving them there. Wikipedia suggests that there was much disagreement over how many emus got killed, and I haven’t seen any evidence for the 30% figure (30% of what number anyway; the war was fought only in one district of a big Australian State and the emus will not have respected the boundaries). But there’s no question plenty of emus remained, so Serpent’s approach seems perfectly plausible. Thanks to him and to bertandjoyce, not least for parsing ARREARS for me.

11. I really enjoyed the clueing in this one; it might turn out to be one of my favourite of the year, if only because of his name… Thanks to Serpent and B&J

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