Magus has produced this week’s puzzle for theme day.
I managed to complete this puzzle, my first as both a solver and a blogger by Magus, without fully understanding the theme. A little bit of digging revealed that the completed grid contains the names of novels by UK writer John Fowles (1926-2005), who is referred to explicitly together with one of his novels at 2, thereby setting the scene. The solver is directed to some of his works in the clue at 4, but there are others too, at 6D and 29. Well done to Magus for including so much thematic content – given his pseudonym, perhaps a puzzle on this theme was to be expected at some time?! I was wondering why the clue at 2 was so long, but once I twigged the theme, I could see the justification for the clue length.
Overall, the puzzle mixes high-brow and low-brow cultural references in that distinctively Indy style which I at least very much like – how often do Ant & Dec and Latin clues feature in the same crossword?!
On the parsing, I haven’t been able to unpick the wordplay at 1D, where I hope that I have at least identified the deceptive definition. I look forward to being enlightened – enlightenment provided, thanks, and blog amended!
My favourite clues today were 10 and 25, both for overall construction; 3 and 18, both for smoothness of surface; and the cryptic definition at 29, which kept me guessing for a long time.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | COLLECTOR | Compiler’s heartless boss rejected rubbish enclosure
C<e>O (=boss, i.e. Chief Executive Officer; “heartless” means middle letter is dropped) + LLECTOR (ROT (=rubbish) + CELL (=enclosure, in prison); “rejected” indicates reversal); to compile is to assemble, gather, collect e.g. for publication |
| 06 | MAGUS | Wizard from United featured in FourFourTwo and Match?
U (=United, as in Man U) in MAGS (=FourFourTwo and Match, i.e. two UK football magazines) |
| 09 | EBONY | Eulogy begins with this, lad’s inspiring introduction to Norwegian Wood
E<ulogy> (“begins with this” means first letter only) + [N<orwegian> (“introduction to” means first letter only) in BOY (=lad)] |
| 10 | EASY-GOING | Relaxed with a piece of cake and mulled gin after work
EASY (=a piece to cake, i.e. something easy to do) + GO (=work, function) + *(GIN); “mulled” is anagram indicator |
| 11 | SCINTILLA | Caught bad Ploughman’s whiff
Homophone (“caught”) of “sin (=bad, evil thing) + tiller (=ploughman)”; a scintilla is a trice, hint of something, hence “(a) whiff (of)” |
| 13 | OMEGA | Watch Rolling Stone inside nude bar?
MEG (GEM=(precious) stone; “rolling” indicates reversal) in <s>OA<p> (bar, i.e. of soap; “nude” means first and last letters are dropped); Omega is a brand of luxury watches |
| 14 | UNILATERAL | One-sided review of Renault Clio unveiled back in Geneva
*(RENAULT + <c>LI<o> <genev>A); “unveiled” means first and last letters are dropped; “back in” means last letter only; “review of” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | AMMO | What did Latin lover say in conversation that’s explosive?
Homophone (“in conversation”) of “amo (=what did Latin lover say, i.e. I love in Latin!)”; ammo is ammunition, hence “that’s explosive” |
| 18 | NIGH | Nearly knocked over hot drink
H (=hot, on tap) + GIN (=drink); “knocked over” indicates reversal |
| 19 | STRIDENTLY | Weapon employed by Stallone, perhaps harshly
TRIDENT (=weapon, i.e. nuclear weapon) in SLY (=Stallone, perhaps, in the Rambo films) |
| 21 | TOWER | Drag queen’s rise
TOW (=drag, haul) + ER (=queen, i.e. Elizabeth Regina); to tower is to rise into the air (above something) |
| 23 | NUNNERIES | Homes for unmarried mothers?
Cryptic definition: cf. mother superiors in convents! |
| 25 | RUMINANTS | Does maybe weird insect biting hip initially suck?
{IN (=hip, i.e. trendy) in [RUM (=weird, strange) + ANT (=insect)]} + S<uck> (“initially” means first letter only) |
| 27 | FLAKE | Chocolate // chip
Double definition: a Flake is a Cadbury’s chocolate bar AND a flake is a chip, a small piece of something |
| 28 | LUNCH | Hurl after skipping a meal
L<a>UNCH (=hurl; “after skipping a” means letter “a” is dropped) |
| 29 | SHIPWRECK | Junk on the bed?
Cryptic definition: a junk is a flat-bottomed sailing vessel, and the “bed” refers to the “sea bed” |
| Down | ||
| 01 | CREWS | Hunt famously gathered in Staffs
The staff of an establishment are the crew; homophone (“gathered”) of “(Tom) Cruise (=(Ethan) Hunt)” in the Mission Impossible films |
| 02 | LIONISING | “Glorifying”, “oddly iconic”, “grim” – terms for John Fowles’s Daniel Martin novel
*(I<c>O<n>I<c> G<r>I<m> + <joh>N <fowle>S <danie>L <marti>N); “oddly” means odd letters only are used, while “terms for” means last letters only are used in anagram, indicated by “novel” |
| 03 | EGYPTIAN | African gent I pay for massage
*(GENT I PAY); “for massage” is anagram indicator |
| 04 | THE | Article has tips from talented humanist, Essex-born, as preface to 1A, 6A and 9 21, 20 12 22
T<alented> H<umanist> E<ssex-born>; “tips from” means first letters only; “preface to” indicates that “the” appears before the listed (combinations of clues) to form the titles of various works by John Fowles, referenced at 2 |
| 05 | RASTAFARIAN | A celebrity cycling a long way with Scotsman who’s dreaded
RASTA (A + STAR (=celebrity); “cycling” means last letter moves to the front) + FAR (=a long way) + IAN (=Scotsman); Rastafarians wear dreadlocks, hence “are dreaded”! |
| 06 | MAGGOT | Vexed by revolting school grub …
MAG (GAM=school, of whales; “revolting” indicates reversal) + GOT (=vexed, irritated) |
| 07 | GRIPE | … good and ready for beef!
G (=good) + RIPE (=ready, mature); to beef is to complain, hence “gripe” |
| 08 | SIGNATORY | Witness gyrations up in the air
*(GYRATIONS); “in the air” is anagram indicator; a witness in a court is a testifier, vouchee, hence “signatory” |
| 12 | LIEUTENANTS | Story on X about “posh” BGT host’s aides
{U (=posh, i.e. upper class) in [LIE (=story, untruth + TEN (=X, in Roman numerals)]} + ANT’S (+BGT host’s, i.e. Ant of Ant & Dec fame); a lieutenant is an assistant, deputy, hence “aide” |
| 14 | UNNATURAL | Volte-face in exemplar ut annus horribilis
Reversed (”volte-face”) and hidden (”in”) in “exempLAR UT ANNUs” |
| 16 | METRICATE | Convert legless marionette, carelessly broken by Charlie
C (=Charlie, in NATO alphabet) in *(MARI<on>ETTE); “leg (=on, i.e. side in cricket) -less” means letters “on” are dropped from anagram, indicated by “carelessly”; to metricate is to convert weights and measures from the imperial to the metric system |
| 17 | FEVERFEW | Disease rare in plants
FEVER (=disease) + FEW (=rare, as is on the few/rare occasions that …); feverfew is a perennial plant of the daisy family, once believed efficacious in reducing fever |
| 20 | FRENCH | Comic // like Asterix?
Double definition: Dawn French is a comic, i.e. comedian AND Asterix was a Gaul, hence “French”! |
| 22 | WOMAN | Order white trousers for the wife?
OM (=order, i.e. Order of Merit) in WAN (=white) |
| 24 | STEAK | Cut dash when exposed with no clobber on bottom
ST<r>EAK (=dash when exposed, e.g. at sports event); “with no clobber at end (=last letter)” means letter “r” is dropped |
| 26 | SKI | Actor’s Killing Fields runner
Hidden (“fields”, presents, as verb) in “actor’S KIlling” |
A lovely, lively debut from Magus, with my picks SHIPWRECK, EGYPTIAN, and NUNNERIES.
Tom CRUISE plays Ethan Hunt in the Mission Impossible franchise, which has its supposedly final installment out tomorrow.
A fun solve and I was amused to find myself part way through the puzzle before realising the solution to MAGUS was staring me in the face at the bottom of the grid! The theme was nicely worked – I smiled at the additional Daniel Martin reference in the clue for LIONISING – and some of the constructions were very clever. A few tough synonyms/definitions but that is not untypical of this setter whom I have encountered elsewhere. (And I can assure others here, this is him being solver-friendly!)
MAGUS, EASY-GOING, OMEGA, AMMO, LUNCH, SHIPWRECK, EGYPTIAN, FRENCH and SKI my faves. Congratulations on the debut, Magus: I look forward to seeing you again.
Thanks both
Nearly Mission Impossible, this one: right on the cliff-edge of what I can solve.
If 6(d), MAGGOT, is this setter’s standard, then I am out of my depth.
20(d) FRENCH. comedian, like Asterix. OK. I get it, and I got it, but….seriously?
17(d) Disease= fever. Ok, I get it, I got it, but…..
16(d) I suppose that “legless” = “on” ( to be deleted), should have been obvious, but not to this solver.
6(ac) a bit of self-reference that certain setters can’t resist, but what a poor wordplay to do it.
I’m sorry, but this puzzle was a joyless grind which I didn’t celebrate, even when Tom Cruise finally clicked as my (thank the lord) last solution, (1d).
I actually spotted the theme, but frankly, my dear, I couldn’t give a damn.
Not at all my bag of chips/ flakes, but it is a game of opinions, and I can see that many others might love it.
Thanks for the blog, Riku
As with @1 I also parsed it as Ethan Hunt played by Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. Sorry to say that one gets a bit of a groan.
Rest was quite fun if on the challenging side although although I am not familiar with the author’s works which probably upped the difficulty.
Cheers Magus and RR
Thanks both. Very entertaining, and I solved unaided which seemed unlikely for a while, so whilst I have some mis-givings including FLAKE as just chocolate (it’s only chocolate when it is made of chocolate) evidently we were well guided towards the finishing post. The author with his works, amazingly so often beginning with THE has escaped my knowledge thus far. I actually thought MAGUS was a strong clue, but football and its publications are far more to my liking than translating from a long-dead foreign tongue which can feel UNNATURAL.
Welcome to Magus, and thanks for a chewy challenge! Although I grasped the theme maybe about halfway through, it only helped a bit! Some lovely surfaces and clever tricks. Liked EASYGOING, SHIPWRECK, RASTAFARIAN, GRIPE and SIGNATORY. I didn’t quite parse METRICATE but it was evident what it should be so I bunged it in.
Thanks both!
Setter here. HUGE thanks for the tip-top blog, RR. And humble thanks to commenters. I just hope I’ve not put too many people off! I can quite see I’m probably a tad Marmite and I’m sincerely grateful to all those who gave it a bash. Amoeba and Staticman1 are both spot on re CREWS. Mean/cheesy of me, for sure, but I hoped that the new film coming out lent it some credibility. Perhaps not! For the very little it’s worth, N URFE is lurking in the middle row – Fowles’ (for my money) best character. I remain a massive Fowles fan but what he’d have made of this is anyone’s guess. He did try a cryptic clue of his own once (in The Magus). She’s all mixed up but the better part of Nicholas (6). So I’m not sure he quite understood or had much love for cryptics! Ta lots all.
My knowledge of Fowles is limited to just the 2 best known works but suspected from 4d that there were others in there. Great fun & very cleverly constructed albeit jolly difficult in places. The whys for MAGGOT & MAGUS eluded me & wasn’t quite there with LIONISING either. Picks for me – RASTAFARIAN, SHIPWRECK, NUNNERIES & SCINTILLA with plenty of ticks elsewhere.
Too tough for me really but enjoyed the battle.
Thanks & congrats on your debuts to MAGUS & RR
Too tough for me. Had to reveal several with only half the puzzle done to get going again until the finish. Theme passed me by, obviously.
Many thanks to Amoeba @1 for sorting out 1D – that is really tough, and I wouldn’t have worked it out if I’d looked at it for hours longer; either you’re on the compiler’s wavelength or you’re not with a clue like that.
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