“Four horizontal bars have been omitted from the two central columns. Having filled the grid, solvers must highlight a pair of words in the outer two columns that describe an action, and show its IMPACT on the grid by moving a thematic block of cells within the central columns, displacing another block and creating five new down entries, no two of which have the same length, to be delineated by adding four bars. The thematic block must also be highlighted. Clues to the 17 across entries that are unchanged each contain a letter to be dropped to enable solving. In clue order these letters spell a thematic name.
The dropped letters spell RAFFAELLO MAGIOTTI, whose 1648 Renitenza certissima dell’acqua alla compressione (Very firm resistance of water to compression) contains the first written description of a CARTESIAN DIVER. The grid illustrates such a device in action when the bottle is PINCHed.
The five down clues are (I think) IN, CERISE, TRACY, TUT, and SANDIVERS.
I imagine that most solvers learned something new, which is always pleasing.
At least for me, the name was odd enough that I didn’t get to skip many of the steps in finding all of its letters. The preamble didn’t leave the solver hanging, though, and directed one surely to the letters in the outside columns. Fortunately, Magiotti’s fame is sufficiently limited to allow one to identify the theme pretty readily.
This all made for a pleasant solve. Thank you, Ifor!
Let me know in the comments which was your favourite clue.
| Notation | |
|---|---|
| Definition | word |
| Indicator | [word] |
| Anagram | WORD* |
| Reversal | <WORD |
| Homophone | “WORD” |
| Dropped letter | heard |
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| R | 3 |
D
|
INDISCREET |
| A | 10 | HAT | |
| F | 11 |
THE (So much) S (sun) ONLY (just) [flashes] surreptitiously (8, three words)
|
ON THE SLY |
| F | 13 |
Poet’s calls for attention {W (with) SALE}* [refused] (5)
|
ALEWS |
| A | 14 |
Ridges in CUE (road) AS (for locals which) [follows] ST (street) (7)
|
CUESTAS |
| 15 |
Melody of
|
ARIA | |
| E | 17 |
PC trIPE ADvertising [displays] (4)
|
I-PAD |
| L | 19 |
Last words {ON VILE}* [miscreant] (5)
|
ENVOI |
| 20 |
“ARK AIDED” (Chest helped) [by vocalist] having walk under cover (7)
|
ARCADED | |
| L | 22 |
E’ER (Short lever) S (succeeded) [after] P (pressure) equals (5)
|
PEERS |
| O | 23 |
Grave ePITaph [voices] (3)
|
PIT |
| 25 |
Restricted “TIDE” (opportunity once) [being caught] (4)
|
TIED | |
| M | 26 |
RP (Received pronunciation), [storming] A (about) casual talk (3)
|
RAP |
| 27 |
Priest’s assistant < [backing] REV (him briefly) [subsequent to] SER (sermon) (6)
|
SERVER | |
| A | 31 |
Stranger [staring in] < heRE WENt [backwards] (5)
|
NEWER |
| G | 33 |
Roughly speaking, a large number thaT ENcounter [ghosts] (3)
|
TEN |
| 34 |
One sanctifying CONCERTOS* [played] [with RA (artist) in residence] (11)
|
CONSECRATOR | |
| 35 |
Opinion SEN (without) [taking] [sides in] S
|
SENSE | |
| I | 37 |
Old town hospital rations reviewed in vain (5)
|
BURGH |
| O | 38 |
Small island university in Polynesia, good to some extent (4)
|
AITU |
| 39 |
Bar’s weak places < [upset] SR ( senior) [in] SEA (the main) (5)
|
ARSES | |
| T | 40 |
< EG (Stay) [over],
|
GEE |
| T | 41 |
R (Republican) [trapped by] PETTY (contemptible) tweet (6)
|
PRETTY |
| I | 42 | [Failed] |
SLEEPS |
| Down | |||
| 1 |
Bass in < PAIL (bucket) [turned up] [in] CHAIN (Iceland, maybe) (9)
|
CHALIAPIN | |
| 2 |
50% off H (hard) [plastic]REPLICA*, [pocketing] F (fine) (9)
|
HALF-PRICE | |
| 3 |
Committed lovers, likewise lost (4)
|
ITEM | |
| 4 |
[Turning] DOWN* AYS (words of agreement), [hiding] A (answer) for the present (8)
|
NOWADAYS | |
| 5 |
Cut IN “SIZE” (volume) [of speaker] (6)
|
INCISE | |
| 6 |
[Disheartened] CH
|
CHEF | |
| 7 |
Pitched REED (oboe for one) [admitting] SIN (error) (7)
|
RESINED | |
| 8 |
Right to have branches SET* [out] OVER (above) (7)
|
ESTOVER | |
| 9 |
Complicated ORATE (harangue) [after] < BALE (old man’s misery) [mounts] (9)
|
ELABORATE | |
| 12 |
Master of T
|
TUAN | |
| 16 |
Twisted bunch W
|
WISP | |
| 18 |
|
ADHERES | |
| 21 |
Amuses DIVERS (more than one before) [taking] T (temperature) (7)
|
DIVERTS | |
| 24 |
T (Tense), {W (with) NO}* [rent] settlement (4)
|
TOWN | |
| 25 |
Decorative pattern in TRY (render) [covering] RACE (scratch) (7)
|
TRACERY | |
| 28 |
REUSE (Recycle) [pens] [finally],
|
RETUSE | |
| 29 |
STOR
|
STORGE | |
| 30 |
Stature of NICHES (recesses) [with I (one) at the top] (6)
|
INCHES | |
| 32 |
Mark L
|
LABEL | |
| 34 |
Fellow CHAP
|
CHAP | |
| 35 |
Knight < IS (takes the place of) [upended] R (rook) (3)
|
SIR | |
| 36 | Head NUT |
NUT | |
Before the move:
| C | H | I | N | D | I | S | C | R | E | E | T |
| H | A | T | O | O | N | T | H | E | S | L | Y |
| A | L | E | W | S | C | U | E | S | T | A | S |
| L | F | M | A | R | I | A | F | I | O | B | W |
| I | P | A | D | A | S | N | E | N | V | O | I |
| A | R | C | A | D | E | D | P | E | E | R | S |
| P | I | T | Y | H | T | I | E | D | R | A | P |
| I | C | O | S | E | R | V | E | R | S | T | I |
| N | E | W | E | R | A | E | L | E | T | E | N |
| C | O | N | S | E | C | R | A | T | O | R | C |
| H | S | E | N | S | E | T | B | U | R | G | H |
| A | I | T | U | A | R | S | E | S | G | E | E |
| P | R | E | T | T | Y | S | L | E | E | P | S |
After the move:
| C | H | I | N | D | I | S | C | R | E | E | T |
| H | A | T | O | O | N | T | H | E | S | L | Y |
| A | L | E | W | S | C | U | E | S | T | A | S |
| L | F | M | A | R | E | T | F | I | O | B | W |
| I | P | A | D | A | R | S | E | N | V | O | I |
| A | R | C | A | D | I | A | P | E | E | R | S |
| P | I | T | Y | H | S | N | E | D | R | A | P |
| I | C | O | S | E | E | D | E | R | S | T | I |
| N | E | W | E | R | T | I | L | E | T | E | N |
| C | O | N | S | E | R | V | A | T | O | R | C |
| H | S | E | N | S | A | E | B | U | R | G | H |
| A | I | T | U | A | C | R | E | S | G | E | E |
| P | R | E | T | T | Y | S | L | E | E | P | S |
There is a Setter’s Blog for this puzzle here: https://bigdave44.com/2025/08/14/ev1706-setters-blog/#more-218743
An excellent themed puzzle, remarkable especially for the way that a ‘thematic block’ of letters is shifted within the two central columns, creating new words both across and down. It was educational too, introducing me to an Italian experimental scientist from long ago. Having identified the 7×2 block that had to be moved (which I managed to do before I realised it contained a thematic phrase!), and noted how cleverly seven of the Across entries had changed, I had some fun making new words going down the two central columns, and I duly ended up with the five words given in the blog.
An exemplary puzzle, I have to say, and I especially enjoyed the clues, with that generous helping of single-letter manipulations of a type that I did not find too complex or time-consuming.
Thanks to Ifor, and to Mister Sting for his explanations.
Thanks, both. And since you ask – my favourite in terms of writing them was 11a.
I didn’t quite finish the endgame as my googling of the name didn’t come up with the diver. Very pleasing puzzle. Very clever indeed!