CheeseCracker sets the Specttaor puzzle this week.
Like all Spectator crosswords there are a number of unclued lights which are covered by the preamble:
To 31a an 37d from the 29d 28a, 19a and 14a 1a and 11s a 23a 35d
This decodes to:
To CREATE an EQUATION from the PUZZLE NUMBER, INTRODUCE an EQUALS SIGN and RAISE a SINGLE DIGIT
The puzzle number is 2733, so following the instructions, and moving the second 3 upwards (RAISE) we can create 27 = 33 which is true.
I enjoyed this puzzle where the unclued lights and the instruction revealed themselves steadily. Mathematicians also talk about raising a number by a power. A cube is power 3, and 27 = 3 cubed
There was a little bit of lateral thinking required to understand the definitions and there were one or two obscure words, but nothing out of the ordinary for a barred puzzle. However, I don’t really understand where the definition is in the clue for 1 down, STEGNOSIS. I am sure soemone will tell me what I have missed.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 5 | One reeling in buck before breaking into half-concealed grin (9)
STAGGERER (one who reels) STAG (male deer; buck) + (ERE [before] contained in (breaking into) GR (first two of four letters [therefore half-concealed] GRin) STAG G (ERE) R |
| 12 | Father absorbed by belief system covered in Virginia? (9)
CREEPERED (covered in Virginia CREEPERs) PERE (father) contained in (absorbed by) CREED (any system of belief or set of principles) CREE (PERE) D |
| 15 | Partly cauterised organs (5)
UTERI (wombs; female organs) UTERI (hidden word in [partly] caUTERIsed) UTERI |
| 16 | This requires at least two pieces facing each other (8)
GUNFIGHT (a fight between two people facing each other with both holding a gun [piece]) GUNFIGHT (the clue is a cryptic definition, as you cannot have a GUNFIGHT with oneself) GUNFIGHT |
| 17 | European claims lengthy heroic works? (6)
EPOSES (epic poems; lengthy heroic works) E (European) + POSES (claims) E POSES |
| 20 | It stains rice on boiling (6)
ORCEIN (a purple dyestuff; it stains) Anagram of (boiling) RICE ON ORCEIN* |
| 25 | Compound float on Scottish lake ‘repaired’ (8)
CHLORIDE (a compound of chlorine with another element or radical) Anagram of (repaired) LOCH (Scottish word for lake) + RIDE (float or seem to float buoyantly) CHLO* RIDE |
| 27 | In America, kill kindred where bodies won’t rot? (8)
ICEHOUSE (a building for storing ICE, but presumably also a place that is so cold that bodies won’t rot if stored there) ICE (American term meaning ‘to kill’) + HOUSE (kindred, as in dynastic houses) ICE HOUSE |
| 32 | Plant not opening for long (6)
ORPINE (a purple-flowered, broad-leaved stonecrop; plant) fOR excluding the first letter F (not opening) + PINE (long) OR PINE |
| 34 | Sacked disheartened personnel governed by journalist (9)
PLUNDERED (looted; sacked) PL (letters remaining in PersonneL when the central letters ersonne are removed [disheartened]) + UNDER (in the reign or administration of; governed by) + ED (EDitor; journalist) PL UNDER ED |
| 36 | Reptile left magician scratching head (6)
LIZARD (a reptile) L (left) + wIZARD (magician) excluding the first letter W (scratching head) L IZARD |
| 38 | Open University given lead on nuclear energy (5)
UNZIP (open) U (university) + N (first letter of [lead of] Nuclear) + ZIP (energy) U N ZIP |
| 39 | African amulet needs two short clasps (3-3)
GRI-GRI (an African charm, amulet or spell) GRIp (clasp) excluding the final letter P (short) + GRIp (clasp) excluding the final letter P (short) giving two short clasps GRI GRI |
| 40 | Concerning protest, it being about viewer’s complaint (9)
RETINITIS (inflammation of the retina; eye complaint; viewer’s complaint) RE (with reference to; concerning) + (SIT IN [protest] + IT) reversed (being about) RE (TI NI TIS)< |
| 41 | He-man befuddled with open events (9)
PHENOMENA (events that may be observed) Anagram of (befuddled) HE-MAN and (with) OPEN PHENOMENA* |
| 42 | Top brass, perhaps, and other people (2,2)
ET AL (and other people) mETAL (brass is an example of a metal) excluding the first letter (top) M ET AL |
| Down | |
| 1 | You’ll find this in gents is so shattering (9)
I’m not really sure where the definition is in this clue, so I have underlined the whole clue. There is nothing in the dictionaries that suggests STEGNOSIS is solely a gents problem. STEGNOSIS (constriction of the pores and vessels; constipation; disease relating to gents?) Anagram of (shattering) GENTS IS SO STEGNOSIS* |
|
2 |
Good – weakling shows power (5)
GRUNT (power, especially in a motor vehicle) G (good) + RUNT (the smallest or the weakling in a litter of pigs, for example) G RUNT |
| 3 | To an extent, cortisone affected Will’s fist (6)
NEAFFE (Shakespearean [Will’s] spelling of NIEVE [the fist]) NEAFFE (hidden word in [to an extent] cortisoNE AFFEcted) NEAFFE |
| 4 | Banks on immense hilltop worried flier (9)
HELIPILOT (helicopter pilot; flier) Anagram of (worried) IE (outer letters of [banks of] ImmensE) and HILLTOP HELIPILOT* |
| 6 | Cites odd bits of Cohen’s complex study of industry (8)
TECHNICS (the study of industry) Anagram of (complex) CITES and CHN (letters 1, 3 and 5 [odd bit] of CoHeN) TECHNICS* |
| 7 | Formerly assigns tests, off and on, in practical skills (6)
ARETTS (obsolete [formerly] word for ‘assigns’) ET (letters 2 and 4 [off and on] of tEsTs) contained in (in) ARTS (practical skills) AR (ET) TS |
| 8 | Cut widespread classes (6)
GENERA (taxonomic groups; classes) GENERAl (widespread) excluding the final letter L [cut] GENERA |
| 9 | Red comet’s changing outer layer (8)
ECTODERM (the outer layer of cells forming the wall of a gastrula) Anagram of (changing) RED COMET ECTODERM |
| 10 | Primate in gardening society holding up custom (6)
RHESUS (macaque monkey, a primate) RHS (Royal Horticultural Society; gardening society) containing (holding) (USE [custom] reversed [up; down entry]) RH (ESU<) S |
| 13 | Influential legal case primarily probes yield in revenue (9)
PRECEDENT (a previous incident, legal case, etc that is parallel to one under consideration; the measures taken or judgement given in such a case, serving as a basis for a decision in the present one; influential legal case) P (first letter of [primarily] Probes) + (CEDE [yield] contained in [in] RENT [a form of revenue]) P RE (CEDE) NT |
| 18 | Reacting defensively, run in to pull apart Heather (9)
PRICKLING (reacting irritably; reacting defensively) (R [run] contained in [in] PICK [to pull apart]) + LING (heather) P (R) ICK LING |
| 21 | Fantastic orbicular locust-tree (9)
COURBARIL (the West Indian locust-tree) Anagram of (fantastic) ORBICULAR COURBARIL* |
| 22 | By Nile, an exotic plant (9)
PERENNIAL (a plant that lives more than two years) PER (by) + an anagram of (exotic) NILE AN PER ENNIAL* |
| 24 | African Earth goddess controlling dynasty name (8)
GHANAIAN (an African) (GAIA [in Greek mythology, the goddess of personification of Earth] containing [controling] HAN [native Chinese people; Chinese dynasty]) + N (name) G (HAN) AIA N |
| 26 | What about horse nearly eating north Mexican agave (8)
HENEQUIN (alternative spelling of HENEQUEN [a Mexican agave]) (EH? [what?] reversed (about) + EQUINe excluding the last letter [nearly] E) containing (eating) N (north) HE< (N) EQUIN |
| 30 | Free wine essentially diverts them (6)
REDEEM (free oneself) RED (generic term for all RED wine) + E (middle letter of [essentially] divErts) + ‘EM (tyhem) RED E EM |
| 33 | Little naval flag mainly plugged by Congress (6)
PETITE (little) PETEr (reference the Blue PETEr, a naval flag, hoisted whan a ship is about to sail) excluding the final letter (mostly) R containing (plugged by) IT (sexual relations; congress) PET (IT) E |
| 34 | Choice parking’s full (5)
PLUMP (well filled out, full) PLUM (something choice) + P (parking) PLUM P |
Very good I thought, though for the longest time in had ORACHE for 32a, which in the absence of crossers seemed to be a perfectly valid answer.
CheeseCracker is aka Monk of course … a professor of mathematics.
The puzzle title is “Balancing Act” btw.
Thanks for the puzzle and the blog.