Inquisitor 1179 – Five Characters in Search of an Author by Samuel

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Unusually, I think, the title virtually gives away the theme.   Certainly I wasn’t at all surprised when the theme revealed itself.

Twelve of the clues lead to an extra letter which spell two “related”  names.  A further five clues (without definition) lead to a  thematic group.  Further, the top and bottom rows of the grid lead  to two titles.  And, finally, Ten cells contain the name of the author in an “appropriate” shape.

I did my initial scan through the clues looking for likely suspects  that had no definition.  The first one I identified was 23d (TIMMY) thus confirming my suspicions that we were looking for The Famous Five (Julian, Dick, Anne and Georgina [George] – and their dog Timmy) by Enid Blyton.

The two related names are (Aunt) FANNY and (Uncle) QUENTIN though I just cannot see where the second N in FANNY comes from 🙁

Finally, ENID BLYTON is hidden in the grid in the shape of a 5 (cells: f9, g9, h8, h7, g6, f6, f5, f4, g4, h4)

There are a couple of answers which I don’t really understand (10a & 21d), noted in the lists below, and I have a quibble with 11d.

All-in-all, a nice easy puzzle after the last two stinkers I had to blog. 😉

Footnote: Thanks to Colin and HolyGhost for their comments.  I have changed the explanation of 4d and I’ve changed the incorrect Wikipedia link.

Thematics:

No. Entry Wordplay
Top row SMUGGLER’S TOP n/a
3d GEORGE GE[T] (interminable)+ORGE[AT] (without A[ny] T[rouble])
13a ANNE ANNE[AL] (without AL(uminium))
22d JULIAN JU[s] (law) minus [ha]S (finally)+LIAN[a] (climber) (short)
23d TIMMY [J]IMMY (force open) with T(ime) instead of J(udge)
29d DICK [unmas]K+CID (rev: on the up)
Bottom Row KIRRIN ISLAND n/a

Across:

No. Extra Entry Definition Wordplay
10   ANODES Conductors I just can’t see how this one works 🙁 Clue: Innocent party can finally put out last of bus conductors.
12   ENGOBE Slip EN (nurse)+GO (to fare)+BE (to live)
13   See above    
14   THERETO In addition [tak]E+TO+HEART (minus A(nswer)) (anag: reworking)
15 F NATAL About (US) can (buttocks) N(ote)+FATAL (critical)
16 A SINGLY Alone SING (celebrate)+LAY (bet)
17   MILICE Wartime French collaborators MIL(itary)+ICE (kill)
20 N ORWELL Author (George Orwell) NO (drama)+R(uns)+WELL (easily)
25   ODIOUS Offensive O(ld) +O(ld)+I (one) inside SUD (south in French) (rev: repelled)
27   SWEIRT Lazy (Scottish: For Angus) W(ife) inside TRIES (proves) (rev: over)
28   DISPLE Chastise [a]CI[d] removed from DISCIPLE (student)
29   DORMS Where boarders might sleep DO (clean)+RMS (rooms)
31   ENTOTIC Souse’s (ear’s) inner workings EN (space)+TO (for)+TIC (response)
33 Y ITEM Make a note of [fru]ITY EM[ails]
34   REHEAT Fuel injector RE ((Royal) Engineers)+[c]HEAT (chisel) (minus C(old))
35   KEYNES Economist (Maynard
Keynes)		 KEY (crucial)+SEN (without) (rev: backing)

Down:

No. Extra Entry Definition Wordplay
1 Q STETSONS They’re worn by cowboys STET (reinstate)+SONS( products)
2   URGE Drive QU(een)+R[a]GE (A(cting) out)
3   See above    
4 U GABELLER Tax collector GAB (talk)+L(atin) inside EULER (mathematician)
5 E ENTOMB Bury TEEN MOB (anag: riled)
6   ROAN (double definition) (double definition)
7 N TENTIGO Lewdness TENT (camp)+INGO (reveal (Scottish))
8   PEEL Shovel PEE (stale:urine)+L[and]
9   ON HIRE To let [f]INE H[a]R[l]O[t] (minus FLAT) (anag: upset)
11   DAALS Pulse (surely this should be
pulses!)		 D(ead)+[b]AAL (false god) (not B(orn))
18 T INDITERS (Former) dictators I(nstitute)+STRIDENT (anag: overthrown)
19   EXSECTED Cut out EX (without)+SEC(ond)+TED (spread)
21   WHERE’ER In whatever place I can see W(eak)+HER but nothing else 🙁 Clue: Weak, She drinks endlessly in whatever place.
22   See above    
23   See above    
24 I STEVEN (local) Voice SIT (be comfortable with)+EVEN (calm)
26   ISOHEL Contour O[outgrowt]H (hollow) inside LIES (anag: unevenly)
29   See above    
30   SUNI Antelope SUN (nearby star)+I[njure]
32 N TELA Tissue ANTLE[r] (nearly) (anag: damaged)

4 comments on “Inquisitor 1179 – Five Characters in Search of an Author by Samuel”

  1. I didn’t do this puzzle so may be missing part of the theme but isn’t the mathematician EULER rather than EULLER?

  2. I too failed to find the other N in FANNY. (When I blogged Samuel’s previous puzzle, 1176, I remarked that I couldn’t find the final A in ATALAYA – but no-one bothered to respond to that.)

    10a: ANODYNE (=innocent) – (part)Y (ca)N + (bu)S.

    21d: I finally decided that the remaining EER is (b)EER(s), i.e. “drinks endlessly” means both ends missing.

    And Colin B. is right: the mathematician at 3d is EULER; the extra L comes from L(atin).

  3. And at 11d (which I missed because Ken just used “!”, not an emoticon), Ch. has “pulse” as noun singular or plural, so I guess the clue’s OK.

  4. I though I had the second N in 31A, but on attempting to explain it again I have forgotten where it came from (or I made it up!)

    I had (b)EER(s) like HolyGhost in 21D but thought it a weak(!) clue.
    Thanks HG for the explanation of 10A which utterly defeated me.

    A fun puzzle though, and the shape of the five for Enid Blyton was a nice conceit.
    The title was probably too much of a give-away though. Those of us who have read (some of) the books to both children and grandchildren know far too much about the characters in that series!

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