A slightly different clueing technique this week. There were several clues comprising two definitions to words which differed by one letter and wordplay to the common letters. A block of cells would provide the source of the BANG. These letters would be the ones which appeared in the grid, their alternatives replacing the letters of the source to give the consequence.
We weren’t told how many special clue types there were. I suspected it wouldn’t be too many — maybe a dozen or so. I must say that these clues weren’t as obvious as I thought they might be. 1dn especially had me trying to read it as a normal clue with a total lack of success. I also had trouble initially with the bottom of the grid since Chrome had conveniently decided to omit the bottom line from my printout! (Yes, you’d have thought it would be obvious, but it wasn’t.)
In the end, the clues were fairly straightforward, although there seemed to be a lot of reversal elements this week. The special clues and their double letters were identified and it didn’t take long to find SUPERNOVA in the centre of the grid, with our old friend the BLACK HOLE seeming the obvious consequence. I suppose the wording in the preamble about “apparent alternatives, but only one way of matching such replacements at once” was for those who didn’t take GCSE Cosmology.
So BLACK HOLE appeared in the centre but needed colouring “accordingly”. Did that mean shading black and leaving the letters visible, and should the hole be square or circular? You can see what I decided to do on the right. It’s a shame that the O in SUPERNOVA is in the same position as the O in BLACK HOLE, and part of me wondered if this was the black hole that needed colouring.
Thanks to Kcit for a fairly gentle workout this week.
Legend:
Definition in clue
Second definition in clue
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Answers | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | MITHRAIC | Worshipping old deity? I charm it deviously (8) (I CHARM IT)* |
|
| 8 | CHUT | Rapid to shorten expression of impatience (4) CHUT[e] (rapid, shortened) |
|
| 12 | ULNAE | One’s bent back, in possession of rubber bones (5) AN< (one, back) in ULE (rubber) |
|
| 13 | EASE | Provision of letter? Not first letter, the rest (4) [l]EASE (provide letter, less first letter) |
|
| 14 | ERECTER | Run, and so on, before twisting muscle (7) (R (run) ETC (and so on) ERE (before))< |
|
| 16 | ROSIN ROBIN |
Violinist’s accessory otherwise backed by fashionable singer (5) OR< (otherwise) + IN (fashionable) |
|
| 17 | KITES RITES |
Tests of public opinion – one’s backed fixed forms (5) I (one) + SET< (fixed) |
|
| 18 | ENGLAND | Engineering also providing restriction for lake in country (7) ENG (engineering) AND (also) containing L (lake) |
|
| 20 | SAICE SPICE |
Indian chauffeur has little reserve? A touch (5) S (has, shortened form) + ICE (reserve) |
|
| 22 | BETOSS | Elizabeth’s about to agitate for Shakespeare (6) BESS (Elizabeth) about TO |
|
| 24 | NONCE | RC – but never again? (5) NON-CE (ie not C of E but Roman Catholic); nonce means ‘coined for a particular occasion’, ie never again? |
|
| 25 | SOUTHERN CROSS | Choruses snort crudely with appearance of four stars (13, two words) (CHORUSES SNORT)* |
|
| 27 | CYMAE | Mouldings, notice, absent from academy getting rebuilt (5) (ACADEMY – AD (notice))* |
|
| 29 | AEETES | ‘Nice summer in the main,’ reflected ancient ruler (6) ETE (summer in Nice, France) in SEA< (the main); Aeëtes was a King of Colchis in Greek mythology |
|
| 31 | TINCT | Not initially caught poking breast? Colour slightly, as before (5) N (Not, initially) C (caught) in TIT (breast) |
|
| 34 | RUCTION | Kiwi crook in court row (7) (IN COURT)*; ‘crook’ is ‘wrong, dubious’ in NZ) |
|
| 35 | SARAN SARAH |
Resin? It’s connected with artist girl (5) SA (it) + RA (artist) |
|
| 37 | EVIAN ELIAN |
French spring, note, one that is recalled from essayist’s work? (5) (N (note) + A (one) + IE (that is))< |
|
| 38 | GILL ALE | Wind, sick inside? That’s stale beer (7, 2 words) GALE (wind) containing ILL (sick) |
|
| 40 | SIGN | Omen that’s bad, containing little good (4) SIN (that’s bad) containing G (good) |
|
| 41 | ALGAE | Marine plants get on, surrounding lake and separate area (5) AGE (get on) containing L (lake) and, separately, A (area) |
|
| 42 | TELE TELA |
TV allowed to reflect web (4) LET< (allowed) |
|
| 43 | EGRESSES | Twirled twill collections, timeless? They’re called ‘way out’ (8) SERGE< (twill, twirled, ie reversed) + SETS (collections) – T (time, ie timeless?) |
|
| DOWN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Answers | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | MEER MEEK |
The writer’s written about English lake, historically peaceful (4) ME (the writer, by convention) around E (English) |
|
| 2 | IDRIS | Welshman died, wrapped in flag (5) D (died) in IRIS (flag) |
|
| 3 | TEETOTUMS | Support to corporations producing children’s toys (9) TEE (support) + TO + TUMS (corporations, ie bellies) |
|
| 4 | RUT | Routine uphill walk cut short (3) TUR[n]< (walk, uphill, ie reversed) |
|
| 5 | ALEXIS | Old Greek poet’s article on word usage (6) A (article) + LEXIS (word usage) |
|
| 6 | CATNEP | Restrained account turned up Queen’s stimulant (6) (PENT (restrained) AC (account))<; Queen is in the sense of a female cat |
|
| 7 | VERGENCE | Eye movement enclosed within limit (8) ENC (enclosed) in VERGE (limit) |
|
| 8 | CEOL MOR | McLeod mostly transcribed golden pipe music (7, two words) MCLEO[d]* + OR (golden) |
|
| 9 | USING | Thinking to abandon millions on drugs? (5) MUSING (thinking) – M (millions) |
|
| 10 | TENDRESSE | Ancient affliction receiving smooth show of affection, as before (9) TENE (affiction, old word) containing DRESS (smooth) |
|
| 11 | ACES | Skilful performers run from contests (4) RACES (contests) – R (run) |
|
| 15 | RECURVING | Bending back, come round again, striving to express ultimate in flexibility (9) RECUR (come round again) + VYING (striving) – Y (last in flexibilitY); express is in the sense of force out |
|
| 19 | OBSCUREST | Least clear name for ward? Treatments taking minimum of time (9) OBS (name for ward, as in ‘obs(ervation) ward’) + CURES (treatments) + T (minimum of, least amount of, Time) |
|
| 21 | KNOT GRASS | Seabird seizes no end of damp weed (9) KNOT (seabird) + GRASPS (seizes) – P (end of damP) |
|
| 23 | SHEKINAH | Emperor seizing symbol of victory, elevating the divine presence (8) SHAH (emperor) containing NIKE< (symbol of victory, elevated, ie up) |
|
| 26 | TARTANA TARTANE |
Wagon expertise used aboard brown Mediterranean vessel (7) [Third Pass] |
|
| 28 | O’TOOLE | Former actor also engaging in encouraging cry (6) TOO (also) in OLE (encouraging cry) |
|
| 29 | ANTIAR | Poisonous material that’s not pro-Arab? (6) ANTI-AR[ab] (ie not pro-ar[ab]) |
|
| 30 | JULIE JUVIE |
‘Girl not constant in vitality’ – US young offenders’ institution (5) JUICE (vitality) – C (constant) |
|
| 32 | TALE TALC |
No longer reckoning some addict altered powdery substance (4) in addicT ALtered |
|
| 33 | SALUE SALLE |
Acknowledge old room in Calais, brewing ales (5) ALES* |
|
| 36 | HEWS NEWS |
Cuts? Report half of European country revolting (4) SWE[den]< (European country) |
|
| 39 | LEE | Old river fish swimming up (3) EEL< (fish, up); nothing to do with any old River Lee, just a word Spenser used, hence old |
|
There is a setter’s blog at: http://phionline.net.nz/setters-blogs/bang/
I didn’t find this a gentle work-out, but perhaps that was mainly my own fault since I incorrectly solved 6dn as something else, I think picking up a clash (CANNED, maybe? I forget what. Wrong, anyway). Which stopped me from finding SUPERNOVA in the middle, and gave me one clash too many to boot. Oh, and also I made the mistake of trying to have a penny-drop moment before I’d even started. Published on the same weekend that saw the Listener mark the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, I thought that the BANG! might be the gun going off that killed him. In the end, the bang in question is something like a million million million million million million million times louder! So, nearly right then…