Hieroglyph is becoming a regular once a month setter in The Independent. This is Hieroglyph’s fourth appearance in successive months.
All three of Hieroglyph’s puzzle have had a theme and this one continues in the same vein as there is a clear theme to this puzzle that becomes obvious as you solve the puzzle. I am not sure why BRAM STOKER (1 / 23) and his works get centre stage on 14th October 2014 as the date doesn’t seem to be a significant anniversary of the author. Nevertheless I have learnt something as I have never come across THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (14 / 10 / 24) before. The anagram for THE LAIR … was excellent. I was able to deduce the entry before checking it online.
I liked the clue to THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (12 / 3). This type of clue is becoming more common, as I mentioned in a blog not so long ago.
I also enjoyed the clue to MANTRA (4 down) although it wasn’t too difficult.
I drove through WICK (24 down) a few weeks ago on part of a touring holiday through the northernmost parts of the Scottish mainland, so that was a clue that brought back a few memories.
I’m not sure how many solvers will have used the word MEH for mediocre in everyday conversation. It appears to be a recent entry to Chambers. I guess this new meaning is just part of the development of the language and the changing meaning of words. Of course, it is the continuing evolution of the language that gives setters great scope for cluing. Long may it continue.
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Across |
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No. |
Clue | Wordplay |
Entry |
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9
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Backstage, the Queen dined again, say (9)
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TIER (stage) reversed (back) + ER (Elizabeth Regina; Queen) + ATE (dined) REIT< ER ATE |
REITERATE (repeat again; say again)
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11
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Fruit from Angolan stores (5)
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MANGO (hidden word in [stores] FROM ANGOLAN)
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MANGO (fruit)
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12 / 3
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Lovelorn, henceforth could depict this historical event (3,6,10) |
An anagram (REVOLUTION) of (HENCEFORTH excluding [lorn] O [zero, love score in tennis) is THE FRENCH THE FRENCH* REVOLUTION |
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (historical event)
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13
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1/23’s 26/28?
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The clue translates as BRAM STOKER‘S ([entry at] 1 / 23’s) BLOOD COUNT ([entry at] 26/28)
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DRACULA (reference COUNT DRACULA from the novel by BRAM STOKER)
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14 / 10 /24
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1/23’s monstrous hole: throw item with fear (3,4,2,3,5,4)
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Anagram of (monstrous) HOLE THROW ITEM WITH FEAR
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THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (another novel by 1 / 23 [BRAM STOKER])
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17
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Dish from the sea with tail removed (5)
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BALTIC (reference BALTIC Sea) excluding [removed] the final letter [tail] C
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BALTI (kind of Indian cookery originating in Britain, in which food is cooked in a wok-like dish and eaten out of the same dish; this dish.)
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19
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Communist friends, regularly purged (3)
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RED (the letters that remain in FRIENDS after letters 1, 3 and 5 [regularly] are omitted [purged])
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RED (Communist)
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20
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Noise of old car starting (5)
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AUDI (brand of car) + O (old) Note: ‘car starting’ implies that the AUDI comes first
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AUDIO (sound; noise)
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21
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Salts sail around northern seas, oddly abandoned (7)
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Anagram of (around) SAIL + N (northern) + ES (even letters [2 and 4] only [oddly abandoned] of SEAS) SALI* N ES |
SALINES (salts)
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22
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Clinton‘s blues? (7)
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CHELSEA (reference CHELSEA Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton)
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CHELSEA (reference CHELSEA football club, a team that wears blue shirts – one of many football teams known as The Blues)
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26 / 28
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Calculation requiring a plasma screen? (5,5)
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BLOOD (plasma) + COUNT (screen [?])
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BLOOD COUNT (the number of red or white corpuscles in the blood, presumably arrived at by calculation)
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29
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To begin with, string quartets disconcerted unwanted guests(9 ) |
S (first letter of [to begin with] STRING) + an anagram of (disconcerted) QUARTETS S QUATTER* |
SQUATTERS (people who settle on land or in unoccupied buildings without legal right; unwelcome guests)
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| Down | |||
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1 / 23
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Author‘s agent accepting a manuscript on time (4,6)
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BROKER (agent) containing (accepting) (A + MS [manuscript] + T [time]) BR (A MS T) OKER |
BRAM STOKER (author of books fitted into the grid elsewhere – DRACULA [13 across] and THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM [14 / 10 / 24 across])
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2
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City life in Paris upset girl (6)
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VIE (life in French [Paris] + (ANN [girl’s name] reversed [upset; down clue]) VIE NNA< |
VIENNA (European city)
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4
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Alluring woman abridged sacred text (6)
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MANTRAP (a woman who takes a mischievous pleasure in attracting and acquiring men) excluding the final letter (abridged) P
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MANTRA (sacred text used as an incantation)
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5
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Couldn’t stand trial, being bound by legal transaction (8)
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TEST (trial) contained in (being bound by) DEED (legal transaction) DE (TEST) ED |
DETESTED (hated intensely; couldn’t stand)
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6
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Cross over the threshold (4)
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ROOD (cross) reversed (over) DOOR< |
DOOR (threshold)
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7
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Normal colours? (6)
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STANDARD (established or accepted model; normal)
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STANDARD (flag; colours) double definition
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8
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Soprano hosted by mediocre network (4)
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S (soprano) contained in (hosted by) MEH (mediocre) ME (S) H |
MESH (network)
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13
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Time filling society girl’s obligations (5)
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T (time) contained in (filling) DEB’S (debutante’s [society girl’s]) DEB (T) S |
DEBTS (obligations)
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15
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Provoke one spoiled brat in river (10)
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(ACE [one] + an anagram of [spoiled] BRAT]) contained in (in) EXE (river in South West England) EX (ACE RBAT*) E |
EXACERBATE (provoke)
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16
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Wine and port originally judged acceptable (5)
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RIO (RIO de Janiero, port city in Brazil) + JA (first letters of [originally] each of JUDGED and ACCEPTABLE)
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RIOJA (Spanish wine)
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18
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Left unwell, individual set on fantastic island (8)
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L (left) + ILL (unwell) + I (one) + PUT (set on)
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LILLIPUT (fantasy island in Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)
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19
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Answer stupid person’s point (8)
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Anagram of (stupid) PERSONS + E (point of the compass) RESPONS* E |
RESPONSE (answer)
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22
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Coppers arresting a politician in university grounds (6)
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CUS (coppers; CU is the chemical symbol for copper) containing (arresting) (A + MP [Member of Parliament; politician]) C (A MP) US |
CAMPUS (university grounds)
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24
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Scottish town‘s Women’s Institute set up kennel club (4)
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WI (Women’s Institute) + (KC [Kennel Club] reversed [set up; down clue) WI CK< |
WICK (town in North East Scotland)
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| 25 | Food for two poets after beheading (4) |
KEATS (reference John KEATS [1795 – 1821], English romantic poet) or YEATS (reference W B YEATS [1865 – 1939], Irish poet) to give two poets each excluding the first letter (after beheading) K or Y |
EATS (food) |
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27
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Lolly parties hard (4)
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DOS (parties) + H (hard)
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DOSH (money; lolly)
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