Ten clues are film titles which can be transformed with the addition of a single word. The across clues have an additional letter in the wordplay which spells out another film title with its additional word to be found in the final grid. Sounds a little different from the norm – Sounds like fun!
It was fun though it take a little while to get the film title words. I’m not sure that the fairy godfather was a particularly good example as I’ve never heard of a fairy godfather and my initial ideas for the grid entries were more obscure than they needed to be – the first being The Lord of the ONION Rings.
The others – in clue order:
- No COUNTRY Music for old men
- Apocalypse NOT Now
- The TONY Blair Witch Project
- Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone CLADDING
- American Pie CHART
- Men in Black LINGERIE
- A Clockwork ORANGE Juice
- Enter the SOUP Dragon
- TAX Return of the Jedi
All very amusing and much better than the example in my opinion.
The clues were in the main very straight forward so the additional words did become quite obvious and the additional clue that the unchecked/ self checking letters gave JUST POTTING CHILLI meant there is was no room for ambiguity.
The across clues spelt out SLUM DOG MILLIONAIRE and Shortbread (as in Millionaire shortbread) is visible in the NW to SE diagonal.
Thanks Samuel – Good fun – I did really enjoy this one and as this will be my last blog before the festive season may I take this opportunity to wish everyone a merry Christmas, whichever way you choose to celebrate it.
Commercial holiday?, Reindeers in Snow?, Too much alcohol?, Sleep.
Key:
Rev. – reverse
* Anagram
Underline – definition
ACROSS
| S | 1 Badly-written lines want modern language (8, two words) (lines want)* = NEW LATIN |
| L | 7 Vessel comes partially dry (3) Hidden vesSEL Comes = SEC |
| U | 10 South African men have skill in ancient Italian (5) Ous (south African men) + can (have skill) = OSCAN |
| 12 The Lord of the Rings (5)ONION Rings | |
| M | 14 Man at wake shot famous wedding singer (8, two words) (man at wake)* = TE KANAWA |
| D | 15 Anarchic African country – it stops Commanding Officer coming back (7) Chad (African country) around Rev. (Co about it) = CHAOTIC |
| O | 17 Angry about hooligan – I’m at fault, according to American (5, two words) Mad (angry) about yob (hooligan) = MY BAD |
| G | 19 Sign of cold? Start to buy drug regularly, and take twice (4) B (start to buy) + dRuG (regularly) + r + r (take twice) = BRRR |
| M | 20 Ancient letter backed Lord (6) Rev (Omega) + ld (lord) = AGE-OLD |
| I | 22 Instinctively know inhabitant of the far north possesses sex appeal? (6) Inuit (Inhabitant of the far north) around it (sex appeal) = INTUIT |
| L | 27 Holiday camp founder built around Netherlands (6) (built)* + nl (Netherlands) = BUTLIN (as in Billy) |
| L | 29 Girl with passion for type of rock music (6) Gal (girl) + rage (passion) = GARAGE |
| I | 31 Characters finally run from horned animals (4) Rhinos(horned animals) – n (finally run) = RHOS |
| O | 32 Roman Catholic leaves minor order be (5) Exorcist (minor order?) – rc (roman catholic) = EXIST |
| N | 34 ‘Pub’s a purple colour,’ I set out (7) Aubergine – I = AUBERGE |
| A | 36 Mostly good sailor doctored drink (8) (goo + sailor)* = ROSOGLIO |
| 38 No Country for Old Men (5) Country MUSIC |
|
| I | 39 Family help returns, sort of (5) Kin (family) + Rev (aid (help) = KINDA |
| R | 40 Travelling east, think highly of menial worker (3) Rev. (Rate (think highly of)) = ETA |
| E | 41 Small ibex endlessly eats rotting cereal (8) Wee (small) + (ibex +eat)* WEETABIX |
DOWN
1 Apocalypse Now! (3)
NOT now
2 Eastern European drunk meths when short of money (4)
(meths – m)* = ESTH
3 Spanish city polluted our canal (8, two words)
(our canal)* = LA CORUNA
4 Notice perhaps wanting constant adjustment of tires to aid steering (5)
(notice – c)* = TOE-IN
5 Within a small group, pack up fungus (6)
In (within a small group) + rev.(pack) = INK-CAP
6 The Blair Witch Project (4)
TONY Blair
8 Shut up completely after new broadcast (6)
(new)* + all (completely) = ENWALL
9 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (8)
Stone CLADDING
11 American Pie (5)
Pie CHART
13 Wealthy person died under arrest (5)
Ob (died) after Nab (arrest) = NABOB
16 Time to set up stuff for locals (4)
T(time) + rig (set up) = TRIG
18 Men in Black (8)
Black LINGERIE
21 See this adult upset New Yorker’s sensitivity (8)
(see this a)* = ESTHESIA
23 Stop dog beginning to bark (4)
Cur (dog) + b (beginning to bark) = CURB
24 Bonkers tax man opens up initially: ‘Spend up to your limit!’ (6, two words)
(tax + mou)* = MAX OUT (It is Christmas after all !!)
25 Nicol, perhaps, stiffly formal about society (5)
Prim (stiffly formal) around s (society) + PRISM
26 Stupidly email English grass in Pretoria (6)
(email + e)* = MEALIE
28 Old-fashioned look promoted radio-navigation system (5)
Lo (look) + ran (promoted) = LORAN
30 A Clockwork Orange (5)
Orange JUICE
33 Enter the Dragon (4)
SOUP Dragon
35 Dig area around where rajah might sit (4)
(dig a)* = GADI
37 Return of the Jedi (3)
TAX Return
Samuel seems to have made himself a niche in setting puzzles themed on jokes and puns, most of which have been very enjoyable, and this was no exception. It’s nice to see some puzzles which don’t take themselves too seriously. I particularly enjoyed the mental image of Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi filling out tax returns.
I don’t know whether there has been a puzzle like this before but it seemed original to me. Some of the altered titles made me laugh and I won’t think of those films in the same way again. Highly enjoyable.
Yes indeed… quite a few of these sorts of puzzle in the Magpie as well as the EV. Another fine bit of fun from this one.