Midnight Saturday, guests have all gone home or gone to bed … time to pour a whisky and have a look at the crossword.
Ten unclued thematic entries (5 pairs); first letters of redundant words exemplify the theme which must be highlighted in the completed grid.
Things were going well, but I called it a day, then finished off on Sunday morning.
The letters were spelling words such as DAMN, JESUS, SHOOT, GOD, all interjections expressing anger, disgust, etc., in other words a Tirade. Two unclued entries appeared to be BANBURY and MALTESE, both associated with cross, so that was clearly the theme. I’d had my eye on the middle row for a while (all letters unchecked, so a prime candidate for something hidden in the grid), but when nothing was emerging I turned to the diagonal … and TEN CROSS WORDS stood out.
These are: DAMN, BLIMY, RATS, JESUS, DRAT, SHOOT, HELL, GOD, BLAST, and DASH. The unclued thematic pairs are: ANGRY, IRATE; FORD, BRIDGE; KINGS, BANBURY; HYBRID, MONGREL; MALTESE, ROOD.
Not sure what the ‘extra value’ in the rubric means – ten crosswords for the price of one?
And, as a Listener friend commented, I should check the other diagonal for highlighting – that would’ve produced an X, referencing both TEN and CROSS – nothing doing.
[XYZ]! = homophone.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Answer (thematic entry) |
Extra word |
Wordplay |
| 1 | TABLET | Draper | TAB (=bill) + LET (=hired out) |
| 5 | BENEATH | Armpit | ENE (=even) in BATH (=wash) |
| 9 | ANGORA | Mobile | Hidden: (r)ANG ORA(nge) |
| ANGRY | |||
| 10 | ERNE | Nuts | Double definition (=pine, Spenser; bird of prey) |
| 11 | ROMAGE | Bankruptcy | [MORE]* around AG (=silver) |
| 12 | BOBCAT | Leash | BOB (=dock) + CAT (=whip) |
| 13 | NUDER | Icier | NU (=character) + RED (=colour) rev. |
| 14 | AQUARIA | Marinas | A(dvanced) + QUA (=in the capacity of) + RIA (=drowned valley) |
| 18 | LILAC | Yelled | CALL (=ring) rev. around I (=one) |
| 21 | CURCH | Room’s | CHURCH (=ecclesiastical) – H(ot) |
| 23 | OPTS | Adjudicator | POST (=after) each half rev. |
| FORD | |||
| 26 | BRIO | Tolerant | B(ritish) + RIO (=city) |
| 27 | GIES | Sportsman | Double definition (=provides, Scots; judo costumes) |
| 28 | ELOIN | Juice | (slic)E + LOIN (=meat …) |
| KINGS | |||
| 29 | SEWINGS | Eagle | SE(a) + WINGS (=soars) |
| IRATE | |||
| 33 | Sex | GO (=give access to) + OGLE (=letch) | |
| 35 | PERSON | Ugandan | PEAR (=fruit) – A(ccepted) + SON (=native) |
| 36 | ARAR | Seen | Hidden: (afric)A RAR(ely) |
| 37 | GAINS | Dollars | [SAVING – V (=five)]* |
| 38 | LOATHE | Receiving | O(scar) in LATHER (=agitated state) – R(ight) |
| 39 | EMITTED | Anoraks | [TIME]* + TE (=note) + D(ate) |
| 40 | WHALES | Train | [WALES]! (=north of the Bristol Channel) | Down |
| No. | Answer (thematic entry) |
Extra word |
Wordplay |
| 1 | TIEBACK | Sew | BACK (=agree to) after TIE (=neckwear) |
| 2 | AERO | Henry | A(c)E R(o)O(t) |
| BANBURY | |||
| 3 | EGGAR | Orange | EG (=for example) + GAR (=fish) |
| 4 | TORT | Outfit | TROT (=line) rev. |
| 5 | BROD | Tacking | B(ook) + ROD (=gun) |
| 6 | NAAN | Horse | NAN (=old lady) around A(merican) |
| 7 | ENGULFS | Everyone | [FLUNG]* in E’S (=drugs) |
| 8 | TREE | Lounger | (fron)T + REE (=yard) |
| HYBRID | |||
| MALTESE | |||
| 15 | QUIRK | Livery | QUICK (=without delay) with R (=recipe, take) for C(orps) |
| 16 | IONISES | Group | [NOISIEST – T(ime)]* |
| 17 | APSES | Operation | [PASSE(d)]* |
| 19 | ISLE | Danish | IS (=lives) + L(ancashire)E |
| 20 | CRAIG | Broken | Double definition (=neck, Scots; cliff, Scots) |
| 22 | HOGG | Lauren | H(elp) O(ot) G(orgeous) G(irl) {Jacob (=sheep), hogg (=young sheep)} |
| 24 | CONTENT | Another | C(harlie) + ON (=getting tipsy) + TENT (=red wine) |
| MONGREL | |||
| 25 | INSERTS | Sanatorium | [SISTERS + (edmonto)N]* |
| BRIDGE | |||
| 30 | WORTH | Terrible | WORT (=vegetable, rare) + H(earts) |
| 31 | ROAM | Denied | MA(y)OR (=council official) rev. |
| 32 | ERST | Allowed | [REST]* |
| ROOD | |||
| 33 | GNAW | Sachs | RANG (=phoned) rev. with W for R {“rhotacise” & “velarise” are both suggested as meaning “to pronounce R as W”} |
| 34 | LADE | Hands | [DEAL]* |
I enjoyed this, though Ba was concerned about the blasphemy! Nicely clued and several required some serious thought.
Was I alone in finding that three “unchecked” letters in the phrase “BARRY . . GO” were actually mutually cross-checked, meaning that I had three letters left over (Y, D and I) after the elimination of the unchecked?
My attitude is that where unclued words cross each other, the letters in those squares are effectively unchecked, so I didn’t see it as an error in Loda’s preamble. In addition, leaving the unclued words untinted helps the solver check letter-counts, thereby confirming which squares contain the letters in the phrase.
Coming to this blog fairly late – but would just like to declare this is the second Inquisitor I’ve tackled and solved! I’m chuffed with 2 out of 2 (which is a double whammy really – it means I’ve solved the puzzle and understood the preamble).
As for the way the unchecked letters were presented, I always understood it was rule anyway that thematic cross-checking answer cells had to be included in the ‘list’, so I wasn’t thrown by that. I was thrown entirely by some of the wordplay though, so many thanks to HG for clearing them up.
Enjoyed this puzzle a lot; Inquisitor is still my favourite of them all.
I agree with Mike re unchecked squares (though I suspect you meant “effectively checked”?) I’ll admit to a small double-take, but it all added up quite swiftly.
Many thanks to HolyGhost for the excellent blog.
Sorry, disregard that rather presumptuous correction. I was thinking of a different, later, puzzle where the opposite situation may have applied.
Thanks HolyGhost.
I also looked at the other diagonal,it would have given a really nice finish to the puzzle if Loda could have worked that in!( I don’t ask for much do I?) 🙂
Thought this was another super puzzle in the Inquisitor series,just about the right level of difficulty for me.