A long preamble, paraphrased: Two unclued entries describe how 11 thematic answers have to be changed before entry. (In one case there’s a double change, and answer & entry lead to an anagram of an otherwise regular answer – to be highlighted.) Extra single words in 11 regular clues define the thematic entries.
OK – dive in to the regular clues and see what gives.
A fair smattering of clues solved on the first pass including a handful of the extra word definitions. More soon followed, and then 2 or 3 of the thematic answers. First breakthrough was SWAPPING and then looking for WIFE before finding PARTNER – which explains the title. In reasonable time the grid was filled, with just one or two unclued entries awaiting confirmation & a bit of sorting out to do with my list of extra word definitions.
Second breakthrough was seeing that the unclued entry CONSTITUTE came from the thematic answer PROSTITUTE – so that’s the sort of “partner” we’re looking for: not meanings but leading (or trailing) letter strings, themselves words. And the ‘thematics’ soon fell, one by one, the “double change” being from G ONE to T ALL making an anagram of LONGLEAT.
If I have a moan, it’s that I filled the grid having solved only 3 of the 11 thematic clues; the rest were reverse engineered for confirmation/completion. (B & Q, last to be resolved, was a bit weak; and ROOT at 19a somewhat eclectic.) But thanks to Lato – much thematic stuff packed in.
{“Lyon” in the clue for 28a seems redundant.}
| Thematic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answer | Wordplay | Partners | Entry | Definition |
| DECARES | D (500) E(250) + S(pecial) around CARE (charge) | ANT and DEC | ANTARES | star |
| BUTCH | HUB (centre) around CT (court) all< | BUT and BEN | BENCH | seat |
| QUILT | L(ine) in QUIT (left) | B & Q {UK DIY retailer} | BUILT | constructed |
| PROSTITUTE | PROSE (writing) around IT< (sex) + TUT (I don't like it) | PROS and CONS | CONSTITUTE | found |
| COMET | (Tes)CO MET(ro) | COME and GO | GOT | understood |
| OINK | N(orthern) in OIK (bloke) | PEN and INK | OPEN | public |
| PRISON | IS in PRON(e) (lying) | P & O | ORISON | prayer |
| G ONE | GE (Georgia) around ON (working) | G & T; ONE and ALL | T ALL | great |
| THE HOFF {David Hasselhoff} |
HEH (letter) in TOFF (nob) | ON and OFF | THE HON | title |
| THREADY | THY (your) around READ (study) | ROUGH and READY | THROUGH | finished |
| FROCH {Carl Froch} |
[FOR]* CH(urch) | TO and FRO | TOC H | society |
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Answer | Extra word | Wordplay |
| 6 | TATIE | [AT IT + E (electronic, on the internet)]* | |
| 9 | CNUT | CUT (divided) about N(ew) | |
| 10 | MEMO | prayer | (beco)ME MO(re) |
| 11 | SHEA | E (Spain) in [HAS]* | |
| 12 | MATLO | MAT (coaster) LO (look) | |
| 13 | ACHED | H(enry) in ACE (one) + D(ay) | |
| 15 | CRAPPIE | PIE (dish that’s baked) after CRAP (no good) | |
| 17 | HOT | star | (s)HOT (stroke) |
| 18 | O’BRIEN | ON (about) around BRIE (cheese) | |
| 19 | ROOT | ROO (jumper) T(orn) | |
| 22 | SISTS | SIS (relative) + ST< (street, way) | |
| 24 | IN ALL | (f)INALL(y) (at last) | |
| 28 | BESS | B ÈS S (Bachelor of Sciences, Fr) | |
| 30 | SORREL | [ROSE + R(uefu)L]* | |
| 31 | TAM | title | TEAM (side) − E(uropean) |
| 33 | LONDONY | [ONLY]* around DON (fellow) | |
| 34 | MOIRA | MOI (me, setter, pretentiously) + AR< (Arab) | |
| 35 | REICH | constructed | RICH (ridiculous) around E(ast) |
| 37 | TOLL | LOT< (fortune) + L (railway) | |
| 38 | ALME | great | [MEAL]* |
| 39 | BATH | society | BAT (rate) H(otel) |
| 40 | ELATE | (Osborn)E + LATE (out of office) | |
| 41 | LONGLEAT | LONG LEG (Lord’s position, cricket) − G(ood) + AT | |
| Down | |||
| No. | Answer | Extra word | Wordplay |
| 1 | SAM | SA (sex appeal, it) M(oney) | |
| 2 | PULPIT | PULP (nonsense) IT (Information Technology) | |
| 3 | IMPI | (l)IMPI(d) (clear) | |
| 4 | NEVER | public | EVEN< (just) + R (regina, queen) |
| 5 | G-MAN | found | G (golf) M(aster) + AN |
| 7 | ASHET | ASH (remains) ET (and, Fr) | |
| 8 | EASTER LILY | [SITE REALLY]* | |
| 9 | CARBS | seat | CARS (vehicles) around B(lack) |
| 14 | DOWEL | finished | D(uke) + [(b)ELOW]* |
| 16 | PERSUE | U(niversity) in PERSE (blue) | |
| 20 | OATH | [HA(d) TO]* | |
| 21 | EGGS | EG (like) G (gravity, force) S(ucceeded) | |
| 23 | IHRAM | I (one) + R(ight) in HAM (coarse) | |
| 25 | À DROITE | [ROAD}* + IT(alian) E (east, quarter) {Angers, city in western France} |
|
| 26 | ROMOLA | ROMA (travellers) around O (nothing) L(eft) | |
| 27 | ORDEAL | understood | [ROLE DA]* |
| 29 | SLO-MO | [LOOMS]* | |
| 32 | BRAE | BRAVE (fearless) − V(ery) | |
| 36 | HIT | [THI(s)]* | |
|
|
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Many thanks for the blog. Re some points raised, I thought “Lyon” was maybe included in 28A to indicate “Frenchness” so not redundant. B&Q certainly rang a bell with me as a well-known pair. Also I thought ROOT was clear enough, esp with the definition “Cricketer”.
I agree with nmsindy about Lyon – it indicates a French B.Sc – and with HG that Ho and I had nearly all the answers before solving most of the thematic clues.
I got my PDM from thinking that ARES was the answer to thematic#1,(though it didn’t seem quite right) and linking it with ANTARES, then the link to ANT & DEC dawned. BUT & BEN was a term I had never heard of, so the butch->bench thematic was the last one I got. I also found that finding the extra words came after solving the clues, rather than before, in many cases!
A good test which kept me thinking about it and working at it for a few days, but slightly unsatisfying as HG indicated.
Thanks to Lato and HG.
Another absolute cracker from Lato. I can’t agree it was unsatisfying. The pdm was exquisite and even then there was plenty of work to do. One of thebest for a while in my opinion.
I really enjoyed this one. I found it difficult, but do-able, and the PDM was most satisfying as it didn’t come until right at the end, and suddenly (almost) everything made sense! Just the way I like them. Like Hi@2 I’ve never heard of but and ben (I trawled around for ‘billch’ for ages), and I also didn’t know there was a cricketer called Root.
Very fiendish of Lato to drop in so many golfing references…I was convinced the ‘swingers’ referred to golf for a good while.
In my opinion, the best IQ for a few weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed Lato’s last one too. Thanks. And thanks to HG for dotting the Is and crossing the Ts.
Bingybong@3, we must’ve been typing at the same time. I could have saved myself some effort by simply typing ‘ditto’!
But ‘n Ben was the first one I got, courtesy of having grown up with The Broons, I guess.
I daresay I would have finished this puzzle if it was my week to blog but instead I gave up the slog, having established the theme and wondering what the H Longleat had to do with anything.
I also agree with the Lyon comments above, although I had Leon for ages on the basis that Leon is a French name.
Sorry Lato, this one won’t be in my top list of 2014 🙁 but well done H___G____ for
slogblogging throughI guessed the theme from the title and spotted ANT & DEC relatively quickly. However I then spent some time in looking for double acts from the entertainment area before realising the pairings were more general. I’d never come across BUT & BEN before and only found COME & GO as another pairing before completing the grid. Because I then had to reverse engineer all the remaining pairings I felt vaguely dissatisfied by the end but that’s really a reflection on me rather than the crossword.
Thanks Lato for a challenging puzzle and to HolyGhost for the blog.
kenmac@
Likewise re but and ben – childhood Sundays spent perusing my Dad’s Sunday Post finally reaps dividends…
Unlike others I didn’t spot the nature of the ‘swinging’ until after I’d completed a fair few entries. First I noticed was the ‘orison/prison’ pairing but still didn’t make the P&O connection. So, there was a genuine PDM for me with this puzzle although I did, like others, do a fair bit of reverse engineering to get several of the pairs and superfluous words.
So, not quite a resounding three cheers from me but still enough to keep me occupied and happy for a fair time over the weekend !
Thanks to Lato and HG.
Our PDM was ANT and DEC in 2D (please don’t assume that we are fans!).
There was quite a lot of reverse solving as others have mentioned already.
We felt it was an OK puzzle – not one that would perhaps feature on our top ten of 2014 but an enjoyable weekend solve nevertheless!
Thanks Lato and H__ G__!
Brilliant puzzle. As always with Lato/Tyrus the clues are impeccable. Superb PDM. I had the grid filled and it took me ages to spot what was going on but when it dropped it made it all worth while. The two-step process and its anagram is genius.
I thought B&Q was superb
Comments on Lyon are well taken – I was too circumspect.
Regarding nmsindy‘s other points @1: I was trying to be objective: B&Q is probably well known enough to UK solvers (but not in the same league as P&O – at least that’s in Chambers); and I prefer proper nouns to be in a decent reference work (atlas or biographical dictionary) – ROOT hasn’t made it yet.
From the other comments, this seems not so much a curate’s egg, more like marmite on toast.
Re #13, I would like just to add the following points. Re B&Q, I think this is fair enough for inclusion as, as far as I know, the Inquisitor puzzles are mainly available only within the UK – they do not have an online presence at this point. Similarly thinking of UK solvers, I think ROOT is fair, esp with the definition ‘cricketer’ as he is a current player in the England Test squad. I agree he would probably not appear in a biographical dictionary but he could be easily confirmed in Wisden. All these remarks are on the basis, as comment #13 implicitly suggests, that it should not be assumed that the solver has access to the Internet – I’d say this is true of fewer and fewer solvers now.
Tramp#12
I bet you say that every Sunday when you come home…
Ha Ha Ha
I loved this one. As a Geordie, it was unsuprising that Ant and Dec were the partners to provide my PDM. Quickly followed by Pen and Ink. Most of the others I had to reverse engineer and pro/constitute provided my final doh! moment.
Favourite clue was 25D
Many thanks to Lato for the fun and HolyGhost for the blog
I struggled with this and didn’t enjoy it as much as I normally enjoy Lato’s puzzles. When I see the solution though I have to confess that I shouldn’t have struggled as much as I did and should have enjoyed it much more. One of my favourite setters as well so I just hope that I can right matters with the next one.
HG. May I just air a preference to see the whole clues in the blog as it is much easier to understand any issues that the blogger or others have with the clues, or as above to see which is someone’s favourite clue. I often don’t have my puzzle to hand when I read the blog and also I often read blogs of puzzles that I didn’t solve to see what the theme was and how it was received and in both cases it would be nice to see the whole clue.
Thanks Nick
Many thanks to HG for the blog and to those who took the trouble to comment.
Thanks also to Dan for pointing out the golfing red herrings.