This one was not so difficult as the last masterpiece of misdirection we had to blog (Soprano by Pointer) where we had to be corrected by johnsurdy!
I (Hi) was in Istanbul on the Saturday that this Inquisitor was published, following a cruise on this wonderful Star Clipper!
So I was not able to do 1350 myself and, in fact, it was not until Friday that I found that we were responsible for blogging this week, so this blog relies on Ho and Ba’s solution. My only involvement is due to my being the only one who is familiar with the WordPress software!
They report that it was not too difficult – at the easy end of the Inquisitor scale, but was fun to complete nevertheless.
The rubric stated: The unclued grey grid entries include three thematic film titles (chronologically, 3dn/10ac/40ac, 9dn and 35ac). The name of the protagonist of the first film (32dn) is also associated with 35ac. 5dn’s 9dn to become 3dn/10ac/40ac was a success; contents of pink squares can be arranged to form a word that hints at a failure who must be highlighted in the completed grid (6 cells).
The title indicated something in common between the three films and 5D. The films, which were “Three DOWN” – i.e. three fallers, were THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, SKYFALL and GRAVITY in chronological order. Thomas Jerome NEWTON was “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and Sir Isaac NEWTON was closely connected with “Gravity”, solving the 32D connection, and the central column was occupied by FELIX BAUMGARTNER, whose spectacular free fall from the edge of space from a helium balloon in the stratosphere on 14 October 2012, set a number of world records.
The pink letters were WGANXIW which could be rearranged to form a WAXWING, which caused the downfall of ICARUS when he flew too close to the sun with his father Daedalus. Icarus could be found diagonally up in the lower half of the diagram and was to be highlighted.
One clue we are dubious about. In 8D we can’t find any dictionary or other reference to Wolfram being the American (US) name for Tungsten and seek an alternative explanation.
Thanks to Charybdis and here’s hoping that we haven’t been spectacularly misdirected this time!
Across |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue (definition) | Answer | Wordplay |
| 1 | Stimulant to swallow doing the rounds when there’s no ecstasy (3) | KAT | TAKE is to swallow, remove E(cstacy) and reverse |
| 4 | Firearm sack (5) | RIFLE | Double definition |
| 7 | Pained expressions and arguments start off (3) | OWS | (R)OWS (arguments) with first letter removed |
| 11 | Birds with little time go off for bacon (5) | REEST | REES (birds) + T(ime) |
| 12 | Look duly chastened – how people shout! (6) | LOUDLY | LO (look) + [DULY]* |
| 13 | Make a meal of cooking fine food half-heartedly (7, 2 words) | DINE OFF | [FINE FOD]* – FOOD half-heartedly is FOD |
| 15 | Water surrounds a thousand cereal crops (5) | MOATS | M (1000) + OATS (cereal crops) |
| 16 | Two adults hurry back inside for amphibians (5) | ANURA | AA (two adults) round RUN backwards |
| 17 | Suspect help‘s coming from retro coffee bar shortly (7) | ABETTAL | LATTE (coffee) + BA(r) all reversed |
| 19 | Authorize rebate that includes animal protection measure (6) | ZEREBA | Hidden in authoriZE REBAte |
| 20 | Tartan nap more likely to fall off without covers (4) | OOSE | (L)OOSE(R) more likely to fall off, ends removed |
| 22 | For colobus Montezuma’s revenge struck after faltering movements north taken (7) | GUEREZA | Monkey: Anagram of |
| 24 | Cleaners regularly dug up mess after holiday (7) | VACUUMS | VAC (holiday) + dUg Up MeSs |
| 25 | Celebrity’s rush for Scotch (4) | STAR | Double definition: STAR is a Scottish sedge or rush |
| 29 | A poet’s not in favour of financial profit – good man! (6) | GAINST | GAIN (profit) + ST (good man) |
| 31 | Armadillo always following French film star, not once united (7) | TATOUAY | AY (always) following Audrey TA(u)TOU (French film star minus U) |
| 33 | Taking off recording that’s not starting (5) | APING | (T)APING (recording) not starting |
| 34 | Cardinal gripped by church organ that’s moving (5) | CTENE | Swimming organ: TEN (cardinal number) in CE (church) |
| 36 | In hearing I have a preference for Irish girl (6) | EILEEN | Sounds like I LEAN |
| 37 | Leaps narrow streams consuming energy (5) | JETES | JETS (narrow streams) round E(nergy) |
| 38 | Cover torn, with end torn off and put inside – it makes a change currently? (9) | CONVERTOR | COVER TORN with the final N removed and put inside |
| 39 | Decapitated nerd? Gulp! (3) | EEK | (G)EEK (nerd decapitated) |
| 41 | French marshal longing to make a comeback (3) | NEY | YEN reversed |
Down |
|||
| 1 | Bangle of 50% vanadium worn by mum and unknown literary brothers (9) | KARAMAZOV | KARA (a steel bangle) + O (50% of OF) + V(anadium) round (worn by) MA (mum) |
| 2 | Dreadful pitiful scotch after knocking first two back (7) | AWESOME | WAESOME (pitiful Scots) with first two letters reversed |
| 4 | Reassembling stereo in middle of area is a standard bloomer (8. 2 words) | ROSE TREE | [STEREO]* in (a)RE(a) |
| 6 | Washing liquids free-flowing when top is off going in different directions (7) | ELUENTS | (F)LUENT (free-flowing with top off) in E(ast) and S(outh) |
| 8 | Elemental example of US beasts (7) | WOLFRAM | US name for Tungsten??: WOLF + RAM (beasts) |
| 14 | Retail market of stateside egg dish switching from Maine to Utah (6) | OUTLET | OMELET (egg dish) with UT (Utah) for ME (Maine) |
| 18 | Sheep‘s milk, say (4) | EWES | Sounds like USE (milk = exploit) |
| 21 | Company invested in islands up in Burns’ home? (6) | SCOTIA | Poetic name for Scotland: CO(mpany) in AITS (islands) reversed |
| 22 | Returned wig to university teacher (4) | GURU | RUG (wig) reversed + U(niversity) |
| 23 | He goes off in a callous way like some innocent (9) | ARTLESSLY | HEARTLESSLY minus HE |
| 25 | An unknown knot seen in this tangled diamond? (8) | SIXTIETH | Diamond wedding is 60th: X (unknown) + TIE (knot) in [THIS]* |
| 26 | A stand made by shelving retired menial film actor (7) | ETAGERE | ETA (retired menial = obsolete word for a Japanese menial) + Richard GERE (film actor) |
| 27 | Fancy hat with woody bits for locals? (7) | CAPRICE | CAP (hat) + RICE (dialect word for twigs etc.) |
| 28 | Very little space within 3-D structure for rally (7) | CONVENE | V(ery) + EN (little space) in CONE (3-D structure) |
| 30 | Genuine increase without a high (7) | SINCERE | [INCRE(a)SE]* (high = anagram) |
Thank you Hihoba for your very elegant – as always – blog.
(After some comments here last week, dare I say this was a very easy puzzle?)
Like you, the only clue wasn’t happy with was 8D.
So I will offer my very pathetic attempt at parsing.
Maybe the caps were deliberately misleading?
In lower case it would read: ‘ . . . us beasts’.
(Regional English, us=we.)
As I said, bit pathetic.
I’ll say it was easy. Most weeks I can’t finish the Inquisitor, some weeks (as in the week before) I get maybe one or two answers. This week I finished the whole thing by Saturday afternoon and had worked out all the extra bits. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before.
8dn, the only explanation that I could come up with is that the wolf and the ram are both animals found in the US, which doesn’t even satisfy me.
I thought 8dn was OK with the parsing you’ve given. I didn’t find this puzzle too hard and it was a nice chance to get back to the IQ after a few weeks off.
2D-isn’t scotch(small s) whiskey-shouldn’t it be Scottish
#4 – 2D-isn’t scotch(small s) whiskey-shouldn’t it be Scottish
‘Scotch’ as a national adjective or shorthand for whisky – no ‘e’ as it is neither Irish nor American – and if preceding mist, bonnet etc., should have a capital. It is a (usually now deprecated) synonym for ‘Scottish’. Using a small initial is wrong here.
The word in the clue should be ‘Scots’ (the language) to be pedantic, or possibly ‘Scottish’, but I suppose the temptation to conjure up the image for the purpose of the clue was too great.
Disappointingly easy, I thought.
“US” in the clue for 8d puzzled me too – some countries refer to the element as Tungsten and some as Wolfram – I guess that US is one of the latter.
And I’m not sure of the interpretation of the title …
#6 – I would have interpreted the title as the three ‘fallers’ – Newton (TJ, not Isaac), Felix B. and Icarus, rather than the three films.
Enjoyed the puzzle which was definitely easier than some recent ones. Not a disappointment though as far as we were concerned.
We thought that the title referred to the three ‘fallers’ as mentioned #7 by Laphria.
Thanks Charybdis. Thanks Hihoba. Hi – we hope the cruise was good! Clipper looks fantastic.
Thanks to Laphria and BertandJoyce. I think they are right that the three fallers were Newton, Baumgartner and Icarus, though the other set work as well, so a nice double meaning perhaps? I intended to include a note that Icarus was falling to earth head first, which was a nice touch.
The cruise was wonderful, thank you. If you are interested I can supply you with details. Gaufrid has my email address in case you haven’t.
Disorientatingly easy. Having said which I notice on looking at my answers that I haven’t actually finished it – I’d pencilled in AILEEN at 36A and so was looking for a ….ATE at 26D, which seemed to be indicated by the retired menial. Never got round to resolving this, it seems.
Thanks, Hihoba. I’ve only just realised this will probably go unseen as I’ve sort of missed the boat (unlike you guys! 🙂 )
Yes, I was puzzled by 8d too. When I last looked at the proof it still said “Old elemental example of a pair of beasts”.
No idea about that US business. I always prefer to understand my own clues! 🙂
PS. If anyone thought this was too easy you could have tried the Times Listener crossword on the same day – another Charybdis!
Thanks for the explanation, Charybdis. I wonder whether 8 down could have got mixed up with 14 down in some revision (US and stateside).
By the way, Hihoba, I think that stateside in 14 down refers to the spelling of OMELET rather than to OUTLET.
Thanks for the comment Charybdis. Always nice to hear from the setter, and I’m glad that our puzzlement over 8D was justified.
John Lowe at #12 you are absolutely right about 14D, Thanks.