The Christmas Puzzle, entitled Christmas Charity Donation, was set by the Inquisitor Crossword Editor, John Henderson, in his guise of Nimrod.
The preamble stated that " a certain charity is the beneficiary of several timely donations, in that the wordplay in about 75% of the clues disregards one or more letters in the defined answer. As clues are solved, these letters should be tippexed out in the grid. Ultimate reinstatement of these letters will (a) confirm the identity of the charity, and (b) suggest an alternative title for the puzzle. The variant spelling of 45 is in Collins."
It took me a long time to get a foothold in this puzzle, as for a while I thought there were far more disregarded letters than there actually were. Also, I thought for quite some time that some cells cleared in the across clues were being filled by different letters in some of the down entries, and vice versa.
It was only when the I realised that the omissions were symmetric about the middle column, and the letters omitted in across and down clues were the same, that I finally started to make substantial progress. The symmetry also helped in the parsing of the word play for the letters that remained. As I start writing the blog there is only one wordplay that eludes me – the one for AS IS 12 down.
The symmetry resolved any ambiguities over which occurrence of a letter to remove when there were two occurrences and it was not immediately clear from the word play which letter should be disregarded
When I came to write the blog and explained the wordplay, I began to wonder why I had found the puzzle so difficult to crack at the beginning, as many of the parsings are fairly basic. I can only assume that it was the added level of complexity with the disregarded letters that caused me problems. It all goes to show that you can construct a challenging puzzle with simple clues if the added puzzlement is deftly handled.
The symmetric pair HAKA (14 across) and TABU (15 across) were intransigent for a time as I thought U, used as a rating for cinema films, was the only letter remaining in 15 across and therefore I needed a K or an M for ‘thousand’ at the beginning of 14 across. I needed the symmetry to see what was omitted from 1 across and it took me a long time to see the word play in the remaining letters, TROC [C OR T reversed].
There were 4 entries with 3 letters removed. Of these I got TINKER (36 across) and TONDINO (10 down) fairly quickly, but I didn’t know which O to remove initially.
HIPPOCRATIC OATH provided its own symmetry and that helped identify the wordplay once I deduced that ‘in’ was defining HIP. Another one with tricky word play, for me, was REQUIESCATS as I wanted to use RE as ‘of’.
The last third of the puzzle fell fairly quickly and re-installing the letters in a bold colour helped me identify what was going on. The reinstated letters form an almost continuous chain from the first letter of 36 across. They spell out:
TICK TOCK BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION TICK TOCK
with a discontinuity between the last N of FOUNDATION, in the middle of 34 across, and the leading T of the second TICK at the first letter of 44 across.
There were 52 clues. 75% of 52 is 39. There were 38 clues that had letters disregarded in the word play, so the preambles ‘about 75%’ is spot on.
This was a very pleasant diversion over Christmas.
A Happy New Year to all Inquisitor solvers, setters and editor with a wish for another year of interesting and challenging crosswords.
The initial grid looked like this:
while the final one has this form
If you stand back from the puzzle, the whole message forms the shape of the BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION logo with only a small bit or artistic licence to fit in the last N of FOUNDATION
I am not 100% certain of the alternative title, but I guess that it could be TICK TOCK TICK TOCK
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Across |
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| No | Clue | Wordplay | Include letters | Full Entry | Initial Entry |
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1
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Extreme choice, offered by chemist on knocking back pill (6)
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C OR T (the first & last letters [extreme] of CHEMIST are C and T. If you were offered a choice of the two extreme letters it would be ‘C‘ OR ‘T‘)
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HE
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TROCHE (round medicinal tablet; pill)
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TROC
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5
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It’s impressive, no date excluded my operatic duo (3)
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G AND S (Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic duo) excluding [excluded] ND (no date)
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GAS (something impressive)
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GAS
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8
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It’s worthless to Will, taking line from extremist (6)
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ULTRA (extremist) excluding [taking … from] L (line)
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FO
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FOUTRA (a worthless despicable fellow)
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UTRA
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13
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Three-quarters of viewers agreed (3)
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YES (three of the four [75%] letters of EYES [viewers])
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YES (agreed)
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YES
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14
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One thousand steps leading up to engagement (4)
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A (one) + K (thousand)
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HA
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HAKA (a dance similar to a Maori ceremonial war dance, performed by New Zealanders, eg by rugby players before a match; steps leading up to engagement)
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AK |
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15
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General prohibition rating (4)
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AB (able seaman; rating)
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TU
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TABU (general prohibition)
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AB
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16
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Not straight from the heart, whisper those sweet nothings (3)
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Anagram of (not straight) SOE (middle letters of [from the heart] each of WHISPER, THOSE and SWEET) SOE* |
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OES (plural of O; nothings)
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OES
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17
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Needle-work the reverse of excellent? This may be a cause (9)
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HYPE (hypodermic needle) + OP (opus; work) + (A1 [excellent] reversed [the reverse of]) HYPE OP IA< |
R
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HYPEROPIA (variant spelling of HYPERMETROPIA [long sightedness], an eye condition that makes if difficult to focus on near things, such as needlework)
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HYPEOPIA |
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20
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Vigour and style of writer (5)
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ÉLAN (vigour and style)
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I
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ELIAN (like the work of Charles Lamb, who wrote under the name of Elia)
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ELAN
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22
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Male one will need his hair trimmed (3)
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LEO (letters remaining in MALE ONE when MANE [hair] is excluded [trimmed])
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LEO (lion. A male lion has a very hairy mane)
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LEO
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23
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Deer responsible for parking queues off and on (5)
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P (parking) + UUS (even letters of [off and on] QUEUES)
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D
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PUDUS (small South American deer)
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PUUS
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25
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Guides’ song recalled spring (4)
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SPA (spring) reversed (recalled) APS< |
T
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TAPS (in the Guide movement, a song sung at the end of a meeting or round a campfire)
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APS
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26
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Shell city in Gascony (4)
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PAU (city in Gascony)
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A
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PAUA (the New Zealand name for the abalone; its shell used as an ornament or decoration)
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PAU
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28
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Goad husband round island (3)
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H (husband) + O (round shape) + I (island)
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HOI (variant spelling of HOY [incite])
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HOI
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29
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They do, after games, split showers (9, 2 words)
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PE (physical educations) + CHARS (people who ‘do’ in the sense of clean & tidy)
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IT
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PIE CHARTS (graphical representations of data which can help to show the information underlying the data; showers)
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PE CHARS
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32
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Not comprehending European language (3)
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NO (not) containing (comprehending) E (European) N (E) O |
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NEO (an artificial language launched by an Italian, Arturo Alfandari, in 1961)
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NEO |
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33
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Pass Ohio on lake (3)
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O (abbreviation for the State of Ohio) + L (lake)
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C
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COL (depression or pass in a mountain range,)
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OL |
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34
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Discovered lady in addition (3)
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AD (hidden word in [discovered … in] LADY)
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N
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AND (in addition)
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AD
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35
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My Business (3)
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CO (company, business)
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O
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COO (expressive of surprise; my!)
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CO
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36
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Historical fiddler allegedly aborted fiddle ineffectively (6)
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NERO (Emperor NERO is alleged to have played his fiddled while Roman burned around him) excluding the final letter (aborted) O
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TIK
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TINKER (fiddle in an ineffective way)
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NER
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38
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Audibly disapprove of old … (3)
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O (old)
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BO
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BOO (audibly disapprove of)
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O
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40
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…routine fashion houses (6)
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SHI (hidden word in [houses] FASHION)
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TCK
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SHTICK (a familiar routine)
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SHI
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42
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Busy time for lunch (4, 2 words)
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AT 1 (at one o’clock; time for lunch)
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T
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AT IT (busy)
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ATI
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43
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US prosecutor’s mail from Delhi (3)
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DA (District Attorney; US prosecutor)
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K
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DAK (in India, the mail-post; hence mail)
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DA
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44
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Where all the change comes from to get a round (3)
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A + O (round shape)
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T
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TAO (in TAOism) the absolute entity which is the source of all existence and change;
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AO |
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45
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Heading for Sydney after draining Victoria beer (4)
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VA (letters remaining after excluding [draining] all the middle letters of VICTORIA) + S (first letter of [heading for] SYDNEY)
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K
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KVAS (variant spelling of KVASS [East European rye bear])
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VAS
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46
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Medic’s swearwords in something that’s played back, precisely captured (15, 2 words)
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HIP (knowing; informed about; in) + (TO A T [with perfect exactness; precisely] contained in [captured] HARP [musical instrument; something that’s played] reversed [back] HIP PRA (TO A T) H< |
OCIC
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HIPPOCRATIC OATH (an oath taken by a doctor binding him or her to observe the code of medical ethics contained in it)
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HIPPRATOATH
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47
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Rock music played on Jamaica service (5)
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SKA (a form of Jamaican music similar to reggae) + RN (Royal Navy; [armed] service)
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SKARN (lime bearing siliceous rock)
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SKARN
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48
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Caught short whenever this monarchy returns letters (5) |
(C [abbreviation for {short} ‘caught’] + IF [whenever] + UK [United Kingdom,this country / monarchy]) all reversed (returns) (KU FI C)< |
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KUFIC (of Al Kufa, south of Babylon, especially of the lettering of its coins, inscriptions and manuscripts)
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KUFIC
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| 49 | WC Fields’ final exchanges with king in gibing (5) |
SARKY (sarcastic; gibing) with the S [last letters of [final] FIELDS] exchanging places [exchanges] with K (king) KARSY |
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KARSY (lavatory; WC)
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KARSY
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| Down |
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| No | Clue | Wordplay | Unclued Letters | Full Entry | Initial Entry |
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1
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Kind, yet somehow saving a little money
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Anagram of (somehow) YET containing (saving) P (penny; a little money) TY (P) E* |
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TYPE (kind)
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TYPE
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2
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Bale & Co’s outfit cut up "more practical" system (11)
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REAL (reference REAL Madrid, the Spanish football club for whom Gareth Bale and his colleagues [and Co)] play) + (KIT [outfit] + LOP [cut]) reversed (up;down clue) REAL (POL TIK)< |
I
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REALPOLITIK (practical politics based on the realities and necessities of life, rather than moral or ethical ideas; "more practical" system)
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REALPOLTIK
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3
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Hardening from the root upward, were that to be the case (7)
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(IF SO [were that to be the case]) reversed (upward; down clue) (OS FI)< |
SIC
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OSSIFIC (an adjective derived from the root word OSSIFY which can be defined as causing the process or state of becoming rigid; hardening I am not sure if I have got the right meaning of the word / words root / from the root in this parsing
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OSFI |
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4
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Country dance? 13 (3)
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AY (variant spelling of AYE [yes]; 13 across)
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H
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HAY (variant spelling of HEY [a winding country dance])
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AY
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5
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Celtic group takes shape (5) |
GELS (takes shape) |
A
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GAELS (Celts of the Scottish Highlands; Celtic group)
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GELS |
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6
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Cafe? She’s out of church again (6)
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AFESH (letters removed from [taken out of] the letters CE (Church [of England] that surround them in the two words CAFE SHE)
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R
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AFRESH (again)
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AFESH
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7
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I didn’t mean that raising son’s a comedown (5)
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OOPS (an exclamation drawing attention to or apologizing for, etc, a mistake; I didn’t mean that) with the S moving up (raising; down clue) the entry
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T
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STOOP (comedown)
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SOOP
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9
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Hermaphrodite fetish (3) |
BI (bisexual; hermaphrodite)
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O
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OBI (fetish or charm)
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BI
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10
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Moulding on it’s loose (7)
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Anagram of (loose) ON IT TOIN* |
NDO
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TONDINO (a circular opr semicircular moulding)
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TOIN
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11
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Prayers for rest of National horses lost in blast (11)
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(EQUINES [horses] excluding [lost] N [National]) contained in (in) RATS (expression of irritation or annoyance, e.g. blast) R (EQUIES) ATS |
C
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REQUIESCATS (prayers for the rest of the souls of the dead.)
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REQUIEATS
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12
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The way the land lies when the grass is nearly riz (4, 2 words)
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AS IS – I really don’t know how the wordplay works here
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AS IS (as it stands; the way the land lies)
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AS IS
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| 18 | Perhaps Gorilla in Park Going Wild? This should hold more than just the front page (9, 2 words) |
APE (gorilla) contained in (in) an anagram of (going wild) PARK P (APE) RAK* |
RC | PAPER RACK (something that will hold a number of complete newspapers, i.e. more than just the front page) | PAPE RAK |
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19
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Hypocritical Bobby has Sarah in pieces (9)
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PC (police constable; bobby) containing (has) an anagram of (in pieces) SARAH P (HARSA*) C |
II
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PHARISAIC (hypocritical)
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PHARSAC
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21
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Took in granny for certain… (8, 2 words)
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LED (took) contained in (in) NAN (granny) NA (LED) N |
IO
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NAILED ON (for certain)
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NALED N
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23
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…since this root could make "chicken soup"! (8)
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PUCHOK (CHICKEN SOUP is an anagram of PUCHOK and SINCE) so CHICKEN SOUP can be made from PUCHOK and SINCE
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TC
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PUTCHOCK (an aromatic root)
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PUCHOK
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24
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Pursuing canine, has he unsettled cats? (7)
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C (canine [tooth] + an anagram of (unsettled) HAS HE C HEAHS* |
T
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CHETAHS (variant spelling of CHEETAHS [large animals of the cat family])
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CHEAHS |
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27
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After mounting brawl, shot good-for-nothing (7)
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ROW (brawl) reversed (mounting; down clue) + SHY (shot) WOR< SHY |
K
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WORK-SHY (hating or avoiding work; lazy; goof-for-nothing)
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WOR-SHY
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30
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Carriage cases (3)
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CA (cases)
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B
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CAB (carriage)
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CA
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31
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East-ender’s experienced difficulty (3)
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‘AD (East-enders [people from the East end of London] way of saying HAD [experienced])
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O
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ADO (difficulty)
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AD
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37
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Peg’s lifted to get a drink from the palm (4)
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PIN (peg) reversed (lifted; down clue) + A NIP< A |
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NIPA (an alcoholic drink made from a palm tree of the same name
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NIPA
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39
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One Scandinavian man from outside Louisiana… (4)
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OF (from) containing (outside) LA (Louisiana) O (LA) F |
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OLAF (a fairly common name of a Scandinavian man)
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OLAF |
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41
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…and one picked up from Moravia (4)
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IVAR (hidden word in [picked … from] MORAVIA) reversed (up; down clue) IVAR< |
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IVAR (a less common name of a Scandinavian man)
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IVAR
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Thanks Duncan
Regarding 12dn, I think it is SISA[l] (the grass is nearly) reversed (riz).
I would have finished this a lot faster if I had possessed some correcting fluid and done as the preamble suggested ! Sadly, I didn’t and it wasn’t until I doodled the pattern of missing letters on a scrap of paper that everything became clear. I thought this was quite gentle for a Nimrod (or maybe I was just having a good day). I parsed ‘as is’ in the same way as Gaufrid@1.
I haven’t had time to comment for a couple of weeks due to family problems so I’ll take this opportunity to thanks all setters and bloggers for their excellent work and, wish everybody a belated Merry Christmas and all the best for the coming year.
Thanks very much Duncan for a gteat blog. Like you I realklky enjoyed this over the holiday period – although I detected the charity logo early on it still took some time to see it all clearly outlined and to parse everything. I think the PDMs in this puzzle lay in parsing all the missing-letter clues.
I don’t know about the alternative puzzle title but reading across I wonder whether it has something to do with TICKER (euphemism for Heart ?) which you can read from 36A left to right via a diagonal jump ? I can then read CHART ANEW via a few similar jumps reading across the grid. Not sure what that means though to be honest !
One minor griper: who has Tippex these days ? I think my last botle of the stuff hardened and was discarded about five yeard ago !
Many thanks to Nimrod for everything in 2014, and Happy New Year to all.
I think the alternative title is ‘Putting the heart back into Christmas’. That explains why you have to delete then put back the letters, and fits in with the theme of giving to charity, and the charity itself.
I found this to be a characteristic Nimrod composition in that the clues had his trademark crypticness…somehow a bit more subtle and clever than most other setters, and each one has it’s own mini PDM. The device of leaving out letters from the wordplay is one Nimrod has used before, and it certainly adds a level of difficulty.
I couldn’t find any Tippex either, so I spent hours cutting out squares of white tape to use instead. I better have won the bubbly after all that effort….
Thanks and happy new year to all!
Why say riz in 12d instead of risen?
Tony @ 5
I think it’s an allusion to the nonsense poem:
The spring is sprung, the grass is riz.
I wonder where the boidie is.
They say the boidie’s on the wing.
But that’s absoid. The wing is on the bird.
Firstly, a Happy New Year to everyone but especially to Duncan and Nimrod.
Duncan – another tour de force in the blogging department!
Nimrod – thanks for a really good work out which kept us guessing for quite a while. We were misled for a while by entering MAN for 22ac thinking it was MANE with the end ‘trimmed’. Once we realised the error of our ways things fell into place reasonably quickly.
Well, this one brought my enjoyable run of IQ successful completions to a grinding halt. I could use the Christmas distractions as an excuse, but that wouldn’t be really fair or true. I spent quite some time on it, but did exactly the same thing as Bertandjoyce with “man” which resulted in a lot of headscratching with the upper middle section. I also managed to enter Ivan rather than Ivar, a stupid mistake now that I’ve read the blog. Thanks for the blog Duncan which explains very helpfully where I went wrong. Another cracker from Nimrod but this one slightly beyond me.
Happy New Year to all.
The wordplay for 16a OES eluded me, so thanks Duncan.
And a belated Happy New Year, one & all.