Ifor is a fairly prolific setter of Inquisitor with one of his puzzles appearing every two or three months.
Ifor has served up a wide range of themes and cluing devices in the past and he continues on that path with this puzzle.
The preamble was of medium length and stated:
Clues to the perimeter entries each contain an extra word; these have a common synonym collectively associated with a number N. Remaining clues contain an extra letter; in clue order these define a set of N items. Solvers must highlight N appropriately-positioned cells (such that every row and column bar those shaded contains two or more of these, and no shaded cell is highlighted) whose contents read in row order across the grid as a whole indicate where in the Bible N is referenced.
I got about half the extra words in the perimeter clues fairly quickly with AIR, RANEE and OCREATE being early entries into the grid.
Some of the extra letters fell quite quickly as well although it took a while for the whole message to become clear. Bits of the message leapt out from the letters I had, such that THE SET OF was apparent in the early part of the acrosses and CHURCH was likely in the down clues along with a few of letters that suggested that OF ENGLAND might follow CHURCH. DOCTRINES took a bit longer to deduce.
In the end the grid was complete and the message was clear as
THE SET OF DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND
The extra words, in clue order were:
FOOTFALL
SUPPORT
WALK
STAGE
FOOTSTEP
PACE and
RUNG
These seven words suggested STEPs but the value of N didn’t come to mind immediately as I disappeared down a number of internet references to the number of DOCTRINES in the CHURCH OF ENGLAND. it seems that many people have different interpretations of what a DOCTRINE is, so I came up with quite a few possibilities of values for N, none of which seemed to fit with STEPS.
At one point I was considering the Holy Trinity and Eddie Cochrane’s Three STEPS to Heaven, but I realised that N would have to be a lot higher than 3 to fulfil the preamble requirement that at least two letters be highlighted in each unshaded row or column.
Eventually I found a reference to the 39 Articles of Religion on the CHURCH OF ENGLAND website and the penny dropped to give me John Buchan’s ‘The Thiry-Nine Steps’ cross reference and the number associated with collective STEPS. I note that the word ARTICLES was in the grid at 10 down. I wonder if Ifor even thought about trying to get ARTICLES into a grid such that 39 across had 8 letters?
If you are interested, you can see a list of the 39 DOCTRINES / ARTICLES by clicking here.
Having got N=39, the next step was to try and identify the biblical location. I could see TWO COR in the second row, so did a few searches based on 39 and Corinthians and Two and eventually hit gold dust at Corinthians II, 11:24 which, in The New English Bible, reads "Five times the Jews have given me the thirty-nine strokes …" Other versions of the bible refer to forty strokes / lashes / stripes less one.
The final task was to identify the 39 letters that needed to be highlighted. After a bit of a search and confusion about whether the middle horizontal line of each of the 3 and the 9 graphic should be in the same row, I eventually came up with the highlighting as shown in the grid below. In the shape of the numbers 3 and 9, the letters spell out:
TWO CORINTHIANS CHAP ELEVEN VERSE TWENTYFOUR
The highlighting fulfils the criteria that at least two cells must be highlighted in each row or column. Row 8 has the minimum of two cells highlighted.
Thanks to Ifor for coming up with another enjoyable puzzle with a number of ‘aha’ moments along the way.
I thought the cluing was very fair with more intricate wordplay than often found in some Inquisitor puzzles.
The detailed blog below shows each clue before and after removal or words or letters, together with an explanation of the wordplay for each entry. Every time a letter was removed from a clue, a real word remained, which is a very impressive piece of cluing. Some of the words remaining might be considered a bit obscure -e.g. ree, ort, agued, reates and baned – but all are fair game for solvers of barred crosswords like the Inquisitor.
The title N is self-explanatory.
The final grid looked like this:
| No |
Clue Amended Clue |
Word or Letter |
| Across | ||
| 1 |
Length of compliance hardly varying, holding until returning footfall (9) Length of compliance hardly varying, holding until returning (9) CLOTHYARD (the YARD by which CLOTH was measured, formerly 37 inches) C (compliance [term in physics]) + (an anagram of [varying] HARDLY containing TO [until] reversed [returning]) C L (OT<) HYARD* |
FOOTFALL |
| 10 |
Publicity maintained by chairman’s support (3) Publicity maintained by chairman’s (3) AIR (publicity) AIR (hidden word in [maintained by] CHAIRMAN) AIR |
SUPPORT |
| 13 |
Was first to cover up trouble casually tolerated? (4) Was first to cover up rouble casually tolerated? (4) WORN (informal term [casually] for tolerated) WON (was first) containing (to cover up) R (rouble) WO (R) N |
T |
| 14 |
Dross that will do, defending constant return of any old gash (6) Dross that will do, defending constant return of any old gas (6) SCORIA (dross or slag from metal-smelting) (SO [that will do] containing [defending] C [a constant in mathematics]) + AIR (an obsolete [old] term for any gas) reversed (return of) S (C) O RIA< |
H |
| 15 |
Artiste doing something specific in comeback, covering one number (6) Artist doing something specific in comeback, covering one number (6) TITIAN (reference Tiziano Vecelli [approximately 1489 – 1576], Italian artist known as TITIAN) (AT IT [doing something specific] reversed [in comeback] containing [covering] I [Roman numeral for one]) + N (number) TI T (I) A< N |
E |
| 16 |
Broad valley in Glencoe that sends in Redcoats for beating (6) Broad valley in Glencoe that ends in Redcoats for beating (6) STRATH (Scottish word [Glencoe] for a broad valley) Anagram of (for beating) THAT and RS [first and last letters of [end of] REDCOATS) STRATH* |
S |
| 18 |
Head into peril, almost spoiling attempt at self-promotion (7) Had into peril, almost spoiling attempt at self-promotion (7) EGO-TRIP (action or experience which inflates one’s good opinion of oneself; attempt at self-promotion) GOT (had) contained in an anagram of (spoiling) PERIL excluding the final letter (almost) L E (GOT) RIP* |
E |
| 20 |
Online journal unknown, with German tone impressing (5) Online journal unknown, with German one impressing (5) E-ZINE (journal available only in electronic form on a computer network) EINE (German for one) containing (impressing) Z (a letter frequently used to represent an unknown value in mathematics) E (Z) INE |
T |
| 21 |
Adjudicator rejects arbitrary opinions (4) Adjudicator rejects arbitrary pinions (4) TSAR (adjudicator in some subject) TSAR (hidden word in [pinions] REJECTS ARBITRARY) TSAR |
O |
| 22 |
College children taken in by free nursery (6) College children taken in by ree nursery (6) CRECHE (nursery for either brief or daylong care of young children) C (college) + (CH [children]) contained in [taken in by] REE) C RE (CH) E |
F |
| 23 |
Redcap playing in band for funeral (5) Recap playing in band for funeral (5) CRAPE (band of silk or fabric for putting round a mourner’s hat or arm) Anagram of (playing) RECAP CRAPE* |
D |
| 25 |
Agreed to interrupt leave after forgoing ointment (8) Agreed to interrupt leave after forging ointment (8) EYE-SALVE (ointment for the EYEs) YES (agreed) contained in (to interrupt) an anagram of (after forging) LEAVE E (YES) ALVE* |
O |
| 28 |
Well-known means of making sect soft? (6, 2 words) Well-known means of making set soft? (6, 2 words) OF NOTE (well-known) OF NOT E (if you use OF instead of [not] an E in SET you form S OF T) OF NOT E |
C |
| 30 |
Neophyte tending to devotion in secret (7) Neophyte ending to devotion in secret (7) CONVERT (a neophyte is a new CONVERT) N (final letter of [ending to] DEVOTION) contained in (in) COVERT (secret) CO (N) VERT |
T |
| 33 |
Put a fresh coating on for a wound in due course, maintaining strokes (9) Put a fresh coating on for a wound in due course, maintaining stokes (9) REPLASTER (put a fresh coating of PLASTER on) PER (for each or for a) reversed (wound; turned) + (LATER [in due course] containing [maintaining] S [stokes, the CGS unit of kinematic viscosity]) REP< LA (S) TER |
R |
| 36 |
Partied at Murrayfield with points carrying weight (6) Parted at Murrayfield with points carrying weight (6) TWINED (Scottish [Murrayfield is the international rugby stadium in Edinburgh] word for parted) TINED (with points, e.g. a fork) containing (carrying) W (weight) T (W) INED |
I |
| 37 |
At no point negative, neither taking all sides? (4) At no point negative, either taking all sides? (4) NE’ER (never; at no point) NE (outer letters of [sides] NEGATIVE) + ER (outer letters of [sides] EITHER) hence we have all sides of NEGATIVE EITHER NE ER |
N |
| 39 |
Unevenly shaded tones in miniature (5) Unevenly shaded tons in miniature (5) TINTY (unevenly shaded) T (tense) contained in (in) TINY (miniature) TIN (T) Y |
E |
| 40 |
Teatime snack beneficial to us, having recipes put right to some extent (5) Teatime snack beneficial to us, having recipe put right to some extent (5) FOURS (snack taken at 4pm; teatime snack) FOR US (beneficial to us) with the R (recipe) moved to the right [put right to some extent] to form FOURS FOURS |
S |
| 41 |
Walk going in circles on the way out after terms of maze understood (7) Going in circles on the way out after terms of maze understood (7) EDDYING (going round in circles) ED (final letters of [terminals of {terms of}] each of MAZE and UNDERSTOOD) + DYING (on the way out) ED DYING |
WALK |
| 42 |
Ordinary design stage having a sheath (7) Ordinary design having a sheath (7) OCREATE (having a sheath) O (ordinary) + CREATE (design) O CREATE |
STAGE |
| Down | ||
| 2 |
Cowboy builder previously seen coaching one elderly resident (6) Cowboy builder previously seen caching one elderly resident (6) LEIGER (obsolete [elderly] term for a resident) LEGER (someone who swindles by scamping work, using bad materials; e.g. a cowboy builder) containing (caching) I (Roman numeral for one) LE (I) GER |
O |
| 3 |
Fort losing heart over 10,000 from empire (7) Ort losing heart over 10,000 from empire (7) OTTOMAN (reference the OTTOMAN Empire [Turkish empire founded by Othman who, with his people, overran the Near East and pushed into Europe in the 14th century) ORT excluding the central letter (losing heart) R + TOMAN (a myriad, or ten thousand) OT TOMAN |
F |
| 4 |
Songbird promptly finished trimming end of claw (5) Songbird promptly finished rimming end of claw (5) TWITE (mountain linnet; songbird) TITE (obsolete [finished] word for promptly) containing (rimming) W (last letter of [end of] CLAW) T (W) ITE |
T |
| 5 |
Evenly throb with ache in moderation (3) Evenly throb with ace in moderation (3) HOA (moderation) HO (letters 2 and 4 [evenly] of THROB) + A (ace) HO A |
H |
| 6 |
Shortened each captain’s code (about three syllables in a line) (10) Shortened each captain’s cod (about three syllables in a line) (10) ANAPAESTIC (relating to a foot of two short [or unstressed] syllables followed by a long [or stressed] syllable; three syllables in a line) Anagram of (cod; mock or sham) EA (shortened for of EAch) and CAPTAINS ANAPAESTIC* |
E |
| 7 |
Set of prayers portrays struggles after exciting extremes of protest (6) Set of prayers portrays struggles after exiting extremes of protest (6) ROSARY (series of prayers) Anagram of (struggles) PORTRAYS excluding (after exiting) PT (outer letters of [extremes of] PROTEST) ROSARY* |
C |
| 8 |
Measured area of arch, taking centre to right-hand base (4) Measured area of arc, taking centre to right-hand base (4) ACRE (measure of area) ARC with the central letter R moved to right-hand end [taking centre to right-hand] to form ACR + E (base of natural logarithms) ACR E |
H |
| 9 |
Advanced impedance caused by digital projection of card in play (5) Advanced impedance cased by digital projection of card in play (5) TOAZE (Shakespearean word meaning to tease out or card. I take the Shakespearean reference to mean his work on plays) (A [advanced] + Z [impedance {in physics}]) contained in (cased by) TOE (a digit of the foot; digital projection) TO (A Z) E] |
U |
| 10 |
Recitals argued in long-gone critical moments (8) Recitals agued in long-gone critical moments (8) ARTICLES (critical moments) Anagram of (agued) RECITALS ARTICLES* |
R |
| 11 |
Echo after near footstep startled queen (5) Echo after near startled queen (5) RANEE (Indian queen) Anagram of (startled) NEAR + E (Echo is the International Radio Communication codeword for the letter E) RANE* E |
FOOTSTEP |
| 12 |
Evacuate street with reduced pace of car crashing (10) Evacuate street with reduced of car crashing (10) STERCORATE (to evacuate the bowels) Anagram of (crashing) STREET and OF excluding the final letter (reduced) F and CAR STERCORATE* |
PACE |
| 17 |
Part of armour once on knight’s rear? (4) Part of armour one on knight’s rear? (4) TACE (another word for TASSE [in plate armour, one of a series of overlapping pieces forming a kind of skirt]) T (last letter of [rear] KNIGHT) + ACE (one) T ACE |
C |
| 19 |
Man perhaps happens to be left here at first? (4) Man perhaps happens to be left ere at first? (4) ISLE (reference the ISLE of Man) IS (happens to be) + L (left) + E (initial letter of [at first] ERE) IS L E |
H |
| 24 |
Former college concealing moan rarely seen in constitution (6) Former college concealing man rarely seen in constitution (6) POLITY (form of constitution) POLY (reference a POLYtechnic college which offered a wide variety of vocational courses. I think all POLYs have now been reclassified as universities) containing (concealing) IT (a rare generic term for a man or woman) POL (IT) Y |
O |
| 26 |
Means of access face stadium (6) Means of access ace stadium (6) AVENUE (means of access) A (ace) + VENUE (location for a sports event; stadium) A VENUE |
F |
| 27 |
Going on for ever before missing outside call, re-entering mobile rung (6) Going on for ever before missing outside call, re-entering mobile (6) ETERNE (without beginning or end) Anagram of (mobile) RE-ENTERING excluding the outer letters (missing outside) spelling RING ETERNE* |
RUNG |
| 29 |
Humming, given words to entertain that ultimately unite (5) Humming, given words to entertain that ultimately unit (5) FETID (stinking; humming) FED (given words, as in a prompter feeding words to an actor) containing (to entertain) (T [last letter of {ultimately} THAT] + I [character representing a one or unit]) FE (T I) D |
E |
| 30 |
Node comprising lines from various sources, central in addition (5) Ode comprising lines from various sources, central in addition (5) CENTO (poem [ode] manufactured by putting together lines or passages of one author or of several authors) CEN (central) + TO (along with, in addition) CEN TO |
N |
| 31 |
Dog for afternoon in rain raised stink (5) Do for afternoon in rain raised stink (5) NIDOR (strong smell,especially of animal substances cooking or burning) RAIN reversed (raised; down entry) with DO replacing (for) A (afternoon) NI DO R< |
G |
| 32 |
Missing answer relates poorly in Jock’s display of stubbornness (5) Missing answer reates poorly in Jock’s display of stubbornness (5) REEST (Scottish [Jock] word for a sudden fit of stubbornness) Anagram of (poorly) REATES excluding (missing) A (answer) REEST* |
L |
| 34 |
Mere placebo needed to be completely avoided (4) Mere placebo needed to be completely voided (4) POND (a mere is a pool or a lake) PO (letters remaining in PLACEBO after the central letters LACEB are removed [voided] ) + ND (letters remaining in NEEDED when the central letters EEDE are removed [voided]) PO ND |
A |
| 35 |
Graceful bird saw name banned (4) Graceful bird saw name baned (4) SWAN (example of a graceful bird) Anagram of (baned) SAW and N (name) SWAN* |
N |
| 38 |
Dared ignoring leader over many years (3) Dare ignoring leader over many years (3) ERA (many years) DARE excluding the first letter (ignoring leader) D and reversed (over) ERA< |
D |
Slow to start, but things picked up pretty quickly, so much so that I had the grid almost filled in an afternoon and finished early the next morning. Endgame (N = 39 from “STEPS”) was pretty straightforward – a very neat ending to an engaging puzzle.
Thanks to Ifor for a really fun puzzle, to duncanshiell for the blog and to fellow commenters for sharing their thoughts.
Solving all the clues was quite a tough task, mainly because with some of them it proved tricky to identify the surplus letter. But I never got stuck and could appreciate the quality of all the clues. I was similarly impressed with the overall design whereby the number N (= 39) plays its part as, first, the number of steps in the book title, then the number of articles (doctrines) of the Church of England, and finally the number of letters in the Bible reference (needing the book name to be shortened sensibly to ‘Two Corinthians’ and the word ‘chapter’ to ‘chap’).
Resolving the theme was also quite a challenge. I started with an online search of ‘thirty-nine’ in the Bible and was promptly informed by one of the top search results that ‘the number thirty-nine does not occur in the Bible’. Well, I needed no more encouragement than that to go looking for it. I saw TWO COR lurking in the topmost white row in the grid and decided to take that as far as I could. It took me literally to chapter and verse. I looked up II Cor 11:24 in the Revised English Bible and found ‘… the thirty-nine strokes’. (As Duncan says, if you look elsewhere, like the AV or RSV, you would find ‘forty save one’ or ‘forty less one’ – no mention of 39!)
When working out the shading I just had to make sure that my shaded cells complied with the stipulation in the preamble. I didn’t notice the shape of ’39’ that could be formed – what a great bonus to enjoy.
Thanks to Ifor for an original, challenging and enjoyable puzzle and to Duncan for the blog.
Well, it appears that I messed up my final highlighting a little (looking back I wonder what was I thinking), but still enjoyed the solve. The theme revealed itself easily enough here, as I was familiar with many of the references. For the ones I wasn’t, of course, Google filled in the gaps!
A top drawer Inquisitor; although I am not theological, the 39 Articles came immediately to mind, and the Biblical reference came more readily to my word search than it did for Alan B. I made a mess of the middle shading, forgetting we needed ‘chap’ and ‘verse’, but got there in the end.
Number 39 was taboo at my (semi-independent) school, thanks to a legendary half-cracked teacher who would go round announcing “I’m number thirty-nine” (which he was; all teachers were listed by number inside the cover of the school handbook). His peculiar voice would be imitated by students years after the teacher had been eased out, and no new teacher was given the number, in case it destroyed them.
Many thanks to Ifor and to duncanshiell for excellent puzzle, excellent blog.
Lovely puzzle and I also did not see the fact that the shading produced the outline of “39” – WOW! I wonder how Ifor came up with the idea and then managed to highlight 39 cells relating to the number 39 and also forming the pattern of the number 39!
I admit to struggling for a while to find the required 39 cells, having omitted “chap.” and therefore being stuck on 35. Luckily there were not too many options in the grid so I got there eventually.
I enjoyed this puzzle with the usual range of clever and challenging clues to be expected from Ifor. I looked up the Articles to find N=39, which was confirmed by extra words ? steps ? J Buchan’s yarn. I then ploughed through articles on THE ARTICLES for a Biblical link to 39, of course to no avail. I guessed that the letters to be shaded would form the number itself but totally failed to spot it within my self-allotted time. Having seen Duncan’s blog, I think that was the right decision, as I doubt that I would ever have got it.
Thanks to Ifor for an ingenious puzzle, to DS for the blog and congratulations to the respondents who cracked the final (39th ?) step.
Lovely puzzle! After filling the grid, Joyce spent too long researching on the internet for references. Like Alan B she was distracted by articles saying that the doctrines appeared elsewhere. Bert was meanwhile staring at the grid and noticed the possibility of TWO COR. At this point Joyce remembered one of the first articles which had ‘forty less one’. Bert decided that the shape would reveal 3 and 9 which Joyce decided was one step too far even for Ifor. She of such little faith!
So, great puzzle, perplexing but very satisfying endgame. Thanks Ifor.
Thanks for the blog Duncan.
Since I was commenting about needing Google (or not) I think we’ve had several challenging puzzles that could be solved without it – Unpopular Shift, which was relatively easy, Francophile (maybe that depended on your reading habits), and now this, which I did need Google for but I think was gettable without it – despite being quite a humdinger in other ways. I really fell at the last hurdle because I couldn’t decide between chapter, Ch. and chap, and more importantly didn’t think of the figures appearing in the grid until I’d already looked up the biblical reference. But in principle this seems to be a high-level, complex puzzle with a fairly obscure theme that you might still crack without going online. I don’t think setters should necessarily have to achieve this but it’s impressive when they can.
With some bamboozling stuff on the clue level too, it all made for a very satisfying experience.
I initially did not expect N to be such a high number, but after solving just one perimeter clue I jokingly said to Mrs Terrier that the theme must be The 39 Steps. With a couple more perimeter entries in it looked as though I was right, but then “England” emerged at the end of the definition and the 39 Articles came to mind, so we had two themes. That alone would have made for an excellent puzzle, but Ifor somehow managed to come up with a third 39-related element. Despite being practising members of the CofE we could not think of any references to that number in the Bible. Fortunately – and surprisingly – simply googling “Bible 39” led us quickly to the relevant verse. “Appropriately positioned cells” suggested the shading would reveal 3 and 9 in the two halves of the grid, which seemed a bit of a stretch, but amazingly it worked.
A few years ago I gave all my six votes in the POTY poll to three puzzles set by Ifor. After the brilliant yellow bikini (1738) and now this masterpiece it could happen again.
Herb @8
Regarding Google searches and going online, I agree it’s impressive when a theme can be resolved without googling. When I couldn’t see how to crack the last part of the theme I did resort to googling, as I admitted in my previous comnent, and I am so glad now, and feel much more satisfied, that i just ignored the amusing search result that I got and took a completely different tack (having also just spotted TWO COR in the completed grid).
I rarely use Google search for these puzzles. When I do go online it’s to look something up, e.g. in Wikipedia, which I use quite a lot for themes I know little or nothing about. (I think that’s where I found out about the 39 Articles.)
John H has pointed out that this is Ifor’s 39th puzzle in the IQ series….
I’m another who failed to notice that the highlighted letters formed the figures 3 and 9.
Many thanks for the kind remarks, and of course also to Duncan for his typically exhaustive and accurate blog. In answer to one query – the 39 articles came first to my mind as having thematic potential, and the rest followed.
Bridgesong – the puzzle was submitted some time ago, and it was only recently that I realised the possibility of its being my 39th. John was kind enough to accommodate me by slightly reordering those of mine in his in-tray. So a happy coincidence allowing shameless self-indulgence rather than there being any premeditation when it was compiled.