It’s been over a year since we last blogged a Vigo puzzle.
Initially we were disappointed by this puzzle – maybe because we completed it very quickly.
Vigo’s previous puzzles have usually incorporated a theme of some sort. As it is a Tuesday, we had expected that that would be the case today. We wondered whether 28ac might be the key word because it seemed unusual to include a proper name when log in or log on would have fitted instead. Just as we were about to give up we came across SUCCESSION – an American satirical comedy-drama TV series with Logan and Roman as key characters. Various words in the grid feature in the different episode titles and the corporation run by Logan Roy involves cruises and theme parks. All of this was new to us despite it winning awards at the British Academy Television Awards and Golden Globe Awards. Brian Cox won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Logan Roy.
E (European) BOA (snake) in or ‘trapped by’ LIFTS (elevators)
Hidden in or ‘boxed by’ fROM ANcona
VAULT (cellar) ER (Queen)
An anagram of DIALECT – anagrind is ‘unusual’
Double definition
An anagram of SOLE RAFT – anagrind is ‘badly’
A reversal (‘about’) of BRAG (boast)
CONTENT (happy) round or ‘holding’ SIS (relative)
S (small) CH (child) O O (two ‘loves’) L (left) + MOOR (heath) reversed or ‘returning’
Alternate or ‘regular’ letters of AsCeNdEd
PEN (write) TAG (label) ON (attached to)
An anagram of CRIES (anagrind is ‘wildly’) round U (middle letter of January)
IN (at home) I (one) TrIAL (ordeal) without the ‘r’ (second letter of trauma)
M (married) AGENT (spy) A (advanced)
LOG (record) AN (article)
An anagram of MIKE WHO’LL – anagrind is ‘drunk’
L (Liberal) bEVERAGES (drinks) without the first letter or ‘head’
FooL (without the middle letters or ‘heart’) UTTER (total)
Alternate or ‘regular’ letters of hEaRd in BITS (pieces)
First or ‘initial’ letters of Approve Consultation Regarding Emergency
U (uniform – in the phonetic alphabet) CC (carbon copies) in SESSION (meeting)
An anagram of HUSTLERS – anagind is ‘horrible’
MEDItATE (consider) with one ‘t’ (time) missing or ‘taken’
LL (lines) in SUN (paper) reversed or ‘returned’
An anagram of ACT FOUR OWL – anagrind is ‘flies’
THE (article) ME (the setter) P (first or ‘initial’ letter of Placed) ARK (boat)
DO (party) NATION (people)
N (new) TIN (metal) in HUG (clasp)
CHI (Greek character) ANTI (against)
PR (press release) AGUE (fever)
A homophone (‘announced’) of FILE (line)
AM (morning) MO (second)
I’ve seen every episode of Succession (great show, and Brian Cox thoroughly deserved his Golden Globe), but am hopeless at spotting themes. I’m amazed that you managed to work it out without knowing of the show’s existence. Many thanks.
I too completed this very quickly, well within breakfast time. Congratulations B&J on spotting the theme, I had absolutely no chance! Thanks to you for the blog and Vigo for the puzzle.
Never heard of the programme so I did vaguely wonder why Vigo had included a random Scottish name in the grid! Fortunately it wasn’t necessary to know of it in order to solve the puzzle, which I found quite easy apart from having to look up the required definition of 1d.
Thanks to Vigo and to B&J for the review.
We completed it quite quickly too. We looked for a theme but being unaware of the TV series weren’t very successful. We did wonder if, particularly with LEVERAGES, some answers were vaguely related to company bail-outs but we weren’t convinced.
But an entirely satisfactory puzzle all the same. PENTAGON was our favourite.
Thanks, Vigo and B&J.