This fine puzzle from Guy from back in April should not pass by without a write-up. It is well worth your time.
The puzzle provides special instructions:
Starting at 15 Across, 13 intersecting answers make a route through the grid, top to bottom. Their clues are undefined. A fourteenth completes the set of ‘1 Across 11 Across’
“1 Across 11 Across” spells out STATIONS OF THE CROSS WORD.” The misdirection/allusion is to the 14-stage Stations of the Cross procession recounting the Crucifixion, thus relating to Easter. However, the “stations” “crossing” in the grid are actually London Underground stations. As near as I can tell, tracing this route in real life would involve quite a bit of doubling back.
Update: See TripleJumper@1 for a complete explanation of the theme, a game parody that I was not aware of. So informed, I have now listened to a few installments. The puzzle is a perfect representation of the game, so I am even more impressed by Guy’s achievement, but I confess that the charm of the game itself is lost on me.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | STATIONS OF THE CROSS |
Set of 14 for Easter put gentle fellow in a bad mood (8,2,3,5)
|
| STATION (put) + SOFT (gentle) + HE (fellow) + CROSS (in a bad mood) | ||
| 11 | WORD |
Message: heading west, finish on underground line (4)
|
| {Last letter of (finish on) [UNDERGROUN]D + ROW (line)} all reversed (heading west) | ||
| 13 | IMPEND |
Threaten little monkey with tail (6)
|
| IMP (little monkey) + END (tail) | ||
| 14 | BRAIDED |
Sally fills plot with hairy twists (7)
|
| RAID (sally) inside (fills) BED (plot) | ||
| 15 | BURNT OAK |
Charred remains of Robin Hood’s home? (5,3)
|
| Undefined, thematic, cryptic definition | ||
| 16 | CONTENDER |
Potential winner sore if cheat comes first (9)
|
| CON (cheat) + TENDER (sore) | ||
| 17 | MAGIC MUSHROOM |
Wonderful snowy trek — study perhaps the reason for trip? (5,8)
|
| MAGIC (wonderful) + MUSH (snowy trek) + ROOM (study, perhaps) | ||
| 20 | WARREN STREET |
Eg Watership Down’s beech beginning to turn (6,6)
|
| Undefined, thematic, and WARREN’S (e.g. Watership Down’s) + TREE (beech) + first letter of (beginning to) T[URN] | ||
| 22 | MANOR HOUSE |
Norma played bingo (5,5)
|
| Undefined, thematic, and anagram of (played) NORMA + HOUSE (bingo) | ||
| 24 | CHUCKER-OUT |
Security man cycling route behind Charles (7-3)
|
| CHUCK (Charles) + ROUTE with last letter “cycling” to the front | ||
| 26 | TO MY MIND |
British soldier with heart in the east — India, I’d say (2,2,4)
|
| TO[M]MY (British soldier) with middle letter (heart) M moved to the end (in the east) + IND. (India) | ||
| 30 | GRIMSBY |
Seaside town shocking my big sister on vacation (7)
|
| Anagram of (shocking) {MY BIG + outside letters of (on vacation) S[ISTE]R} | ||
| 32 | BARBICAN |
Except for cheap pen, what’s inside hand? (8)
|
| Undefined, thematic, and BAR (except for) + BIC (cheap pen) + inside letters of (what’s inside) [H]AN[D] | ||
| 33 | WHOOPS |
Wide alternatively shaped spaghetti that was a mistake (6)
|
| W (wide) + HOOPS (alternatively shaped spaghetti) | ||
| 35 | PINNER |
Pub with parking in front and even selection of beer (6)
|
| Undefined, thematic, and P (parking) + INN (pub) + even letters of (even selection of) [B]E[E]R | ||
| 36 | AVIATION |
One twice caught by a tax on flying (8)
|
| I (one) twice inside (caught by) {A + VAT (tax) + ON} | ||
| 37 | PLENARY |
Full power nearly restored (7)
|
| Anagram of (restored) {P (power) + NEARLY} | ||
| 39 | HIRED GUN |
Mercenary WWI soldier captures blasted ridge (5,3)
|
| HUN (WWI soldier) around (captures) anagram of (blasted) RIDGE | ||
| 40 | CHINCHILLA |
Andean creature shivers in Himalayan country (10)
|
| CHILL (shivers) inside (in) CHINA (Himalayan country) | ||
| 44 | ARNOS GROVE |
Second small wood to right of Florence’s river (5,5)
|
| Undefined, thematic, and ARNO (Florence’s river) + S (second) + GROVE (small wood) | ||
| 46 | POP ONE’S CLOGS |
Dad, your shoes croak (3,4,5)
|
| POP (dad) + ONE’S (your) + CLOGS (shoes) | ||
| 48 | STEREOTYPICAL |
Conventional potteries worked with clay (13)
|
| Anagram of (worked) {POTTERIES + CLAY} | ||
| 50 | SMALL TALK |
Trail around shopping centre chatting (5,4)
|
| STALK (trail) around MALL (shopping centre) | ||
| 53 | ORGANIST |
Wind instrumentalist surprisingly good on sitar (8)
|
| Anagram of (surprisingly) {G (good) + ON + SITAR} | ||
| 55 | ALIGHTS |
Lands equally divided by day (7)
|
| I think this parses as: AS (equally) around (divided by) LIGHT (day) | ||
| 56 | VENEER |
Facing wood, swerve around centre of bend (6)
|
| VEER (swerve) around middle letters of (centre of) [B]EN[D] | ||
| 57 | BANK |
Seconds from absolute catastrophe, unclip skis (4)
|
| Undefined, thematic, and second letters of (seconds from) [A]B[SOLUTE] [C]A[TASTROPHE] [U]N[CLIP] [S]K[IS] | ||
| 58 | MORNINGTON CRESCENT |
Stop when the sun rises, facing northern moon? (10,8)
|
| MORNING (when the sun rises) + TO (facing) + N (northern) + CRESCENT (moon?) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | TOMBOLA |
Draw cat and large snake separated by line (7)
|
| TOM (cat) + {BOA (large snake) around (separated by) L (line)} | ||
| 3 | TREAT |
Jolly little Italian restaurant full of English (5)
|
| TRAT (little Italian restaurant) around (full of) E (English) | ||
| 4 | ORDINANCE |
Gold ball to hold in command (9)
|
| OR (gold) + DANCE (ball) around (to hold) IN | ||
| 5 | SUBSECTION |
Smaller division affected most of city bonuses (10)
|
| Anagram of (affected) {CIT[Y] minus last letter (most of) + BONUSES} | ||
| 6 | FLAT |
Downright heartless lie on the surface (4)
|
| FL[O]AT (lie on the surface) minus central letter (heartless) | ||
| 7 | HYDRANT |
Hardy novel and New Testament’s main connection? (7)
|
| Anagram of (novel) HARDY + NT (New Testament) | ||
| 8 | CADMIUM |
Silence covers island led by rogue element (7)
|
| CAD (rogue) + {MUM (silence) around (covers) I (island)} | ||
| 9 | ORB |
Object clue 4 refers to found aboard motorboat (3)
|
| Hidden in (found aboard) [MOT]ORB[OAT], presumably referring back to “gold ball” | ||
| 10 | SORTS |
Penny quits things like tennis and swimming classes (5)
|
| S[P]ORTS (things like tennis and swimming) minus (quits) P (penny) | ||
| 11 | WATERLOO |
Pants or a towel? (8)
|
| Undefined, thematic, and anagram of (pants) OR A TOWEL | ||
| 12 | REAROUSE |
Raise point about zero interest again (8)
|
| {REAR (raise) + USE (point)} around (about) O (zero) | ||
| 18 | MONUMENT |
Mike first to try sandwiches on unusual menu (8)
|
| Undefined, thematic, and {M (Mike) + first letter of (first to) T[RY]} around (sandwiches) {ON + anagram of (unusual) MENU} | ||
| 19 | WEST EALING |
The FT — theft (4,6)
|
| Undefined, thematic and WE (the FT) + STEALING (theft). Clever clue. From what I understand, West Ealing is technically a National Railway station, not a London Underground station, but it is displayed on the map near Ealing Broadway. | ||
| 21 | RICHMOND |
Well-funded government department hosts head of Nato (8)
|
| Undefined, thematic, and RICH (well-funded) + {MOD (government department, i.e., Ministry of Defence) around (hosts) first letter of (head of) N[ATO]} | ||
| 23 | RENEWAL |
We learn dancing, getting another year’s membership? (7)
|
| Anagram of (dancing) WE LEARN | ||
| 25 | HEROIC |
Brave couples found regularly in the tropics (6)
|
| Alternating pairs of letters of (couples found regularly in) [T]HE [T]RO[P]IC[S] | ||
| 26 | TIBETAN |
Highlander consumed little when climbing north (7)
|
| {ATE (consumed) + BIT (little)} all inverted (when climbing) + N (north) | ||
| 27 | MICROSCOPE |
Crime so perverted involves police officer blowing up equipment (10)
|
| Anagram of (perverted) {CRIME SO} around (involves) COP (police officer) | ||
| 28 | DOWNHILL |
Spooner’s dog poorly, on the decline (8)
|
| Spoonerism of HOUND ILL (dog poorly) | ||
| 29 | SPIRAL |
Whirlpool maybe rotating currents off Venice Beach? (6)
|
| LA RIPS (currents off Venice Beach) inverted (rotating) | ||
| 31 | BARKING |
Local chieftain (7)
|
| Undefined, thematic, and BAR (local) + KING (chieftain) | ||
| 34 | CATEGORY |
Supplying food with 50 per cent off, bloody kind (8)
|
| CATE[RING] (supplying food) minus second half (with 50 per cent off) + GORY (bloody) | ||
| 38 | PIANO MUSIC |
ASCII up on monitor primarily represented keyboard output (5,5)
|
| Anagram of (represented) {ASCII + UP + ON + first letter of (primarily) M[ONITOR]} | ||
| 41 | C’EST LA VIE |
What can you do in France? Clive eats out (4,2,3)
|
| Anagram of (out) CLIVE EATS | ||
| 42 | CRITERIA |
Blubber more blubbery, using sound principles (8)
|
| Homophones of (using sound) CRY (blubber) + TEARIER (more blubbery) | ||
| 43 | MOOR PARK |
Anchor ship full of couples after end of trip (4,4)
|
| Undefined, thematic, and MOOR (anchor) + last letter of (end of) [TRI]P + ARK (ship full of couples), with “after” indicating the order of the wordplay | ||
| 45 | EMIRATI |
Kemi rationalised veils from an Islamic country (7)
|
| Hidden in (veils) [K]EMI RATI[ONALISED] | ||
| 46 | PLAYING |
Deposit money, having netted fifty grand gambling (7)
|
| {PAY IN (deposit money) around (having netted) L (fifty)} + G (grand) | ||
| 47 | GALLEON |
Christmas delay held up ship (7)
|
| {NOEL (Christmas) + LAG (delay)} all inverted (held up) | ||
| 49 | OPIUM |
Surgery regularly mix up my painkiller (5)
|
| OP (surgery) + alternate letters of (regularly) [M]I[X] U[P] M[Y] | ||
| 51 | TONIC |
First note uncontrollable habit, drinking continually (5)
|
| TIC (uncontrollable habit) around (drinking) ON (continually) | ||
| 52 | SHOO |
Leave film that hasn’t finished (4)
|
| SHOO[T] (film) minus last letter (that hasn’t finished) | ||
| 54 | TAR |
Hand at sea beginning to shed skin (3)
|
| [S]TAR[T] (beginning) minus outside letters (to shed skin) |
Of course the whole conceit is a reference to the game “Mornington Crescent” in the Radio 4 program “I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue” where the participants play an imaginary game which involves “linked” London locations and always end when one of the players says “Mornington Crescent”… which is the terminus of the route in this crossword!
This was a marvellous crossword.
Clear, concise, clever, fair.
Congratulations, Guy.
Thanks for the blog and the coloured grid , I enjoyed this at the time , lots of neat clues and I like having no definition . My limited knowledge of the tube did not matter helped by the regular game mentioned by TripleJumper@1 . I actually prefer Mornington Croissant using the Martello Convention .
Thank you for the blog as I had really enjoyed this puzzle. The Easter misdirection was excellent.
(But Roz I think the Martello Convention here would have prevented Bank following Moor Park…?)
I had the same interpretation of 55a and 9d. The Holy Week misdirection was brilliant: had me stuck for a long time. Hat tip to Guy there.
I recognized some of the stations, but having not listened to Radio Four, I was futilely trying to fit them all onto one line, like the stations of the “Main Line” suburbs here in Philadelphia: Overbrook, Merion, Narberth, Wynnewood, Ardmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Rosemont (the mnemonic is Old Maids Never Wed And Have Babies Rarely).
#3 and #4
Bank can follow Moor Park in the Martello Convention if the Boswell Variant has been declared.
@6 Yes but you’re in danger of finding yourself in Nip. No self respecting player would even contemplate that move.