It has been a while since it has fallen to me to blog a puzzle by Atrica, and this one was a rather unique puzzle.
When I first looked at the list of clues, and noticed that so many of them began with a lower-case letter, I assumed that there had been a printing error. On closer inspection, the clues, when read together, form a continuous piece of prose, a kind of (unusual) fairytale running from the first across clue to the last down clue. This must have been quite a challenge for our compiler, and it is certainly not something that I have seen before – and, as is often the case with these devices, the puzzle can be solved quite satisfactorily without even being aware of this. Nevertheless, Tuesday is theme day and this was a theme like no other.
As for my favourite clues, I particularly liked 6A, for overall construction, using “once upon a time” as wordplay fodder; and 13 and 21, for the references to personal relationships that fitted nicely into the fairytale theme.
I also need to point out that I think that there is a glitch in the system at 4 and 5, where both clues given lead naturally to the solution at 5, while neither offers a convincing clue to the entry at 4. I’ll come back later to see if any light has been shed on this.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are underlined; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS
|
||
| 6 | EXPERT |
Once upon a time, one of great skill (6)
|
| EX- (=once, former) + PER (=a, each) + T (=time) | ||
| 7 | HIGHNESS |
intoxicated by head royal’s title (8)
|
| HIGH (=intoxicated, as in high on drugs) + NESS (=head(land)) | ||
| 10 | WITCH |
a sorcerer, was (when hidden) longing (5)
|
| W<as> (“when (=as, as conjunction)” hidden means that letters “as” are dropped) + ITCH (=longing, yearning) | ||
| 11 | PROTESTED |
for, primarily, the emperor’s stepdaughter. The emperor’s daughter objected (9)
|
| PRO (=for, in favour of) + T<he> E<mperor> S<tepdaughter> T<he> E<mperor> D<aughter> (“primarily” means first letter only is used) | ||
| 12 | RETIRED |
concerned with needing rest, and left (7)
|
| RE- (=concerned with, regarding) + TIRED (=needing rest) | ||
| 14 | STOLEN |
Hot, horribly lost, occasionally mean (6)
|
| *(LOST) + <m>E<a>N (“occasionally” means alternate letters only); “horribly” is anagram indicator | ||
| 16 | LECHEROUSNESS |
he cursed endlessly, unravelling with no less depravity – (13)
|
| *(HE CURSE<d> + NO LESS); “endlessly” means last letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “unravelling” | ||
| 19 | TIRADE |
ego invested in dealing an abusive harangue (6)
|
| I (=ego, i.e. the pronoun I in Latin, the self) in TRADE (=(commercial) dealing) | ||
| 20 | PREHEAT |
turning her into a fairy-tale vegetable, with temperature ready for baking (7)
|
| REH (HER; “turning” indicates reversal) in [PEA (=fairy-tale vegetable, from The Princess and The Pea) + T (=temperature)]; to preheat an oven, say, is to ready it for baking | ||
| 23 | SWALLOWED |
Little bird entered, empty inside, and ate (9)
|
| SWALLOW (=little bird) + E<ntere>D (“empty” means all but first and last letters are dropped) | ||
| 24 | WHOLE |
every bit, with difficulty (5)
|
| W (=with) + HOLE (=difficulty, scrape) | ||
| 26 | AVERSELY |
Critically out of depth, reluctantly (8)
|
| A<d>VERSELY (=critically, unfavourably); “out of depth (=D)” means letter “d” is dropped | ||
| 27 | AFRAID |
sounding like a stressed chicken (6)
|
| Homophone (“sounding like”) of “a frayed (=stressed, of temper)”; as an adjective, chicken means cowardly, hence “afraid” | ||
| DOWN
|
||
| 1 | SPAT |
this pathetic specimen spewed out (4)
|
| Hidden (“specimen”) in “thiS PAThetic” | ||
| 2 | ARCHER |
a parcel – after removing wrappings, the girl! A sign in the sky (6)
|
| <a p>ARC<el> (“after removing wrappings” means two letters are dropped before and two after the central letters) + HER (=the girl); the Archer is the constellation Sagittarius, hence “a (Zodiac) sign in the sky” | ||
| 3 | BIGOT |
stupendous and uplifting to one of strong beliefs (5)
|
| BIG (=stupendous, massive) + OT (TO; “uplifting” indicates vertical reversal) | ||
| 4 | THREATEN |
a well-mannered fellow, extremely ideal, being “good breeding” as they once said – (8)
|
| ??? | ||
| 5 | GENTILESSE |
a well-mannered fellow, extremely ideal, being nobility formerly (10)
|
| GENT (=a well-mannered fellow) + I<dea>L (“extremely” means first and last letters only) + ESSE (=being, existence, in psychology); gentilesse is an archaic (“formerly”) term for nobility, refinement of behaviour | ||
| 6 | EDWARD |
a prince, one in a guardian’s care having Balls, perhaps above all (6)
|
| ED (=Balls, perhaps, i.e. former Labour MP and Shadow Chancellor) + WARD (=one in a guardian’s care, charge); the reference is to the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh | ||
| 8 | SEDAN |
quietly commandeering, located centrally between two poles in a movable chair (5)
|
| <qui>E<tly> <comman>D<eering> <loc>A<ted> (“centrally” means middle letter only is used) in S N (=two poles, i.e. S=South and N=North) | ||
| 9 | SPIDERY |
Thin and straggly, see the tragic princess upset, supported by the old queen inside! (7)
|
| [ID (=DI, i.e. tragic princess, i.e. Diana Princess of Wales; “upset” indicates vertical reversal) + ER (=old, i.e. former, queen, Elizabeth Regina)] in SPY (=see, observe) | ||
| 13 | TIE-BREAKER |
Couple having split, he, initially leaving her for a decisive struggle (3-7)
|
| TIE (=couple, pair up) + BREAK (=split, divide up) + <h>ER (“he, initially (=first letter) leaving her” means letter “h” is dropped) | ||
| 15 | CUSPIDS |
seconds after, succeeded stabbing the flying lover-boy with arrows and teeth! (7)
|
| [S (=succeeded) in CUPID (=flying lover-boy with arrows, i.e. Eros)] + S (=seconds); a cuspid is a tooth with a single point, a canine tooth | ||
| 17 | HIDELESS |
She, left aside with no answer, cracked – wanting the protector of her body (8)
|
| SHE + L (=left) + <a>SIDE); “with no answer (=A, as in Q&A)” means letter “a” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “cracked”; the “wanting” of the definition means “missing, lacking” | ||
| 18 | ATTEND |
engaged in combat, tenderly to be present (6)
|
| Hidden (“engaged in”) in “combAT TENDerly” | ||
| 19 | TESLA |
The electric superstar, least surprisingly – (5)
|
| *(LEAST); “surprisingly” is anagram indicator; the reference is to the US electric car manufacturer Tesla | ||
| 21 | EX-WIFE |
if wee kiss excited one of the parties after the marriage was over – (2-4)
|
| *(IF WEE + X (=kiss, on a card, say)); “excited” is anagram indicator | ||
| 22 | DWELT |
turned bawdy and there, not in our world, lived (5)
|
| DWEL (LEWD=bawdy, ribald; “turned” indicates reversal) + T<here> (“not in our world (=here)” means letters “here” are dropped) | ||
| 25 | OKAY |
well, happily ever after (4)
|
| OK (=happily, satisfactorily) + AY (=ever) |
We are afraid we cannot help with 4d – we came here for some answers!
Thanks RR and Atrica.
So did I. I thought of the answer from the lights, but hadn’t the courage to fill it in out of despair, and so finish the puzzle. It looks as though the clue to 4D was a draft of the clue to 5D, and the clue to 4D was omitted altogether.
Yes, I wonder what the missing piece of the story would have been?
I thought this was an extraordinary achievement by Atrica. Many thanks to him, and to RR for the blog.
(Guardian puzzle 20000, by Araucaria, was recently posted on the editor’s blog – the clues formed a full piece of verse in rhyming couplets – could that have been an inspiration for this one?)
#2 That seems likely. None of that occurred to me, though: I had all the crossers, and it was the only word that fitted, so I just thought I was being exceptionally dense! Nearly put me off completing, but I ploughed on. Interesting construction, Atrica, and well done Ratkojariku for tackling that blog!
Superlative puzzle from Atrica, glitch notwithstanding. Clever, entertaining and fun. Just what I want from a themed crossword. Made my day. Big thanks to Atrica (maybe not so big to the editor).
Bit of an Ed Balls up.
4(d), ” Etna – the Romans’ principal erupting menace” (8).
I liked the puzzle starting with “once upon a time”, and ending “happy ever after”, but it’s a balls up from me. But an attempted clever one, on review, if a lot of stretchy work from the setter.
Unimpressed, I’m afraid.
Do cryptic crossword editors actually do anything?
Thumbs down for this one.
At 19d I thought the ‘electric superstar’ was most likely referring to Nikola Tesla, inventor of the ac electrical system rather than Tesla cars.
What a stunning feat of crossword design. Thank you Atrica and bravo RatkojaRiku!
A stunning achievement that had me grinning from ear to ear for much of the solve. Loved the bookended fairy tale clues in particular. Thanks to Atrica, RR and the editor, without whom we wouldn’t have the puzzle
Easy mistake to make, I’m sure, putting the corrected version of a clue in the wrong slot. A late improvement, probably. Shame because this was a really inventive puzzle with a lot of ingenuity.
I do hope someone tells us the real 4D so I can read the full story.
As Boris Becker once almost said, it’s only a crossword! These things happen. Very clever device, prettily done. Best thanks both. Surely, 4d just offers us an Azed-esque opportunity (much missed) to imagine what it could/should have been, no?