“Each clue is actually two clues run together. Either entry may be clued first; punctuation may mislead. Some answers are too short for their slots, and several others require two letters to occupy one cell; all enumerations count cells available. Cells in the latter group must each be divided by a diagonal line in a consistent way, entering one letter in each half such that entries read normally. Using the contents of these cells as a guide, solvers must insert an arrow in each vacant cell so that new words or phrases appropriate to the positions of the ONLOOKERS in the grid are symbolised. The Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended, but does not give the entry at 11 (in Collins and others).”The answers that require two letters to occupy one cell are entered such that POLLYANNA and CASSANDRA can be read above and below the NW-SE diagonal. The vacant cells in the NE and SW have up and down arrows entered respectively, such that the ‘interacting’ answers read LEVELS UP, UPBEAT, CAST DOWN, and DOWNGRADE.
This is the sort of puzzle the structure of which seems simple when you’re presented with it because it is so neatly put together. It was, as I recall, a fairly steady gridfill, aided by quite a number of anagrams. I guessed that there would be a diagonal line after solving two or three crossing entries, but I didn’t even think about what would go into the blank cells until the very end.
It’s an up arrow from me, Ifor!
How was it for the rest of you solvers?
| Notation | |
|---|---|
| Definition | word |
| Indicator | [word] |
| Anagram | WORD* |
| Reversal | <WORD |
| Homophone | “WORD” |
As always, please let me know if anything isn’t clear.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1, 44 | Where people work out [iMaGeS bY]* [regularly] [flying] / [group of] < aeroNAUTs [over] eminence on Malay peninsula (4; 4) | GYMS, TUAN |
| 4, 43 | With value set GR (gross), DEAD* [scruffy] / flats in {[outskirts of] VillagE SELL}* [freely] (7; 7) | GRADED, LEVELS |
| 10, 42 | Red MER (Sea for foreigners?) LOT (Fate) / IN (belonging to) PART (region) to some extent (6; 6, 2 words) | MERLOT, IN PART |
| 12, 41 | Wooden T |
TREEN, CLOMB |
| 15, 40 | [Extract of]] cheAP OZEMpic decoction / [complicated] |
APOZEM, PLEURA |
| 16, 39 | Rage [D (departs), abandoning] |
IRE, ANA |
| 17, 38 | “A (Acting) [contrarily], < DUO (couple) A |
AOUDAD, DEHORN |
| 19, 36 | Nurses A [recurrent] < SHAM (fake) / state of breathlessness AP (before a meal), EA (each) [following] [conclusion of] heartburN (5; 5) | AMAHS, APNEA |
| 20, 35 | [Some] clerK RInging marginal correction / determined complete collection (3; 3) | K’RI, SET |
| 21, 34 | Sometimes two hearts become less / {ON BED? TIE}* [up], ready to be controlled (8; 8) | CONTRACT, OBEDIENT |
| 22, 32 | Dead rough AS (so far), PER (for a) / ERA (long time) – [ultimately], there’S thE rub to remove (5;5) | ASPER, ERASE |
| 23, 29 | Region‘s REAL (actual) M (money) / that is [partly] sIDESTepped (5; 5, 2 words) | REALM, ID EST |
| Down | ||
| 1, 35 | Pointed stick‘s TIP (end) C (caught) AT (by) / KITS (young ferrets), [hiding] A (one) A (active) in trees (5;5) | TIPCAT, KIAATS |
| 2, 33 | Discharges LOADS (a great many) [after] UN (one local) / UNMOORS* [drifting] solarium (6; 6, 2 words) | UNLOADS, SUN ROOM |
| 3, 28 | Having no plan {L (left) [leaderless] |
RANDOMLY, APPULSES |
| 5, 30 | Test pieces in {SET DUE}* [to be repaired], / covering over antennae ADO (trouble) [occasionally] cRaMpEd [outside] (6; 6) | ETUDES, RADOME |
| 6, 27 | Plant {THAE (those in Scotland) [after] L (lecturer)} [bitten by] AA (rock) / snakes is [sadly] PALSIED* (7; 7) | ALTHAEA, ELAPIDS |
| 7, 26 | Organiser of [crooked]] {GAME RAN}* / {“LOW” (disreputable) “KNEES” (joints)}, [reportedly] those with debts (7; 7) | MANAGER, LOANEES |
| 8, 37 | Duck parochial businesS MEEtings [covering] / brief spread of MAR (damage) [finally] recedinG (4; 4) | SMEE, MARG |
| 9, 34 | Group of players get rid of / BAT (Root, perhaps) [pinching] [right to] thE strike (5;5) | CAST, BEAT |
| 11, 31 | Male structure in TEHRAN* [foolishly] / compounds |
ANTHER, ALDOLS |
| 13, 25 | TORIES, PASEAR | |
| 14, 24 | Elderly take heart from EN (French in) [almost] EVER |
ENERVE, SIERRA |
| 18, 27 Across | Metal testers ASS (fool) [around], [working] YEARS*; / {[uncovered] |
ASSAYERS, ABEYANCE |
Ifor never misses. Interesting gimmick and endgame, and not as tricky as it may have seemed at first blush. Many thanks to Ifor and to Mister Sting for the blog.
Thanks, both. Of the many puzzles I’ve compiled this is the one that’s elicited the fewest comments here and elsewhere, perhaps because of the potentially off-putting preamble (you can’t trust the lengths, the positions or where the break in the clues might be until you’ve got into it). I hope that at least a few will look at Mr S’s excellent exposition to see how it plays out.
Fwiw i really enjoyed it