Guardian Genius 276 by Pangakupu

Pangakupu challenges us with the June Genius puzzle.

The Preamble:

A ‘cube’ is a 3x3x3 crossword, containing 12 words, with one black square on each face. Two such cubes can be derived from this grid.

Each cube is constructed from two 3×3 squares, each containing four words (a ‘top’ and a ‘bottom’), with a 3×3 square of four corner letters completing the four verticals sandwiched between.

Both cubes use the same ‘sandwich’ letters and all five 3×3 blocks are in the completed grid.

In 24 clues, there is a redundant word which defines one of the entries in the cubes.

For ease of submission, solvers will enter the eight vertical cube entries in alphabetical order.

As we knew that we were scheduled to blog this Genius, we printed the PDF version on the first Monday of the month (1st June).

We really did not understand the ‘cube’ concept, but hoped all would become clear as we tackled the clues, being on the look-out for the 24 redundant words on the way.

However, we were surprised to find that several of the clues had word-counts that did not fit the grid – making interpretation of the preamble even more difficult. After a day of trying to figure out what was going on, we revisited the Guardian website on 2nd June to find the same clues with a different grid – surely only the Grauniad could manage to print the wrong grid!

Now that we had the correct grid, we gradually managed to fill it, collecting a seemingly random selection of redundant words as we went.

We then looked for ‘3×3 squares each containing four words’ and realised that each of the the four corners fitted the bill – and that sixteen of the redundant words are synonyms for the sixteen 3-letter words in the four 3×3 squares in the corners.

We then needed to find the common ‘middle’ 3×3 square with four corner letters that would complete the cubes with eight 3-letter vertical words. The corner letters of the top and bottom squares suggested that the four corner letters in the middle ‘sandwich’ square had to be vowels –  identifying the 3×3 square containing the last letters of 3d and 11ac and the first letters of 12ac, 14d and 15ac/d (in purple in the finished grid below)

Assembling the five squares to create two cubes looks like this:

making the final eight vertical words, each with an appropriate synonym.

The 24 three-letter words and their synonyms are:

CUBE 1

‘TOP’:

CAR = MOTOR (13ac)

CON = STUDY (5ac)

RED = COMMUNIST (7d)

NED = HOOLIGAN (18d)

‘BOTTOM’:

PIT = MINE (19ac)

PAT = FLUENTLY (17ac)

TAN = BROWN (16d)

TEN = X (4d)

VERTICALS:

COP = POLICEMAN (1d)

RAT = SCOUNDREL (5d)

NIT = FOOL (1ac)

DEN = STUDY (26ac)

CUBE 2

‘TOP’:

BAG = SECURE (11ac)

BRA = SUPPORTER (3d)

GEL = SET (24ac)

ALL = EVERYONE (21ac)

‘BOTTOM’:

BAP = ROLL (20d)

BED = DIVAN (23d)

PIG = HOG (21d)

DOG = FOLLOW (12ac)

VERTICALS:

BOB = SLEIGH (14d)

GAP = OPENING (23ac)

AID = ASSISTANCE (10ac)

LEG = LIMB (15d)

When submitting the solution online, the eight vertical entries in alphabetical order are:

AID, BOB, COP, DEN, GAP, LEG, NIT, RAT

We are in awe of Pangakupu for his continuing inventive and prolific crossword output (we know him better as Phi – the regular ‘Phiday’ setter in the Indy), but we did notice that ‘at sea’ is used twice as an anagrind (in 12ac and 25ac) and ‘upset’ as a reversal indicator (in 3d and 21d) – very minor quibble in an otherwise inGenius puzzle!

In the parsings of the clues below, redundant words are [in green square brackets], and definitions are underlined