Inquisitor 1826 Forgery by Radler

Sometimes the Inquisitor is hard, and sometimes it is hard because you make hard work of it.

I know, you didn’t read the preamble properly either, did you? It started so well. I noted diligently that the entries with letters removed were on the left hand side of the grid, ones with letters added to the right, and felt quietly pleased with myself, sure that a smooth solve would ensue.

And then found myself feeling somewhat puzzled by the downs. Because they were normal clues, and only the across ones were two clues mashed together. Well, of course that was clearly nonsense…

Try again. With a clearer head, the rain having stopped by the afternoon. I even got a walk in without getting soaked. Then worked out that the letters removed led to PILTDOWN MAN, and the culprit DAWSON who could be safely added near the bottom of the grid being the only place he could fit at that point.

And then spend an age trying to add the letters removed from the LHS to the right, because THAT IS WHAT WE USUALLY DO. And get increasingly frustrated trying to put together words like HEARLE, DINWED, and so on.

I know.

It would only be during Blankety Blank that I would spot the bit about the letters leading not only to the forgery, but what it was supposed to be. In other words the MISSING LINK, which were the letters to add to the right.

Thus easing my furrowed brow. Saving me from imminent alcoholism. Not to mention another embarrassing debacle over on the other side, it being my turn again.

There would still ensue some puzzling over STARETS and parsing for a likely looking PINTAS, but the finishing line was duly staggered over, the highlighting executed and exhaustion duly noted.

Phew.

i Cryptic Crossword 3973 by Alchemi

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳⏳

Horses of various sorts are our theme today, rather surprisingly, as I was expecting something of a more spooky nature. Perhaps such puzzles have been exhausted over the years, or the same awaits us elsewhere. As this is another fun crossword by Alchemi, though, solvers will have had no cause for complaint and much to celebrate. Nothing too difficult overall, though a few bits of cunning here and there did give pause for thought, notably the unexpected key at 9ac and the hidden word at 26ac which was so well hidden that it took an age to actually spot it.

Which I suppose means that 26ac had better be my CoD – “In exam, use menthol for fun (9)”.

All the answers and parsing of the clues can be found in Fifteensquared’s blog from September 2019:

https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/09/23/independent-10279-by-alchemi/

i Cryptic Crossword 3972 Loglady

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳⏳

This took me by surprise. For some reason, known only deep in my unconscious, I was expecting this to be a lot easier than it turned out to be. I came pretty close to edging into ⏳⏳⏳⏳ timing. A few comments on Fifteensquared also suggested that others found this to be unexpectedly tough. The setter, too, commented to this effect. However, the idothei setter ratings, surely the most reliable indicator in town, has Loglady averaging at ⏳⏳⏳, so why I thought it might be less challenging than it was I do not know.

But enjoyable it certainly was, with plenty of entertaining clues scattered throughout the puzzle, and not at the expense of surface readings, either. Only one clue had me reaching for the dictionary, and that was the meagre clue. Both elements of the word-play, the inflammation and the discharge, required a check, but both seem to be legitimate (even if one is an Americanism).

My Clue of the Day is 18ac. There’s precise word-play, and there is an amusing and all too plausible surface reading: “One who makes universal truth into crap writing, perhaps (12)”.

Here’s the link for the answers and explanations: https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/11/07/independent-10318-by-loglady/

i App Cryptic Crossword S0099 by Phi

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳⏳

Half a theme today it appears to me, with a few seasonal references dotted about the grid. A couple of odd words as well that I suspect will have had you reaching for the dictionary too in disbelief, but yes, they were all present and correct. Middle of the road in terms of difficulty, and good solid entertainment for the duration – you could do a lot worse this Sunday morning.

CoD? I’ll go with 25ac – “American wit holding papers for storage of smoke? (7)”.

All the answers and parsing of the clues can be found in Fifteensquared’s blog from October 2019:

https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/10/11/independent-10295-by-phi/

i Cryptic Crossword 3971 by Vigo

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳

Something of a pleasant relief for solvers who might have struggled over the last couple of days I suspect. For others it might have been all over a bit too quickly, but at least that will have allowed some time to admire the elegance of Vigo’s setting. I’ve heard it said that writing good clues that are accessible is more difficult than writing hard ones; if so then Vigo is brilliant, because these were all very good. And what’s more there’s a theme which involves no fewer than eleven of the answers. Go back and have another look if you missed it because it is probably gettable for most solvers, although I didn’t spot it and needed Fifteensquared to point it out. See end of blog…

There were a good variety of clues on show with the usual smooth and plausible surface readings we’ve come to expect from this setter. Several could be worthy of CoD status, but I found particular delight in this spot:

11a Prepare for starvation regularly (5)

Nearly all the clues went in as I read them and some, like MIRROR say, didn’t even need to be read to the end of the clue to know what the answer was! So 1 egg-timer it is. DIACRITIC and AFTERGLOW were the ones that needed to be returned to once a few crossing letters were in place.

So, how about that theme? Think books… Think AC…

Yes it’s novels by Agatha Christie. I once read ‘Evil Under the Sun’ which was filled with ‘clues’ that turned out to be false evidence laid by the murderer to cover their tracks; so I couldn’t see for the life of me how a reader would ever be able to work out ‘whodunnit’ themselves, which I thought was the whole point! Suffice to say I didn’t return.

The answers:

www.fifteensquared.net/2019/09/17/independent-10274-vigo

i Cryptic Crossword 3970 Wire

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳⏳⏳

This splendid puzzle was right in my Goldilocks zone. Tough enough to create a challenge, but never so tough as to be unenjoyable. Moving on from the bears’ porridge, it was, to use my own preferred analogy, like eating treacle-toffee; very chewy but delicious. Not as tough as yesterday’s, but certainly another more suited to the experienced rather than the beginning solver.

Although some parsing took a fair bit of unravelling, on completion nothing seemed odd or questionable. Neither is any of the vocabulary particularly obscure, although there is the obligatory homophone, included, no doubt, purely to provoke… 🙂

Quite a few clues went in very readily, but others were distinctly tough, either in the getting or in the parsing. The post was one such, where I needed all the crossing letters before I could begin to make sense of it. Mind you, I didn’t help myself by mistakenly entering “free-lance” at 25ac; this had been my first thought, almost instantly discounted, but somehow written in when I had worked out the correct one. This gave me an E where there should have been an H. Note to self: take more care in future. The other long Down entry, the fillers, also took a bit of guessing and parsing

I loved the vampire-slayer clue, but my favourite today is 5ac for its precise construction leading to an entertaining surface reading: “Spinning Sid replaces Rolling Ric in Big Top event (6)”.

Here’s the link to Fifteensquared for the answers and explanations: https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/10/26/independent-10308-by-wire/

i Cryptic Crossword 3969 by Monk

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳

An extremely challenging puzzle by Monk today that marks something of a milestone for him several years ago. Spotting what was going on in the left and right columns, and indeed the rest of the Nina should you have been so lucky will have helped, but this was still about as difficult as the i gets. I suspect we will have all been reaching for the dictionary, and that your enjoyment factor will also have depended on how much time you had / were willing to expend.

CoD? I’ll go with 21d – “Perhaps hide artwork using rag as well (6)”.

All the answers and parsing of the clues can be found in Fifteensquared’s blog from October 2019:

https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/10/24/independent-10306-monk/

i Cryptic Crossword 3968 by Tees

Difficulty rating (out of 5): ⌛⌛

Expressions such as ‘typical’, ‘solid’, ‘pleasant enough’, ‘not too difficult’ and so on can easily sound patronising or condescending, but they could all apply to this fine example of Tees’ mastery of sound cluing with nothing flashy about it. There was admittedly some less common GK required, such as the Bulgarian currency in 5dn and the people of Dagestan in 17dn – although the answer to the latter could be got without that specific information.

Elsewhere it was all pretty straightforward with a fairly obvious anagram to get one started at 9/6 (with an updated clue to boot). There was another neat anagram in the slightly risqué 18dn, not that that should cause more than a wry smile or a slightly raised eyebrow. Today’s clues also provide plenty to savour, such as the two rivers in 4dn, the different type of dressing in 16ac and the French city in 26ac. There was, though, some headscratching required – for me, anyway – such as with my LOI, 23dn. And a bit of ornithology might help in understanding what is my CoD, 10ac: ‘young head-turner hotel worker holds back (5)’.

On fifteensquared a lack of comments is often seen as the mark of a quality puzzle, and in this case there were a mere half dozen, as you can see at http://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/10/28/independent-10309-by-tees/

i Cryptic Crossword 3967 by Phi

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳⏳⏳

US cities it appears is the theme that you won’t have spotted today, this being Phi and Phi’s themes often being difficult to unravel. As was the puzzle, I thought, being more than a little chewy in places. The SE corner in particular took more time than I would have liked, though my solve was far from uninterrupted, so your mileage may vary.

CoD? Love it, or indeed hate it, 28ac is certainly original – “Only one component of skean-dhu will do for Indian? (5)”.

All the answers and parsing of the clues can be found in Fifteensquared’s blog from October 2019:

https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/10/18/independent-10301-phi/

Inquisitor 1825 United by Eclogue

United, presumably, because we all stand together. According to that perennial classic, anyway, courtesy of the two greyed downs. Or ups, depending on which way you look at it.

Several mysteries would remain at the close.

• Firstly, why Chambers defines the RHEA as being a “small, flightless bird”, whereas both the interweb and reality appear to differ.
• 15ac. You struggled too, didn’t you?
• Why I am so tired, having drifted off several times throughout the solve, rather rudely some would argue, despite a prevailing air of amusement having been maintained throughout.

Upside-down frogs of various sorts were the unclued entries, erect too some would say. Though it did help if you read the preamble first and weren’t left befuddled by what looked like some rather easy &Lits that didn’t fit the checking letters in any shape or form.

What with THE FROG CHORUS and an ex-Beatle filling the rest, the theme could safely be said to fall with some speed.

So what more could you want? The sun is shining, the weather feels comparatively warm. Well, a Wales win against Argentina would help, but I’ll tell you how that went in 80 minutes.