
Clues by Imogen and Grid by Calluna
Enter the prize draw by 31 January.
The background for this puzzle is a photograph of a pile of logs.
I seem to see the dreaming spires and hear the sound of shorter and longer electrical tones…
This puzzle by Imogen uses a conventional 7x5x5 grid by Calluna and marks several anniversaries: among them a 38th, a 19th and a 13th. It all began with an anagram (4,3,2,9) of the highlighted cells, of which this month sees the 50th anniversary. Solvers must include this with their entry. Clues are numbered in alphabetical order of their solutions.
…now repeated by violins…
It shouldn’t take long to detect the main theme. There are many murders and several television series here, though none of them, ironically is Dexter. The required anagram is the first appearance in the original form (and not the first televised appearance).
…while a guitar plays the melody…
Imogen and Calluna have given us a fun start to the year and one that the original creator (a great crossword enthusiast) would have enjoyed.
Day 2
Tailor securing home cheers up (5)
You need to almost start from the back of this one (cheers securing home up). A word for cheers has inside it (securing) a word for a home. The up tells you to enter it all upwards to give you a word for tailor. [JP]
Day 3
I thicken line, space being limited in painting (9)
Nice misleading artistic surface! Think of another word for line followed by a word for space without the last letter (being limited). This then goes inside a word for painting to give you a thickening agent (I thicken). [JP]
Day 14
Brother’s headlong plunge after stripping (5)
Look for a 7-letter word meaning headlong plunge. Stripping means you remove the outer letters. The result is, like “brother!”, an interjection expressing surprise. [NI]
Day 15
As master I floor Japanese apprentice (5)
Think of an academic master followed by an abbreviation for I floor (in a forceful way) to give you an apprentice geisha. [JP]
Day 16
Complaints of Pacific islanders South Africa expelled (5)
The name of Pacific islanders in seven letters. Then remove the abbreviation for South Africa (indicator ‘expelled’) which leaves us with the five letters we need for complaints. [GS]
Day 18
US immigrant’s child that is evil to bring up (5)
Look out for down clues (8d) that indicate the solver should work from the bottom up (indicator ‘bring up’). So abbreviate ‘that is’ and then a three letter word for evil now gives you (reading down) the name of a US immigrant’s child. [GS]
Day 22
They get very heated in Beethoven symphonies (5)
This is the most annoying type of clue as the solution is right under your nose, usually spread across two or possibly three words (indicator ‘in’). [GS]
Day 26
Gives tips to corps personnel (9)
“Gives tips to” is the definition, though you might think of it as “bears in mind”. Take a short abbreviation for an army corps and follow with a word for personnel. [NI]
Day 35
Pupils, a year into class, flipped (5)
You need a letter for year inserted into a word for class. Flipped suggests reversing the whole thing. The answer means pupils, in the sense of beginners or novices. [NI]
Day 36
Horse from Oz extremely lame in battle (5)
(Keep in mind this is the last solution for the puzzle.) A three letter word for battle to include the letters LE (extremely lame) does indeed give us a horse from down under. [GS]
I am grateful to the other members of the Hints & Tips team: Garry Stripling (Gin) and Jim Pennington (Philostrate).
Happy solving!
Nick Inglis (etc)