Clues and Grid by Sirius
Enter the prize draw by 31 July.
The background for this puzzle is a Darkmoon_Art image of a walkway through a dense tropical forest. The rubric is presented as if written in chalk on a traditional school classroom display.
This puzzle by Sirius uses an unconventional Eight Dials torus grid, marking the centenary of a birth and the 70th anniversary of a success for a revolutionary work (4,6,3,5) which you are asked to identify.
Note that cell numbers are incorrect in five clues in the printed calendar. Those affected are:
Days 1 & 28: 46 should be 45;
Days 2 & 3: 47 should be 46;
Day 4: 48 should be 47.
The numbers are correct in the version available from the website.
As usual in an Eight Dials grid, entries in the eight dials can run clockwise (C), anticlockwise (AC) or diametrically (di). In addition, entries may run between the dials down (d) or up (up). The Eight Dials grid is presented with North at the left so that up entries go right to left and down entries go left to right. Some cells are tinted to help the eye with up/d entries.
In Days 22 and 38, small clock faces are used to give the direction of diametric entries. In these cases 12 o’clock is North (to the left). Thus the 6 o’clock indicator in Day 22 indicates that the final 3 entries go to the right. Similarly the 8 o’clock indicator in Day 38 indicates that the first three entries go down the page and slightly to the right, thus running from cell 40 to cell 32.
The solutions for Days 12 and 17 are entered toroidally. Each has 8 letters and is entered up (that is right to left on the page) through cells of the same shading and after reaching the left-most dial continues from the right-most dial.
There is also a small hexagon with 3 vacant cells at the North (left end of the grid). This is repeated at the right end of the grid and the same letters should be entered in both hexagons. In Day 1 the 10-letter entry starts in cell 45, continues d (left to right) through the central cells of the eight dials, and then ends in the right-most cell of the hexagon (not in cell 45, as the central core of the eight dials curves slightly down). Cell 45 also occurs in Day 28 which has three purple cells going d (left to right) from 28, then passes through cell 45 and ends with the purple cell 50. The left-most cell of the hexagon is used in the entry for Day 40. This unclued entry goes up (right to left) through the lower yellow cells from 42 to 47, then passes through the yellow cell in the hexagon and then goes d (left to right) through the upper yellow cells, ending at cell 44.
The clues make reference to X and Y, which is the thematic genre. The words X and Y also have natural cryptic crossword interpretations, which is why they appear so often in the clues (once or twice referenced by homophones).
The layout of the grid diagram is intended to suggest the name given to 37 20’s six companions.
The unclued Days 40 and 42, and also Day 22 are extracts from the revolutionary work.
Solvers are required to submit the name of the revolutionary work and X and Y with their solutions.
Sirius is at his most mischievous here, bending the rules so far that they go clean round the bend and catch you unawares. A cosmic and revolutionary treat!
Day 6
What Australians wouldn’t give for anything else, how many times spelt out (4,1)
This time X means by or times and not its other usage in the puzzle. It refers to the product from Castlemaine Perkins brewery in Brisbane and how many times are used in its name. [JP]
Day 8
Small child given a large sum (5)
A small child (3 letters) followed by the two initials presumed. Solution: synonym of sum; not necessarily a big one. [GS]
Day 12
Y luncheon meat – peaches too – aids to a celestial disposition (4,4)
Y is used in its cryptic sense as a reversal indicator. We need a word for luncheon meat and a word for peaches and then the whole thing is reversed to give aids to a celestial disposition. Peaches is used in the Shakespearean sense of “informs against”. [NI]
Day 17
Casablanca’s Cafe American pianist-one that delves into Maltese birds? (3,5)
Think of the often misquoted line for the first name, then a word for something that delves to give you the character in The Maltese Falcon. [JP]
Day 21
Short knee-length anorak about right for X (4)
Take an abbreviation for a short knee-length waterproof anorak and insert a letter for right. X is the definition, and is being used in its natural sense. [NI]
Day 22
Suggest yogurt (without strong drink) to happy paper boy and dress for developed Lindy Hopper (3,4,4,4,2)
First you need a short word for suggest (often used with “forward”). Now you need two letters often combined with & to indicate a strong drink of a spirit and mixer. Remove these two letters from yogurt. Follow these with synonyms for happy, paper and boy. The whole thing means “dress for developed Lindy Hopper”. It is also the start of a line in the revolutionary work. [NI]
Day 24
Witters away fuelled by race issue (4,2)
Another word for race (on foot?) followed by a male issue will give you another way of saying witters away. [JP]
Day 34
One of these (4,[4])
You are simply looking for a 4-letter word that can be represented by X. The whole arrangement resembles a distinctive feature of the hairstyle of 37 20 known as a 4-[4] (the 4-letter answer followed by another 4-letter word). [NI]
Day 36
Y (as in log) through silt – exit? (4)
The definition is Y, used in a non-cryptic sense (as in log). The italics and question mark indicate that Sirius is taking liberties: exit should be interpreted as “X it”. In other words this is an anagram indicator. [NI]
Day 37
Soft pencil lead Sirius will be sticking out in Portland (4)
One letter representing a soft pencil, followed by one representing Sirius followed by the contracted form of the next word. Equals a headland in Dorset. [GS]
Day 38
Amnio fluid in the twinkling of an eye? (2,1,2)
A simple enough anagram (indicator fluid) but don’t be put off by the clock face – it is correct. If unclear please refer back to the paragraph in the introduction above which explains Days 38 and 22. [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)