Clues by Boatman and Grid by Calluna
Enter the prize draw by 31 May.
The background for this puzzle is a Bernhard Renner photo of a stone marker indicating the distance to a destination.
This puzzle by Boatman uses a conventional 7x5x6 grid by Calluna and celebrates the centenary of the birth of the subject, whose name is the answer to Day 19. The letters contained in the squares coloured blue and orange in the grid can be rearranged to form (in different senses) two of the subject’s titles. Solvers must include both of these with their entries. Clues are numbered in alphabetical order of their solutions.
Whenever an entry includes letters in coloured squares, these letters are ignored in the wordplay for the relevant clue (though the definition refers to the complete word to be entered). Of course the full answer (including any letters in coloured squares) has to be entered in the grid and the entry form. This happens in all but four of the clues.
As for the titles hidden in the coloured squares. One of them is the title of possibly the subject’s most famous work. The other is an informal title bestowed on the subject himself.
Another virtuoso offering from Boatman who, by omitting the coloured squares from the wordplay has improvised a cool puzzle. If you find yourself in a jam: so what!
Day 10
Unrest in Los Angeles after expulsion of one pupil in vain? Quite the reverse (7)
This is one of the very few normal clues. Unrest suggests an anagram, but there are too many letters in Los Angeles. We get rid of (expel) a 2-letter synonym for one and a single letter representing pupil. The definition is “Vain? Quite the reverse”. [NI]
Day 13
Obscure part of poem “Sex” by Lawrence (5)
The first letter is in a blue cell, so is ignored by the wordplay. We get two letters from “sex” and two more from Lawrence (the surface suggests one Lawrence, but we need a different one). The whole entry is an archaic term for part of a poem. Two spellings fit the crossing letters, but only one agrees with the wordplay. [NI]
Day 16
Hesitates to cycle with one using electric power to make short cuts (6)
Another of the rare normal clues. The definition is “hesitates” and “cycle” indicates that we cyclically permute the letters of a word meaning “one using electric power to make short cuts” (in this case we are just taking the initial letter and sending it to the end). [NI]
Day 22
Image visualised in epitaph: tombstone (5)
Solution — Another word for Image. (Giving you the letter O in the blue square.) [GS]
Day 23
Danced as a Bohemian, heartlessly left out with humourless expression (2-5)
The third letter is in a blue cell and the fifth in an orange cell, so the wordplay ignores both of those. Take a Bohemian dance and add “-ed” to get a 7-letter word meaning “danced as a Bohemian”. First make it heartless by deleting the middle letter. Then delete (out) a letter for left. The hyphenated answer means “with humourless expression”. [NI]
Day 24
Stomp about the place in Germany (7)
Solution — A place in Germany. Method — an anagram of Stomp (indicator about) not including the two yellow squares. However, to double check, once the two missing letters have been chosen, they in turn are a German word that can only confirm your choice. In only six words this clue has gone beyond the instructions in the introduction! [GS]
Day 29
Big books of cats (5)
Solution — Another word for Big books. (Giving you the letter E in the yellow square.) [GS]
Day 30
A related group of people from centres of Antrim and St Bees (5)
Solution — Another word for a related group of people. (Giving you the letter I in the yellow square) [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)
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