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Clues by Paul and Grid by etc
Enter the prize draw by 30 September.
The background for this puzzle is a Graham Fox photograph depicting a starry night sky.
Insistent rhythms on the strings herald the arrival of ominous brass…
This puzzle by Paul uses a seven dials grid by etc and celebrates the 150th anniversary of a birth and the 106th anniversary of the first appearance of a wide-ranging work.
…gentle flutes and harps with horn and violin solos…
Appropriately, every character has been included. Each of the objects named in the thematic work appears in the grid.
…lively melodies on harp, flute and glockenspiel…
Appropriately, every character has been included. This also hints at a property (popular in cruciverbal circles) of the completed grid.
…blaring horns and waltzing strings opening into a hymn tune…
Contents of the bold-outlined pink cells can be rearranged to give the epithet of one of the thematic objects depicted: solvers should submit this with their entry. Several of the other thematic objects are described by what they bring, and these gifts also appear in the grid along with the epithet of one of the two remaining thematic objects.
…slow processional rising to a climax before fading away…
One solution can be found in dictionaries only under a headword hinted at in the clue (see detailed hints below).
…a clumsy dance getting more and more out of hand…
I was delighted to be awarded the 2022 RPM Trophy for this grid. Paul has composed an astronomical suite of clues in perfect harmony with the theme.
… harp and strings glide over one another before being joined by an off-stage choir.
Solvers should listen to the music of the spheres and inspiration will be forthcoming.
Day 1
One of those up against the wall cheers favourite (5)
You want short words for cheers (in a grateful sense) and favourite. Together they form an unfamiliar word (Spenser is the culprit) for a wall hanging. [NI]
Day 5
A mug that’s unmarried has nosh to prepare — dish for bachelors? (7)
Tricky one this. Not in Chambers nor Collins. But the solution to Day 4 is already a big help. It’s an anagram, indicated by the phrase “to prepare”. A ug (not married) plus nosh gives the seven letters. It’s the name of a side dish popular in the Middle East. [GS]
Note also that the answer to Day 5 appears in the standard dictionaries as part of a 2-word phrase when preceded by a word consisting of a repeated pair of letters representing bachelor. [NI]
Day 7
All but one of the decision makers accepting conclusion in evidence given by underworld giant (7)
Nice surface pointing you to a particular group of decision makers. All but one means take off the last letter. Accepting tells you to include the conclusion of evidence after a short word for the underworld to give you a thematic giant. [JP]
Day 10
Bow etc with knotted string I left, but no name (2,5)
Not wrapping a parcel here! You need an anagram of string I and abbreviation for left, but no name to give you the name for a group of 20s girls. [JP]
Day 21
Muslim official elected for a second term? (5)
Naughty but admirable clue this. You need three letters for the title of a Muslim official commonly found preceding another word. And two letters to indicate elected, rather than the opposite of three letters indicating no longer in office. Put these two elements together and you have an adverb, 5 letters, meaning repeat. [GS]
Day 24
Old monetary unit, past(?) one (5)
The parenthetic question mark indicates that some liberties are being taken. If we split past into two halves, we get an abbreviation for a constituent entity of the USA preceded by the standard postal abbreviation for a particular such entity. This also has a 4-letter abbreviation: add a letter for one and you have an old monetary unit, no longer used since the adoption of the Euro. [NI]
Liberties indeed. The setter's original parsing is that (?) indicates a letter is missing. So take a type of past_ without its final letter and add one to get an old monetary unit. (Though NI's version works just as well.) [Ed]
Day 27
Fruity playwright’s playwright? (6)
You’re looking for a fruit, mostly used in jellies and marmalades, which is also the name of a playwright appearing in a famous play. This character is the rude mechanical who wrote a most lamentable comedy. [NI]
Day 34
Control required to import hot eau de Cologne? (5)
Nice succinct clue. Think of a word for control and insert an abbreviation for hot to give you the geographical eau de cologne. [JP]
Day 35
Ancient figure, as modern science’s dictated? (5)
Dictated indicates that you want a homophone: of as followed by a word for modern science (often preceded by hi-). The result is an ancient figure from the New World. [NI]
Day 41
Strange girl second to speak? (6)
These clues ending in a question mark are little devils aren’t they? Here we are working with two homophones indicated by the phrase “to speak” resulting in a specific definition of strange. Many homophones contain the same number of letters, e.g. here/hear but both of these are four letters reduced to three. The title of an unmarried girl plus a synonym for a short period of time. [GS]
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