Introduction
Your first reaction on looking at this puzzle may be that the grid does not match the clues. However, be assured that the correct grid has indeed been published.
The key to the puzzle is found in 26d. I have hidden the explanation to give you the chance to unravel it for yourself. (show explanation )
The definition in 26d is "the sum of this puzzle's digits" which tells us that the grid contains digits as well as letters. The wordplay "some zaNINEss" reveals that the digits in the grid add up to NINE.
There are nine instances where the solver must replace the letter sequence O+N+E with the digit "1".
hide
The key to the puzzle is found in 26d. I have hidden the explanation to give you the chance to unravel it for yourself. (show explanation )
The definition in 26d is "the sum of this puzzle's digits" which tells us that the grid contains digits as well as letters. The wordplay "some zaNINEss" reveals that the digits in the grid add up to NINE.
There are nine instances where the solver must replace the letter sequence O+N+E with the digit "1".
hide
Thank you to Henry for supplying an explanation for the solutions which can be found in the Comments below. I've slightly modified his suggested title.
I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.
Signing off for this week — Falcon
To find the common factor of the answers that are two (or for) large to fit, study #26 and then address the ball properly.
ReplyDeleteGood Saturday morning all! In between Christmas and New Year's must be a special time - the puzzle grid does not match the clue indicators. Haven't figured out how to resolve this yet.
ReplyDeleteIf you take out the 'ON' from the words (e.g. No ON) you reduce the words by two letters and they fit the grid. I have 28a, but it doesn't fit NOON for 26d. NINE does fit.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love it when a solution seems completely impossible at first, then one toehold leads to another and finally, wham-o, it's completely obvious.
ReplyDeleteI am not so sure it is 'completely obvious' but there are nine ones missing from the across clues and nine ones missing from the down clues. It was a struggle to figure this one out. What astonishes me is that C&R would go to all this trouble a) to dream up this idea, and b) to implement it. Solution will be posted shortly.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anything is missing from the clues. What I like about this puzzle is the envelope pushing. It goes a bit beyond being just a normal cryptic, but it's not quite complex enough to be a full variety cryptic, and it falls just short of being a meta cryptic. If 26D were somehow presented as 'the answer', the puzzle could qualify as a meta.
DeleteI should have written 'answers' not 'clues'
DeleteHappy New Year’s to all! If you were expecting an easy puzzle today, you’ll be disappointed – but if you’re looking for a challenge, well. I call this puzzle “No one’s here today.”
ReplyDeleteI can't get the 'strikethrough' font to appear in these comments, so you'll have to apply it yourself. I put a # symbol beside those that have this.
A number of the across and down answers (nine each to be exact) have the letters ONE in them – but half of it (the ON) is missing in the grid, so the sum of the missing digits is nine (we’re taking some liberties in the interpretation, but if you have a better idea…)
ACROSS
1a MEGAPHON#ES* Anagram (placed randomly) on ‘among sheep’
5a A|TONIC A+, TONIC=drink that goes with gin
9a CITRON#ELLAS* Anagram (rearranged) on ‘Sir Lancelot’
11a CAN|T|O CAN=preserve, T=Eliot’s last (the last letter in the word Eliot), O=love, letter that looks like the number 0 in tennis (l’oeuf)
12a WIN|TRY WIN=success, with TRY=venture (verb)
13a HON#EYMOON#ERS* Anagram (changed) on ‘money on shore’
15a M(AND)ALAY AND+ in MALAY=Pacific archipelago
16a CAP(ON#)E ON+ contained in (wearing) CAPE=Dracula’s garb
19a IN|CA IN=occupying, CA(lifornia)
20a TAX|ON|O|MY TAX=try, ON+, O=ring (letter that looks like a ring), MY+
23a EXON#ERATES* Anagram (sadly) on ‘see no extra’
24a OPPON#ENT* Anagram (twisted) on ‘top on pen’
27a A|LIB|I A+, LIB(eral), I=ego
28a ALI|MENTAL ALI=boxing champ Muhammad Ali, MENTAL=rational
29a LON(DON#)ER DON=Oxford teacher, contained in (embracing) LONER=solitary sort
30a PERSE|P|HON#E PER SE=intrinsically, P(oor) grade in school, HONE=perfect (verb)
DOWN
1d MA|CAWS MA=mom, CAWS=makes noises like crows
2d GE(T I)N TI=a musical note, contained in (penned by) GEN(eral)
3d P(I ON#)EERING I(sland, ON+, contained in (around) PEERING=looking
4d ON#EILL˜ Homonym (said) on “oh, kneel=prepare to be dubbed or knighted”, Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature.
6d TO (CO)ME CO(mpany) contained in (about) TOME=big book
7d NONMON#ETARY* Anagram (badly) on ‘annoy mentor’
8d CR(OSSB*)ON#ES OSSB=Anagram (wildly) on ‘sobs’, contained in (amid) CRONES=witch’s
10d STON#EMASON* Anagram (cooked) on ‘at noon mess’
14d PAN|ATE|LA PAN=review harshly, ATE=polished off, LA=the in Spanish
15d MICRON#ESIAN* Anagram (swimming) on ‘main cronies’
17d {FI(RE)B}ALL RE(garding) contained in FIB=lie, and ALL=completely
18d COUP|LETS COUP=government takeover, LETS=permits
21d BARITON#E* Anagram (dancing) on ‘into bare’
22d STAL(LON#)E LON=Lon Chaney (Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American stage and film actor, make-up artist, director and screenwriter), contained in (interrupts) STALE=worn out. Sylvester Enzio Stallone (b July 6, 1946) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer, who starred in the ‘Rocky’ films.
25d ONE# STEP* Anagram (carelessly) on ‘open set’
26d NINE See opening paragraphs for explanation – Hidden in (some) zaNINEss
Hi Henry,
DeleteCould 26d mean the sum of 3 and 6? There are 36 spaces missing in the grid.
Peter
That certainly works for me.
DeleteHere is an alternate way to present the solutions which shows the actual characters (letters and digits) which must be inserted in the grid. One replaces each occurrence of the letter sequence "O+N+E" with the digit "1". Unfortunately, it is often not possible to show both the parsing and the substitution in the same presentation.
DeleteACROSS
1a MEGAPH[1]S*
9a CITR[1]LLAS*
13a H[1]YMO[1]RS*
16a CAP[1]
23a EX[1]RATES*
24a OPP[1]NT*
29a LOND[1]R -- one can't show both the parsing and the substitution at the same time
30a PERSE|P|H[1]
DOWN
3d PI[1]ERING -- another instance where one cannot display both the parsing and substitution
4d [1]ILL˜
7d NONM[1]TARY*
8d CR(OSSB*)[1]S
10d ST[1]MASON*
15d MICR[1]SIAN*
21d BARIT[1]*
22d STALL[1] -- yet another instance where one cannot display both the parsing and substitution
25d {[1] STEP}*
Falcon, I think you should strive to show the puzzle's title. I think the comments show that many solvers would have twigged to the need to show consecutive letters O+N+E as "1", had they seen the title, which today I see for the first time.
DeleteThere are nine crossing squares in the grid into which you can squeeze three letters: O+N+E. That will complete the answers in both directions with no missing letters. Alternatively, you can go rebus style and fill those nine squares with the numeral 1.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best approach I have seen yet.
DeleteI think the intended approach is to replace each occurrence of the letter sequence "O+N+E" with the digit "1". I have modified the Introduction accordingly.
DeleteHi Falcon!
DeleteThanks for your update, it is a tricky one to decipher what C&R were aiming for.
I suppose you're back in the hospital - here's hoping for a speedy recovery!
And many thanks for the posting.
Henry
Hi Henry,
DeleteNever left the hospital -- although I have been transferred to a rehab centre from a regular hospital.
Very quickly saw what had to be done to solve the clues that were missing some letters. Nice change from the usual format.
ReplyDelete