A couple of people speculated as to the reason for the recent Alphabetical/Alphanumeric interlude in the Stickler Weekly series. It wasn’t paid work, unfortunately, but it was R & R of sorts – a few weeks on the north coast of NSW, an area that my wife and I might retire to in coming years. As a professional crossword and word puzzle setter, time away from home presents a number of significant problems. In the Stickler era, where I was writing all kinds of puzzles full-time, there were four weekly deadlines with different papers, six monthly ones for magazines and websites, and various other ones associated (at different times) with puzzle magazines. In order to get away for any length of time a great deal of pre-planning was required, including building up stock of various puzzles to cover the non-working time. In the case of the Stickler, I tried to stay about 6 weeks ahead to allow for holidays and sickness, but given notice of time off I would attempt to crank up my stockpiling so as to never be too low on puzzles. This meant writing 13 Sticklers every two weeks (12 for regular publication and one extra) – a three-week break (the most I ever took while writing The Stickler) required the creation of an extra 18 puzzles to keep the stock levels the same, a task that would take me up to 6 months to complete.
These days things are much easier, of course, but planning is still very important to ensure a trouble-free time away. Not only should everything needed for publication be sent before the time away, but I have to carry a laptop that is loaded with everything needed to fix a problem or create a puzzle just in case something goes wrong. I even cut a DVD loaded with all my crossword software, dictionaries and puzzle files just in case of laptop failure and the need to buy a new laptop and reload it. Internet connection and email are essential – I can’t afford to let publications down in the situation I’m in. (In one case involving magazine puzzles, a deadline was brought forward while I was on holiday due to a failure on the part of the people I was working with to realise that the printing house in Asia shut down for Chinese New Year.) I’ve now added website duties to my list of things that could need attention while away, so I’m prepared for that and a modernish phone keeps me up-to-date with emails and gives me the ability to do limited things on the move.
Such is the life of a crossword setter.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | REBUTTAL | |
| Victim implicated in factual counter-statement (8) | BUTT inside REAL | |
| 5 | COAST | |
| Price plugged by a taxi (5) | A inside COST | |
| 9 | PAINT THE TOWN RED | |
| Executive’s offsider and confidant, finally embraced by 13-down, organised party? (5,3,4,3) | PA + [CONFIDAN(T) inside anagram of THIRTEEN DOWN] | |
| 10 | ROUND-TRIP | |
| Head away from Earth time with current orbit (5-4) | G(ROUND) + T + RIP | |
| 11 | RESIN | |
| Fall over pine product? (5) | RE-SIN | |
| 12 | COLD | |
| Front of church over the hill is made of stone (4) | (C)HURCH + OLD | |
| 14 | POISONS | |
| Spy retreating carrying iodine, sulphur and potentially lethal substances (7) | SNOOP reversed outside (I + S) | |
| 17 | TIRADES | |
| Lectures given by one involved in commercial dealings (7) | I inside TRADES | |
| 19 | MEEK | |
| Compliant letters not forwarded from among fake emails (4) | faKE EMails reversed | |
| 22 | ARENA | |
| Field hosting competition ultimately? (5) | AREA outside COMPETITIO(N) | |
| 23 | DAMASCENE | |
| Keep back a display’s ornament inlaid with precious metal (9) | DAM + A + SCENE | |
| 25 | DISCONTINUATION | |
| Break dance group making a comeback in the country (15) | DISCO + (UNIT reversed inside NATION) | |
| 26 | DONUT | |
| Execute crazy manoeuvre on road (5) | DO + NUT | |
| 27 | DOBERMAN | |
| Be trapped in large bedroom by an alert dog (8) | (BE inside DORM) + AN | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | REPORT | |
| Work for a newspaper on computer interface (6) | RE + PORT | |
| 2 | BAIL UP | |
| Trouble surfaced in pub around corner (4,2) | AIL inside (PUB reversed) | |
| 3 | TOTED | |
| Small child with little education may be carried (5) | TOT + ED | |
| 4 | ADHERED | |
| Cracked head covered in blood is fixed (7) | Anagram of HEAD + RED | |
| 5 | COWARDICE | |
| Struggle in company to reject chicken’s quality (9) | WAR inside (CO + DICE) | |
| 6 | ABRASION | |
| A piece of underwear is riding up on sensitive skin (8) | A + BRA + (IS reversed) + ON | |
| 7 | TIDINESS | |
| Order and sit around eating lunches, say? (8) | SIT reversed outside DINES | |
| 8 | STEP UP | |
| Boost site with one lost little dog (4,2) | SITE minus I + PUP | |
| 13 | ODD MAN OUT | |
| Clue for “amount”, possibly, could be an exception (3,3,3) | Showing: anagram of MAN OUT | |
| 15 | STRANDED | |
| Stuck with single thin lengths twisted together (8) | Double Definition | |
| 16 | CREEPS IN | |
| One wearing tattered spencer enters slowly (6,2) | I inside anagram of SPENCER | |
| 18 | SEDATE | |
| Escort parked behind vacated site is quiet? (6) | DATE after (S)it(E) | |
| 19 | MEMENTO | |
| Reminder of the past carried by some men today (7) | soME MEN TOday | |
| 20 | MEDIUM | |
| Die horribly in the arms of tight-lipped spiritualist (6) | Anagram of DIE inside MUM | |
| 21 | LEAN ON | |
| Intimidate bishop not wanted in republic of western Asia (4,2) | LEBANON minus B | |
| 24 | STALE | |
| Ending of this story is unoriginal (5) | THI(S) + TALE |
think I’ve said before David – It’s Not An Easy One
& sure I can speak for everyone else, we certainly appreciate your efforts
What Richard said.
4-dn: How does “A covered in B” lead to B coming after (or below in a down clue) A? I’m sure I’m missing something.
Thanks,
Steve = : ^ )
The “covered in” isn’t meant to be a positional indication, it’s meant to be taken with “blood” to lead to RED in a bloody sense. That is, like with “red-handed”, which comes from the image of hands covered in blood, a “Cracked head covered in blood…” was supposed produce an image of an injured head red with blood, hence ADHE + RED.
Obviously not a clear enough image.
David
It’s clear enough now that you elucidate it. 😉 I don’t think there’s any precedent for me taking “blood” to indicate RED, anyway. My problem, I think, not yours.
Thanks,
Steve = : ^ )