Enigmatic Variations 1573 (Hints)
Capital by Vismut
Hints and tips by Phibs
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This is my second Vismut EV, following October’s ‘Save’, which was awash with avian anagrams. Last time I speculated on the setter’s pseudonym being linked in some way to the element bismuth, which is called ‘vismut’ in certain languages. I now find that it is also the name of a device used by the KGB in the Lubyanka Building and Intourist Hotel in Moscow to receive the output from hidden microphones and tapped telephone lines. This was during the Cold War, but perhaps I’m getting warmer…?
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Enigmatic Variations 1571 (Hints)
Dotty Links by Wickball
Hints and tips by Phibs
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The sport of Sepat Takraw can be played with a wicker ball, and Wickball is also the name of an ancient camp in Wiltshire. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, I conclude that our setter is a devotee of kick volleyball who lives near Salisbury.
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Enigmatic Variations 1569 (Hints)
Coexistence by Skylark
Hints and tips by Phibs
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I’d like to tell you where the pseudonym Skylark comes from, but I can’t. Is she perhaps a diminutive songster, or someone who enjoys the occasional drop of a blithe spirit? Or could the fact that Chambers gives the verb ‘skylark’ as meaning ‘to trick’ be relevant? I’m hoping that our setter might come to my assistance…
…which she has very kindly done – see the first comment below. A much better reason for choosing the name than any of my suggestions!
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Enigmatic Variations 1567 (Hints)
Condition by Eclogue
Hints and tips by Phibs
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The name Eclogue might suggest some connection with Virgil, but I believe that it actually refers to a hybrid creature whereof the front part is operated by Eclipse (thus partial rather than total) and the rear section by Logogriph, this latter being “a kind of enigma, in which a certain word, and other words that can be formed out of all or any of its letters, are to be guessed from synonyms of them introduced into a set of verses.”
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Enigmatic Variations 1565 (Hints)
Solstice by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Phibs
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I learn from an interview with The Guardian that “Chalicea began as a simple merging of CHARLES (husband) and ALICE (mum). Doc, the editor of 1 Across magazine, accidentally added the A and it stuck.” My fellow blogger also on occasion goes under the names Curmudgeon and Gnomie (suggesting a tight fist and a pointy head?), and has a reputation for producing entertaining and scrupulously fair puzzles which tend to inhabit the lower end of the difficulty spectrum.
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Enigmatic Variations 1563 (Hints)
Belief Systems by Serpent
Hints and tips by Phibs
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I gather that our setter’s alias derives from the name of the block cipher (cryptographic algorithm) which came second in the contest to establish the Advanced Encryption Standard. Why not choose the name of the winner? Well, Rijndael doesn’t quite have the same ring about it, and anyway Serpent was arguably the hardest of the lot to crack – let’s hope that cracking this puzzle isn’t quite so tough…
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Enigmatic Variations 1561 (Hints)
Thirtieth Anniversary by proXimal
Hints and tips by Phibs
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The Enigmatic Variations series was started by James Leonard (RUSTIC) in 1992. The first puzzle was published on 18th October of that year – entitled GREETINGS, the perimeter of the completed grid contained the message ‘WELCOME TO THE NEW SUNDAY TELEGRAPH PRIZE CROSSWORD’. Leonard edited the puzzle from its inception until his death in 2013, at which point Chris Lancaster (SAMUEL) took over the responsibility. When Chris moved on in 2019, the current editor, Steve Bartlett aka proXimal, took over.
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Enigmatic Variations 1559 (Hints)
Save by Vismut
Hints and tips by Phibs
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In several European languages, ‘vismut’ translates to ‘bismuth’. My university thesis (in the dim and distant past) concerned the photoelectron spectroscopy of oxidation catalysis by bismuth molybdate. I can’t see that being relevant here.
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Enigmatic Variations 1557 (Hints)
Or Do They? by Poat
Hints and tips by Phibs
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I’ve never solved a Poat puzzle before, so I have no idea what to expect…
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Enigmatic Variations 1555 (Hints)
The Rules of the Game by Ifor
Hints and tips by Phibs
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Ifor has a reputation for producing top-quality puzzles which are neither simple nor mind-bendingly hard and are extremely rewarding to solve. No pressure then, Ifor…
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