Sixes and Sevens III

Appeared in the June 2020 issue Crossword Club magazine as the First Puzzle.

Eight otherwise unconnected lights are unclued.  Eight extra words in clues provide anagrams of words connected one way or another by a six-letter word.  Their number and the connection, when considered with the words of the title allude to which and how many adjacent cells solvers must highlight (the start point of which is also thematic). 

 

Solution Grid

The EIGHT extra words anagram to words meaning or connected to SQUARE, indicating the form of the EIGHT cells to be highlighted, spelling DISORDER clockwise from cell 36 (being six-SQUAREd), linking back to (at) SIXES AND SEVENS.

(4 x 6) LASHER = ASHLER, LANOSE = SLOANE, RISQUE = SQUIER/SQUIRE, CREDIT = DIRECT,

(4 x 7) ASSUAGE = SAUSAGE, EXTINES = SIXTEEN, PREFECT = PERFECT, HOOTERS = SHOOTER

Solvers' comments

“I can’t see the significance of the unclued lights.” 

“Made rather easy to solve by the very open grid. Difficult for the compiler.” 

“Amazingly few bar lines! Not too difficult.” 

“An enjoyable puzzle The gridfill was easier than I expected, mainly because of the generous amount of checkability. The endgame was much harder. First I had to hunt through the clues for extra words previously unnoticed. I found more than eight words which seemed to me to be unnecessary for the clues to wor . This can be a pain with extra words. Then some had more than one anagram. Eventually it occurred to me that some of them had a more or less vague connection with the word SQUARE, and after a frit amount of grid-staring spotted DISORDER. Many thanks.” 

“You can’t get a more traditional square crossword than this. Squares everywhere, in the diagram and the clues. Even unclued lights are squared. Very clever to have ‘disorder’ start on a square — and of 6 too! Four (another square!) sets of challenges to complete and very satisfying to complete. Than you, Eclogue.” 

“We found this an interesting and enjoyable challenge. It was very impressive to fill the grid solely with 6– or 7-letter words. We didn’t manage to ma e all the connections and loo forward to seeing the solution to fill in the gaps.” 

“Quite a feat of construction. 13 × 13 free of unches offering some new words/ meanings but strangely, fairly easy to solve — than goodness!” “For a long time I had DILUTED, but it suddenly came together. I never got more than seven ‘extra’ words, and oddly enough it was ASHLER that made me think of SQUARE. I’m not entirely sure what the rest of the preamble is on about, but there are eight cells in a square around the bloc in the middle that spell DISORDER from 36, which is six– and seven-y enough.” 

“A fairly straightforward solve, although I don’t thin it is necessary to identify the six-letter word. Even so, the highlighted word doesn’t take much spotting.” 

“One of those you just plod through. Couldn’t see the point of the unclued lights and didn’t feel inclined to search 

very hard. A bit square!” 

“It must be difficult to create an entirely unchless grid, but I am at a loss to understand why that method was chosen here and what it achieved. Is there some significance to the four cells in unclued entries? EIGHT-SQUARE in Chambers suggests we should be expecting an octagon: does a square with internal as well as external sides count? To cap it all, I’ve no idea what the connection to SQUARE is in 36dn.” 

“If highlighting DISORDER is all that is required the preamble is a very convoluted way of telling us to do that.” 

“All round excellent. I claim that I have solved all the intricate niceties — although I’m not sure why I bothered since I don’t seem to have to demonstrate it! Should we not at least have had to write the word SQUARE under the finished grid? And why unclued lights if (as appears to be the case) they are indeed unconnected?! Many lovely and witty clues.” 

“I have the solution, but am not totally confident of the path to it. What is the function of the unclued entries!” 

“Don’t see 4D, 6D and 10D. Cross checks say there are right but never happy when I can’t see why.” 

“Enjoyable puzzle but not clear why there are unclued lights. Spotted DISORDER before the connection of the anagrams of SQUARE.”