Comings and Goings

 Appearing in the i Newspaper as Inquisitor 1720

The Preamble

18 clues each omit a single letter in their wordplay, which should also be entered at the foot of the corresponding column in which they appear. The remaining 21 clues have an extra letter in their wordplay which when taken in clue order provide five consecutive words from a poem (in ODQ) whose author is provided by the circled cells.  Solvers must highlight the two rows that provide cryptic representations of three further lines of the poem.

Comings and Goings

There was a young lady named Bright,

Whose speed was far faster than light;                    Extra letters

She set out one day,  In a relative way    >             (ONE DAY)* in REL. + ROAD

And returned on the previous night         >             BRIGHT + REPLIED over PREVIOUS NIGHT

ARTHUR BULLER (in circles) – Relativity in Punch 19 December 1923

Ransomware

 When read in clue order, the last letters of extraneous words in every clue provide a partial definition and visual context of a three word phrase indicating the change required to a number of clue answers before entry in the grid.  Solvers must complete and highlight the cryptic representation of that phrase in the completed grid (two words).  All final entries are real words, phrases or proper nouns.

The last letters of each extra word in clue order, provide “TO ALTER THE RULES OF THE GAME AFTER IT HAS BEGUN” and “RUGBY”.  This defines in part “MOVE THE GOALPOSTS” which in a rugby context are H-shaped.  Nine solutions had their H’s moved to provide alternative words.  The two word anagram of THE GOALPOSTS, HOSTAGE PLOTS was to be completed and highlighted.

Nearly Ten to Four

 Appearing in the i Newspaper as Inquisitor 1686, Nearly Ten to Four on 13th February 2021.

A 43 accompanied by 34 set off on a journey which is approximately mapped in the grid.  Dots should be entered in the two cells containing clashes which represent the departure point and a possible destination (after 12 intervened).  Solvers must highlight the 43’s contiguous path and appropriately shade 11 cells (in two contiguous blocks) which illustrate the final destination (one cell shares both colours).  Finally, a four digit number linked with 47 should be written beneath the grid.

1549

This puzzle celebrates the “Miracle on the Hudson” which took place on 15 January 2009. TEXAN Chesley SULLENBERGER (“Sully”) and Jeffrey SKILES were the US Airways pilots of an Airbus A320 (call sign CACTUS 1549) which was scheduled to go from LA GUARDIA airport in New York to Charlotte Douglas.  The plane was struck by GEESE shortly after take-off, taking out both plane engines.  Sully dismissed the option to return to LA GUARDIA or divert to TETERBORO and instead ‘landed’ the Airbus A320 on the HUDSON RIVER, saving all 155 souls on board.  These events were cinematically recreated in the film, “Sully” directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks in the title role.

Consumption

COOL HAND LUKE starring Paul NEWMAN and George KENNEDY includes the famous scene of egg CONSUMPTION, which affects ten entries. Extraneous letters from the wordplay in clues provide two quotations from the film, “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate” and “No man can eat L (fifty)”, the latter completed by EGGs.

George Kennedy and Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke

Equivalency

Published in the i Newspaper's Inquisitor series as Inquisitor 1663

Presented Grid and Preamble

The unclued across and down entries each illustrate one side of an equivalency whose statement and source is provided, in clue order, by superfluous letters generated in word play. Solvers must highlight nine cells in a straight line that provide a further cryptic representation of the equivalency.

Solution Grid with Explanation

 

“LAW IS A BOTTOMLESS PIT” according to John Arbuthnott in “THE HISTORY OF JOHN BULL”.  The unclued across entries are “LAWS” (SHULCHAN ARUCH, RIOT ACT, INVERSE SQUARE and ROZZERS), while the unclued down entries are PITS lacking their final letters – SCROBICUL(E), HANG(I), DEPRESSIO(N) and ABYS(S).  The highlighting required is the CRATE(R) RULE.