Joint Wisdom by Rok

Puzzle explanation

Corrected definitions are shown in the table below. The theme was the Pink Floyd album The Dark Side Of The Moon. The misprinted letters gave an anagram of Pink Floyd; additional letters in wordplay for the remaining clues spelt out five tracks on the album: Speak to Me, Time, Money, Us and Them and Brain Damage. The names of the then members of Pink Floyd, (David) Gilmour, (Roger) Waters, (Richard) Wright and (Nick) Mason, were to be found in a triangle in the grid. (See the entry under “Pink Floyd” in the Chambers Biographical Dictionary.) The cover of the album (by graphic artists Hipgnosis, hence the title of the puzzle) is an image of a prism diffracting white light into a spectrum of six colours. (Indigo was omitted.) Solvers were required to erase the letters of the word WHITE, and shade the cells containing the letters ROYGBV with their respective colours. The final grid thus represents the album cover, with the lines that had to be drawn through the names showing the prism.

The album has been re-released in various formats and there has not been full consistency in using the leading “The”. Pink Floyd management, when giving permission to use the image, specifically asked for “The” to be used, which is why the prompt at the foot of the grid was structured in that way.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra Letter/
Misprint		 Answer Explanation
Across
1 S STATECRAFT STATE’S CRAFT; allusional definition
12 O: B(e)nd CROUCH OU in (CR + CH)
13 P ADMIRAL ADMIRE + PAL – E(nvy)
14 E RIVA RIVE(r) + A
15 A OF YORE O + FAY + ORE (version of o’er = over)
17 K SCREWER SCREW + ERK
18 T WHITER Two definitions (WHITTER)
19 O DEONTIC DEO + NOTIC(e)
20 Y: bab(a) CAKE Alternate letters
23 M OSTYAK MOST + YAK
24 E O-RINGS IGNORES*
26 T SAGGER S + TAGGER
27 F: (R)acial ETHNIC (TIC WHEN)* – W
29 I WEBS WE (bridge partners) + BIS
31 K: (L)ent LAETARE TALE* + ARE (a.)
33 M KARPOV (R + K + A + P + MOV(e))*
36 E OUTPORE OUT + PO + URE
39 D: (R)are GEASON REASON, R replaced by G
40 L: Mo(d)es MODI Hidden
41 M UNRAVEL MU(sic) + N + RAVEL
42 O SAANEN SNO about (A + AN’ + E)
43 N SHRIMP NETS (N + HEMP STRINGS – G)*
Down
1 P: (s)od SCRAW ’S + CRAW
2 E TRISHA HEART IS*; ref meaning of name
3 Y TUART T(ribe) + Ulur(U) + ARTY
4 U ECCE ECU + CE
5 S CHOWRIS CHOW + SRIS
6 A RASE RA + A + SE(t)
7 N ADORES ADO + RE + SN (bridge partners)
8 D TIYIN TIDY + I + N
9 T FRONTAGE FROTTAGE about N
10 H WARLIKE First letters
11 E FLEECERS FLEECES about ER
16 M FLOTAS FLOTSAM*
19 N: Se(d)ate DOUCE DUCE about (Fascism)O
20 B COLLOGUE COLLEAGUE, (t)EA(m) replaced by OB
21 R KITE-MARK KIT + REMARK
22 A IGNARO I GO (= one travels) about (A (about) + N + AR)
25 I REAGENT (RE + AG + NE + IT)*
26 N SAKTISM ’S + MISTAKEN* – E
28 D IRONER DIR + ONER
30 A BORDET BOARD + ET
32 I: d(o)gs TOSAS Hidden
34 M ROMAN ROM + MAN (must)
35 A VEINS NAIVE* + S
37 G UGLI UG + LIG
38 E PLAP APPEAL* – A
Back to 2009 menu