A Keep by Phi

Puzzle explanation

The puzzle was published on the centenary of the birth of Mervyn Peake. The grid pattern represents Gormenghast Castle, home to Titus Groan in Peake’s Gormenghast trilogy. The puzzle’s title is an anagram of PEAKE.

The clue numbers were provided for purely typographical reasons and it was important to make sure solvers didn’t interpret them as normal grid numbering. The editors apologise to solvers who thought that in saying the numbers had no other significance we meant that the clues were not in the normal order.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Misprint Answer Explanation
1   AURA LAURA − L
2   ION I + ON
3 (T)ank TARN TAR + (deflatio)N
4 Bat(H) TUB BUT <
5 Win(E) ASTI ASTI(r)
6   UTE (l)UTE
7   MERVYN PEAKE  
8   SEGO EGO after S
9 (R)eading UNDERGRAD (RED + N) < in GUARD *
10 s(H)eets STATIONERY (ATTORNEY IS) *
11   TELESMS TEMS around LES
12   ADOORS ADO + HORS − H
13   PONTIANAC AN in CAPTION *
14 r(Y)ot CAMPESINO (SOME PANIC) *
15   GRAINY G + RAINY
16   OSTIOLE (O + STOLE) around I
17   UNENTITLED (TIDE TUNNEL) *
18 bloo(M)ers OLEANDERS O + (N in LEADERS)
19 Wil(E) RUSE S(hakespeare) in RUE
20   GORMENGHAST  
21 P(O)ll CAST A VOTE (A VET’S COAT) *
22 (F)eline CATNIP CAP around TIN *
23 Chea(T) RORT REPORT − EP
24   TITUS GROAN  
25   UNBE (s)UNBE(d)
26   EASY LISTENING (NEAT SINGLES I (fanc)Y) *
27 (H)ome OUTER MONGOLIA OUT + (ROME ALONG + I) *
28   CENTENARY  
29 tr(E)e MADROÑO MAD + R + ON + O
30   MASTIC MAST + I + C
31 (F)orms REAL IMAGES (RAISE GLEAM) *
32 bal(L)s NGOMAS MANGOS *
33   ENEW (vehicl)E + NEW
34 ra(Y)s ERADIATING (DRAINAGE IT) *
35 l(I)ne ODDS DO < + DS
36 (N)et TRAWLERS T(op) + (b)RAWLERS
37   SPICAE SPICE around A
38 pe(G)s PINNER P(encils) + INNER
39 (B)ender TESTON TEST + ON
40 Kud(O)s CREDIT R in CEDI + (ne)T
41   GOOR GOO(d) + R
42 har(M) GERM GEM around R(uby)
43 (B)urn ITCH ’ITCH
Back to 2011 menu