Escape by Xanthippe

Puzzle explanation

Anticlockwise from the northeast room, the riddles were: “always coming, not arriving” (TOMORROW), “where Tom’s in work with Potter but clay never gets baked” (CHAMBER OF SECRETS), “tall when young, short when old” (CANDLE), and “barred cells here prisoners don’t enter” (CROSSWORD). The second clue referred to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, in which the character Tom Riddle is first named. The sole U in the grid followed the path of answers from its cell in the northeast quadrant, passing through each room in turn, finally occupying the protruding cell at the bottom.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

Extra word Answer Explanation
Across
Where OSSA OS + ’S + A
always POKAL OK in PAL
Tom’s BEER BETTER − TT
coming RUEDA RUE + D + A
in ICES (Balt)IC ES(tonia)
work TOOTERS TO + STORE *
with CREDO homophone of CREE DOUGH
Potter WATER HEMLOCK HEM(p) in WATERLOO with (si)CK(le) for last letter
but MARE M(elbourne) A(lways) R(uns) E(rratically)
  ANNA ANA around N
tall RACA RASCA(l) − S
When SPAT 2 meanings
young AVENGERESSES ASSES around (V + GREEN * + E)
barred ROWER 2 meanings
  HETAIRA THE * + ARIA <
cells SOLA A after SOL
  ERECT ERE + CT
  EDAM (blu)E + DAM
  ADDLE “ADD LE” to make EVEN into ELEVEN
here IDEA IDE + A
Down
  ODIC O(l)D (p)I(e)C(e)
  SACRAL 2 meanings
clay SWEET-SCENTED S + WEE(d) + T + T in SCENE + D
never DEFORMS DERM around FO + S
gets BETCHA (THE CAB) *
Not GROWER ROW in GER
  PROM R in POM
  KEEP ONE’S WORD KEEP ON + E + SWORD
  ADRY A + DORY − O
  LASHKAR L + ASH + homophone of CAR
arriving TOLAR TO + LAR
  TRACHEA TRACE around H + À
baked BANDA BAND + A
  ETERNAL E(xcuse) + TERNAL
short PEERED PEER + ED
prisoners ARCADE CAD in ARE
don’t KEELIE K(irkcaldy) E(state) E(xpect) + LIE
when NERD NEAR − A + D
old LITE (é)LITE
enter RANA RAN(k) + A
Back to 2020 menu