Tuesday 2 February 2010

Novel = SHE

She, by Henry Rider Haggard By naming his novel "She", H. Rider Haggard unintentionally did a good turn to cryptic crossword setters. The name affords the interesting possibility of using "novel" in the clue to lead to an otherwise unrelated word SHE in the answer.

Novel = SHE is a pretty popular wordplay device. It takes beginners by surprise, and isn't such a giveaway for old solvers either, as "novel" need not always be SHE (it can, for example, be an anagram indicator).

There was this clue in The Hindu Crossword yesterday:
THC 9754 (Gridman): Everything involved in novel report (7) SHE BANG

More such instances from old crosswords:

Times 23917: Novel written by a female making a bundle (5) SHE A F
Times 24173: Book into posh establishment (3) SHE [T]

You'd also have noticed that the author's name "Rider Haggard" is pliable for punning. Here are clues that put that to good use:

Times 23491: Rider's novel way to refer to mare (3) SHE [2]
Guardian 24396 (Audreus): Haggard heroine comes upon first religious Father to be a mountaineer (6) SHE R PA

The next few clues reverse the novel = SHE association. "She" in the clue is to be interpreted as the novel to get the answer.

Guardian 24325 (Enigmatist): She, indeed, has modelled (6) AYE SHA*
Ayesha is the name of the main character of the novel.

NIE 9710: She was one of his heroines (5, 7) RIDER HAGGARD [cd]
Times 23510: She possibly uses Christmas to assimilate verse (5) NO{V}EL

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3 comments

Chaturvasi said...

As you have given away all the answers of your illustrative clues, here are some more from The Hindu Crossword published in various puzzles over the past eight years or so:

Pulled Haggard (5)

Haggard woman has a hole in footwear (4)

Haggard woman puts a sailor up in the old queen's place (5)

Haggard woman and Bert mixed a drink (7)

Gaunt writer (7)

They are all from the dB of Gridman's clues.

Shuchi said...

Thanks, CVasi Sir. Of these the clue for SHOE is specially nice.

Shuchi said...

Rider Haggard features is in today's Times crossword - discovered this only after publishing the post.

Author's condition, looking exhausted (5,7)