h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I suspect that

MO * UT

is MONKEYNUT giving the name KENNY, the current a Taoiseach of Ireland.

I don't see any clue which suggests Monkeynut, but I also have no idea what the word Pindar is, so I'm going to guess that Pindar is a word for Monkeynut.

Yes, pindar is a regional word for the ground nut/peanut/monkey-nut.

Not the playwright...

and I have no idea what a "Taoiseach" is...

It's the Irish Prime Minister. Literally 'chieftain', I think.

The show so far:


Solved clues:

4. Décolleté / L * KED / Low-necked / Cowen
5. Glue-bone stone / O * A / Osteocolla / Costello
7. Pindar / MO * UT / Monkey nut / Kenny
9. Propelled outwards from the interior / CEN * I * U * / Centrifugalized / Fitzgerald
10. Ragged robin / * IS / Lychnis / Lynch

Remaining clues:

1. British islander
2. Calm
3. Chatted
6. Municipal
8. Product of sugar-refining
11. Representative
12. Stroke
13. Tenebrific
14. Terrifying

Remaining part-solutions:

* AN
A * NG
FO * D
G * UP
* IAN
* L
P *
* TIN *
U * LED

I was picturing possibly a guru of some bizarre Irish splinter sect of Taoism.


"The journey of a thousand miles to fall down at your door begins with a single drunken step."

12. Stroke - FO * D - FOREHAND --> Ahern

I did actually explain earlier that Irish Prime Ministers are called Taoisigh (although I spelt it wrong that time). This is the plural of Taoiseach.

The word Taoiseach is roughly pronounced "thee-shuch but using the "th" from the start of the word "thin" rather than one at the start of "the", and with a "ch" at the end like in Bach.

I sang a piece called "Tenebrae" and I was told the word meant literally "Darknesses". So Tenebrific is probably something to do with shadows and darkness.

It's interesting that Taoiseach is pronounced 'Th-'. News broadcasters use the word here to avoid repetition in those stories, but pronounce it with a hard T (as we would hear it in your accent).

There are three sounds - T, TH as spoken by an Irish person, and TH as spoken by an English person.

English people hear the first two as the same sound, while Irish people hear the last two as the same sound. So an Irish person would prefer an English person to use the Th sound for Taoiseach, whereas when an Irish person says the word, an English person would hear it as a "Tee" sound.

I will say 'Thee-shuch' from this point on. All I need now is a reason.

I'm sure you can manage to work it into casual office conversation.

Not another one! I'm still trying to incorporate the Osagyefo of Ghana.

Maybe the net quiz will involve Fermat's last Theorem.

2. Calm - U*LED - UNTROUBLED --> Burton

Oops, a typo, that last one is Bruton.

Solved clues:

2. Calm / U * LED / Untroubled / Bruton
4. Décolleté / L * KED / Low-necked / Cowen
5. Glue-bone stone / O * A / Osteocolla / Costello
7. Pindar / MO * UT / Monkey nut / Kenny
9. Propelled outwards from the interior / CEN * I * U * / Centrifugalized / Fitzgerald
10. Ragged robin / * IS / Lychnis / Lynch
12. Stroke / FO * D / Forehand / Ahern

Remaining clues:

1. British islander
3. Chatted
6. Municipal
8. Product of sugar-refining
11. Representative
13. Tenebrific
14. Terrifying

Remaining part-solutions:

* AN
A * NG
G * UP
* IAN
* L
P *
* TIN *

So we've got 7 answers out of 16.

My memory of Irish politics is not good. The only taoiseachs that I can remember that haven't already been covered are:

De Valera
Haughey
Reynolds
WT Cosgrave
Liam Cosgrave

There are two Cosgraves, which explains how one clue can provide the answer for two entries in the list.

So we should be able to find most or all of those.

Where's Lemass gone?

He was only a suggestion. We couldn't get him to fit in with either the clue or the template for the answer.