Cryptic crossword puzzle - Crack the Safe

The Game Room
1

So you’ve broken into the study containing the safe. But instead of the usual lock mechanism, it just has a QWERTY keypad, with a sticker saying “Enter password. Warning: deadlock operates after incorrect attempt.”

Damn. You’ll never get past that deadlock once it has engaged. You look around for clues. Ah, there’s an envelope in a drawer, hidden under a small dictionary. TO BURGLAR, it says. Eh?

You tear the envelope open to find this letter:

*=======

Dear burglar,

Solve the following puzzle to obtain the password to the safe. It is not an obscure word, but feel free to use the internet terminal on this desk.

If you can crack the password then you are clearly a fellow crossword fan, and are welcome to the safe’s contents.*



 ___________________________________________________________
|1    :2    :     :3    :     :4    :     :5    :     :#####|
|     :     :     :     :     :     :     :     :     :#####|
| ... : ... : ... : ... : ... : ... : ... : ... : ... :#####|
|#####:     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:6    |
|#####:     :#####      :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     |
|#####: ... :#####: ... :#####: ..  :#####: ... :#####: ... |
|#####:7    :8    :     :     :     :     :     :     :     |
|#####:     :     :     :     :     :     :     :     :     |
|#####: ... : ... : ... : ... : ..  : ... : ..  : ... : ... |
|9    :     :     :     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     |
|     :     :     :     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     |
| ... : ... : ... : ... :#####: ..  :#####: ..  :#####: ... |
|     :#####:10   :     :11   :     :#####:12   :     :     |
|     :#####:     :     :     :     :#####:     :     :     |
| ... :#####: ... : ... : ..  : ..  :#####: ..  : ..  : ... |
|13   :     :     :#####:14   :     :15   :     :#####:     |
|     :     :     :#####:     :     :     :     :#####:     |
| ... : ... : ... :#####: ..  : ..  : ..  : ..  :#####: ... |
|     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:16   :     :17   :     |
|     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     :     :     :     |
| ... :#####: ... :#####: ..  :#####: ..  : ..  : ..  : ... |
|18   :     :     :     :     :     :     :     :     :#####|
|     :     :     :     :     :     :     :     :     :#####|
| ... : ... : ... : ... : ..  : ..  : ..  : ..  : ..  :#####|
|     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     :#####|
|     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     :#####|
| ... :#####: ... :#####: ..  :#####: ..  :#####: ..  :#####|
|#####:19   :     :     :     :     :     :     :     :     |
|#####:     :     :     :     :     :     :     :     :     |
|#####:_____:_____:_____:_____:_____:_____:_____:_____:_____|

Across

  1. Short distance left in German car — be as quiet as possible (9)

  2. Holes in ears erupt nastily (9)

  3. Head of apparel tore a sort of sweater (4)

  4. Insane way of measuring one hundred thousand (4)

  5. Could one be a friend to certain people? (3)

  6. Bits of music from the early 80s found here (3)

  7. Holding record, as they’re prominent in Europe (4)

  8. State University cap, perhaps put on backwards (4)

  9. Draws attention to quiet watering holes outside central London districts (9)

  10. Password (unclued) (9)
    Down

  11. Horror’s two elements (4)

  12. Turn over page in novel Dune (5)

  13. Admission that is gripping Northwest Territories and Alaska (6)

  14. Place was the hollowed out ruin (3, 5)

  15. Eccentric, this MP, a character out of Wodehouse (6)

  16. Old man’s weapon is secret (8) *

  17. Confront electricity expenditure (6)

  18. Call off part of Republican celebration (6) *

  19. Demanding toss up on pitch (5) *

  20. Cash gift with no envelopes? I don’t think so (2, 2) *

  • encode before entering

=======

2

I got this far:



 ___________________________________________________________
|1    :2    :     :3    :     :4    :     :5    :     :#####|
|  I  :  NF :  A  :  U  :  D  :  I  :  B  :  L  :  E  :#####|
| ... : ... : ... : ... : ... : ... : ... : ... : ... :#####|
|#####:     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:6    |
|#####:   E :#####   P  :#####:  N  :#####:  A  :#####:  P  |
|#####: ... :#####: ... :#####: ..  :#####: ... :#####: ... |
|#####:7    :8    :     :     :     :     :     :     :     |
|#####:   A :  P  :  E  :  R  :  T  :  U  : RY  :  E  :  S  |
|#####: ... : ... : ... : ... : ..  : ... : ..  : ... : ... |
|9    :     :     :     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     |
|  A  :   R :  A  :  N  :#####:  A  :#####:  W  :#####:  M  |
| ... : ... : ... : ... :#####: ..  :#####: ..  :#####: ... |
|     :#####:10   :     :11   :     :#####:12   :     :     |
|  C  :#####:  S  :  DI :  C  :  K  :#####:  A  :  M  :  I  |
| ... :#####: ... : ... : ..  : ..  :#####: ..  : ..  : ... |
|13   :     :     :#####:14   :     :15   :     :#####:     |
|  C  :  D  :  S  :#####:  A  :  LE :  P  :  S  :#####:  T  |
| ... : ... : ... :#####: ..  : ..  : ..  : ..  :#####: ... |
|     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:16   :     :17   :     |
|  O  :#####:  W  :#####:  N  :#####:  U  :  T  :  A  :  H  |
| ... :#####: ... :#####: ..  :#####: ..  : ..  : ..  : ... |
|18   :     :     :     :     :     :     :     :     :#####|
|  S  : H   :  O  :  W  :  C  :  A  :  S  :  E  :  S  :#####|
| ... : ... : ... : ... : ..  : ..  : ..  : ..  : ..  :#####|
|     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     :#####:     :#####|
|  T  :#####:  R  :#####:  E  :#####:  H  :#####:  I  :#####|
| ... :#####: ... :#####: ..  :#####: ..  :#####: ..  :#####|
|#####:19   :     :     :     :     :     :     :     :     |
|#####:     :  DI :     :  LE :     :  YR :     : FN  :     |
|#####:_____:_____:_____:_____:_____:_____:_____:_____:_____|

… but I didn’t get the final password. Is it maybe FIREBRAND?

3

Manduck, I think you got it.

Unless the “study” is a kitchen in San Francisco, in which the answer could be:

RICE-A-RONI

4

No, Manduck is quite correct. Unfortunately, the safe swings open and there’s nothing in there except a couple of

viverrine dihedrons.

Well done, anyway.

5

Did the password have to be a single word? I should have read the FINE PRINT.

6

That would be more like

Part of contract’s withdrawn jail right in piercing attack (4, 5)

7

Wisconsin plastered over alien place for stowing broads? (4, 5)

8

Nice puzzle, and I appreciate the effort it must have taken, but it drives me nuts when people put in gimmicks like having two letters in the same square without some instruction about it.

9

But discovering the gimmick is the fun part.

10

Incidentally, the paired letters anagram to FRIENDLY. For a while I thought that might be significant.

11

I don’t mind trying to figure stuff out from clues, but I do want there to be clues. I’ve done a lot of crossword puzzles, including a fair number of cryptics, and if they were gonna have two letters in some of the squares, they said so.