Subsidiary indications in 32 clues lead to extra letters which spell out a novel and its author. The remaining ten clues lack definitions and, either alone or paired, are thematic. 22A is a character from the novel. It all sounded very straightforward, and indeed it was. The unclued entries didn’t mean much to me until (Lord) PETER WIMSEY began to materialise at 22A. I then saw that the extra letters that I had gave enough of a clue to THE NINE TAILORS DOROTHY LEIGH SAYERS, a book I hadn’t read (but am in the process of reading now). I knew it was about bell-ringing (so the title of the puzzle wasn’t very cryptic) and I guessed the thematic entries must be bells featured in the story. An Internet search enabled me to confirm this.
In order to read the book, I first checked online with my local library … no joy, so a visit to the main bookshop in Maidenhead was required. Strangely, the copy I picked up opened quite naturally at page 34 where all the bells are given one after the other. Had someone been there before me?
So the bells are: JERICHO, BATTY THOMAS, GAUDE, SABAOTH, JUBILEE, DIMITY, TAILOR PAUL and JOHN.
Solving time: about 1½ hours. As with previous weeks, not much need for extended commentary below. Straightforward clues, although I found quite a few of the surface readings a bit uninspiring, but my commiserations for having to clue ISOSPORY!
Legend:
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
red for extra letters
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JERICHO | thematic: J (judge) + ERIC (boy) + (S)HO(P) (contents of shop) | |
| 6 | T | CAPRID | goat-like: CAT (feline) + PRID(E) (most of lion pack) |
| 11 | H | UNAFRAID | brave: UNA (girl) + HAIR* after F (female) + D (departs) |
| 14 | BATTY | thematic: TT (dry, as in teetotal) in BAY (laurel) | |
| 15 | E | SCREAM | shriek: SEC (dry) + REAM (quantity of paper) |
| 16 | N | ISOSPORY | condition of having only one spore: (ROSIE’S PONY – E (energy))* |
| 17 | I | ANI | bird: IAN (Scotsman) + I (single) |
| 19 | GAUDE | thematic: GAU (Nazi political district) + DE (of in French) | |
| 20 | N | ENNAGE | measurement: (GENE ANN)* |
| 21 | E | GRISTLY | tough: GRIST (corn) + LEY (field) |
| 22 | PETER WIMSEY | unclued: detective sleuth in The Nine Tailors | |
| 26 | T | TRAIKIT | worn-out (in Fife, Scotland): TRAIT (characteristic) + KIT (fish container) |
| 28 | A | SEETHE | be angry: HATE< (dislike, about=reversed) in SEE (bishopric) |
| 30 | I | OPEPE | wood: OP (work) + IE (that is) + PE (exercise) |
| 34 | L | ITA | palm tree: LIT (settled) + A |
| 35 | O | CODEBOOK | help in solving cryptic message: COD (fish) + EO (game) + BOOK (reserve) |
| 36 | R | LOUTED | treated with contempt (Shakespeare): LOUR (scowl) + TED (boy) |
| 37 | S | LATHI | stick: LAST (final) + HI (greeting) |
| 38 | D | PARAGONS | best examples: PA (father) + DRAGONS (mythical creatures) |
| 39 | O | REDYED | stained again: RED (bloody) + YE (the, old form) + OD (force) |
| 40 | SABAOTH | thematic: S (southern) + AB (sailor) + OATH* | |
| Down | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JUBILEE | thematic: (P)ILE (headless javelin) in JUBE (loft) | |
| 2 | R | RATOON | shoot: RAT (renegade) + ROON (list, Scottish) |
| 3 | O | CRYPT | underground chamber: RYP(E) (tailless ptarmigan) in COT (bad) |
| 4 | T | HANOVER | house: HOVER (linger) outside TAN (brown) |
| 5 | H | OIL RIG | platform: HOI (=hoy, incite) + GIRL* |
| 7 | Y | ACCLAIM | declare: I’M after A + C (coloured) + CLAY (earth) |
| 8 | L | PERCUSSED | struck: (CURLS SPEED)* |
| 9 | E | INANELY | foolishly: ANNIE* + ELY (cathedral city) |
| 10 | DIMITY | thematic: I’M in DIT(T)Y (song without T, ie timeless — although not entirely timeless as one T remains) | |
| 12 | I | NASH | architect: SHANI*; John Nash, architect involved in Trafalgar Square |
| 13 | G | DEAD | finished: DEG (degree) + D (initial letter of dulcimer) |
| 18 | H | PATIENTLY | in a resigned manner: (THEN PLAY IT)* |
| 22 | S | PROTORE | metallic material: PRO (for) + STORE (shop) |
| 23 | A | EKPWELE | African bread (ie money): P (positive) + WEAL (welfare) in EKE (supplement); who said the letters KPW couldn’t appear consecutively in a word? |
| 24 | Y | ISADORA | Lady Duncan: IS A + DO (party) RAY (fish); made memorable (if you’re old enough) by Ken Russell’s BBC film starring Vivian Pickles and by a later film starring Vanessa Redgrave |
| 25 | E | PECKISH | hungry: PECK (kiss) + I (one) SHE (female) |
| 26 | TAILOR | thematic: LOR(Y) (tailless parrot) after TAI (fish) | |
| 27 | THOMAS | thematic: (MATHS O)*; I’m asuming that grade is the anagram indicator, but I can’t see how that works | |
| 29 | R | TOO-TOO | exquisite: TOOT (hill) + ROO (animal) |
| 31 | PAUL | thematic: LAP< around U (university) | |
| 32 | S | JELAB | (=djellaba) loose garment: ELS (golfer) inside JAB (stab) |
| 33 | JOHN | JO (sweetheart) + H(E)N (hen drawn, as in the sense of eviscerated — what a nice way to finish!) | |