This felt a little like a puzzle designed to test out a thematic entry technique. The clues were good, and the process of making new words by moving one letter produced some intriguing results and was, in some cases, surprisingly hard to spot. But at the end of it the moved letters spelt out ‘redistribution’, which, while an accurate description of what one had done, was slightly underwhelming as a final step. Original answers first.
Across:
8. REVOLVE/EVOLVER. LOVER<, ‘VE.
10.BONIEST/EBONIST. BON(n)IEST. My fave transformation.
11. DRAKE/RAKED. D, RAKE.
12. BRASSERIE/BRASSIERE. SEARS* in BRIE.
13. ETONIANS/ESTONIAN. NOTE<, IAN’S.
14. STALED/SALTED. STA(l)LED. Mainly ref equine urine, as per Chambers.
17. BASSIER/BRASSIE. BAS(s)IE, R, ref Count Basie.
19. TALLIES/TAILLES. E in TALLIS.
21. BEMOIL/EMBOIL. E in LIMBO*.
23. COUNTROL/CONTROUL. COUNT, ROL(e).
25. RESORTING/RESTORING. SORT in REIN, G.
27. LATHI/LAITH. LA, HIT*.
28. OPINING/PIONING. O, PINING.
29. RENAMED/REAMEND. NAM in RE, ED.
Down
1. DECREEABLE. CREE, AB, L in DEE.
2. ROCKET. (c)ROCKET(t), ref Davy Crockett of coonskin canp fame.
3. EVIDENTS. INVESTED*.
4. FETA. F, ATE<.
5. FOUSSA. FOU, ASS<. New one on me.
6. BIDENTAL. T in BIDEN, AL, ref Joe Biden.
7. STYE. ‘S, YET*.
9. RIBCAGES. RIB, CAGE’S. I hesitated to write this in for a while, I think a more precise definition would have been helpful.
15. DISULPHIDE. DI. PLUS<, HIDE.
16. STRONGER. R and G in STONER. Nice clue.
18. ASBESTOS. BEST, O in ASS. Another goodie, I like the Private Eye-ish ‘breaking through the rear’.
20. INTELSAT. I was slow to get this even though I’ve had to book space on Intelsat in the past for news feeds.
22. IRONIC. I in IRON C.
24. OLIVER. O, LIVER. Ref Oliver Reed, whose own liver took some abuse in his lifetime.
25. RIPE. RIP, E.
26. IAGO. I, AGO.