There are nine unclued entries. Eight of them represent eleven from a set and the ninth represents the last line of a quote formed by superfluous words in across clues. In the same way superfluous words from down clues lead to the work from which the quote is taken. From the superfluous words we have to take the second and fourth letter, in either order.
This was a fairly straightforward puzzle except that I caused myself a bit of grief by entering the wrong answer to 27a – I entered GRADE without fully justifying it – tsk, tsk.
The relevant letters of the across clues spelled THE TROUBLE WITH PRACTICAL JOKES IS THAT VERY OFTEN THEY GET (ELECTED). And the work is THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WILL ROGERS. Thus the eight (or eleven) from the set are ELECTED presidents of The United States of America.
In chronological order of taking office they are:
| John Adams | 1797-1801 |
| John Quincy Adams | 1825-1829 |
| Andrew Johnson | 1865-1869 |
| William Howard Taft | 1909-1913 |
| Woodrow Wilson | 1913-1921 |
| Lyndon B. Johnson | 1963-1969 |
| Richard Nixon | 1969-1974 |
| Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 |
| George Bush | 1989-1993 |
| Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 |
| George W. Bush | 2001-2009 |
I found some of the definitions to be a bit misleading, which I enjoyed 😉 but some of the wordplay included misleading punctuation and I wonder about its acceptablity. Eg 33a NUT – should be lower-case and 3d magpies and owls should be capitalized.
Still, an enjoyable puzzle and a lovely political comment!
Thanks Loda.
| Across | |||||
| No. | Entry | Extra Word | Letters | Definition | Wordplay |
| 1 | OCHLOCRAT | SHUTTING | TH | A supporter of mob rule | [s]CHOOL (head dismissed) (anag: dismissed)+CRAT[e] (without finishing) |
| 4 | SNOW | KEITH | ET | Charlie (=cocaine =snow) | S(ucceeded)+NOW |
| 6 | ALLOY | ARROWHEADS | RO | Bronze (eg) | AL(uminium)+LOY (digger=spade) |
| 8 | GRATIS | RUGBY | UB | Free | RAG IT’S (anag: organised) |
| 9 | SISS | WEALTHY | LE | Relation (in short) | IS inside SS (bodyguards) |
| 11 | REEF | BIGWIG’S | WI | Bank | FREE (anag: supply) |
| 12 | AXIS | ETCH | TH | Bone | A[retfacts] (initially)+SIX (rev: back to front) |
| 13 | INCEPT | SPORT | PR | Begin (abandoned – ie obsolete) | IN[s]PECT (sunless) (anag: ground) |
| 14 | TROUT | SCRATCHED | AC | Interfering old bag (=woman) | R (take) in TOUT |
| 15 | LATENT | JITTERS | TI | Concealed | LATE (gone=dead)+NT (no trumps) |
| 16 | BORDER | FANCIES | CA | Flower-bed | BOARDER (lodger) (homonym: reportedly) |
| 17 | ESCRIBE | ELIJAH | LJ | Draw geometric design | ASCRIBE (attribute) (leader becomes A(ssociate)) |
| 19 | REDCAPS | BOOKED | OK | Military policemen | RE (soldier)+SPACE (anag: out) |
| 21 | ABREAST | PEASANTS | ES | Side by side | A(cres)+BREAST (dug) |
| 23 | WAHOOS | ASPIDISTRAS | IS | Ornamental shrubs | A[ll]+O[nions] (tops)+SHOW (anag: chop) |
| 24 | LANATE | ITCHES | TH | Downy | LANA (genipap wood)+TE (note) |
| 27 | ARDEB | STRANGERS | AT | Measure | BEDRA[ggled] (half of) (rev: from the east) |
| 28 | LAMENT | HEAVY | VE | Deplore | MEN (pieces) inside LAT(rine) (WC) |
| 29 | BRAG | GREY | RY | Boast | B(lack)+RAG (theatre curtain) |
| 30 | URNS | COFFEE | OF | Coffee makers | RUNS (anag: off) |
| 31 | ERST | GENTS’ | TE | At first | Hmm… I’m sure I justified this one but at the time of writing this blog, I can’t remember :-((Clue: [Gents’] terms for the larger ladies? Just at first) |
| 32 | AMUSED | STANDPIPES | NT | Diverted | MADE US (anag: sick) |
| 33 | ENROL | CHIEF | HE | Record | EN (=N=nut)+ROL[l] |
| 34 | ELSE | EYEGLASSES | YG | Besides | [mod]EL SE[lf-awareness] (hidden: some) |
| 35 | HORNSTONE | OTHER | ET | Rock | HORNS (instruments)+NOTE (anag: playing) |
| Down | |||||
| No. | Entry | Extra Word | Letters | Definition | Wordplay |
| 1 | OASIS | THAT | TH | Device for flower-arranger | [s]O A SIS[al] (hidden: secured) |
| 2 | LOSEL | DECADENT | EA | Rascal | LOSER (inept person) (R(ight) changes to L(eft)) |
| 3 | ARENAS | SUITABLE | UT | Places to see owls or magpies so to speak?Owls = Sheffield Wednesday, Magpies = Newcastle United, I believe. |
N(ew) inside AREAS (pieces of ground) |
| 4 | STARERS | ABSOLVE | OB | Lorgnette (once) | ARREST+S[windlers] (anag: whipped) |
| 5 | WASTRELS | BOVINES’ | IO | Feeble animals | SEL[l] (cut)+STRAW (anag: bouncing) |
| 7 | YIPPEE | AGGREGATE | GR | Whacko! | PIPE (anag: burst) inside YE (the (discarded=obsolete)) |
| 10 | SCORER | WARPED | AP | One composes | S[ymphony]+CORE (company)+R(ule) |
| 16 | BEATABLE | MYTHICAL | HY | Can be switched (just the opposite) |
BEA (former fliers: British European Airways)+TABLE (picture) |
| 18 | IRONER | LOOFAH | OF | One smoothes | RON (chap) inside [k]IER (vat) |
| 19 | RENEGUE | VIEWERS | WI | Welsh | GREEn (anag: misguidedly)+EU (rev: backing) |
| 20 | PALACE | SLYLY | LL | Large public building | A C(olt) inside PALE (enclosure) |
| 22 | STEREO | ARBOURED | RO | This describes sound | TREES (anag: aspen)+O[rchard] |
| 25 | AMENT | EGRESS | GE | Catkin | [test]AMENT (will) |
| 26 | ETTLE | USER | RS | Intend (Scottish = Aberdour) | [m]ETTLE (no taste of M[alt]) |
The wordplay for 31a was the last one I tumbled to – it’s “terms” (i.e. last letters) of thE largeR ladieS jusT.
Not a particularly stiff challenge. (No quibble from me about NUT, owls & magpies.) I did puzzle over the “8 from 11” part of the rubric, and even noticed that some names belonged to more than one president, but I never put the two together. I was looking for some defining attribute, such as “led their country into war”, not just a set of presidential surnames that could be fitted symmetrically into a grid …
Thanks, Kenmac, for the very comprehensive blog with grid and all. Enjoyable puzzle from Loda, with the theme clear reasonably early as it did look like Presidents filling those white boxes which it’s v useful to have set out in the puzzle in the Indy Weekend. I did get the idea of the repeated names all right leading to the 11. Solving then led to the amusing quote which was new to me and very interesting to find out. Google gave the details via Wikipedia if I recall. You’re right about the Owls and Magpies teams. I think the lack of capitals in the clue is covered by inclusion of “so to speak” in the clue.
Re: #1
Thanks HG for the explanation of 31a – on reflection, I didn’t have it. 😉
Re: #2
Thanks NMS, I kinda did know the Magpies and Owls really, I just get grouchy about people making assumptions that everyone knows everything about football. Keeps me going, I suppose!
I sort of knew the quote – I thought it was ‘political’ jokes which threw me for a brief moment until the penny dropped. It needed Google to remind me that it was Will Rogers, though.