Well a short preamble – completely straight clues and just five unclued entries. Sounds like this could be one for the less experienced to try. And an unfamiliar compiler, to me, anyway.
Nine squares need to be shaded to make a connecting flight between the unclued entries at 10,12 and 44, 47.
Nothing particularly taxing in the clue department this week, though I did admire the quality of the surface readings of the clues. 21 across was perhaps my favourite, short and simple and made me chuckle.
Anyway, to the theme – again nothing too obscure, I imagine most people have seen the “39 steps” film either the Alfred Hitchcock (44, 47) original or the remake from the 70’s, I think. Most are also probably aware it was based on a novel by John Buchan (10, 12). So where was the connecting flight in the completed grid Starting with the THE in Scythe (38ac) using the clue number for 39 (blank square) and then STEPS – a novel hiding mechanism for a novel.
All in all, very pleasing and a quick solve for an EV. Please excuse my rant at 31 down, having the pleasure of an Australian wife, I felt it should be pointed out that the reference is to the colonial name and not the indigenous name – The rock was sacred to many and there long before men of European origin came along. I also feel 4dn should have been clued with a multiple of 2 to indicate that the answer was in the plural (based on Chambers definition).
I hope that many new to the EV tried this and are likely to come back for more, a very pleasing crossword.
Key:
* (Anagram)
Rev. (Reverse)
ACROSS
1 Witness one punching Prescott hit (9)
(Prescott + a)* = SPECTATOR
7 Polo perhaps miles away in Bow (4)
Marco (as in Marco Polo) – m (miles) = ARCO
13 Party bore I styled as thingummy (7)
Do (party) + (bore I)* = DOOBRIE
14 Comic in original turns showing a sort of humour (6)
Rev. Hidden = comiC IN ORIginal = IRONIC
15 Agent put down extra performance (6)
Rep (agent) + lay (put down) = REPLAY
17 Free men close ranks initially struggling (6)
(close + r(ranks initially))* = CEORLS
18 Sounds like it’s not you, duck! (4)
Homonym of ‘s me (i.e. not you)= SMEE
19 Small songbird’s note used in the end by a composer (6)
Verdi (composer) + n (note) = VERDIN
21 Uncapped minor character next to tee (3)
Less – L (uncapped) = ESS (S is next to T in the alphabet)
22 Passed water in open country on the fly (6)
Lea (Open country) + Ked (Fly) = LEAKED
23 Bringer of good luck to make you a little money at a racecourse? (6)
M (little money) + ascot (racecourse) = MASCOT
26 Terrifying people in Sun, consequently sent back (5)
Rev. (S (sun) + ergo (consequently)) = OGRES
28 Gibbon for one, a writer with no end of recognition (3)
A pen (- n – end of recognition) = APE (Gibbon is a type of ape)
29 Scottish lament from me, one of their own kind (5)
Me + Ane (Scottish one) = MEANE
30 Exam’s stiffly formal including English and Latin (6)
Prim (stiffly proper) around e (English) + l (latin) = PRELIM
32 TV character departs in digger (6)
Miner (digger) around d (departs) = MINDER (as in the TV series)
33 Endless queues bring trouble (3)
Tails (queues) – ends = AIL
34 Run away from poisons in joints (6)
Rankles (poisons) – r = ANKLES
36 Past navy struggle (4)
Ago (past) + n (navy) = AGON
38 Article following Southern Cyprus cutter (6)
S (southern) + cy (cyprus) + the = SCYTHE
40 Recall a long time getting hold of right Italian liqueur (6)
Rev ((ages) around rt(right)) = STREGA
41 Leaders having been binned, restrict overdue copy (7)
Limit (restrict) + late (overdue) – leaders = IMITATE
45 Australian relative unchanged (2,2)
A (Australian) + sis (relative) = AS IS
46 Exercise heard in woods (4)
Homonym (Use) = YEWS
DOWN
1 The German turns up blue (3)
Rev (Das (The in german)) = SAD
2 Played more after piano prelude (5)
P(piano) + (more)* = PROEM
3 Bass in King’s boat (5)
B (bass) in Cole (as in Old King) = COBLE
4 Poor harvest — two stooks of twelve sheaves (7)
(harvest)* = THRAVES (Not sure this should be in the plural according to Chambers definition as one thrave is two stooks)
5 American bird, tail missing in an old nest (3)
A + nid (nest) – d (tail missing) = ANI
6 Bewitched (from Book One in dictionary) (5)
B I (Book one) in OED (Dictionary) = OBIED
7 Registered nurses supporting a company are nuts (6)
A + Co (company) + rns (registered nurses) = ACORNS
8 Lacking energy and tense, new canoeists in strong case for avoiding the water (7)
(canoeists – e (energy) – t (tense))* = CAISSON
9 As regards us taking first place in cricket, it’s bad for the Aussies (5)
On (as regards) + us around c (first place in cricket) = ONCUS
11 Where corpse on Ile could be prepared? (11)
(corpse on lie)* = NECROPOLEIS
16 Nice father takes in one old fellow (5)
Pere (Father – French i.e. from Nice) around a (one) = PEARE
18 Politicians turned up in slush (4)
Rev (Pols (politicians)) = SLOP
20 Cheese crackers (English) served up (4)
Rev( e (English) + mad (crackers)) = EDAM
23 Internet debate which shows an excess of ego (4)
Me + Me (as in I) = MEME (Check Chambers 2011 for definition)
24 Beg Irish rebel to restrict government (5)
Cade (as in John Cade Irish Rebel died 1450) around g (government) = CADGE
25 Schooner to change direction as reported(4)
Homonym (Turn) = TERN (as in boat)
27 Girl set to cook inedible part of meat (7)
(girl set)* = GRISTLE
29 Looking like a dolly, dropped catch perhaps is hard (7)
Miss (dropping catch) + is + h (hard) = MISSISH
31 Rock below top of lava beds (6)
L (top of lava) + Uluru (This is not called Ayers rock anymore!) = LAYERS
33 Test predicament, for example after both openers out (5)
Pass (predicament) + say (for example) – openers = ASSAY
35 Indian cloth obtained in outskirts of Karachi (5)
Had (obtained) in ki (outskirts of Karachi) = KHADI
36 What could be at tops of town-houses in Cheltenham? (5)
At + T + I + C (tops of Town-houses In Cheltenham) = ATTIC
37 Stop ticket-collector? That takes some nerve (5)
Hidden stOP TICket = OPTIC
42 Monaco installs a computer (3)
MC(Monaco) around a = MAC
43 Expression of alarm as freak’s beheaded (3)
Geek (freak) – g = EEK
This was the first time that I had attempted an EV puzzle and I completed it, sadly the two that followed this one flew over my head, must try harder. Thanks for the review.