A standard format this week: missing letters form a message that will hopefully give enough information about the theme to allow the grid to be filled in without too much difficulty.
A lucky guess on the entry at the bottom of the grid, and having the confidence to stick with what some of the other entries (such as 25ac) seemed to be meant that I breezed through this one with little difficulty. I recall having a some trouble with a couple of clues that don’t look too tricky in retrospect (such as 29 down and, before I recognised the significance of the phrase “wherever it occurs” in the preamble (every instance of the letter is to be omitted), I was a little puzzled by e.g. 21 across. Still, it didn’t cause any major headaches.
The message reads: THERE ARE FARIES AT THE BOTTOM OF OUR GARDEN.
The construction of the grid, therefore, involves recreating this situation.
FLORAL BORDER, PERGOLA, ROCKERY and POND are found in the grid and LITTLE PEOPLE running along the bottom.
The title is a gentle pun, then, on someone who is mentally challenged enough to believe in an enchanted garden and on ‘plot’ as the (lost) garden that has to be filled in.
The perennial issue of editing seems only to have impacted on one clue. I think that 32 across 8 should read ‘explains’.
Notation
(xxx) = definition
[xxx] = (anagram/homophone/container/etc.) indicator
XXX* = anagram
< = reversal
xxx = unused letter(s)
TRIBUNE = omitted letter
Please post a comment if the explanations are not clear.
| Across | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | 11 | TRIBUNE | One roll filling repelled queen’s champion (7) | champion: ins. [filling] of I (one) + BUN (roll) in <[repelled]ER (queen) | |
| H | 12 | HAD A GO | Tackled criminal lawyer from US in past (6, 3 words) | tackled: ins. of DA (criminal lawyer from US) in AGO (past) | |
| E | 13 | UNRIGGED | Stripped gunmen’s leader during struggles (8) | stripped: {G [Gunmen’s leader] + DURING}* [struggles] | |
| R | 14 | TORC | Twisted ornamental circlet primarily (4) | semi-&lit: Twisted Ornamental Circlet [primarily] | |
| E | 15 | PELAGIAN | Scheme to trap soldier, a devotee of monk (8) | a devotee of monk: ins. [to trap] of GI (soldier) in PLAN (scheme) | |
| A | 16 | YEAN | Intense desire to give birth (4) | intense desire: to give birth | |
| R | 17 | TEENSIER | Adolescent son that is not so tall (8) | not so tall: TEEN (adolescent) + S (son) + IE (that is) | |
| E | 18 | STONED | Tired and emotional, nod off on street (6) | tired and emotional: ST (street) + NOD* | |
| F | 19 | CRAFTS | Leading clubs reviewed artistic activities (6) | artistic activities: <{STAR (leading) + C (Clubs)} | |
| A | 21 | VANDALS | Wreckers demand loan, gatecrashing events on regular basis (7) | wreckers: ins. [gatecrashing] of DL (demand loan) in eVeNtS [on regular basis] | |
| I | 23 | FLINTY | It’s hard knowing about books (6) | hard: ins. [about] of NT (books) in FLY (knowing) | |
| R | 28 | BERG | Fail to answer growler perhaps (4) | growler perhaps: fail to answer | |
| I | 30 | CAGELING | Flier behind bars, young lady in pillory (8) | flier behind bars: ins. of GEL (young lady) in CANG (pillory) | |
| E | 31 | RETIE | Artiste’s content to make another bow maybe (5) | to make another bow maybe: aRTIste [content] | |
| S | 32 | CLEARS UP | Explains peculiar dancing (not current) (8, 2 words) | explains: PECUL |
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| A | 33 | CARTEL | Councillor suffered over political alliance… (6) | political alliance: CR (councillor) + <[over]LET (suffered) | |
| T | 34 | ALTRUIST | …since keeping one web address back he thinks more of others (8) | he thinks more of others: ins. [keeping] of <back{I (one) + URL (web address)} in AS (since) | |
| Down | |||||
| T | 1 | FRUITY | Rich youngsters you and I heard coming in (6) | rich: ins. [coming in] of {U [homonym of ‘you’] + I} in FRY (youngsters) | |
| H | 2 | LINCHET | Obstructed old houses including terrace (7) | terrace: ins. of INC (including) in LET (obstructed, archaic) | |
| E | 3 | OBERON | King and not man commonly elevated (6) | king: <[elevated]{NOR (not) + BO (man commonly)} | |
| B | 4 | BANGLED | Having members adorned with corners (7) | having members adorned: with corners | |
| O | 5 | LEGATORS | They leave rats scuttling under stage (8) | they leave: LEG (stage) + RATS* [scuttling] | |
| T | 6 | BUDGET | Cheap move (6) |
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| T | 7 | TOASTIER | More warm and cosy, I arose refreshed (8) |
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| O | 8 | RODMAN | Fisher slipped holding up doctor (6) |
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| M | 9 | EGOTISM | In ascendant position, be done away with self-conceit (7) |
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| O | 18 | SUPERCOOL | Very calm policeman disembowelled criminal (9) |
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| F | 19 | COAL-FLAP | It enables delivery wholly welcomed by cold pensioner (8, hyphenated) |
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| O | 20 | ALONG | In company a learner’s no good (5) | in company: A + L (learner) + NG (no good) | |
| U | 21 | VENTURI | Tube for measuring volcanic orifice on Indonesia (7) | tube for measuring: VENT (volcanic orifice) + RI (Indonesia) | |
| R | 22 | LOGROLL | Move trunks to work inside lounge (7) | move trunks: ins. of GO (work) in LOLL (lounge) | |
| G | 23 | FINE LEG | In the end England’s opener replaces amateur cricketer (7, 2 words) |
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| A | 24 | TEQUILA | Queen halfway through lime drink in Mexico (7) | drink in Mexico: ins. [halfway through] of QU (queen) TEIL (lime) | |
| R | 26 | GARNET | Booby half-heartedly hoisting tackle (6) | hoisting tackle: GAN |
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| D | 27 | LECHED | Companion in shelter behaved in lewd manner (6) | behaved in lewd manner: ins. of CH (companion) in LEE (shelter) | |
| E | 28 | BEAR UP | Fired-up gunners in local don’t let spirits drop (6, 2 words) | don’t let spirits drop: <[fired up]{ins. of RA (gunners) in PUB (local)} | |
| N | 29 | GIPSEN | Ed’s Romany is crossing softly inside Georgia (6) | Ed (Spenser)’s Romany: ins. [inside] of {ins. [crossing] of P (softly) in IS} in GE (Georgia) | |