A simple enough preamble introduces ‘Small Change’. All clues have an extra letter in their subsidiary indication, and these letters spell out an instruction. All well and good, but will the small change prove to be a big headache?
As it turns out, no. The grid was a very easy fill. In fact, the same cluing techniques were used again and again, which speeded progress even more. I don’t think I’ve done a puzzle with so many anagrams! Fine by me – I’m quite a fan of them (and anagram solvers don’t hurt any).
At any rate, the message was soon revealed. It read: HIGHLIGHT TWELVE OLD PENCE MAKING A SHILLING
In line with this instruction, twelve Ds (old pence) were to be highlighted forming an ‘S’ pattern (a shilling) in the centre of the grid.
That’s it. Simple(s).
The editor has apparently done some sock uppulling since my last post. Only 23dn had the wrong length (5, rather than 6 letters). My sole grumble apart from that is that 22dn appears to be missing an anagram indicator.
Notation
(xxx) = definition
{xxx} = (anagram/homophone/container/etc.) indicator
XXX* = anagram
< = reversal
xxx = unused letter(s)
SHOTTEN=extra letter
Please post a comment if the explanations are not clear.
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H | 1 | TOTNES | Lunatic shot ten here in Devon (6) | semi-&lit: SHOTTEN* [lunatic] |
| I | 5 | INSTIL | Nihilist upset missing hospital, meaning to drop in (6) | drop in: NI |
| G | 9 | RAIMENT | Time gran recycled old clothing (7) | old clothing: TIMEGRAN* [recycled] |
| H | 12 | ELPEE | Recording of Beatles’ film starts to embarrass Epstein (5 | recording: HELP (Beatles’ film) + EE (starts to Embarrass Epstein) |
| L | 13 | CAMPO | Lack of wind power over Brazilian grassland (5) | Brazilian grassland: CALM (lack of wind) + P (power) + O (over) |
| I | 14 | CHILD | Young person adult picked from a thousand (5) | young person: CHILI |
| G | 16 | GUDGEON | Pin unfortunately gouged middle of finger (7) | pin: GOUGED* [unfortunately] + NG (middle of fiNGer) |
| H | 17 | DECREASE | Has entering judicial decision resulted in loss? (8) | loss: ins. [entering] of HAS in DECREE (judicial decision) |
| T | 18 | ARNOLD | Paintings etc given finally to ancient man (6) | man: ART (paintings etc) + N (giveN finally) + OLD (ancient) |
| T | 24 | DAMSON | Fruit mothers supplied to people of fashion (6) | fruit: DAMS (mothers) + TON (people of fashion) |
| W | 27 | LICENSED | Tolerated riotous wild scene (8) | tolerated: WILDSCENE* (riotous) |
| E | 30 | SCANDAL | Closely examine Mr Winton? A disgraceful thing! (7) | a disgraceful thing: SCAN (closely examine) + DALE (Mr Winton) |
| L | 31 | DROSS | Refuse that is dropped by unruly soldiers (5) | refuse: SOLD |
| V | 32 | TAKEN | Thanks to Kevin, I escaped being captured (5) | captured: TA (thanks) + KEV |
| E | 33 | ETNAS | Vessels for heating liquids regularly seen in testing areas (5) | vessels for heating liquids: tEsTiNgArEaS [regularly seen] |
| O | 34 | COINAGE | Iago once exchanged currency (7) | currency: IAGOONCE* [exchanged] |
| L | 35 | RE-BARS | Recycled barrels — they’re put into reinforced concrete (6, hyphenated) | they’re put into reinforced concrete: BARRELS* [recycled] |
| D | 36 | NURSES | Hospital staff undress provocatively (6) | hospital staff: UNDRESS* [provocatively] |
| Down | ||||
| P | 1 | THECLA | Butterflies get gonorrhea (6) | butterflies: THE CLAP (gonorrhea) |
| E | 2 | TAPIS | Antique covering is held up by tape (5) | antique covering: TAPE + IS |
| N | 3 | NIELLO | Over in Llangollen, invented method of engraving metal (6) | method of engraving metal: <[over]llangOLLENINvented [in] |
| C | 4 | SEDGE | Self-contained border for grasslike plant (5) | grasslike plant: SC (self-contained) + EDGE (border) |
| E | 5 | INDUCED | Encouraged to do something in two diamonds (7) | encouraged to do something: IN + DEUCE (two) + D (diamonds) |
| M | 6 | SWAGES | Intricately saw jewels to make old-fashioned grooved borders (6) | old-fashioned grooved borders: SAW* [intricately] + GEMS (jewels) |
| A | 7 | IMPOSTORS | People assuming false characters stop Maoris working (9) | people assuming false characters: STOPMAORIS* [working] |
| K | 8 | LEONES | Albanian currency plus one shilling gets bread in African country (6) | bread in African country: LEK (Albanian currency) + ONE + S (shilling) |
| I | 10 | MEDDLE | Mix, once, putting last of treacle in centre (6) | mix, once: ins. [putting in] of E (last of treaclE) in MIDDLE (centre) |
| N | 11 | SMEARS | Sadomasochism deserves defamatory remarks (6) | defamatory remarks: SM (sadomasochism) + EARNS (deserves) |
| G | 15 | HURRICANE | Hearing cur barking, a commotion (9) | a commotion: HEARINGCUR* [barking] |
| A | 19 | NOCAKE | With no money at all, Mom can make wonderful meal from parched maize (6) | meal from parched maize: |
| S | 20 | DOS-A-DOS | Go to bed with difficulty, on small specially constructed sofa (7, hyphenated) | specially constructed sofa: DOSS (go to bed) + ADO (difficulty) + S (small) |
| H | 21 | MADDEN | Possessed daughter, surrounded by males, is to go insane (6) | go insane: ins. [surrounded by] of HAD (possessed) + D (daughter) in MEN (males) |
| I | 22 | ULSTER | University lecturer tries on overcoat (6) | overcoat: U (university) + L (lecturer) + TRIES* |
| L | 23 | GENERA | Common taxonomic groups (6) | taxonomic groups: GENERAL (common) |
| L | 25 | MORTAR | Bomb fatal to republican (6) | bomb: MORTAL (fatal) + R (republican) |
| I | 26 | NESSES | Friendly goblins encircling Eastern headlands (6) | headlands: ins. [encircling] of E (Eastern) in NISSES (friendly goblins) |
| N | 28 | ELDIN | Scottish fuel cooking dinner: start to look for recipe (5) | scottish fuel: DINNER* [cooking], with L (start to Look) replacing R (recipe) |
| G | 29 | TONGS | Chinese guilds getting medals after end of contest (5) | Chinese guilds: T (end of contesT) + GONGS (medals) |
I don’t usually complete a EV but I sailed through this one, and I enjoyed it especially 1d thanks to Piccadilly and to Mister Sting.
I enjoyed this – rather easier than some EVs of late (but nothing wrong with that). I did think the use of anagrams was rather overdone though.
Thanks to Piccadilly & Mister Sting.
This is the blog for the wrong puzzle – Small Change is EV1028 witha closing date of 3rd August
A rather nice touch I thought is that the only Ds that appear in the grid are the ones that make up the big S.
Hadn’t this blog better be temporarily removed pdq?