Enigmatic Variations 1074 Almost Without Poor Clues by Ifor

Straight clues, but an unconventional entry for one down clue in each column. A phrase to be deduced and advice against using a pen to fill the grid!

Once I got over my hatred of filling a grid in, in pencil – there is something nice about watching a grid fill with black ink (or any coloured ink for that matter) I ploughed into the across clues.

Relatively straight forward for Ifor, I thought – lots of straight and compound anagrams to get the grid filling going.

The first amended down to be complete was 1dn – it had to be STRAY rather than TRAYS – so was it a first letter to the end (as simple as that – of course not). The next was ERBOXS for BOXERS – so the box moved down the clue as did ETWEE in PEETWEETS and then CRATE in CRATEROUS, STATE in STATELIEST, THECA in IN THE CART, EVENT in PREVENTION, CHASE in PURCHASERS, SET in SETAE, BIN in BINGHI and POINT in PINPOINTED.

All containers of some shape or form.

So what of the title Almost without poor clues = a cryptic indication for MINUS – S + (clues)* = MINUSCULE (which according to Chambers is a small cursive script) or lower case printing.

LOWER CASE being the theme of the crossword and the reason to start with the dreaded pencil (to be written below the grid). This described how the grid is to be completed – i.e. In lower case.

Relatively straight forward for an Ifor puzzle, I thought. Shame about the pencil but I did enjoy the fact I only had that PDM right at the end. Thanks Ifor for a less arduous workout than normal.

Key:

* Anagram, Rev. Reverse, DD Double defintion, Underline – Definition

ACROSS
1 Trough entered by lousy stock — head of securities informed about deep trading positions (8, hyphenated)­
s (head of sceurities) + hip (informed) around (deep)* = SHEEP-DIP
6 Glimpse spot on dice as it used to be (4)
DD PEEP
10 Disheartened gaoler’s failure on Alcatraz (6)
Turnkey (gaoler) – n = TURKEY (US meaning defined by Alcatraz)
11 Drink and drive; uneventful journey (7, two words)
milk (drink) + run (drive) = MILK RUN
12 Groover? One who lambasts flipping R&B (7)
Berater (one who lambasts) swapping b and r = REBATER
14 This records half of truth (4)
Veracity (truth) – city = VERA
15 Pedalo leaving lake to be adapted for one without feet (5)
(pedalo – l)* = APODE
17 Not so much restricting zero deposit (5)
less (not so much) around o = LOESS
18 Quickly spun round, relating to listeners (4)
Rev. Cito (quickly) = OTIC
19 With hair almost all lost hides in confusion (6)
pie (confusion) around lost – t = PILOSE
21 Sabbath is time to stop on Lewis … (4)
s (sabbath) + is + t (time) = SIST *Lewis indicating Scottish meaning)
22 … reverse of Church of England’s reference to one off occasion (5)
non CE i.e. not Church of England = NONCE
24 Tart — one with a heart, reformed (7)
(i + a heart)* = HETAIRA
25 Nothing’s grasped by aged imbecile (5)
ae (aged) around nil (nothing) = ANILE
26 Will’s just not lawful but not incompetent (4)
illegal (not lawful) – ill (incompetent) = EGAL
28 Money boxes for example — unusual taste (6)
dust (money) around eg (say) =  DEGUST
29 Rotten teeth beginning to fall out, easily lost (4)
(teeth – t)* = ETHE (lost indicating archaic)
31 False positive reflected contribution to society (5)
p (positive) + Rev. (dues) = PSEUD
33 Lassie’s fit, sexiest when uncovered (5)
sexiest – st = EXIES (lassie;s indicate Scottish)
34 Local money cancelled services (4)
DD LETS
35 Supported incomplete fencing position (7)
Seconded (supported) – d = SECONDE
37 Nothing’s silent, rambling alone in the country (7)
(o + silent)* = ONLIEST (In teh country indicating dialect)
38 Stamped impression in the ground, about twice beforehand (6)
Ca (about) + c (about) + (the)* = CACHET
39 Count crosses lines in pursuit of hollow title (4)
title – itl + ll (lines) = TELL
40 Spike with concealed weight that’s foreign to what fisherman might use (8)
Tine (spike) around rotl ( a Levantine weight) = TROTLINE

DOWN
1 Satyr playing cards (5)
(satyr)* = TRAYS
2 Shorts, neat for one in stands (6)
bares (satnds) replacing a (one) with ox (neat as in cattle) = BOXERS
3 In the bayous, waders soak up surrounding water over time (9)
wee (water) + t (time) in Rev. Steep (soak) = PEETWEETS (In the bayous indicating US)
4 Delete the old stain (3)
d (delete) + ye (the old) = DYE
5 Clearly defined P in sharp (10)
p + in + pointed (sharp) = PINPOINTED
6 Additional line in above overturned (4)
Rev. sup. (above) around l = PLUS
7 Clan’s leader spared in Glencoe runs off shortly afterwards (7)
(Glencoe-c + r)* = ERELONG
8 Buyers turning up rights voided after search fails (10)
Rev(up) + rs(rights) around (search)* = PURCHASERS
9 Fish lake seen disturbed (8, 2 words)
(lake seen)* = SNAKE EEL
13 Courts are involved with depressed areas (9)
(courtsare)* = CRATEROUS
16 Stopping infectious agent having internal result (10)
Prion (infectious agent) around event (result) = PREVENTION
17 Seat and titles married together most majestically (10)
(seat+ titles)* = STATELIEST
20 No good in cheating, unfortunately — right up a gum tree (8, three words)
(cheating – g)* + rt (right) = IN THE CART (should be (9))
21 Fruit bowls had bananas (8)
(bowlshad)* = SHADBLOW
23 Hog the limelight originally, adjusting to enclosure (7)
Pig (hog) + (the+l) = PIGHTLE
27 Local pile calling attention to Aborigine (rudely) (6)
bing (local pile) + hi (calling attention) = BINGHI
30 Tease out bristles (5)
(tease)* = SETAE
32 The worst part’s turning blind (4)
Rev lees (teh worst part) = SEEL
36 At heart innocents, brought up with concern for the environment (3)
Rev hidden (innOCEnts) = ECO