So this week’s fare comprises 12 unclued symmetrical placed entries around the perimeter and 6 clues without definitions (with the word play missing the letter that intersects the perimeter) – otherwise a straight crossword – so try it any newcomers. What will the TWOSOME turn out to be?
The six undefined entries are also symmetrically placed – 12ac being the first that revealed itself to me. The others being 18, 24, 32, 41 and 49 – all across. I couldn’t spot any links between these words – NARROW, ORION, SERRA, ORGUE, EMMER and BARYTA. The preamble gave the additional letters FOR BOW to aid their completion, but were otherwise fully checked by down answers.
And filling in the blanks round the outside was fun from top left -TURN-TABLE-SPOON-WISE-ACRE-FOOT-BATH-TOWEL-HORSE-BACK-STOP-OVER-. The TWOSOMES being compound words formed from the words before and after each word. A lovely construction.
And that was that – relatively straight forward certainly, but I did like the neatness of the perimeter and it’s symmetry. Thanks Moordon.
Key:
* Anagram
DD Double definition
Rev reverse
Underline – definition in clue
Bold Italic – Clues lacking definition with the letter in red the added one in the perimeter.
ACROSS
11 Veteran’s cared about beer lacking depth (6)
draught(beer) – d(depth) = RAUGHT
12 A small number arranged breaks (6)
no (a small number) around arr (arranged) = NARROW
14 Hard to cut type bouncing some distance from batsman (5)
Sort (type) around h(height) = SHORT
15 Plain Virginia gets love indeed! (7)
Va (Virginia) + nil (love) + la (indeed) = VANILLA (Plain as in ice cream)
16 Lances are associated with Indiana, say (7)
‘re (are) + jones (as in Indiana Jones) = REJONES
18 Black in France coming back (5)
Rev (Noir(black in French)) = ORION
20 Highland dagger’s dead trouble (4)
d(dead) + irk (trouble) = DIRK
21 Traditional climb in middle of last year (4)
Hidden and precisely clued laST YEar = STYE
22 Witness women leaving terribly small parts of images (6)
(witness – w)* = INSETS
23 Organ seizure almost reversed (5)
Rev (arrest (seizure) – t) = SERRA
24 Regret storing gallons (5)
rue (regret) around g (gallons) = ORGUE
27 Not quite the whole country’s network (3)
land (whole country) – d = LAN
28 The Queen starts to induct Charles? Fine (4)
er (the queen) + ic (starts to induct Charles) + ERIC
29 Coming back tidy impressed once (4)
Rev (neat) = TA’EN
30 Chaps approve going topless (3)
amen (approve) – a = MEN
32 Parisienne, say, lacking force (5)
Femme (Parisienne) – f (force) = EMMET
34 Yard tracking boss’s zeal (5)
stud (boss) + y (yard) = STUDY
35 Could be Oxford fellow I see making one… (6)
uni (could be Oxford) + f (fellow) + I + c (see) = UNIFIC
38 …code word for unit of weight (4)
DD Kilo (Code word for K)
39 Team opener at end for days (4)
side (team) with s at end = IDES
41 Almost naked cavorting (5)
(nake)* = KENAF
42 After a lot of nonsense, shock for one of presiding pair (7)
cock (nonsense) – k + hair (shock) = COCHAIR
45 Coin met abroad could be this one? (7)
(coinmet)* = CENTIMO
48 Bear with marks after singular shot (5)
scarry (with marks) – s (single) = CARRY
49 Must try cracking rock (6)
aa (rock) around (try)* = BARYTA
50 Leave area without water (6)
DD DESERT
DOWN
1 Monkey about in this country with sprightly air (6)
a (about) in uk (this country) + (air)* = UAKARI
2 Norway to replace Italy, spoiling part of athletics (7)
ruining (spoiling) swapping I for n = RUNNING
3 White trees from Saigon developed (6)
(Saigon)* = NGAIOS
4 Jumper, say, allowed to feature in two articles (7)
let (allowed) in a and the = ATHLETE
5 Singular part of Norfolk, certainly not a motorway! (5)
DD B road and BROAD
6 Boot camp alarming but right for introduction to military (8)
(alarming – r + m)* = LARRIGAN
7 Penetrate leg and gut (7)
enter (penetrate) + on (leg – as in cricket) = ENTERON
8 Old woollen fabric, for example (3)
DD SAY
9 Leaving article another ordered port (4)
(another – the)* = ORAN
10 The old cash in after one’s first (3)
of (in) after o (one’s first) = OOF
13 Jumper’s endless space (3)
room (pace) – m = ROO
17 Look around peaks of rural Ireland for a nest (5)
eye (look) around r + I (peaks of rural Ireland) = EYRIE
19 Very poor, born overlooking Benin (5)
nee (born) + DY (Benin) = NEEDY
21 Understand Master’s appearance (4)
see (understand) + m (master) = SEEM
23 Reportedly disturb Saudi ruler? (5)
Homonym of shake = SHEIK
25 Proportion of real trigon, oddly (5)
ReAl TrIgOn = RATIO
26 Open local one’s celebrations (4)
Un (local one) = do (celebrations) = UNDO
27 Liberal Dame Edna’s advantage (8)
l (liberal) + Everage (dame Edna) = LEVERAGE
30 Invalid claimed for an examination (7)
(claimed)* = MEDICAL
31 Cook inadequately in course of party (7)
under (in course) + do (party) = UNDERDO
33 Bird in white fur? Time for a bit of realism (7)
miniver (white fur) swapping t (time) for r(bit of realism) MINIVET
36 Flipping hot location fine for an obsession (6)
Rev. h (hot) + site(place) + f (fine) = FETISH
37 Papal treasury turned out by God! (6)
came (turned out) + Ra (God) = CAMERA
40 Writing from head of school on triumph (5)
s (head of school) + crow (triumph) = SCROW
43 Dog runs to make a contented sound for some (4)
cur (dog) + r (runs) = CURR
44 Royal Navy leaving hot, open-decked boat (3)
horny (hot) – rn (royal navy) = HOY
46 Noel’s blown his top in French farmhouse (3)
Xmas (Noel) – x (top) = MAS
47 Letter from writer Vikram unopened (3)
Seth (as in Vikram Seth) – s = ETH
Not sure what the six “FOR BOW” entries added, but otherwise an entertaining finish. And the symmetry was pleasing too.