Enigmatic Variations 1130 What’s the catch? by Picadilly

What’s the catch? well this week in crosswording terms there are 20 answers to be entered with empty cells.

Otherwise straight clues and certainly at the easier end of the EV spectrum with respect to the clueing – in my opinion anyway.

The grid slowly took shape around the edges and soon the blank cells started to appear. On completion of the grid these showed the word FISH.

 

M

U

L

L

E

T

B

T

A

I

L

O

R

A

S

P

R

I

T

E

G

R

E

C

I

A

N

U

O

U

V

G

E

L

I

G

N

I

T

E

O

A

M

L

A

S

O

T

T

E

R

T

A

U

O

T

E

P

E

E

P

O

A

R

G

E

N

T

I

N

E

S

D

E

R

O

S

R

K

I

T

A

M

O

U

R

H

A

L

T

E

N

O

M

I

N

A

L

U

L

W

I

A

N

C

I

L

E

T

U

R

E

E

N

S

S

S

A

N

D

E

R

R

M

E

G

R

I

M

The final bit of the preamble –

Answers in the top, middle and bottom rows and the middle column share an alternative thematic definition – these are indeed all fish. MULLET,  TAILOR, ARGENTINE, SANDER and MEGRIM. BRAISE and SHINER too – thanks to Samuel for pointing out my oversight.

Thanks Piccadilly – just the right level for a busy summer time.

Key:

Rev. reverse; DD Double definition; * Anagram; Underline definition

ACROSS

1 Cross about lecturer taking time for haircut (6)

Mule (Cross) around l (lecturer) + t (time) = MULLET

6 Train men to make clothes (6)

Tail (train) + or (men) = TAILOR

11 Hatred possessing king goblin (6)

Spite( Hatred) around r (king) = SPRITE

14 Classical scholar racing madly around centre of Ephesus (7)

(racing + e (centre of Ephesus))* = GRECIAN

15 Upper-class young woman gets to set alight explosive (9)

Gel (Upper class young woman) + ignite (set alight) = GELIGNITE

16 Farms liaise regularly producing trees (5)

fArMs LiAiSe = AMLAS

17 Aquatic mammal will be more animated after end of March (5)

Hotter – h (end of March) = OTTER

18 Letter from abroad held over in Vanuatu (3)

Hidden Rev. vanUATu = TAU

19 Leaders of European parliament endorse experimental weapon (4)

Leaders of European Parliament Endorse Experimental = EPEE

22 Native of South American country chewing tangerine (9)

(tangerine)* = ARGENTINE

24 Old god, wounded, making comeback (4)

Rev. sore (wounded) = EROS

26 Young polecat biting tail off bird of prey (3)

Kite (bird of prey) – e = KIT

28 Glamour girl heartlessly breaks off love affair (5)

Glamour – gl (girl heartlessly) = AMOUR

29 Come to a standstill, being lame (4)

DD HALT

30 Man in early stages of low orbit flying according to plan (7)

(man in + lo)* = NOMINAL

31 Imbecile clutches cape and ancient Roman shield (6)

Anile (imbecile) around c(cape) = ANCILE

32 Amateur leaves Sauterne fermenting in large vessels (7)

(Sauterne-a)* = TUREENS

33 Eccentric dares to put tip of nose in polishing tool (6)

(dares + n)* = SANDER

34 Vertigo makes me gloomy (6)

Me + grim (gloomy) = MEGRIM

 

 

DOWN

1 German invested in grotesque item of oriental craftmanship for a whim (6)

Magot (grotesque item of oriental craftsmanship) around g(german) = MAGGOT

2 Litigation over new sort of false linen (4)

Law (litigation) + n (new) = LAWN

3 European concealed in oildrum shot Madagascan mammal (8)

(oildrum + e)* = LEMUROID

4 Colleague, missing Luxembourg and Austria, composed short pastoral poem (7)

(Colleague- l – a)* = ECLOGUE

5 Stew bit of beef and get increase in wages (6)

B (bit of beef) + raise (increase in wages) = BRAISE

7 After second instalment of ransom, remove ropes from female relative (6)

A (second of ransom) + untie (remove ropes from) = AUNTIE

8 Faint suspicion of one knight: monarch buried Lancelot’s head (7)

I(one) + n(knight) + king (monarch) around l (Lancelot’s head) = INKLING

9 Dawdle, finishing off ‘Lavengro’ in American volume (6)

Liter (American volume) around o (end of Lavengro) = LOITER

10 Venerated revolutionary always welcomed (7)

Red (revolutionary) around ever = REVERED

12 Sanctimonious end of trial worried character in New Testament (6)

Pi (sanctimonious) + l (end of trial) + ate (worried) = PILATE

13 Students being coached use text for revision, eliminating the unknown (6)

(use text – x)* = TUTEES

20 Edible seeds I removed from cultivated petunias (7)

(petunias – i) = PEANUTS

21 Alloy of gold, molybdenum and lutetium (6)

Or (gold) + Mo (Molybdenum) + Lu (lutetium) = ORMOLU

23 Get through passage in Glasgow in a dazed state (6)

DD TRANCE

25 Former sovereign presenting Hebrew letter to current sovereign (6)

Shin (Hebrew letter) + er (current sovereign) = SHINER

27 Good luck charm: other amulets could make author this? (6)

(other amulets – author)* = TELESM