A treat for me this week Oxymoron – a favourite compiler of mine for many a year. Always a challenge but always fair. 28 clues need 2 or 3 letters to be removed (spelling out a quotation missing a word) and the rest need a thematic treatment before entry. Sounds like fun.
It took me a while to get going on this one but the extra letters slowly revealed themselves. It was two sittings before the full intricacy of the puzzle was revealed.
THE ARE GOING OUT ALL OVER EUROPE WE SHALL NOT SEE THEM LIT AGAIN IN OUR LIFETIME
A quote from Sir Edward Grey on the eve of the Great war in 1914 minus the word LAMPS.
That was the clue to the treatment for the other clues as they all need a LAMP removed from their answer.
As to the quote – I didn’t need the ODQ for this one – it’s been a favourite of mine for many a year and whilst he may have realised what was about to happen, he and everyone else at the time was powerless to prevent what happened next. The horrific waste of human life for no logical reason that I have ever found. And yet 100 years later there are still people trying to justify it and will no doubt again play a big game of chess with real men and animals.
Many thanks Oxymoron – a real challenge and a poignant theme beautifully executed (though not at dawn).
Key * anagram; Rev. reverse;Underline definition
ACROSS
| RemoveFrom Clue | Remove from Entry | Clue |
| FOG | 1 Old people confuse friendships after eighty (8)
Fog (confuse) + r (80) + amities (friendships) = FOGRAMITIES |
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| FLOOD | 6 This clan could make Castel Gandolfo some flow control devices (5) (Castel Gandolfo – clan) = FLOODGATES |
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| THE | 10 Mother’s keeping north round and through Grain Coast port (8) 10 Mor’s keeping north round and through Grain Coast port (8) Mor around N (north) + o (round) + via (through) = MONROVIA |
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| SUN | 12 Special group in end section splits up (6) S (special) + unit(group) in die (end) + s (section) = DISUNITES |
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| ALDIS | 14 Old uncle and rector sailed off with Lambert, Clare and Tyrone etc (6, two words) Eme (old uncle) + r (rector) + (sailed)* = EMERALD ISLE |
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| ARE | 15 Are you backing bishop with a blood disorder? (5) 15 you backing bishop with a blood disorder? (5) Rev us (you)+ rr (bishop) + a = SURRA |
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| GO | 16 Hoofed animals run over earth and go right by river (7, two words) 16 Hoofed animals run over earth and right by river (7, two words) Ro (run over) + e(earth) +r(right) after Dee(river) = ROE DEER |
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| IN | 18 Veterinary to provide government with shelter in church (8) 18 Veterinary to provide government with shelter church (8) Do(to provide) + g(government) + lee(shelter) + ch(church) = DOGLEECH |
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| GO | 20 Good Yankee with protection department to prosecute retired Greek hero (8) 20 od Yankee with protection department to prosecute retired Greek hero (8) Od + y(yankee) + SS (protection department) + Rev. (sue(prosecute)) = ODYSSEUS |
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| UT | 22 Take taut length of the back passage (6) 22 Take ta length of the back passage (6) Rec(take) + ta + l (length)= RECTAL |
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| ARC | 25 A rugged tract in mostly delightful area of the globe (6) A + (tract)* in nice (delightful) – e = ANTARCTIC |
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| AL | 28 Protect real fish crossing river (8) 28 Protect re fish crossing river (8) Re + tench(fish) around r (river) = RETRENCH |
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| TAIL | 31 I tangled with institute too disorganised to conduct a comprehensively deep study (8, three words) (I tangled + i(institute) + too)* = GO INTO DETAIL |
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| LO | 33 Making contact retired fool and Lomax head for Gretna (7) 33 Making contact retired fool and max head for Gretna (7) Rev git (fool) + tin (max) + g (head for Gretna) = TIGGING |
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| VE | 35 Did cheat veto knock out by German? (5) 35 Did cheat to knock out by German? (5) Stun (knock out) + g(German) = STUNG |
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| SPIRIT | 36 Crawling spiders set in a state of animation (6) (spidersetin)* = SPIRITEDNESS |
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| HEAD | 37 Am I mucking about with the right bed post on deck? (6) (am I + the r(right) + bed)* + TIMBERHEAD |
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| RE | 38 Glands reacting? Doctor and nurse as well? Not quite (8) 38 Glands acting? Doctor and nurse as well? Not quite (8) A (acting) + dr(doctor) + en(nurse) + also (a well) – o = ADRENALS |
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| UR | 39 A liberal urban part of the UK (5) 39 A liberal ban part of the UK (5) A + l(liberal) + ban = ALBAN |
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| NEON | 40 Simeon’s struggling with Minoan religious doctrine concerning laws (8) (simeon+Minoan)* = NEONOMIANISM |
DOWN
| RemoveFrom Clue | Remove from Entry | Clue |
| OP | 1 Roped person getting hard and brittle when heated (8) 1 Red person getting hard and brittle when heated (8) Red + sort (person) around h(hard) = REDSHORT |
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| EWE | 2 Ewe watered in marshy area eating nothing (5) 2 watered in marshy area eating nothing (5) Mire (marshy area) around o (nothing) = MOIRE |
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| SH | 3 Mongrel Rex shut in street for safe-keeping (7, two words) 3 Mongrel Rex ut in street for safe-keeping (7, two words) (r (rex) + ut in + st(street))* = IN TRUST |
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| ALL | 4 All tramps stomach being overcome by the extremes of tiredness (6) 4 tramps stomach being overcome by the extremes of tiredness (6) Read (stomach) in ts (extremes of tiredness) = TREADS |
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| NOT | 5 Unlimited cuts? Not always (4) 5 Unlimited cuts? always (4) Severs – ss = EVER |
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| SEE | 6 See a fair number supporting grand orchestra (7) 6 a fair number supporting grand orchestra (7) G(grand) + a + mela(fair) + n (number) = GAMELAN |
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| TH | 7 A concoction of three sad old counsels (6) 7 A concoction of ree sad old counsels (6) (ree sad)* = AREDES |
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| EM | 8 English clergymen getting cement on time for rector? Their interests are wide ranging (9)8 English clergymen getting cent on time for rector? Their interests are wide ranging (9)
E + clerics around c(cent) = ECLECTICS |
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| BLOW | 9 Comparatively coarse cannabis that’s taken by sister (4)Blow (cannabis) + sr(sister) around ie(that’s) = BLOWSIER | |
| LI | 11 Worry about lies being most indecent (6)11 Worry about es being most indecent (6)
Fret (worry) around es = FREEST |
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| STREET | 13 Byway that is bordered by exotic trees (4)(trees)* around id est (that is) = SIDESTREET | |
| TAG | 17 A lad in dotage unfortunately suffering from a nasal complaint (9)17 A lad in doe unfortunately suffering from a nasal complaint (9)
(a lad in doe)* = ADENOIDAL |
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| REAR | 19 Once more stimulated are wounded men sent back and exploited? (5)(are)* + Rev OR (men) + used (exploited) = REAROUSED | |
| AIN | 21 End of cable chain run back on ship providing a record of water depth measurement (8)21 End of cable ch run back on ship providing a record of water depth measurement (8)
E (end of cable) + ch + Rev. go (run) + ram = ECHOGRAM |
|
| GAS | 23 English poet to chatter about Morag’s grandchild drinking doctored gin (6)Gas (chatter) + c (about) + oe (grandchild Scottish) around (gin)* = GASCOIGNE | |
| IN | 24 A skilled manual worker taking the lead from insider (7)24 A skilled manual worker taking the lead from sider (7)
Partisan (sider) – p (lead) = ARTISAN |
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| OUR | 26 Item regularly carried by our American translator (7)26 Item regularly carried by American translator (7)
Texan(American) around tm(iTeM) = TEXTMAN |
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| LI | 27 Female lion standing up in the middle of canal (6)27 Female on standing up in the middle of canal (6)
Rev(leg(on)) in ana (middle of canal) = ANGELA |
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| PILOT | 29 One such as Cunningham spilt liquid over Oscar during new year festival (4, two words)Tet(ne year) around (spilt)* + o(Oscar) = TEST PILOT | |
| FE | 30 A woman rambling on safer island (6)30 A woman rambling on sar island (6)
(on sar + i(island))* = ROSINA |
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| TI | 32 Indian city left by native before independence (5)32 Indian city left by nave before independence (5)
Hub (nave) + l(left) + I (independence) = HUBLI |
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| LAVA | 33 Bomb found on terrace next to atomic plant (4)Lava(bomb) + ter(terrace) + a (atomic) = LAVATERA | |
| ME | 34 Local understanding to leave me room (4)34 Local understanding to leave room (4)
Go (leave) + rm(room) = GORM |
In the end I couldn’t complete this despite identifying the quote and theme early on. Some very tough clues and I don’t “get” Oxymoron’s style it seems. Still, a poignant quote and theme, well-executed.