Remakes and original productions? Personally, I’m hoping it’s about ‘Robocop’, although I accept that may be unlikely. This being the EVs, it might just as well be about the creation of the world…
It’s about neither of those things.
It’s much easier ride this time than some of the offerings of late. I like the initial letter device by which the thematic material is revealed.
The initial letters of the clues, alphabetically arranged, spell:
SOMETHING’S COMING / TONIGHT / SOMEWHERE / A BOY LIKE THAT
These are all songs from West Side Story, the REMAKE of Romeo and Juliet. We must therefore replace ROMEO (29 down) with STORY, which will then be on the ‘west side’ of the puzzle. The space vacated by STORY is to be filled with MARIA, a character from the REMAKE.
Notation
(xxx) = definition
[xxx] = (anagram/homophone/container/etc.) indicator
XXX* = anagram
< = reversal
Please post a comment if the explanations are not clear.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | STEARD | Led old-time TRADES* [into confusion] (6) |
| 5 | BALSAS | Tropical trees – have [heads in] BREEZE AND LEAVES SCANDENT – AWAKEN SCENT (6) |
| 10 | PURLIEU | PURL (old ale) IE (that is) U (acceptable) in one’s usual haunts (7) |
| 11 | QUINT | QUIT (make off) [about] N (noon), stop for pipe (5) |
| 12 | ALNAGE | Obsolete measurement ALE (old festival) NAG (horse) [included] (6) |
| 15 | SHARPER | [Excited] {PHRASE RESERVED [originally]} for cheat (7) |
| 17 | EPACTS | ACTS (operates) [after] EP (European Parliament)’s monthly excesses (6) |
| 18 | FRISKY | FRI (Nearly the weekend?) SKY (Weather) is lively (6) |
| 19 | UNCOWL | [Topless] NUN CO (combined operations) W (with) L (league) to defrock friar (6) |
| 22 | UNSEX | Have NEXUS* [reprogrammed] to remove gender characteristics (5) |
| 25 | SHILL | Accomplice to Chicago pitcher S (stokes) HILL (mound) (5) |
| 27 | HYAENA | [Overdone] HAY and BEAN’s [no starter] for carnivore (6) |
| 28 | RAVAGE | Eradicate peRsuAsiVemAn?uGliEst [is regularly selected] (6) |
| 30 | FUSILS | Guns once used by musketeers in FUSS (commotion) [about] IS (Israel) (6) |
| 32 | OARWEED | [Grotesque] WAR [after] O (old) <DEE (letter) [is overturned] in tangle (7) |
| 37 | STROKE | K (King) [succeeds] C (conservative) in CORTES* [suffering] a reverse (6) |
| 38 | EIDER | Covers for beds made from this DEER, [manufactured] [around] I (Italy) (5) |
| 39 | ERECTER | Muscle RETIREE* [worked], getting C (caught) for I [hint of] INDOLENCE (7) |
| 40 | OODLES | [Held inside] WOODLESS pile (6) |
| 41 | DRAINS | Gradually loses liquid from [most of] SARDINE* [when cooked] (6) |
| 1 | SPACERS | A (Year) CELEBRATED [initially] [in] PRESS*, [excited] travellers beyond Earth (7) |
| 2 | TULIP | [Extract] P (priest) from [new] PULPIT* – a showy person (5) |
| 3 | ALAE | Side leaves ALA (in the style of) E GAME’s [finale] (4) |
| 4 | RIGHTO | HT (High tension) [in] GIRO* [conversion]? Yes! |
| 5 | BUSHFLY | Insect is BUSY (active) [about] H (Hungary) and FL (Liechtenstein) (7) |
| 6 | AQUA | Maybe colour of sea is A QU (question) with A (answer)? (4) |
| 7 | LUR | I’D [left off] LURID (ghastly) trumpet (3) |
| 8 | SIMP | Briefly, fool <IS [backward] MP (politician) (4) |
| 9 | STORY | Incidents in a narrative form OR (conjunction of possibilities) [described by] STY (pen) (5) |
| 13 | PEKE | Short dog is PacEmaKer [occasionally] E [leader of] EXERCISE |
| 14 | BANI | Handful of Bucharest coppers in <{I (one) NAB (arrest)} [to the north] (4) |
| 16 | RINE | Ed’s bark [is contained by] traineRINExhibition (4) |
| 20 | CLAW | Narrow part of petal is C (caught) by LAW (rule) (4) |
| 21 | WHEEZES | Audibly breathes WHEE (expression of delight) with ZEST [endless] (enthusiasm) (7) |
| 23 | SNIB | < [Overturn] BINS (rubbish containers) to get rebuke (4) |
| 24 | XYSTERS | Tools used by surgeons are X (variable) and [head off] OYSTERS (sources of advantage) (7) |
| 26 | HAAF | Trawler from Shetland may head for this HARBOUR [at first] before AAF (admiral of the fleet) (4) |
| 28 | AUSTER | AU (Element that’s precious) [chased by] E (English) [in] STR (strong) wind (6) |
| 29 | ROMEO | Radcliffe’s opening might be signalled thus in MORSE* [novel], O (oxygen) [for] LEWIS’s [denouement] (5) |
| 31 | LIKEN | LI (Nearly 1800 feet’s) KEN (range of knowledge) to make comparison (5) |
| 33 | REDD | Wick court’s vacated, REDDISH (somewhat blood coloured), [losing] ISH (its liberty) (4) |
| 34 | EURE | Is department in northern France [home to] monsiEUREmile? [Au contraire!] (4) |
| 35 | ORCA | [The heart’s lacking in] ACTOR* [playing] whale (4) |
| 36 | EEL | Slippery customer < [gets comeuppance in] LEEDS [mostly]? (3) |
I enjoyed this offering from Stick Insect, which was indeed easier than most recent EVs. It came at a good time, and allowed for a more relaxed Sunday solve. As always when all real words are left in the final grid following shuffling things around, much kudos to the setter. Also nice that the message from clues couldn’t be guessed early, as the clue answers needed to be known so that they could be put in order.
Warm thanks to Stick Insect for a nice crossword. Now, about that Robocop puzzle. Hopefully some setter will see this and give it a go.
I’ll get right on it, Mike! Possibly.
A fairly gentle solve but a simple, well-crafted endgame made this a very enjoyable puzzle. Thanks Stick Insect.