Some too short answers (half of which contain a misprint in the definition) and all the other clues have a misprint in the definition. How light an extension will this prove to be? And what exactly is the LIGHT EXTENSION to be used to fill the blank cells and make a grid of real words?
A relatively quick start with many quite straightforward clue constructions, though quite a few unfamiliar words to me anyway. I’d virtually completed the top half of grid before I realised that there were no spaces apparent.
At this point I reread the preamble and convinced myself that I had the right end of the stick and carried on into the lower half of the grid. The middle of the south east corner was where the blanks started to appear.
It took a bit of effort to find the message
DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THE GOOD NIGHT
An extract from a Dylan Thomas’ poem. I did need google to aid me for that information.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
So the light extension would require RAGE to keep the light going or the LIGHT EXTENSION allude to in the preamble. Truly enough filling the empty cells with RAGE completed the grid leaving all real words.
THOMAS the author was then visible in a diagonal in the north west corner.
3 down slightly baffled me as this also included RAGE but was clued in full.
A fun relatively light cerebral extension – many thanks Jaques
Key: * (anagram); Rev. Reverse; underline definition; 1st column misprinted letter
ACROSS
| D | 1 Asiatic cads heading West to pose outside Mongolian tent (6) 1 Asiatic cats heading West to pose outside Mongolian tent (6) Rev. (sit (pose)) around ger (Mongolian tent) = TIGERS |
| O | 5 Writing back a great deal bishop initially used a large biro (6) 5 Writing back a great deal bishop initially used a large bird (6) Rev (many (a great deal)) + b (bishop) + u (initially used) = YNAMBU |
| N | 10 African lender’s advance following objection (3) 10 African leader’s advance following objection (3) Ob (objection) = a (advance) = OBA |
| O | 11 Mediterranean island cereal crop soars (9) 11 Mediterranean island cereal crop stars (9) Capri (Mediterranean island) + corn (cereal crop) = CAPRICORN |
| T | 12 One off to see an otter, maybe, start to grab mole strangely inside tree (8) 12 One off to see another, maybe, start to grab mole strangely inside tree (8) (g (start to grab) + mole)* in Fir (tree) = FILMGOER |
| G | 13 Gag died humourless to begin with (3) 13 Gam died humourless to begin with (3) Po (humourless) + d (died) = POD |
| O | 14 For Soviets old onion could be in concoction and work over to jam (10, two words) 14 For Soviets old union could be in concoction and work over to jam (10, two words) Rev. (brew (concoction) + op(work)) + + lock(jam) |
| G | 15 Rector entering manages confessionals for Gill (7) 15 Rector entering manages confessionals for Will (7) R (rector) in shifts (manages) = SHRIFTS |
| E | 16 Cell on slide’s empty besides electron (4) 16 Call on slide’s empty besides electron (4) Se (slide’s empty) + e (electron) = SEE = SEER(Final entry) |
| N | 18 Band head remixed tape (6) 18 Bald head remixed tape (6) (tape)* = PATE = PATERA (Final entry) |
| T | 20 Teals circling rookery finally in absence of a cylindrical cote (6) 20 Teals circling rookery finally in absence of a cylindrical core (6) (teals)* + y (rookery finally) = ASTELY |
| L | 23 To begin with making inquiries finding flat’s let (4) 23 To begin with making inquiries finding flat’s pet (4) Making Inquiries Finding Flat (begin with) = MIFF |
| 25 Pastry dish is spoiled not having sold regularly (7) (spoiled – sold) = PIE = PIERAGE |
|
| 26 Local eccentric’s eating time maybe ten to seven (10) Quare (local eccentric) around t(time) = QUARTE = QUARTERAGE (grid entry) |
|
| E | 28 One that flees oddly abandoning mazurka (3) 28 One that flies oddly abandoning mazurka (3) mAzUrKa = AUK |
| I | 29 Starting to go bid’s excessive in antique dealers’ auction fiddle (8)29 Starting to go bad’s excessive in antique dealers’ auction fiddle (8)Ott (excessive) in ring (…auction fiddle) = ROTTING = ROTATING (grid entry) |
| 30 Temple’s inner chamber is mostly a wine store (9) Cellar (wine store) – r = CELLA = CELLARAGE (grid entry) |
|
| N | 31 Relaxation certainly missing, it’s traditional near to Hawaii (3)31 Relaxation certainly missing, it’s traditional gear to Hawaii (3)Leisure (relaxation) – sure (certainly) = LEI |
| T | 32 Test for an African fashion tests around capital of Eritrea (6) 32 Pest for an African fashion tests around capital of Eritrea (6) (tests)* around e (capital of Eritrea) = TSETSE |
| O | 33 Shakespearean’s descendants’ lino is covered in noisy ensemble (6) 33 Shakespearean’s descendants’ line is covered in noisy ensemble (6) Hidden noiSY ENSemble = SYENS = SEYENS (grid entry) |
DOWN
| T | 1 Turn over paper in ancient tome (4) 1 Turn over paper in ancient home (4) TO (turn over) + FT(paper) = TOFT |
| H | 2 Theming with gold – wind on the outside (6) 2 Teeming with gold – wind on the outside (6) Gale (wind) around or (gold) = GALORE |
| A | 3 Frugal diets essentially abandoned being consumed by fat (7) 3 Frugal diets essentially abandoned being consumed by fit (7) (frugal + e(diets essentially))* = RAGEFUL |
| T | 4 Secretly investigate outside rural scrap like a lively cat (6) 4 Secretly investigate outside rural scrap like a lively car (6) Spy (secretly investigate) around ort (rural scrap) = SPORTY |
| G | 6 Gear for railway in Belfast? (5) 6 Near for railway in Belfast? (5) NI (northern Ireland) + rly (railway) = NIRLY |
| O | 7 Stops for a coat, cold in tatty coats before sun (7) 7 Stops for a chat, cold in tatty coats before sun (7) (coats)* around c (cols) + s (sun) = ACCOSTS |
| 8 Chap, changing hands, made a sudden burst of speed (9) Bloke(chap) changing hands (l to r) = BROKE = BROKERAGE (grid entry) |
|
| 9 Wavy undulating dune (8) (dune)* = UNDE = UNDERAGE (grid entry) |
|
| O | 14 Physician taking in petition about intelligence measure to find constitutional typos (9) 14 Physician taking in petition about intelligence measure to find constitutional types (9) Phys (physician) around iq (intelligence) in sue (petition) = PHYSIQUES |
| D | 15 Cause of devolution in Boston? Rough punches arise before agreement (8, two words) 15 Cause of revolution in Boston? Rough punches arise before agreement (8, two words) Rev. (mats(punches)) before pact (agreement) STAMP ACT |
| N | 17 Fluctuated wildly, strangely cut away and fail to appear in count (7) 17 Fluctuated wildly, strangely cut away and fail to appear in court (7)(Fluctuated – cut)* = DEFAULT |
| 19 Prayer is part of church – that’s not new (7) Nave (part of church) – n (new) AVE = AVERAGE (grid entry) |
|
| I | 21 Air could be the place for these birds, off-piste? (6) 21 Ayr could be the place for these birds, off-piste? (6) (piste)* = PIETS |
| G | 22 One lire found within the confines of Versace’s mighty bag (6) 22 One lire found within the confines of Versace’s mighty bad (6) I (one) + l (lire) in Ve (confines of Versace) = VILE |
| H | 24 Arranged like a tapestry for hall (5) 24 Arranged like a tapestry for wall (5) Arr (arranged) + as (like) = ARRAS |
| T | 27 Independent suspension found under, say, cart (4) 27 Independent suspension found under, say, care (4) Is (independent suspension) under eg (say) = EGIS |
I enjoyed this one, not least because I quite like the poem it uses as source material, and I think the implementation was very well done. The same poem was used in a Listener a couple of years ago, but had a quite different treatment, so there wasn’t a sense of déjà vu. Thanks, Jaques!
Yes, this was a nice puzzle about one of my favourite literary figures – who would have been 100 years old on the date the puzzle was published.