This week, we were greeted with five unclued answers thematically related, plus 15 and 22 hinting at how a “20” should be taken from thirteen clues. A 3×3 block would need highlighting together with more letters connecting 24 and 37.
As with Glow-worm’s Listener puzzles, I was expecting some sort of game to emerge from the grid, although that would normally be at 1ac. Unfortunately, that was a straightforward anagram for MARQUISATE, and I was sure that wasn’t any sort of game or sport.
The clues weren’t too difficult, and it wasn’t long before SWING and SUSPENSION were revealed to me, followed by CONTRACT and AUCTION. All were types of bridge, the first two were the dangly, connecting things, the other two being major forms of the card game. There were thirteen 20s that needed to be removed from clues before solving, and they were all words for TRICK (at 20ac), and thirteen tricks would be a GRAND SLAM if bid and made at bridge.
That dealt with the card game variety, and 24dn DENMARK and 37dn SWEDEN were neatly placed in the grid ready to be connected by the 7,845m ØRESUND BRIDGE, opened fifteen years ago on 1 July 2000.
So thanks to Glow-worm as usual 
for not disappointing me and having a sporty/gamey theme.
Legend:
Definition in clue
[trick word] definition of ‘trick’ to be removed from clue
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | MARQUISATE | Rank amateur’s IQ’s questionable (10) (AMATEUR’S IQ)* |
|
| 8 | SWING | UncluedType of bridge, connecting thing | |
| 12 | ASTUTE | Overseas tutee’s somewhat canny [stratagem] (6) in overseAS TUTEe’s |
|
| 13 | PILSNER | Drink tin tossed into heap by river (7) SN (tin) in PILE (heap) + R (river) |
|
| 14 | FIRE-GRATES | Timber, for example, warrants being put in braziers (10) FIR (timber) + EG (for example) + RATES (warrants) |
|
| 15 | AUCTION | See preamble (7) One of the two major types of bridge, the card game |
|
| 17 | APES | [Trim] copies of timeless recordings (4) TAPES (recordings) – T (time) |
|
| 18 | GOLD LAME | Bull’s disabled – that’s material (8, two words) GOLD (bull) LAME (disabled); gold lamé is only referred to under lamé |
|
| 20 | TRICK | See preamble (5) | |
| 21 | SECULAR | Lay saucer naughtily over joke piece of lettuce (7) SAUCER* over (around) L (piece of Lettuce) |
|
| 23 | MORSE | Endeavour to signal? (5) 2 meanings; reference to Inspector Endeavour Morse |
|
| 24 | DROP | Decrease is too much and condemned among Parisians (4) DE TROP (too much) – ET (and); both reference to French words |
|
| 25 | KANGA | Ursine companion’s [turn] in cotton dress (5) 2 meanings; reference to bear Winnie the Pooh’s companion |
|
| 29 | FERN | Plant having free run, off and on (4) alternate letters (off and on) in FrEe RuN |
|
| 32 | BOUND | Vault secured (5) 2 meanings |
|
| 36 | BRASSES | Brown donkeys conveying memorials (7) BR (brown) ASSES (donkeys) |
|
| 38 | NOTES | Quavers, maybe, with attack from the rear (5) (SET ON)< (attack, reversed) |
|
| 39 | NOONTIDE | At twelve, in daylight, [con] don going around with no tie … (8) (DON + NO TIE)* |
|
| 41 | MORN | …prior to the above, Sir Thomas is said to have a bit of nous (4) MOR (sounds like MORE, Sir Thomas) + N (bit of Nous) |
|
| 42 | PERIGEE | For each turn to the right on mount, one’s accessing closest point (7) PER (for each) + GEE (turn to the right) with I (one) inside |
|
| 43 | BRIDGEHEAD | “Top man in 8ac, 15, 22 and 47” filling advanced position? (10) 2 meanings |
|
| 44 | ROCKIES | Range of music is full of energy (7) ROCK ()music) + IS including E (energy) |
|
| 45 | VALISE | Bag volume – with earliest [sketch] of Ingres – in unusual sale (6) V (volume) + I (earliest of Ingres) in SALE* |
|
| 46 | KOTOS | King starts to offer the opposition support – they have strings attached (5) K (king) + first letters of Offers The Opposition Support |
|
| 47 | SUSPENSION | Unclued Type of bridge, connecting thing |
|
| DOWN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | MADAMS | At least three mothers are hussies! (6) MA (one mother) + DAMS (at least two mothers); 1 + 2+ = 3+ |
|
| 2 | ASSURER | Guarantor involved in USSR era [deceit] (7) (USSR ERA)* |
|
| 3 | QUITO | Withdraw ordinary capital (5) QUIT (withdraw) + O (ordinary) |
|
| 4 | UTRILLO | Painter and ingenious illustrator Tsar strangely dismissed (7) (ILLUSTRATOR – TSAR*)* |
|
| 5 | SIGN | [Hoax] notice put up in Hayling Island (4) reversed in hayliNG ISland |
|
| 6 | AIR DAM | Spoiler alert initially spotted in publicity on “Dead Maiden” (6) A (Alert initially) in AIR (publicity) D (dead) M (maiden); this is actually two words according to Chambers and ODE but no big deal |
|
| 7 | EITHER | “Besides [artifice], The Queen possesses personal magnetism.” – Ambassador (6) ER (the Queen) containing IT (personal magnetism) HE (ambassador) |
|
| 8 | SLEETS | Precipitates the Parisian into plants (6) LE (the, French word) inSETS (plants) |
|
| 9 | INSPIRES | Guides during shoot beginning to shiver (8) IN (during) SPIRE (shoot) + S (first letter of Shiver) |
|
| 10 | NEBECK | Prickly shrub’s [habit] to survive within isthmus (6) BE (survive) in NECK (isthmus) |
|
| 11 | GRISKIN | Lean right in wobbly skiing (7) R (right) in SKIING* |
|
| 16 | SMOG | Gismo great in part, but it’s hard to penetrate (4) in giSMO Great |
|
| 19 | DAK | [Cheat] regularly drank in Indian mail-post (3) regular letters from DrAnK |
|
| 22 | CONTRACT | See preamble (8) One of the two major types of bridge, the card game |
|
| 24 | DENMARK | See preamble (7) | |
| 26 | ANON | A new over, and Knight’s coming (4) A N (new) O (over) + N (knight) |
|
| 27 | ART | 20’s [knack] shown in pointless role? (3) [P]ART (pointless = without head) |
|
| 28 | ZAIREAN | African clown practically squashes flower (7) ZAN[Y] (clown, almost) containing AIRE (flower) |
|
| 30 | REVERSO | Shakespeare’s backhand serve or smash? (7) (SERVE OR)* |
|
| 31 | HOODOO | According to hearsay, which persons perform witchcraft? (6) sounds like WHO (which persons) DO (perform) |
|
| 33 | OSIRIS | “First among Olympians” is arresting title for deity (6) O (first letter of Olympians) IS holding SIR (title) |
|
| 34 | UNDIES | [Do] garments in laundries; note – Rachel’s top missing (6) LAUNDRIES – LA (note) – R (Rachel’s first letter) |
|
| 35 | DODGES | 20s exciting footloose goddess (6) GODDES[S]* |
|
| 37 | SWEDEN | See preamble (6) | |
| 40 | DIALS | Mugs put up on shelf, principally (5) LAID< (put) + S (principal letter of Shelf) |
|
| 42 | PEEP | Tweet “spy” (4) 2 meanings |
|