Enigmatic Variations 1258 Alter Egos by Artix

Happy New year – this week’s offering from Artix has 3 columns to complete – based on an actor to be found to complete the initial grid then amendments to show the actor’s character and him and his followers alter egos.

A complex preamble perhaps but straight clues and a multi-stepped completion. some tough clues certainly interspersed with more accessible ones. Probably didn’t help tackling it oer the inactivity of the Christmas period!

With all clues solved as the preamble stated 2 missing letters and 2 with two letters in them

Time to find the actor Bernard Schwartz – better known as Tony Curtis which enabled the blank cells to be completed

As to the film ANTONINUS was his character in Spartacus alongside Kirk Douglas leading to the final grid

 

The famous scene where all of Spartacus’ followers claim to be him (parodied in Monty Python’s Life of Brian) is visible as I’M SPARTACUS.

Thanks Artix for a delightful endgame and some fiendish clues to boot. My pick of the bunch were 29ac and 10dn for their novelty factor if nothing else. I must also admit defeat in parsing 26ac; 6dn and 11dn

Key: rev. reverse; DD Double definition; * anagram; Underline definition

ACROSS

1 Queen doesn’t finish call to nanny (3)

Maam (queen) – m (doesn’t finish) = MAA

4 In pursuit of it, pirates ransacked overseas territories (9)

Sa (it) + (pirates)* = SATRAPIES

13 Ill-tempered old ruler that stings youth accommodation (7)

DR (old ruler) + ouch (that stings) + y (youth) = GROUCHY

14 Highland Spring drowns snooty drink (5)

Stot (highland spring) around u (snooty) = STOUT

15 Took off/departed/ retreated somewhat (4)

(departed – rted)* = APED

17 Hood abandoned vessel (4)

DD COWL

18 This may fill space in temple for one frequently (6)

Ur (this may fill space) in holy (temple) = HOURLY

19 Heading West, Irish lad finds hopeful girl (5)

Rev. Aidan (Irish lad) = NADIA

20 Disturb network (4)

DD FRET

22 Lead in motor’s a disaster (4)

M (lead in motor) + are (a) = MARE

23 Positive this contains gold, falsely leading to prosperity? (7)

(prosperity – or{gold})* = PYRITES (as in fool’s gold)

25 Cheap stuff to write clue in Czech (6)

Hint (write clue) in Cz (Czech) = CHINTZ

26 Metrics taken from studying baseball games gives cutting edge to Yankees (5)

SABER

27 Fragrant plants one fished out of dirty drains (5)

(drains – i{one})* = NARDS

28 What blew through Greece united Merkel’s and Putin’s blocs (5)

Eu (Merkel’s bloc) + Rus (Putin’s bloc) = EURUS

29 Is seen at first in Sun? No, two days later and different paper! (6)

Is + s (seen at first) in Tue (Tuesday – 2 days later than Sun) = TISSUE

30 With rumbling guts, bed down cattle (4)

Doss (bed down) swapping os = DSOS

31 Run out of force with press in court (8, two words)

Stress (force) – r (run) around jam (press) = ST JAMES’S

DOWN

1 With penny inserted bent (and only one shilling), oldster’s had an accident! (9)

Mis-shaped (bent) – s (shilling) around p = MISHAPPED

2 Thematic year sees rise of Islamic doctrine (5)

Rev. Sunna(Islamic doctrine) = ANNUS(as in Latin)

3 Athletic almost overturn game, one played away from home? (8)

A(athletic) + (overturn-n)* = AVOUTRER

4 Some cops use “loitering with intent” … (3)

Hidden copS USe = SUS

5 … with due regard in arresting leader of pack (3)

At (in) around p (leader of pack) = APT

6 What carries tremendously high frequency? (4)

TRAY

7 Assuming record take, again posted exhibit (9)

Resent (again posted) around ep(record) + r (take) = REPRESENT

8 Bond broker? (5)

DD AGENT

9 Might this trouble Coe’s second-in-command? (3)

I/c (in command) around o (Coe’s second) = IOC (Seb Coe and International Olympic Committee)

10 Old drinking cry that’s primely Teutonic? (4)

tEUtOnIc (prime elements of word) = EUOI

11 Ineffectual dope loses good bit of sentence, making indistinct sounds (6)

SCHWAS

12 Rhetorical figures putting perverse term into section agreed (9)

Rev. spell (section) in s (section) + yes (agreed) = SYLLEPSES

16 Flea that morphs into an aphid (7)

(an aphid)* = DAPHNIA

21 Possible source of diversion on public transport (5)

Re. (On) + bus (public transport) = REBUS

22 Pollution caused by sulfur in US city the second I left (5)

Miami – I around s (sulphur in US) = MIASM

24 Job’s conclusion from patient request (4)

T (conclusion from patient) + ask (request)