Enigmatic Variations 1261 Frame by Ifor

A complex preamble to say the least.  Two set s of clue amendments to produce two messages – extra letters to be removed from the clue and wordplay with an additional letter. Add an unusually shaped grid and two letter groups to find – with one to be written as a single word beneath the grid. I’m sure all will become clear after applying some logic.

Quite an odd experience with this one with two quick bursts of filling separated by a day – I ground to a halt after completing most of the top half of the grid. Proof that it’s often better to leave a puzzle and look again the following day.

The messages proved to be:

FILL IN THE BALLS

ERASE AND REORDER AS OUTCOME

The 6 O’s on the SW to NE diagonal appeared to be the balls in question – As to whether the other 4 O’s should be filled in I assumed not – though there is a certain slightly off symmetry to their placement.

The word placement in the preamble of spares and strikes and frame as the title got me to the theme of ten-pin bowling.

Following the 6 O’s the triangle in the NE corner spelled out

P

IN

TAR

GETS.

i.e. Pin Targets – So those should be erased and yield the anagram SPATTERING to be written beneath the grid. Or that’s what I think anyway.

Thanks Ifor for a puzzle that felt a little different to the norm and one I needed two sittings to complete.

Any assistance parsing 14ac greatly received.

Key;

Rev. reverse; DD Double definition; Underline definition;* anagram

Across
		1 Fairy unfit to follow through (4)
F		1 Fairy unit to follow through (4)
		Per (through) + I (unit) = PERI
		4 Movie trips for me and my kids, perhaps (5)
I		4 Move trips for me and my kids, perhaps (5)
		(trips)* = STIRP
		8 Benedictine nun chasing a man from sacred garden (4)
	E	A + dame(Benedictine nun) = ADAM
		9 Arsenic contaminated compound in milk (6)
	R	(arsenic)* = CASEIN
		12 Pleasant corner maintaining temperature, thanks (6)
L		12 Peasant corner maintaining temperature, thanks (6)
		Cor (corner) around t (temperature) + ta (thanks) = COTTAR
		13 Warnings breaking one down in the absence of protective father (6)
	A	1dn (palaestra – pa)* = ALERTS
		14 Fathers not quite first to be settling to produce a meal (6)
L		14 Fathers not quite first to be setting to produce a meal (6)
		BEGETS
		18 Japanese pasta cut short sounds fantastic (4)
	S	(sounds-s)* = UDON
		21 Herb sprinkled over almost everything (5)
	E	(over)* + all (everything) – l = OVRAL
		22 Feudal lord waiving religion, abandoning Latin after Sabbath (8)
I		22 Feudal lord waving religion, abandoning Latin after Sabbath (8)
		S (Sabbath) + (religion – l) = SEIGNIOR
		23 Unfrocked canon admits false doctrine (8)
	A	(canon admits – c-s)* = DONATISM
		24 Exhausted alibi taken to upset legal principle (5)
		24 Exhausted alibi take to upset legal principle (5)
N		(ai + r (take) + to)* = RATIO
		25 Help that is short and rendered poorly (4)
	N	(ie (that is) + and)* = AIDE
		26 Radio playing so melodiously (6)
	D	(radio + so)* = ARIOSO
		27 Deny use after firing a stun shot (6)
T		27 Deny use after firing a sun shot (6)
		(use after – a – s)* = REFUTE
		30 Term one used as small part of speech (6)
	R	(term one)* = TONEME
		33 Unsophisticated innocent chasing another’s heart (6)
H		33 Unsophisticated innocent casing another’s heart (6)
		Naive(innocent) around t (another’s heart) = NATIVE
		34 Educated move to the right side (4)
	E	Ed (educated) + gee (move to the right) = EDGE
		35 Tip of razor-sharp lance thrown with line speared shellfish (5)
E		35 Tip of razor-sharp lance thrown with line spared shellfish (5)
		(r + lance – l)* = NACRE
		36 Costly ordeal nearly over (4)
	O	(ordeal – l)* = DEAR
		Down
		1 Gym circuit reflecting returning skills after beach is rejected (9)
B		1 Gym circuit reflecting returning skills after each is rejected (9)
		Rev. lap (circuit) + Rev. (ea (each)) + Rev. (arts (skills)) = PALAESTRA
		2 Extent of terra ignota (4)
	R	(terra)* = RATE
		3 Morbid about good news from the Gabba reverting to perplexing situation (9)
	D	(morbid)* + g (good) + Rev. (oil (good news (Australian) = IMBROGLIO
		4 Dropping cases regulated outside (4)
	E	Ca(cases) in set (regulated) = SCAT
		5 Met line of storms developing born in ugly riots (8)
	R	(born + riots)* = ISOBRONT
		6 Steep rent reversed (3)
	A	Re. (tear (rent)) = RET
		7 Amine stocked by hospitals (3)
A		7 Mine stocked by hospitals (3)
		Hidden hosPITals = PIT
		10 Navy going to sea returned unused with reference to group of surface vessels (7)
	S	n (navy) + Rev. (sea) + void (unused) = NAEVOID
		11 Hospital abandons auger-hole after sorting out patient’s drainage problem (7, two words)
	O	(auger-hole – h)* = GLUE EAR
		15 Pleased, being second to have figured it out (9)
	U	(figured it + a (second to have))* = GRATIFIED
		16 Pieces of armour put on after retreating immediately to rear to dress (7)
	T	Rev. (stat – immediately) + set (put on) + s (rear to dres)TASSETS
		17 Train rumbles round curve, occasionally missing sleeper (9)
	C	(rumbles)* around CuRvE = SLUMBERER
		19 Like a lengthy verse turned into speech (7)
	O	Odic (like a lengthy verse) + (into)* = DICTION
		20 Ecological opening for two, one in common ground (8)
	M	Bi (two) + (I + common)* = BIONOMIC
		28 What pricks receipted lover, cutting the odds? (4)
L		28 What pricks receipted over, cutting the odds? (4)
		Rev. rEcEiPtEd = EPEE
		29 Murder with blanks fired, pointed on target say (4)
L		29 Murder with banks fired, pointed on target say (4)
		(murder – mr)* = URDE
		31 Bread van coming from next afternoon, not like it used to be (3)
	E	N (van coming from next) + a (afternoon) + ne (not) = NAN
		32 Menial worker’s mates snaked around (3)
S		32 Menial worker’s mates naked around (3)
		Rev.(Mates – ms (naked)) = ETA