A nice short preamble – additional words in all clues and many entries are not words. Interesting.
The first thing that became apparent with this puzzle was the mismatches between some entry lengths and the grid.
The second that the “significant” extra words must have some role in determining the grid entry.
The third for me was 7 down – the answer was homiest yet there were only six spaces to enter it and the additional word was Cockney. There is no h in the cockney alphabet!
The rest wasn’t exactly child’s play but very typical Oxymoron clues – all precise and regular use of common words with uncommon meanings. With all the extra words being significant words in a normal cryptic crossword clue.
Great fun indeed.
My only minor criticism was nothing of significance appeared in the final grid. Thanks Oxymoron for an original puzzle.
Key
anagram *
Rev. reversed
Underline definition
| Clue | Alteration/
unamended entry |
Entry |
| 1 We’re on the lookout for special gifts, story books and (in Perth) insignificant person’s efforts (12, two words) | ||
| 1 We’re on the lookout for special gifts, story books and (in Perth) insignificant person’s (12, two words) | EF for TS | |
| Tale (story) + nt (books) + scout’s (insignificant person’s – Scottish) | TALENT SCOUTS | TALENEFCOUEF |
| 11 Athletic mother and devout woman believe in West Ham (10, three words) | ||
| 11 Athletic mother and woman believe in West Ham (10, three words) | Dev out | |
| A (athletic) + dam (mother) + and + eve (woman) | ADAM AND EVE | ADAMANE |
| 13 Plant increased setback introducing rule in support (8, two words) | ||
| 13 Plant increased introducing rule in support (8, two words) | Set back | |
| Rose (increased) + r (rule) in tee (support) | ROSE TREE | ROTESREE |
| 14 Old candle bearer set on keeping taxed peer happy (7) | ||
| 14 Old candle bearer set on keeping peer happy (7) | T axed | |
| Tar (set on) around (peer)* | TAPERER | APERER |
| 15 Positive junky to eye exotic intoxicant (6) | ||
| 15 Positive to eye exotic intoxicant (6) | Junk y | |
| P (positive) + (to eye)* | PEYOTE | PEOTE |
| 16 Whistling sound softly crossing northern meadow (4) | ||
| 16 Whistling sound softly northern meadow (4) | Cross ing | |
| P (softly) + ing (northern meadow) | PING | PNIG |
| 17 Greek teachers positive about history’s cycle (8) | ||
| 17 Greek teachers positive about history’s (8) | Cycle | |
| Rev. pos (positive) + hist’s (history’s) | SOPHISTS | HISTSSOP |
| 19 Charlie, rural and uncultured, being fleeced shows fear (8) | ||
| 19 Charlie, rural and uncultured, being shows fear (8) | Fleeced | |
| C (Charlie) + hick (rural) + ens (uncultured being) | CHICKENS | HICKEN |
| 22 Clergyman checks over half time extract (8) | ||
| 22 Clergyman checks over time extract (8) | Half | |
| Rev.nips (checks) + t (time) + ext (extract) | SPINTEXT | TEXT |
| 24 One wearing togs regularly turned inside-out? Blast! (4) | ||
| 24 One wearing togs regularly turned? Blast! (4) | Inside-out | |
| Us (one) in ToGs (regularly) | GUST | UGTS |
| 26 Sun crazed women still dream of the past (6) | ||
| 26 Sun women still dream of the past (6) | Crazed | |
| S (sun) + w (women) + even (still) | SWEVEN | EEVNWS |
| 28 Father meets a heartless daughter, a bringer of news (9) | ||
| 28 Father meets a daughter, a bringer of news (9) | Heartless | |
| Pa (father) + per (a) + girl (daughter) | PAPERGIRL | PAPEGIRL |
| 30 A source of fibre – it covers the same knots (4) | ||
| 30 A source of fibre – it covers the same (4) | K not s | |
| Sa (it) around id (the same) | SIDA | KIDA |
| 31 Fellow regularly abandons criteria for altering writ (10) | ||
| 31 Fellow abandons criteria for altering writ (10) | regularly | |
| (criteria for – f )* | CERTIORARI | ETOAI |
| 32 I’m interrupting wafter before chief (5) | ||
| 32 I’m interrupting before chief (5) | W after | |
| I’m in pre (before) | PRIME | PRIMEW |
| 34 Sailor finally got a new sailing boat aground (6) | ||
| 34 Sailor finally got a new sailing boat (6) | Ag round | |
| Tar + t(finally got) + a + n(new) | TARTAN | ATARTANG |
| 35 Retired scout perhaps cut down big tree (7) | ||
| 35 scout perhaps cut down big tree (7) | Retired | |
| Bi (cut down big) + plane (tree) | BIPLANE | ENALPIB |
| 36 Wicked One bubbling for Morven in first half of love ballad list (12) | ||
| 36 Wicked One bubbling for Morven in first half of love ballad (12) | L is t | |
| Lo (first half of love) around ill (wicked) + I (one) + buller (bubbling – Scottish) | LILLIBULLERO | TITTIBUTTERO |
| DOWN | ||
| 2 Hot drink kills solicitor keeping active before operation (5) | ||
| 2 Hot drink solicitor keeping active before operation (5) | Kill s | |
| Sl (solicitor) around a (active) + op (operation) | SALOP | ALOP |
| 3 Dead addict left a note (4) | ||
| 3 Dead left a note (4) | Add ict | |
| L (left) + a + te (note) | LATE | LATEICT |
| 4 Wild geese in river give active force to noise (8) | ||
| 4 Wild geese in river give active force to (8) | No ise | |
| (geese + in + r)* | ENERGISE | ENERG |
| 5 Rosemary for example on the radio is acquainted with her unfinished book (8) | ||
| 5 Rosemary for example on the radio is acquainted with her book (8) | Unfinished | |
| Nose (homonym of knows) + her + b (book) | NOSEHERB | NOSEHER |
| 6 Promoted doctor’s assistant unusually fresh, concealing old age (8) | ||
| 6 doctor’s assistant unusually fresh, concealing old age (8) | Promote d | |
| (fresh)* around eld (old age) | FELDSHER | FDELSHER |
| 7 The Cockney MO is strangely most unpretentious (7) | ||
| 7 The Cockney MO is strangely most unpretentious (7) | Cockney – drop the h | |
| (The MO is)* | HOMIEST | OMIEST |
| 8 Individual turned up with sufficient out-of-date toxin (4) | ||
| 8 Individual turned up with sufficient out-of-date(4) | Tox in | |
| Rev. one (individual) + w (with) | ENOW | ENOTOXW |
| 9 Bold father returned with Jock’s keenness of perception (4) | ||
| 9 Bold father with Jock’s keenness of perception (4) | Re turned | |
| Fr (father) + ee (Jock’s keenness of perception) | FREE | FERE |
| 10 Noble Greek homophone on audio frequency (4) | ||
| 10 Noble Greek on audio frequency (4) | Homophone | |
| Gr (Greek) + af (audio frequency) | GRAF | GRAPH |
| 12 First two pieces of alphabet soup (special order item for the old-fashioned) (4) | ||
| 12 First two pieces of alphabet (special order item for the old-fashioned) (4) | So up | |
| Al (First two pieces of alphabet) + so (special order) | ALSO | ALOS |
| 18 Halfback prevents black international blocking in this ground (8) | ||
| 18 prevents black international blocking in this ground (8) | Half back | |
| B(black) + I (international) in (in this)* | INHIBITS | INHISTIB |
| 20 Fit striker for Norway tucks into excellent wheat flour product (8) | ||
| 20 Fit for Norway tucks into excellent wheat flour product (8) | Strike r | |
| Rig (fit) + to (for) + n (Norway) in ai (excellent) | RIGATONI | IGATONI |
| 21 An excellent specimen alphabet initially rejected by new Tatler (7) | ||
| 21 An excellent specimen initially rejected by new Tatler (7) | Alphabet (order) | |
| R (initially rejected) + (tatler)* | RATTLER | AELRRTT |
| 23 Inspect exchange supported by rising dictator and Spain (7) | ||
| 23 Inspect exchange supported by dictator and Spain (7) | Rising | |
| Ex (exchange) + amin (dictator) + e (spain) | EXAMINE | ENIMAXE |
| 25 Second husband leaves village for young heartbroken swimmer (6) | ||
| 25 Second husband leaves village for young swimmer (6) | Heart broken | |
| S (second) + hamlet (village) – h (husband) | SAMLET | SEAMLT |
| 27 Old copper raised shoe (extracted part of carpentry tool) (7) | ||
| 27 Old copper raised shoe (part of carpentry tool) (7) | Extract ed | |
| Rev. As (old copper) + wedge (shoe) | SAWEDGE | SAWGE |
| 29 Solemn priest and Oscar maunder (2) | ||
| 29 Solemn priest and Oscar (2) | Ma under | |
| P (priest) + o (Oscar) | PO | POMA |
| 30 Tyrone’s destroyed learner in covert outfit (4) | ||
| 30 Tyrone’s destroyed learner in outfit (4) | Cover t | |
| L (learner) in kit (outfit) | KILT | KITLT |
| 31 Steelmen mixed ingredients unevenly (8) | ||
| 31 Steelmen mixed ingredients (8) | Unevenly | |
| (steelmen)* | ELEMENTS | EEET |
| 33 Spanish gent has time for topless society singer (5) | ||
| 33 Spanish gent has time for society singer (5) | Topless | |
| Senor (Spanish gent) t (time) for s(society) | TENOR | ENOR |
This was a cracking puzzle but it took me several long sittings to get to the end. I sent it off but was in no way confident I had a correct grid. Some really rough clues for me, and I’m not sure why 11A was one of my last in. Seems obvious now, but don’t they all in retrospect. My thanks to twencelas and oxymoron
I found this very tough indeed. A great puzzle though. I have no idea how the setter constructed the grid so that all entries were adjusted. Brilliant.