Puzzles like this one, where the clues given in alphabetical order of their answers, tend to involve a fair amount of cold solving before a tipping point where (if the solver is lucky) everything slots into place. I have a soft spot for them, but the obvious worry is that one will run into difficulty with the cold solving.
As things turned out, I got away with relatively little cold solving, before I found that ECONOMICAL was a good bet for the 10-letter space running down most of the left hand side of the grid. While a few clues held out perhaps longer than they should have done (I’m looking at you, SHAPING!), I was able to populate the grid at a fair pace after that.
Similarly, there were a few missteps finding the seven words to be removed from the clues before solving, but I had enough to recognise there was a theistic tang about them. Now, of course, NILE should have been an immediate giveaway, but muggins here dutifully checked the grid for various Aetherial Greeks and Romans before the presence of a different group became clear even to this clod.
The seven thematic names are:
RA, God of the SUN
PTAH, God of CRAFTSMEN (well, of creation)
OSIRIS, God of the UNDERWORLD
ISIS, God of MARRIAGE
HAPI, God of the NILE
HORUS, God of the SKY
THOTH, God of WISDOM
The septet form the thematic STRUCTURE to be highlighted, viz. a pyramid.
I enjoyed this very much. I’m only sad that I have to wait a whole week for the next one.
Unfortunately, I can’t fully parse the clues for KNOT and SMOCK. Thanks, Phi!
Notation
(xxx) = definition
[xxx] = (anagram/homophone/container/etc.) indicator
XXX* = anagram
< = reversal
marriage = word to be removed
Please post a comment if the explanations are not clear.
| AGENDA | AGEN (Poet’s once more) D (deserted) marriage; A (are) things to be done? (6) |
| AHOY | AY (A |
| ANNIE | Musical N (note) [held by] ANI (cuckoo) [with] E (energy) (5) |
| AORTIC | TIC (Jerk) [at end of] [muddy] OAR* of vessel (6) |
| CAISSON | [Characters in CASINOS* playing] pontoon (7) |
| CAPSULE | Metal covering CA (around) PULE (pipe) [containing] S (sulphur) (7) |
| CHORUS | Players |
| DECKLE-EDGE | DECK (Adorn) LEDGE (shelf) [bearing] E ([ultimately] VILE) ragged bit of paper (10) |
| ECONOMICAL | Careful [moving] MINUTEST* [parts] from TELECOMMUNICATIONS* [complex] |
| ELCHI | |
| ENSUE | Go after U (unionist) [dividing] ENSE (SENSE (opinion), [ignoring leader]) (5) |
| EXOTIC | Belly dancer, say, EX (without) wisdom < [turned] CITO (quickly) (6) |
| HOMME | HO (Stop) MME (foreign lady) and man in the same place (5) |
| KIDS | K (A thousand) IDS (fish), little ones (4) |
| KNOB | [Small group of] |
| LAUS DEO | LEO (Lion) [around] AUS (Australia) D (departs) – praise to God (7, two words) |
| LOREL | RE (Note) [piercing] LOL (that’s amusing) rascal (6) |
| MENACE | Troublesome person MEN (vassals) ACE (serve without response) (6) |
| MENHIR | Erect stone [sculpture] {IN HER |
| MICOS | MICROS (Computers) [not] R (right) for monkeys (5) |
| MISHNA | MISHA (MISHAP (Bad luck) [curtailed]), [getting round] N (new) Jewish law (6) |
| NEELE | |
| OCCUPY | Tenant C (caught) [with] CUP (alcoholic beverage) [feeding] OY (Ian’s grandchild) (6) |
| OOSPORE | OO (We in Scottish) S (society) PORE (ponder) result of union (7) |
| OPTIC | Measure TOPIC (matter) [in which T (temperature)’s dropped] (5) |
| PEPSI | Drink‘s PI (mixed state) [with inclusion of] EPS (HEPS (fruit) [(not hard)]) (5) |
| PITTA | Bird T ([initially] TRAPPED) [in] PIT (hollow) A (area) (5) |
| RACON | <CAR (Vehicle) [recalled] ON (with respect to) navigational aid (5) |
| REPAIR | <PER (Person [retired]) AIR (to warm and dry) resort (6) |
| RISPED | Scotsman’s grated R (ROMANO [primarily]) IS PED (pedestrian) (6) |
| RUINER | One undoing RUNNER (rope) [leaving N (navy) for I (Italy)] (6) |
| SCION | Young member of family {IS ON C (cold)}* [potty] (5) |
| SEPTA | Structures used to divide SEPT (month) and A (year) (5) |
| SHAPING | Craftsmen forming I (institute) [after] P (pressure) [being repressed by] SHANG (Chinese dynasty) (7) |
| SMOCK | Habit H (husband) of SHOCK (sixty)[‘s given up for] M (month) (5) |
| SRIS | Respectfully, Indian males [rejected] A (article) of SARIS (their ladies’ clothing) (4) |
| STERN | Tail S (section) [on] TERN (aquatic bird) (5) |
| TANKARD | TANKA (Boat-dwellers) [beside} RD ([banks of] RED) Nile handled vessel (7) |
| TAO | Proper conduct is < COAT (to cover up), [having at first dismissed] cloudy sky (3) |
| TISSUE | ISSUE (Supply) Sun [after] T ([last of] TOILET) paper (6) |
| TRY | Effort [expelling] COVEN (weird group) from COVENTRY (Midlands city) (3) |
| YEARN | Feel grief YEAR (some time) [before] N (noon) (5) |
The finished grid looks like this:
| S | M | O | C | K | T | A | N | K | A | R | D |
| R | E | P | A | I | R | G | E | N | S | U | E |
| E | N | T | P | D | Y | E | X | O | T | I | C |
| C | A | I | S | S | O | N | E | B | E | N | K |
| O | C | C | U | P | Y | D | L | O | R | E | L |
| N | E | E | L | E | R | A | C | O | N | R | E |
| O | M | S | E | P | T | A | H | O | M | M | E |
| M | I | C | O | S | I | R | I | S | P | E | D |
| I | S | I | S | I | S | H | A | P | I | N | G |
| C | H | O | R | U | S | T | H | O | T | H | E |
| A | N | N | I | E | U | A | O | R | T | I | C |
| L | A | U | S | D | E | O | Y | E | A | R | N |
I wanted it to be KNOT as well (first thing I thought of), but it’s actually KNOB. I assume the last letter was unchecked, but I can’t now recall.
The third entry for SHOCK in Chambers assigns the meaning of ‘sixty’ (with a rather lacklustre etymology if you ask me), so it’s M for H in SHOCK
Enjoyable. One thing I don’t understand though. Was there a thematic reason for answers being entered jigsaw style? If so then I couldn’t think of it. There seemed no justification for this other than being a spurious device to artificially make the puzzle more difficult.