A cryptic preamble this week and no word lengths shown. Though the letters in the ringed cells of the final grid will help to fill in the grid. A real chicken and egg situation!
Actually it didn’t take long for the penny to drop on one half of the clues COLONEL and COLONISE at 1ac and 1dn respectively made me realise the entries were to be :EL and :ISE. What was also noticeable was neither clue had any punctuation – not even a full stop to complete the clue. Some others though did have punctuation within the clue – which sent me in the right direction of the other type. Those clues needed to replace the punctuation mark with a word/ words for it and use that to solve the clue. The link below is quite helpful for some of the less commonly named marks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuation
So post grid fill PUNCTUATION was indeed the word obtained from the jumbled ringed cells. And many cells were then filled with punctuation marks.
All in all a relatively simple explanation which does not really do justice for the fun I had with this one. Representing # as a hash crossing a hatch amused me (3ac meets 5dn) and I liked the used of Intel for a brand of chips in 10ac.
Thanks Steve – the first puzzle I have come across of yours. Hopefully not the last.
Rev. Reverse; * Anagram; DD Double definition; Underline definition
Across
1 Mustard perhaps mostly chilled to cover sole
Lone (sole) covered by Cold (chilled) – d = COLONEL = :EL
3 Single leaving tailor has his ripped clothes
(tailor has his – I)* = ALOHA SHIRTS = ALO#IRTS
9 Like needle from male leaving English game that lacks quiet
pom (English) – m (male) + shinty (game) – sh (quiet) = POINTY = .y
10 Style most of Hawaiian dish with particular brand of chips
Poi (Hawaiian dish) – I + Intel (brand of chips) = POINTEL = .EL
12 Plant design lacking compliance
Create (design) – C (Compliance) = REATE
13 Kebab special includes hot pieces of liver inside and kidneys
S (special) + Liver + Inside + Kidneys = SHASHLIK = S#LIK
15 Enjoying success. Gaining independence after sacking petty officer
. (point) + I (independence) – po (petty officer) = IN IT
17 Sets free peacekeepers; on the outside release fails after departure of all Europeans
UN (peacekeepers) + SemicoloN (on the outside) + (release –e’s (Europeans) )* = UNSNARLS
18 Uprising is terrible (not in the end)
(braces i.e. a pair of brackets) – s )* = CABRE
22 Fish overcoming current – finally for fishermen
seers (fish) around i (current) + n (hyphen finallY) = SEINERS
24 Nationhoods disintegrating Norway angrily expelled Americans
(Nationhoods – N(Norway) – dot (.) )= OHIOANS
28 Pictures injured/missing Democrat and American
(Solidus (/) – d (democrat) – us (American))* = OILS
30 Police run back and begin to pull second in?
Rev. Go (run) + p (begin to pull) + u (second in question) = OGPU
31 Punks regularly leaving Portland Texas possibly not marriage material
(Portland Texas – pns)* = EXTRADOTAL = EXTRA.AL
33 Multi-layered bits of toilet roll = easily polished rims of lavatory around hospital
Initials of Toilet Roll Equals Easily Polished + ly (rims of lavatory) around h (hospital) = THREEPLY
34 Serious arrest after surgery
Po (serious) + stop (arrest) = POST-OP = PO.
Down
1 People in depression abandoned noise
Col (depression) + (noise)* = COLONISE = :ISE
2 Illegal? Unusual tee ultimately for golfer
illegal query unusuaL teE (ultimately) = LYLE
3 Apparently it covers bared loins perfectly
Ap (apparently) + ‘t (it) aroun oin (bared loins) = APOINT
4 Crack & initially quits to get money
Leak (crack) – a (ampersand originally) = LEK
5 Conservative joins House of Lords in despising new addition
Hating (despising) around c(conservative) + hl (house of lords) = HATCHLING = #LING
6 Din’s ending with the first person between two takes with director
‘ apostrophE’s ending + I (first person) in RR (two takes) + d (director) = REIRD
7 Tense coaches failing to start gossips
T (tense) + rattlers (coaches) – r (failing to start) = TATTLERS = T@TLERS
8 Infection is singular … without unwell keeling over
(Ellipsis – ill)* = SEPSIS
11 Flower: in the middle on island
: (coLon in the middle)+ is (island) = LIS
14 Stripped? One trembles by right
(Query – qy(stripped) + I)* = IURE
16 Drug #1 is hard
#(hash) + is + h (hard) = HASHISH
19 Security provider starts to break after interrogator leaves … and runs
Starts to Bailer After Interrogator Leaves Ellipsis Runs = BAILER
20 Armed force arrives with old letter exchanged for millions
Come (arrives?) swapping e for m (millions) + And (with) + o (old) = COMMANDO = ,NDO
21 Looked after vehicle Walford geezer stole
Car (vehicle) + ‘e took (Walford geezer stole) = CARETOOK = ?OOK
23 Finish – just half of it
“-“ (En dash) – ash (half of it) = END
25 Perhaps prawn cocktail falls short for love goddess
(starter (prawn cocktail) – e)* = ASTARTE = A*TE
26 Temporary solution sinks when raised by doctor penning article
Rev. (pots (sinks)) + gp (doctor) around a (article) = STOP GAP = .GAP
27 Smack for parking somewhere to wait for ride
Buss (smack (as in kiss)) + to (for) + P (Parking) = BUS STOP = BU.
29 Illness, lymphatic in part
Hidden Illness comMA Lymphatic = MAL
30 Rotting books found in extremities of deanery
Ot (books) in dy (extremes of deanery) = DOTY = .Y
I thought this was really good fun, and quite challenging. The lack of punctuation in the preamble was instrumental in working out the theme, and I assume that answer lengths were omitted in order to avoid the brackets around them. I struggled to justify 18ac for ages until I realised that () could be braces as well as brackets. Nice to have a puzzle that was a bit different to normal, and that stretched my brain in a slightly different direction.
I’m a bit late here, but I parsed 25D as “a starter” (Prawn Cocktail) missing the last letter (falling short).
Full Marks to Steve for an interesting idea.
Thanks to twencelas for the Blog.