Autumn is here. A tussle with Ranunculus – of the buttercup genus. And the preamble…. The definition parts of nine clues have had two consecutive letters removed which must be reinstated prior to solving. In clue order these spell out what could be a BLONDE AMBITION. Solvers must replace four pairs of letters in the completed grid to reveal four thematically linked items; the displaced letters can be rearranged to identify your reward
I seemed to make hard work of this – suspect I was tuned to FM when I should have been on the new digital channels. A novel twist on the missing letter format in that 2 letters were missing perhaps added to the static on my headset.
Anyway – I eventually got there to ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR – leading to the title’s allusion to Blondes having more fun being their ambition.
The completed grid is below:
| A | B | S | C | I | S | S | A | H | C | O | S | T |
| R | E | D | U | C | E | U | O | A | A | R | O | N |
| C | L | O | S | E | D | E | N | T | R | A | N | T |
| H | O | O | P | H | I | T | C | H | O | N | G | H |
| I | V | C | S | S | T | R | E | F | U | G | E | E |
| M | E | R | M | A | I | D | S | U | S | U | A | L |
| E | D | E | S | S | O | R | T | S | E | T | E | L |
| D | I | S | C | S | N | P | R | E | D | A | T | E |
| E | N | C | R | Y | P | T | U | S | F | N | A | B |
| S | G | E | A | W | A | L | T | Z | L | O | G | O |
| T | A | N | G | E | L | O | T | E | A | S | E | R |
| D | O | D | G | E | S | G | E | N | T | I | R | E |
| P | L | O | Y | D | H | E | R | E | S | I | E | S |
The fairground attractions to be inserted were Carousels, Hoopla, Waltzer and Dodgems.
| A | B | S | C | I | S | S | A | H | C | O | S | T |
| R | E | D | U | C | E | U | O | A | A | R | O | N |
| C | L | O | S | E | D | E | N | T | R | A | N | T |
| H | O | O | P | L | A | T | C | H | O | N | G | H |
| I | V | C | S | S | T | R | E | F | U | G | E | E |
| M | E | R | M | A | I | D | S | U | S | U | A | L |
| E | D | E | S | S | O | R | T | S | E | T | E | L |
| D | I | S | C | S | N | P | R | E | L | A | T | E |
| E | N | C | R | Y | P | T | U | S | S | N | A | B |
| S | G | E | A | W | A | L | T | Z | E | R | G | O |
| T | A | N | G | E | L | O | T | E | A | S | E | R |
| D | O | D | G | E | M | S | E | N | T | I | R | E |
| P | L | O | Y | D | H | E | R | E | S | I | E | S |
The changed letters, in the grid, after rearrangement gave GOLDFISH – hopefully the plastic bag comes with it to complete the reward.
Thanks Ranunculus
Key
Underline definition; * anagram; DD Double definition; Rev. reverse
ACROSS
| 1 Intercept ship in Ivory Coast area after stopping aid (8) | |
| ABS (stopping aid) + CI (Ivory coast) + A (area) around SS(ship) = ABSCISSA | |
| 7 Rate Tesco’s tuna sandwiches (4) | |
| Hidden TesCO’S Tuna = COST | |
| 10 Make less crude cracks about European (6) | |
| (crude)* about E (European) = REDUCE | |
| 12 Absent magnate sacking British – his staff could blossom (5) | |
| A (absent) + baron (magnate) – b (British) = AARON | |
| 13 Seed not completely established in the ground (6) | |
| AL | 13 Sealed not completely established in the ground (6) |
| Est(established) – t in Clod (ground) = CLOSED | |
| 14 Initiate storm after introduction of erotic books (7) | |
| E (introduction of erotic) + nt (books) + rant (storm) = ENTRANT | |
| 15 Bear going round in circle (4) | |
| Rev. Pooh (bear) = HOOP | |
| 16 Rub skin irritation hard to begin with (5) | |
| H(hard) + itch (skin irritation) = HITCH | |
| 20 One seeking sheer goodness following man in black uniform (7) | |
| LT | 20 One seeking shelter goodness following man in black uniform (7) |
| Ref (man in black) + u (uniform) + gee (goodness) = REFUGEE | |
| 22 I’m armed, but legless (7) | |
| (Im armed)* = MERMAID | |
| 24 General Lee primarily tracking American Unionist advance (5) | |
| Us (American) + u (unionist) + a(advance) + l (Lee primarily) = USUAL | |
| 26 Breeds boxers perhaps without hearts (5) | |
| Shorts (boxers perhaps) – h (hearts) = SORTS | |
| 28 They can be slipped over unwanted notices (5) | |
| Discovers (notices) – over = DISCS | |
| 29 Trap a lot of deer, possibly (7) | |
| (trap + deer – r)* = PREDATE | |
| 30 Try one coop, desperately needing three eggs to scramble (7) | |
| (try one coop – ooo)* = ENCRYPT | |
| 34 Crank cut short Zulu dance (5) | |
| Walty (crank as in liable to capsize) + z (zulu) = WALTZ | |
| 36 Google uncovered mobile device (4) | |
| (google – ge)* = LOGO | |
| 37 Cross letter after Sierra’s clipped wing (7) | |
| Tango (letter after sierra) around el (wing) = TANGELO | |
| 38 Puzzle a half-hearted setter composed (6) | |
| (a + seter)* = TEASER | |
| 39 Pet budgie ultimately undone by daughter’s cat (5) | |
| 39 Pet budgie ultimately undone by daughter’s cheat (5) | |
| HE | Dog (pet) + e (budgie ultimately) around d (daughter) = DODGE |
| 40 Denied male fellows exhaust porter (6) | |
| Men (fellows) – m (male) + tire (exhaust) = ENTIRE | |
| 41 Work at conserving old stall (4) | |
| Ply (work at) around o(old) = PLOY | |
| 42 This man is found cutting diamonds for dubious doxies (8) | |
| He resides (This man is found) – d (diamonds) = HERESIES | |
| DOWN | |
| 1 Greek famed for prose skills – Head of Classics read me his novel (10) | |
| FU | 1 Greek famed for profuse skills – Head of Classics read me his novel (10) |
| (C read me his)* = ARCHIMEDES | |
| 2 Sweetheart against joining Lynne’s group between the sheets? (7) | |
| ELO (Lynnes’s Group – Electric Light Orchestra) + v (against) in bed (the sheets) = BELOVED | |
| 3 Swear about parking cones (5) | |
| Cuss (swear) around p (parking) = CUSPS | |
| 4 Son’s programme producing agitation (8) | |
| S (son) + edition (programme) = SEDITION | |
| 5 Fat lady who brought Adrian M into the world (4) | |
| Sue T(ownsend) (writer of Adrian Mole) = SUET | |
| 6 Has dated Shakespeare’s missus, while leaving a way out (4) | |
| Hathaway (Shakespeare’s missus) – a – way = HATH | |
| 7 Root edging or turning bat around? (7) | |
| Cause(root) around (or) = CAROUSE | |
| 8 Managed to board a tug on turbulent Clyde? (9) | |
| Ran (managed) in (a tug on)* = ORANGUTAN (Film reference to Every which way…) | |
| 9 Where Man perhaps succeeded against God originally (4) | |
| 9 Nowhere Man perhaps succeeded against God originally (4) | |
| NO | S (succeded) + on (against) + g (God originally) = SONG (by the Beatles) |
| 11 Former head throwing out boy’s cap (4) | |
| Bonce(head) – b (boy’s cap) = ONCE | |
| 17 Ranunculus’s relatives suffering headaches around end of puzzle (10) | |
| Hell (suffering) + bores (headaches) around e (end of puzzle) = HELLEBORES | |
| 18 Side inspired by soccer ground? Progressively less so! (9) | |
| 18 Side inspired by soccer ground? Progressively less soft! (9) | |
| FT | End(side) in (soccer)* = CRESCENDO |
| 19 Vacuous secretary covering mug in lippy (5) | |
| Sy (vacuous secretary) around ass (mug) = SASSY | |
| 21 Flap protecting electronic cores (5) | |
| 21 Flap protecting electronic coheres (5) | |
| HE | Fuss (flap) around e (electronic) = FUSES |
| 23 I parade heavenly body, stripping inside a topless club (8) | |
| Star (heavenly body) – a + putter (club) – p (topless) = STRUTTER | |
| 25 Stewart Copeland initially irritated, diminished by Sting? (7) | |
| 25 Stewart Copeland initially irritated, diminished by fasting? (7) | |
| FA | SC (Stewart Copeland initially) + raggy (irritated) = SCRAGGY |
| 27 Worked up about breaking English opening stand (7) | |
| Rev. E (English) + gate )opening) around re (about) = ETAGERE | |
| 31 Friends like lavish meal! (4) | |
| Slap-up (Lavish meal) taken literally i.e. reversed = PALS | |
| 32 They are likely to be my accommodation (5) | |
| 32 They are likely to be miry accommodation (5) | |
| IR | DD FLATS |
| 33 Nick Clegg’s back with old ISP (4) | |
| G (Clegg’s back) + AOL (old ISP) = GAOL | |
| 34 Went soft (4) | |
| DD WEED | |
| 35 Lost Lego box (4) | |
| (lego)* = LOGE |