No clue numbers this week but an alphabetical across and down ordering with 10 misprints in definitions giving a clue to the puzzle’s theme. Also 6 unclued entries which are wholly blank in the initial grid fill. Sounds like a challenge.
I do like Oxymoron’s puzzles and this was no exception. Possibly some easier clues than normal from him. But then as you needed to solve quite a proportion to begin the grid fill, that was to be expected. The real fun began with entering the answers into the grid
As to the grid fill, I made a guess that proved to be accurate – the guess being that if 6 entries are blanked then they are most likely on the perimeter, meaning the clue solutions would not be broken on entry. This led to the partial solution below.
| W | E | R | G | I | L | D | A | B | A | N | T | |
| O | D | O | U | R | E | E | L | Y | T | I | I | |
| R | E | V | A | E | E | N | P | R | E | S | T | |
| E | M | E | N | D | S | T | H | A | L | L | I | |
| A | L | A | S | E | S | C | O | S | E | C | ||
| E | A | S | E | D | S | I | R | C | A | R | ||
| B | R | O | A | C | H | D | I | O | T | A | S | |
| R | E | D | I | A | E | T | S | R | S | T | P | |
| A | M | I | S | N | E | E | T | I | B | I | A | |
| G | I | V | E | E | P | A | R | A | G | O | N | |
The misprinted letters (in normal clue order – determined by the grid fill) spelled out COELACANTH – believed to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs but still in existence but very rare. The clue this provided being the entries that needed filling in were really extinct creatures. To preserve the requirement that the final grid contained real words then the missing clues were
SOLITAIRE
HUIA
AUROCHS
BLAUBOK
KURI
THYLACINE (visible on a Boags beer bottle for those who appreciate a Tasmanian brew)
giving the final grid
| S | O | L | I | T | A | I | R | E | H | U | I | A |
| W | E | R | G | I | L | D | A | B | A | N | T | U |
| O | D | O | U | R | E | E | L | Y | T | I | I | R |
| R | E | V | A | E | E | N | P | R | E | S | T | O |
| E | M | E | N | D | S | T | H | A | L | L | I | C |
| B | A | L | A | S | E | S | C | O | S | E | C | H |
| L | E | A | S | E | D | S | I | R | C | A | R | S |
| A | B | R | O | A | C | H | D | I | O | T | A | S |
| U | R | E | D | I | A | E | T | S | R | S | T | P |
| B | A | M | I | S | N | E | E | T | I | B | I | A |
| O | G | I | V | E | E | P | A | R | A | G | O | N |
| K | U | R | I | T | H | Y | L | A | C | I | N | E |
All good fun and a bit of education to boot. Thanks Oxymoron
Key:
Rev. Reverse; * Anagram; Underline definition; DD Double definition
| ACROSS | |
| Antique harrows for instance exhibited in bygone festivals (6) | |
| As (for instance) in ales (festivals) = ALASES | |
| British soldier showing strength in places (4) | |
| B (British) + ant (soldier) = BANT | |
| Support church retaining old spire (6) | |
| Bra (support) + ch (church) around o (old) = BROACH | |
| College secretary bored by office’s primary function (5) | |
| C (college) + sec (secretary) around o (office’s primary) = COSEC | |
| Vessels finally carried very small amounts (6) | |
| D (finally carried) + iotas (very small amounts) = DIOTAS | |
| Satisfied but not apparently relaxed (5) | |
| Appeased (satisfied) – app (apparently) = EASED | |
| Once happy without sun, like some fish (4) | |
| Seely (happy – archaic) – s (sun) = EELY | |
| Editor accepting pieces by us carries out his usual duty (6) | |
| Ed Around men (pieces) + s (us) = EMENDS | |
| Pay victor wearing costume (4) | |
| V (victor) in gie (costume) = GIVE | |
| Spent force facing day in France with no leader (5) | |
| C | Scent force facing day in France with no leader (5) |
| Od (force) + jour (day in France) – j = ODOUR | |
| Standard alpha grade diamond (7) | |
| Par (standard) + a (alpha) + gon (grade) = PARAGON | |
| Old lean poet’s ready (5) | |
| O | Old loan poet’s ready (5) |
| DD PREST | |
| Assistant returned a worm’s form (5) | |
| Rev. aider (assistant) = REDIA | |
| Military leader receives Command Paper for democratic Anglo-Indian government (6) | |
| Sirdar (military leader) replacing c (Command paper) with d (democratic) = SIRCAR | |
| Judge about ninety was cut (4) | |
| See (judge) around n (ninety) = SNEE | |
| * Plant bodies completely covered by most of this (6) | |
| All (completely) in thi (most of this) = THALLI | |
| Bond girl returned to Iowa (5) | |
| E | Bone girl returned to Iowa (5) |
| Rev. bit (girl) + ia (Iowa) = TIBIA | |
| Fine area of sand dunes surrounded by desert (7) | |
| Erg (area of sand dunes) in Wild (desert) = WERGILD | |
| Down | |
| * Greek character missing a sacred river (4) | |
| Alpha (greek character) – a = ALPH | |
| Tense Tories working with Austria for base (6) | |
| (Tories – e (base) + a(Austria)) = AORIST | |
| Rising menial worker is tested (3) | |
| A | Rising menial worker is tasted (3) |
| Rev. eta (menial worker) = ATE | |
| Bridge –a good game of cards (4) | |
| Br (bridge) + a + g (good) = BRAG | |
| Swish European about to replace diamonds (4) | |
| Dane (European) – d (diamonds) replaced by c (about) = CANE | |
| Depressions tend to change society (5) | |
| (tend)* + s (society) = DENTS | |
| Cool recording from the south (3) | |
| T | Tool recording from the south (3) |
| Rev. vid (recording) = DIV | |
| Unhealthy swelling close to ankle made to spread (5) | |
| (e(close to ankle) + made)* = EDEMA | |
| Money invested in East Indian record label (3) | |
| M (money) in EI (East Indian) = EMI | |
| Wizards are enthralled by noisy birds (6) | |
| L | Lizards are enthralled by noisy birds (6) |
| A (are) in guans(noisy birds) = GUANAS | |
| Complaint fails to open special regional channels (5) | |
| Bleat (complaint) – b (fails to open) + s (special) = LEATS | |
| Poet’s river shelter (3) | |
| DD LEE | |
| Benevolent creature is not forgotten (3) | |
| DD NIS | |
| One set on climbing over site perhaps (5) | |
| N | One set on climbing over sine perhaps (5) |
| Rev (i + tar (set on)) + o (over) = RATIO | |
| * The drink dried up, second half first (6, two words) | |
| Seared (dried up) swapping halves = RED SEA | |
| Almost five fours in athletic slog (6) | |
| A | Almost five fours in athletic slag (6) |
| Scor (almost five fours (20)) + I (in) + a (athletic) = SCORIA | |
| Quiet Jimmy overturned Jacob? (5) | |
| Sh (quiet) + Rev. Pee (Jimmy) = SHEEP | |
| Fresh pair of horses (4) | |
| DD SPAN | |
| A drink that’s not some exquisite aperitif (3) | |
| H | A drink that’s hot some exquisite aperitif (3) |
| Hidden exquisiTE Aperitif = TEA | |
| A shrub I planted in dry island (4) | |
| TT (dry) around I + I (island) = TITI | |
| * Sail right of dish (5) | |
| C | Sail right of disc (5) |
| Vela (sail) + r (right) = VELAR | |
| Exhausted women about to follow on (4) | |
| w (women) + re (about) after o (on) = WORE |