It may be me but the preamble took a long time to decipher this week. My rough translation – Down clues are normal but some have swapped their definitions and across clues lose letters. The lost letters spell out the exiler and the first characters of the 8 clues that have swapped definitions the Wasted land. Hopefully the puzzle itself is more accessible!
A great puzzle for those who like complex clues and ones which use the many nuances of meaning the English language has. Herein lay the satisfaction as the completed grid held no great surprises.
If I’m honest I got a sense of satisfaction on completing the grid but my draw to these puzzles is the originality of the endgame, which this puzzle did lack. So not my cup of tea, where I would gladly lower the complexity of the clueing so the end is accessible to most reasonable crossword solvers, this offering was certainly not entry-level. Others will have contrary views and variety is the spice of life.
The removed letters from the across clues spelled out:
THE INFERNAL SERPENT
The initial letters of the swapped definitions PARADISE. The preamble failed to mention that these swaps did not preserve a sensible clue, which would have been a nice touch.
Both being biblical references to the temptation of Adam in the garden of Eden.
Thanks Auctor
Key:
Underline – definition; * anagram; DD Double definition; Rev. reverse
ACROSS
| 1 Hell! Chambers can (6) | |
| T | Dis (hell) + Pos (chambers) = DISPOS(T) |
| 6 Offering in front of pop is excellent (6) | |
| H | ‘s (is) + rad (excellent) + da (pop) = SRADDA(H) |
| 10 Favour time with a drug reforming watch growth’s sine qua non! (10) | |
| E | Pick (favour) + t (time) + (a drug)* PICK(E)TGUARD |
| 11 Insidiously creep round right zone with the booty boys? (8, two words) | |
| I | (creep)* around rz (right zone) + w (with) = PR(I)ZECREW |
| 13 Spaniard arose aroused (5) | |
| N | (arose)* = SE(N)ORA |
| 14 Scots tangle Gauche a lace trim hiding zip (7) | |
| F | A + ruche (lace trim) around o (zip) = (F)AROUCHE |
| 16 Miscreant E.g pepper Right Reverend all but placed in the rear (5) | |
| E | RR (right reverend) + hind (placed in the rear) – d = (E)RRHIN(E) |
| 17 Fruit – peeling last of these learn love (7, two words) | |
| R | See (learn) – e (last of these) + agape (love) = SEA G(R)APE |
| 19 Archaic dictate that is about ancient words for a song (5) | |
| N | i.e. (that is) around dit (ancient wrds for a song) = I(N)DITE |
| 21 Bombing memoir ridiculed to some extent (5) | |
| A | Hidden memoIR RIDiculed = (A)IRR(A)ID |
| 22 Theban king released scot?free (fragment being Eastern) (7) | |
| L | (scot-free – fr + e)* = ETEOC(L)ES |
| 24 Client’s right must be to put away small silver coin (5) | |
| S | Client – lien (right) replaced by eat (put away) = (S)CEATT |
| 28 Overwhelm forgotten driver, new in island (7) | |
| E | Dr (driver) + n (new) in inch (island) = INDR(E)NCH |
| 29 Flipping substantive cut by English – an impulsive thing (5) | |
| R | Rev. Noun (substantive) around e *English) = NEU(R)ON |
| 30 E.g. pepper Growth’s sine qua non one liberally with ration cut (8) | |
| P | (one + ratio)* = A(P)O(P)ROTEIN |
| 31 Sadly Islam bars entering right festival for Turks (10, two words) | |
| E | (islam bars r)* = L(E)SS(E)R BAIRAM |
| 32 Flush first wife perhaps exposed (6, two words) | |
| N | Eve (first wife) + out (exposed) = EVE(N) OUT |
| 33 Small pool left inside ironworks, say (6) | |
| T | S(small) + meer (pool) around l (left) = SMEL(T)ER |
DOWN
1 Ducks like snake (6)
Dips (ducks) + as(like) = DIPSAS
2 One collared inside stirred terrine full of sauce (10)
Rev. (one collared) in (terrine)* = IRREVERENT
3 Dumplings confused state and hoisted archetypal Russian (7)
Pie (confused state) + Rev. Igor (archetypal Russian) = PIEROGI
4 ‘Of Man’s first…’, gripping chapters about language (5)
OM (of man’s first) around cc(chapters) + a (about) = OCCAM
5 This grub set up those who favour curry? (5)
Rev. narks (those who favour curry i.e. curry favour) = SKRAN
6 Sturgeon dashed off letters (7)
(letters)* = STERLET
7 I guess Gold ‘n’ Syrup upset (5)
Au (gold) + Rev. rug (syrup) = AUGUR
8 Watch Diver expert young woman (8)
Dab (expert) + chick (young woman) = DABCHICK
9 A verse in idiomatic dry tract is to be supplemented once (6)
A + dene (idiomatic dry tract) around v (verse) = ADVENE
12 Sound intro to Waste Land, lifting anybody, is Eliot’s prime (10, two words)
W (intro to White) + hit (land) + Rev. one (anybody) + is + E (Eliot’s prime) = WHITE NOISE
15 See preamble
18 What’s coarse and does sailors? Company with a popsy about (7, two words)
Peat(popsy) around Co (company) + a = PEA COAT
20 Heretics fix Church of England and of Scots too (7)
Do (fix) + CE (church of England) + tae (Scot’s too) = DOCETAE
21 What was massive Scots tangle acrostic I clearly will show (6)
Hidden acrostIC I CLEarly = ICICLE
23 Gauche Miscreant bowler in no need of power (6)
Spinner (bowler) – p (power) = SINNER
25 Transactions troubled our town (5)
Tr (transactions) + (our)* = TRURO
26 Short chap’s clubhouse put up gent (5)
Ch (clubhouse) + Rev. (Sir(gent)) = CHRIS
27 Par for the surfer’s course, I predict what was massive diver (5)
DD E norm = ENORM