An alphabetic jigsaw style this week with misprints in all definitions. The replaced letters spelling out a phrase to indicate the theme. The BRIEFCASES then need to be highlighted.
I must admit, it took a while to find a way in to the grid-fill, even with the 2 nine-lettered answers. But once the filling began it did proceed at a rapid pace.
The corrected letters spelled out:
SECOND DECLENSION MASCULINE SINGULAR ENDINGS
Memories of old Latin lessons came back to me. Not exactly my idea of a fun theme for a crossword, when learning was by rote and any information required needed to be looked up in a book!
The final grid is below:
| N | O | M | A | D | O | C | U | L | U | S |
| O | P | A | L | O | R | E | S | I | N | T |
| V | O | C | U | L | E | C | I | R | C | E |
| I | T | A | X | I | A | A | G | A | I | N |
| A | C | C | E | N | D | L | O | C | U | M |
| L | H | O | N | E | Y | M | O | O | N | G |
| G | E | N | I | E | M | E | D | I | C | I |
| I | L | E | A | L | A | S | O | L | I | G |
| D | A | T | E | S | D | O | M | I | N | O |
| E | M | A | R | A | E | N | W | E | I | L |
| A | B | L | I | N | S | S | E | R | V | O |
The letters highlighted in red being brief (names of) cases Nominative, Vocative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative and Ablative. With the masculine endings being to the extreme right.
Thanks Gaston for a reminder of simpler days and a nice jigsaw to boot.
Key:
Rev. reverse; * anagram/ original clue; DD double definition
| * A basket’s holding money – for Rabbis perhaps? (6) | |
| S | A basket’s holding money – for Rabbie perhaps? (6) |
| A bin’s (basket’s) around l (money) = ABLINS | |
| * Bill caught object aimed at eight once (6) | |
| E | Bill caught object aimed at light once (6) |
| ac (bill) + c (caught) + end (object) = ACCEND | |
| * First class prophet, reportedly, is core (5) | |
| C | First class prophet, reportedly, is more (5) |
| a(first class) + gain (prophet say – i.e profit ) = AGAIN | |
| * Some nice call-girl with a pooch (5) | |
| O | Some nice call-girl with a pouch (5) |
| hidden niCE CALl-girl = CECAL | |
| * Assembly left out manic goddess (5) | |
| N | Assembly left out magic goddess (5) |
| circle(assembly) – l (left out) = CIRCE | |
| * Note German article about wood (5) | |
| D | Note German article about woos (5) |
| das (German article) about te (note) = DATES | |
| * Denote the same rank (6) | |
| D | Cenote the same rank (6) |
| do (the same) + line (rank) = DOLINE | |
| * Fate, perhaps: daughter has no coat (6) | |
| E | Fats, perhaps: daughter has no coat (6) |
| d(daughter) + o (no) + mino (coat) = DOMINO | |
| * Coo! Golfer has a name! (5) | |
| C | Loo! Golfer has a name! (5) |
| Els (Golfer) + a + n (name) = ELSAN | |
| * The risen dead and those lot here (4, two words) | |
| L | The risen dead and those not here (4, two words) |
| Rev. Late (dead) = ET AL | |
| * He uses a lame navigation system around Ulster (5) | |
| E | He uses a lamp navigation system around Ulster (5) |
| Gee (navigation system) around NI (Ulster) = GENIE | |
| * Loner’s performance on his own, topless (6) | |
| N | Lover’s performance on his own, topless (6) |
| Gig (performance) + solo(on his own) – s (topless) = GIGOLO | |
| * Something sticky to cook and sell in Sydney? (5) | |
| S | Something sticky to cook and well in Sydney? (5) |
| Goo (something sticky) + do (cook) = GOOD-O | |
| * Golden-brown pine’s straightforward debit (9) | |
| I | Golden-brown pine’s straightforward debut (9) |
| honey (golden-brown) + moon (pine) = HONEYMOON | |
| * Top fish on river (4) | |
| O | Tip fish on river (4) |
| id (fish) + ea (river) = IDEA | |
| * From the gun Gaston faces faithful (5) | |
| N | From the gut Gaston faces faithful (5) |
| i (Gaston) = leal (faithful) = ILEAL | |
| * Came to bash bishop (4) | |
| M | Cade to bash bishop (4) |
| Lam (bash) + b (bishop) = LAMB | |
| * Farmer ready in Tuscany to bring up seed covering (4) | |
| A | Former ready in Tuscany to bring up seed covering (4) |
| Rev. Aril (seed covering) = LIRA | |
| * See with the addition of substitute sector (5) | |
| S | See with the addition of substitute rector (5) |
| Lo (see) + cum (with the addition of) = LOCUM | |
| * Relative of ace Scotsman has a business (6) | |
| C | Relative of ape Scotsman has a business (6) |
| Mac (Scotsman) + a + co (business) = MACACO | |
| * Place for a nutter in Otago where girl entertains artist (5) | |
| U | Place for a natter in Otago where girl entertains artist (5) |
| Mae (girl) around Ra (artist) = MARAE | |
| * Italian louse given pills without Edward (6) | |
| L | Italian house given pills without Edward (6) |
| medicined (given pills) – ned (Edward) = MEDICI | |
| * Small quirks when operating in dining area (6) | |
| I | Small quarks when operating in dining area (6) |
| Mess (dining area) around on (operating) = MESONS | |
| * Being sensible, one changes planes often (5) | |
| N | Being sensible, one changes places often (5) |
| DD NOMAD | |
| * Otto’s Jew perhaps lacks a glass bottle (6) | |
| E | Otto’s Jaw perhaps lacks a glass bottle (6) |
| no (lacks a) + vial (glass bottle) = NOVIAL | |
| * To free one from ridiculous criminal is sane (6) | |
| S | To free one from ridiculous criminal is pane (6) |
| (ridiculous – rid(fre) – i (one))* = OCULUS | |
| * Sicking up even more when ship goes round island (6) | |
| I | Sucking up even more when ship goes round island (6) |
| oiler(ship) around i (island) = OILIER | |
| * A nine stone soap-ball’s not odd! (4) | |
| N | A nice stone soap-ball’s not odd! (4) |
| sOaP bAlL = OPAL | |
| * Revolutionary receptacle first made for Bill’s gunge (6) | |
| G | Revolutionary receptacle first made for Bill’s lunge (6) |
| Pot (receptacle) + che (revelutionary) = POTCHE | |
| * Rugged drama eyed suspiciously (9) | |
| U | Rigged drama eyed suspiciously (9) |
| (drama eyed)* = READY-MADE | |
| * It’s lax to fall from grace again (5) | |
| L | It’s wax to fall from grace again (5) |
| DD RESIN | |
| * Loose overs creating greater farce (5) | |
| A | Loose overs creating greater force (5) |
| (overs)* = SERVO | |
| * Soil is broken into individual pieces by Mary (4) | |
| R | Soil is broken into individual pieces by Many (4) |
| (soil)* = SOLI | |
| * Catches up and gets the gen (4) | |
| E | Catches up and gets the gun (4) |
| Rev. nets (catches) = STEN | |
| * Can eleven volunteers swap places? (4) | |
| N | Cab eleven volunteers swap places? (4) |
| XI (eleven) + Ta (volunteers) swapping places = TAXI | |
| * Some hoods are part of council … (4) | |
| D | Some hooks are part of council … (4) |
| hidden coUNCIl = UNCI | |
| * … and smaller firms initially carry illegal narcotics in Oxford, perhaps (6) | |
| I | … and smaller forms initially carry illegal narcotics in Oxford, perhaps (6) |
| cin (initially carry illegal narcotics) in Uni (Oxford perhaps) = UNCINI | |
| * Night sound barely heard when rodent swallows copper (6) | |
| N | Light sound barely heard when rodent swallows copper (6) |
| vole(rodent) around Cu (copper) = VOCULE | |
| * EdGy western tale rejected (4) | |
| G | * Eddy western tale rejected (4) |
| W (western) + Rev. lie (tale) = WEIL | |
| * Unknown computer almost has direst influence on pollen (5) | |
| S | Unknown computer almost has direct influence on pollen (5) |
| X (unknown) + enia (computer) = XENIA |
Gaston is one of my favourite setters as he always comes up with fun themes that are quite straightforward to solve. This was somewhat harder than the average Gaston, but still fun. Took me back to my long ago schooldays learning Latin. Nice to be reminded of those days. Our Latin teacher had a habit of hurling a blackboard rubber at your head if you weren’t listening. Not sure you could do that these days, but it made you pay attention in class. Thanks to Gaston.
I went to a bog-standard comprehensive in which Latin was never taught, so I had to look these up in the Pocket Oxford Latin Dictionary. This has a summary of grammar at the back but for a while it did not seem to fit in with the crossword, until I finally discovered elsewhere the vocative case, which is missing from this book. I find that surprising.