Enigmatic Variations 1357 Giving the Game Away by Kcit

Some redundant words in clues which allow the grid to be completed. 4 unclued entries – otherwise all is normal.

Proved to be hard work this puzzle, but eventually the grid started to fill and it became obvious that the down clues that intercepted the bottom row left a space in that row.

The unclued entries were:

1ac SPOILER ALERT

20ac READ

24ac THIS

The extra words define the down answers that intercept the bottom row:

Water Channel = DOLINA (21dn)

Film Genre = WESTERN (16dn)

Cereal = SAGO (30dn)

Carries = BEARS (29dn)

Reverence = HALLOW (23dn)

Brand = SEAR (32dn)

Tropical tree = LONGAN (22dn)

Alloy = TERNE (27dn)

Poet’s funeral = HEARSE (25dn)

Adding these into the grid spell out

ONEA NSW ER – the three spaces are to remain.

And that was that or did I miss something? Indeed I did with the preamble telling us that one answer is in the bottom row.

Thanks Kcit

The parsing for 25dn eludes me.

Key * anagram; DD Double definition; underline definition; bold extra words; Rev. reversed

Across

11 Normal blokes monopolising French company – hard cheese (8)

Par (normal) + men (blokes) around SA (French company) = PARMESAN

12 Some local water channel gathers aquatic plant life (4)

Hidden locAL GAthers = ALGA

13 American gold formerly exposing frenzy (5)

A (American) + muck (gold formerly) = AMUCK

14 How many see advert initially reviewing every individual film genre? (5)

R (initially reviewing) + each (individual) = REACH

15 Micro-organisms in principal region avoiding river (7)

Arch (principal) _ area (region) – r (river) = ARCHAEA

17 Put out agreement over cereal being delivered last (4)

Rev. okay (agreement) moving o (over) to the end = KAYO

18 I’m most unlikely (just about) to return stew (5)

Rev. I’m last (most unlikely) – t = SALMI

26 Intrusive boss cut after employee finally produces blade (5)

Stock (intrusive boss) after e (employee finally) = ESTOC

28 Carries on suppressing the soul in Scottish town (4)

On around ba (soul) = OBAN

30 Catch elderly mostly holding box of tablets (7)

Tele (box) in Sneb (catch) – b = STELENE

31 Holy city experiences reverence in American city (5)

Has (experiences) in LA (US city) = LHASA

33 Recalled heat being brought into each building on mountain? (5)

Rev (ire (heat) in ea (each) = AERIE

34 Jewellery store brand beginning to risk investing in casual clothing (4)

R (beginning to risk) in tee (casual clothing) = TREE

35 Excitement attendant upon Conservative party (8)

Arousal (excitement) after c (conservative) = CAROUSAL

Down

2 China getting on top of Eastern border (4)

Pal (china) + e (eastern) = PALE

3 Love revolutionary wordplay, dismissing live methods of investigation (6)

O (love) + Rev. anagram – am (live)  = ORGANA

4 Tropical tree fell: allowed 50% to be trimmed (6)

Let (allowed) + half (50%) – f = LETHAL

5 Centrepiece of thesis for one prose article (5)

Es (centre of thesis) + say (for one) = ESSAY

6 Inflexible staff suppressing a man’s title (6)

Rod (staff) around a + mr (man’s title) = RAMROD

7 Liberal cross about Queen lifting headgear (6)

L (liberal) + Rev. tau (cross) around hm (queen) = LUMHAT

8 Uniform alloy property, promoting energy (5)

Quale (property) moving e to start = EQUAL

9 Tartaric people having support for speaker (7)

Race (people) + mic (support for speaker) =  RACEMIC

10 Asian boat people rejecting third Asian currency (4)

Tanka (boat people) – n (third) = TAKA

11 Arab poet’s funeral surrounded by modest ornaments (6)

Pure (modest) around ar (arab) = PARURE

16 Gale to soak local drain after rising (7)

Rev. ret (soak) + sew (local drain) = WESTER

19 Is Shakespearean patriarch reflected in Biblical patriarch? (6)

Is + Rev. Lear (Shakespearean patriarch) = ISRAEL

21 Choreographer and lecturer implicated in murder (6)

Do in (murder) around l (lecturer) = DOLIN

22 Record of performance includes note, a very extended note (6)

Log (record of performance) around n (note) + a = LONGA

23 Extra line in solar phenomenon produces surprised expression (6)

L (line) in halo(solar phenomenon) = HALLO

25 Gets wind of ways to dispose of first son (6)

shears (ways) removing first s (son) = HEARS

27 Run into difficulty picking up lottery prize? (5)

R (run) in Rev. net (difficulty) = TERN

29 Lawyers restraining English stock-market operator (5)

Bar (lawyers) around e (English) = BEAR

30 Reversal of this decline produces something exciting (4)

Rev. Gas (something exciting) = SAG

32 Main laxative to have numbers going (4)

Senna (laxative) – n (numbers) = SEA