“16 clues contain an additional word that must be removed before solving; in PAIRS, these give definitions for the eight unclued entries. Solvers must highlight a ten-letter word that describes these entries and definitions. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended; one answer is in the Oxford Dictionary of English.”
The 16 additional words provide PAIRS of definitions for eight CONTRANYMS (the ten-letter word, running NW-SE in the grid), as follows:
LIEGE (subject, superior)
WEATHER (endure, decay)
FAST (stuck, quick)
REFRAIN (stop, repeat)
CLEAVE (join, split)
AUGHT (nothing, anything)
PEER (equal, nobleman)
BUCKLE (break, connect)
I particularly appreciated the fact that the PAIRS were, indeed, paired – that is, the two additional words for each word were in adjacent clues.
Notation
(xxx) = definition
[xxx] = (anagram/homophone/container/etc.) indicator
XXX* = anagram
< = reversal
subject = additional word
Please post a comment if the explanations are not clear.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BELONG | Fit subject, BE (live) with LONG (hunger) (6) |
| 5 | ORIOLE | O (Love) ROLE (part) [encapsulating] I (one) superior flier (6) |
| 8 | CODE | COD (Something fishy) E ([initially] ELATED) Morse? (4) |
| 9 | E_E_KI | Endure Russian EVEN (uniform) with [naked] |
| 10 | CION | Young relative’s CON (study) [about] I (iodine) decay (4) |
| 11 | OFSTED | [Terribly] SOFT* [on] ED (education) – like these people? (6) |
| 13 | INSTAR | Stuck TRAINS* [ruined] part of six-footer’s life (6) |
| 14 | LINCTUS | Medicine from LINUS (Brown’s animated friend) quick [to overwhelm] CT (court) (7) |
| 17 | TIMBRE | [Curiously], {BRI (B |
| 19 | OSTREA | [Some] almOST stop REAring marine creatures (6) |
| 21 | LINGUAL | Repeat [topless] |
| 23 | TODAYS | TO |
| 25 | AGATHA | Join AGA (ruler) with [fancy] HAT* for woman (6) |
| 26 | EMMA | Novel [part of] < progAMMEs [recalled] Split (4) |
| 27 | HIKERS | SHRIEK [when disturbed]? They ramble! (6) |
| 28 | EYAS | [[Drunken] TRIP* with this winger could result in ASPERITY] (4) |
| 29 | STARRY | STAR (Celebrity) RY (lines), nothing like The Sun? (6) |
| 30 | TRANCE | Spell anything H (hard) [from] TRANC |
| Down | ||
| 2 | LOOING | LOO (Gents maybe) IN (trendy) and G (good) making equal forfeit (6) |
| 3 | NEWS | Reports WORSEN* [somehow], [with OR (soldiers) leaving] nobleman (4) |
| 4 | GESTURAL | GEST (Adventurous story) [set on] URAL (river) concerning movement (8) |
| 6 | OKTA | O (Old) K (king) TA (cheers) break in amount of cloud cover? (4) |
| 7 | ENDURE | Connect brave EN (nurse) with RUDE* [criminal] (6) |
| 8 | CIVICS | C (About) IV (four) IC (in charge) S ([ultimately] ASSESS) study of American government (6) |
| 12 | SEPMAG | < [Revolutionary] GAMES (plays) [to include] P (piano) with separate sound (6) |
| 15 | CORTOT | COR (My) TOT (child) pianist (6) |
| 16 | STAIDEST | ST (Good person) with AID (help) SET* [out] to become most sober (8) |
| 18 | REARMS | Once again gives pieces to REAR (back) MS (writing) (6) |
| 19 | OFLAGS | FLAG (Tire) [in] OS (large) prison facilities (6) |
| 20 | BUSMAN | US (American) M (male) [in] BAN (bar) who has working holiday (6) |
| 22 | GAIA | Where we live that’s AI (great) [in] GA (Georgia) (4) |
| 24 | AVER | Confirm |
| B | E | L | O | N | G | O | R | I | O | L | E |
| U | C | O | D | E | E | V | E | N | K | I | N |
| C | I | O | N | W | S | O | F | S | T | E | D |
| K | V | I | N | S | T | A | R | E | A | G | U |
| L | I | N | C | T | U | S | A | P | E | E | R |
| E | C | G | O | W | R | T | I | M | B | R | E |
| O | S | T | R | E | A | A | N | A | B | E | C |
| F | A | S | T | A | L | I | N | G | U | A | L |
| L | U | G | O | T | O | D | A | Y | S | R | E |
| A | G | A | T | H | A | E | V | E | M | M | A |
| G | H | I | K | E | R | S | E | Y | A | S | V |
| S | T | A | R | R | Y | T | R | A | N | C | E |