“In RECONSTRUCTIONS, the answers to seven clues must be reconstructed, in each case omitting one letter, to form thematic entries. When the grid has been filled, an eighth thematic reconstruction, formed from the omitted letters, must be entered so as to consume another entry (leaving crossing entries as real words). Solvers must highlight a hidden term (6) which completes all the thematic entries. Numbers in brackets refer to entry lengths.”
The seven answers that must be reconstructed as CERATO, HADRO, PLESIO, STEGO, BRACHIO, ALLO, and MOSA, all of which require the ending -SAURUS (the hidden term that must be highlighted) to give dinosaurs.
The seven omitted letters (RNTONYA) must be reconstructed to give TYRANNO, which ‘consumes’ 13 down.
Many thanks to Hedge-sparrow, who may appreciate the finding that a T. rex bite is ‘no match for a finch’.
Unfortunately, I can’t fully parse 5ac or 22ac. Many thanks to Gaufrid! I wonder how many other solvers had RUSSIA for 22 across).
Notation
(xxx) = definition
[xxx] = (anagram/homophone/container/etc.) indicator
XXX* = anagram
< = reversal
REACTOR = omitted letter
Please post a comment if the explanations are not clear.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GARTHS | G [Ultimately] TALKING TRASH* [about] country gardens (6) | |
| 5 | GAZEBO | Belvedere GAL [L (left) to go] < [back] {BE (to live) [in] OZ (Australia)} (6) | |
| CERATO | 10 | REACTOR | RECTOR (Scottish headmaster) [welcoming] A (Academician) – one providing a response (6) |
| HADRO | 11 | RHONDA | Name of female R [head of] RACING HONDA (car manufacturer) (5) |
| 12 | LAMIGER | < {REGAL (Kingly) [clothing] I’M} [spinning] for local disabled person (7) | |
| 14 | SMEAR | SEAR (Brand) [concealing] M (mark) – a greasy patch (5) | |
| 15 | IDO | Auxiliary language based on Esperanto: I [primarily], IT’S DO (the same thing) (3) | |
| 17 | EUPHROE | EUROPE* [in turmoil] [over] H (Hungary)’s block on shipping (7) | |
| 18 | OUPHE | Idiot of a playwright: HE’S [after] OUP (a publisher) (5) | |
| 19 | NASSAU | {$$ (Dollars) AN (one)} [turned] to AU (gold) capital (6) | |
| 22 | RUSTIC | Country RU (sport) requiring STIC |
|
| 23 | SPOOFS | Hoaxes P (priest) with OOF (old money) (SS (a couple of shillings) [at the outside]) (6) | |
| 25 | STEP ON | Quash < {NO PETS} [subversive] injunction prohibiting dogs, etc. (6, two words) | |
| 28 | SERIF | < FIRES (Becomes inflamed) [over] embellishment of cue? (5) | |
| 29 | THISTLE | National emblem showing T [end of] EXHAUST |
|
| 32 | LEO | Sign L |
|
| 35 | ISLIP | I (One) < PILS [knocked back] (beer) in Confessor’s birthplace (5) | |
| 36 | ENGORGE | ‘{GO GREEN}*’ [freak] creating glut (7) | |
| 37 | SILEN | [Finish off] SILENT (taciturn), elderly satyr (5) | |
| PLESIO | 38 | PISTOLE | PI (Prig) STOLE (snatched) old gold coin (6) |
| 39 | MAORIS | Aborigines < ROAM (ramble) [around] IS (island) (6) | |
| 40 | ERASED | Got rid of ERAS (Times)’ ED (editor) (6) | |
| Down | |||
| 1 | GOLDEN | Prosperous OLDEN (age) [rarely] [supported by] G (government)? [Quite the reverse]! (6) | |
| 2 | REMAPS | [Substituting ‘M (1000)’ for ‘C (100)’], RECAPS (sums up) charts again (6) | |
| 3 | TRIO | [Cycling] RIOT (event that’s wildly enjoyable) for threesome (4) | |
| STEGO | 4 | STOOGE | [Raising] {E.G. |
| 5 | GORIER | GOER (Promiscuous type) [embracing] RI (watercolourist) is more distasteful (6) | |
| 6 | ZAMOUSE | Short-horned buffalo from ZA (South Africa), MOUSE (a timid creature) (7) | |
| 7 | EDEN | Garden E (earth) DEN (pit) (4) | |
| BRACHIO | 8 | BRONCHIA | [Rising] < {AIR B (baron)} [bearing] ON (towards) CH (Chinese) branches of airway (7) |
| 9 | OORIE | In Scotland, it’s dreary with O (nothing) [stopping] |
|
| 10 | CAR | Beetle, perhaps, S (is) [leaving] |
|
| TYRANNO | 13 | GIRAFFE | Ruminant from < RI [central part of] AFRICA [reared] [in] GAFFE (error) (7) |
| 16 | DOUTING | Extinguishing DOU |
|
| 20 | APEPSIA | Digestive trouble results when PEPSI (soft drink)’s [imbibed by] AA (group of alcoholics) (7) | |
| 21 | SOILIER | Less clean and OILIER (slippier) [after] S [start of] SNOW (7) | |
| 24 | STOEPS | STOPS (Obstacles) [restricting] E [entrance to] ENCHANTING verandahs in Cape Town (6) | |
| 26 | PTERIS | Plant life [checked by] lepidoPTERISt (6) | |
| 27 | NEREID | Satellite [broadcast] {R |
|
| 28 | SEISM | Occasional earthquake making [awful] MESS* [around] I (island) (5) | |
| 30 | HENLE | HELEN* [Lawless]: German anatomist who identified renal loop (5) | |
| ALLO | 31 | LOYAL | Faithful ALLY* [working] [to protect] O [leader of] OPPOSITION (4) |
| MOSA | 33 | SAMOA | Island state’s SAMO |
| 34 | EGO | Self-confidence and E (energy) [to climb to top] of GEO (gully in Orkney) (3) | |
| G | A | R | T | H | S | G | A | Z | E | B | O |
| O | C | E | R | A | T | O | H | A | D | R | O |
| L | A | M | I | T | E | R | S | M | E | A | R |
| D | R | A | O | Y | G | I | D | O | N | C | I |
| E | U | P | H | R | O | E | O | U | P | H | E |
| N | A | S | S | A | U | R | U | S | T | I | C |
| S | P | O | O | N | S | S | T | E | P | O | N |
| S | E | R | I | N | T | H | I | S | T | L | E |
| E | P | A | L | O | O | E | N | M | E | E | R |
| I | S | L | I | P | E | N | G | O | R | G | E |
| S | I | L | E | N | P | L | E | S | I | O | I |
| M | A | O | R | I | S | E | R | A | S | E | D |
Thanks Mister Sting
5ac GA[l] (gal left to go) BE (live) in OZ (Australia) reversed (back)
22ac is RUSTIC – RU (game) STIC[k] (short club) – I too tried Russia until it wouldn’t parse.