Enigmatic Variations 1401 Unconventional by Stick Insect

[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here

Something unconventional this week which must be deduced – I do like a simple preamble.

And whilst not overly difficult, what a marvellous construction. The novelty being that spaces and punctuation filled spaces in the grid and were included in the wordplay, rather than being ignored on entry.

Many thinks Stick Insect – reminded me of what originally attracted me to these puzzles many years ago. Such fun.

Key

* anagram, DD double definition; Rev. Reversed, underline defintion.

Across
1 Boer rogue is source of killing tree (5)
‘s (is) + k (source of killing) + elm (tree) = SKELM
6 Old satire demanding imposition of duties (6)
DD TAXING
12 Once high-up superintendent wed local girl to New Zealander, not I (7)
Moari (New Zealander) – i + Mor (local girl) = MAORMOR
13 Brat performed dash in ski-lift (5)
(Brat + – )* = T-BAR
14 Nora’s road is twisting about plant (11, two words)
(Nora’s rod)* = AARON’S ROD
16 Comic inspiration that almost turns trouble back (6)
that -t (almost) + Rev. Ail (trouble) = THALIA
17 Sailor with ordinary Pacific food (4)
Tar (sailor) + o (ordinary) = TARO
18 Will’s dwarf contains sign of possessing every way in the North (6)
agate (will’s dwarf) around ‘ (sign of possessing) = A’GATE
20 Cheese for those blethering broken-nosed guards (6)
Hidden broKEN-NOsed = KEN-NO
21 Grateful, uncovered way to separate threads (5)
pleased (grateful) – pd = LEASE
23 He’s recreated lines a woman may come to shortly (6)
(he’s)* + ll (lines) = SHE’LL
25 Beginnings of day, away with night (4)
Day Away With Night = DAWN
26 Mark joining in noticing afresh able to be first in way to prevent movement (12)
can (able) + (noticing)* around – (mark) = CANTING-COIN
30 Little reptile caught by enormous bird (4)
c(caught) + roc (enormous bird) + CROC
34 Excluded in Perth, he tore toun up (12, three words)
(he tore toun)* = ON THE OUTER
35 Previously, little coin seemed initially quaint (5)
s (seemed initially) + cute (quaint) = SCUTE
36 Company seizes a line covered in a fuel (5)
coy (company) around a + l (line) = COALY
37 Fool forward with fashionable frothy substance (7)
sap (fool) + on (forward) + in (fashionable) = SAPONIN
38 Kir’s spilled making marks in the margin (5)
(Kir’s) * = K’RIS

Down
1 Flipping drunkard beats glass cubes (7)
Rev. sot (drunkard) + lams(beats) = SMALTOS
2 Knock out in the manner of Aussie beast (5)
Ko (knock out) + ala (in the manner of) = KOALA
3 No time to fear mistake (5)
terror (fear) – t (time) = ERROR
4 Plant’s nail-machine is rebuilt, when one institute is new (12)
(nail-machine – i + n)* = MANNA-LICHEN
5 With extra proxy for missing character, nob’s reassigned ship’s officer (6)
(nos’n + ‘)* = BO’S’N
7 Endlessly trot out in frock-coat Hal tailored, only partially prepared (12, two words)
(frock-coat hal – tro)* = AT HALF-COCK
8 Sexually graphic kind of photograph not agreed with arranged date (7)
X-ray (kind of photograph) – ay (agreed) + (date)* = X-RATED
9 African people of Djibouti (3)
Hidden djIBOuti = IBO
10 Conversion of dinar produces all-time low (5)
(dinar)* = NADIR
11 Make outstanding environment-friendly alternative technology within (7)
green (environmnent-friendly) around AT (alternative technology) = GREATEN
15 Daughter at risk of it, contracted something forbidden (5)
D daughter on it contracted = DON’T
19 Be consumed over sentimentality (3)
go (be consumed) + o (over) = GOO
20 Potassium covering stimulant (4)
K (Potassium) + hat (covering) = KHAT
22 Turn and make love to former lecturer (6)
swive (make love to – archaic) + l (lecturer) = SWIVEL
24 Make fun of soprano quitting finish (6, two words)
send up (make fun of) – s (soprano) = END UP
26 Thwart dishonest hybrid (5)
DD CROSS
27 Thug takes space to behave (5, two words)
Goon (thug) around space = GO ON
28 Welsh lady is anxious, not very stable at first (5)
nervy(anxious) – v (very) + s (stable at first) = NERYS
29 Books beside Bismarck, perhaps (4)
OT (books) + to (beside) = OTTO
31 Revolutionary uncovered credo (3)
Hidden cREDo = RED
32 Question of getting shortened voiced by ancient Scots (4)
qu (question) + o’ (shortened of) = QUO’
33 Brilliant rodents rising up (4)
Rev. rats (rodents) = STAR