Keep Trying – interesting title. Several clues with misprints which will explain how to modify some of the answers. I’m sure it will all make sense in the end.
And now to state the obvious, the sensible would start with a pencil, but as I hate using pencils for crosswords, my grid rapidly degenerated into anarchy. It took me some time to restore order, as nothing became obvious until the misprinted letters had been identified – LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED.
The novel means of entry being to reverse each stone found in an answer. Many of which I had to look up in Chambers to validate that they had some reference to stones.
Quite a batlle but got there in the end. Not sure it was as difficult as I made it, but maybe it was.
Thanks Kruger for a good mental workout.;
Key: * anagram; Rev. reverse; DD double definition; Underline definition
Modified clue sits beneath clue given
| Across | |
| 3 Old Olympian swimmer’s awfully wise before series – keeping warm (11) | |
| (wise)* + ser (series) around mull (warm) = WEISSMULLER Enter WEISSRELLUM | |
| 10 Chose new organ (4) | |
| L | 10 Close new organ (4) |
| N (new) + ear (organ) = NEAR | |
| 11 Chopin’s entertainment for Christmas went quickly, finishing early (8) | |
| Panto (entertainment for Christmas) + flew (went quickly) – w = PANTOFLE | |
| 12 One that crows get up preposterously with good trick (8) | |
| Rev. garb (get up) + g (good) + art (trick ) = BRAGGART Enter BGGARART | |
| 13 Not finishing fruit is apt (5) | |
| E | 13 Not finishing fruit is ape (5) |
| orange (fruit) – e = ORANG | |
| 14 With leader of Klan lost at sea, got to know how to behave without restraint (8, three words) | |
| (got to know – k)* = GO TO TOWN | |
| 17 Fit, bearded old man giving Barbados pride, endlessly (5) | |
| A | 17 Fat, bearded old man giving Barbados pride, endlessly (5) |
| santal (Barbados pride) – l = SANTA | |
| 19 Somewhere monk likes to make acceptable, so to speak (4) | |
| V | 19 Somewhere monk lives to make acceptable, so to speak (4) |
| Homonym of sell (make acceptable) = CELL | |
| 21 Contentious young woman, coming out, fronts adult picture (9) | |
| Deb(Contentious young woman) + a (adult) – table(picture) = DEBATABLE | |
| 23 Wandering Romany not a sculptor (5) | |
| (Romany – a)* = MYRON | |
| 24 Small Orcadian fish (3) | |
| E | 24 Smell Orcadian fish (3) |
| DD SAR | |
| 25 Defeat battalion bottling opportunity to go in (5) | |
| Hidden defeAT BATtalion = AT-BAT | |
| 27 Catchphrase producer to show contempt about animation of goal (9) | |
| sneer (show contempt) around (goal)* = SLOGANEER Enter SNAGOLEER | |
| 29 Bards charm Shakespeareans in the end (4) | |
| N | 29 Bands charm Shakespeareans in the end (4) |
| obi (charm) + s (Shakespeareans in the end) = OBIS | |
| 32 Bore swallows government myth (5) | |
| O | 32 Bore swallows government moth (5) |
| eger (bore) around g (government) = EGGER | |
| 34 Woven fabric former gunner found in street (8) | |
| arsene (as in Wenger – former gunner) in St (street) = SARSENET Enter NESRASET | |
| 35 Pal and I start to undress when swimming at moat … (5, two words) | |
| S | 35 Pal and I start to undress when swimming at most … (5, two words) |
| (pal + i + u)* = AL PIU | |
| 36 … large gown ideal when about to leave dressed (8, two words) | |
| T | 36 … large town ideal when about to leave dressed (8, two words) |
| (ideal + when – a)* = NEW DELHI | |
| 37 Glaring to draw attention to republican soldier perhaps (8) | |
| flag (draw attention to) + r (republican) + ant (soldier) = FLAGRANT Enter GALFRANT | |
| 38 Tern left in brood (4) | |
| O | 38 Torn left in brood (4) |
| l (left) in sit (brood) = SLIT | |
| 39 Organ movement in operetta – one I’ll hum regularly when played (11) | |
| (operetta + o + i + h)* = HETEROTOPIA | |
| DOWN | |
| 1 Reveals peacekeepers meeting leader adopting revolutionary way of working (8) | |
| un (peacekeepers) + boss (leader) around Rev. mo (way of working) = UNBOSOMS | |
| 2 Sugar Japanese heap onto starter of yakimono (7) | |
| j (japanese) + agger (heap) + y (starter of yakimono) = JAGGERY Enter REGGAJY | |
| 3 Mistakenly, again won’t run transport for few settlers (10, two words) | |
| N | 3 Mistakenly, again won’t run transport for new settlers (10, two words) |
| (again won’t + r)* = WAGON TRAIN | |
| 4 Raid much-used anchorage (6) | |
| INROAD | |
| 5 Every 3,600 years in Babylon, short?billed rails turned up (5) | |
| Rev. soras (short-billed rails) = SAROS | |
| 6 He’s not entirely rejected collecting dross from school (5) | |
| E | 6 He’s not entirely rejected collecting dress from school (5) |
| Rev. hidden he’S NOT Entirely = ETONS | |
| 7 Listened to parrot and feline touching face of exotic pet on protective cover (8) | |
| U | 7 Listened to parrot and feline touching face of exotic put on protective cover (8) |
| lori (homonym of lory – parrot) + cat (feline) + e (face of exotic) = LORICATE | |
| 8 Second of surfers indeed tackling last section of Severn bore (4) | |
| N | 8 Second of surfers indeed tackling last section of Severn bone (4) |
| u (second of surfers) + la (indeed) around n (last section of Severn) = ULNA | |
| 9 Yours truly in on turning over a couple of bars (5) | |
| Rev. me (yours truly) in leg (on) = GEMEL Enter MEGEL | |
| 15 Restore Mediterranean vessel beginning to leave for Spain (6) | |
| settee (Mediterranean vesel) swapping l (beginning to leave) for e (Spain) = SETTLE Enter TTESLE | |
| 16 Fungal disease greatly held up all beer brewing (10) | |
| Rev. big (greatly) + (all beer)* = GIBBERELLA Enter REBBIGELLA | |
| 18 Fear vehicle runs over bird (6) | |
| T | 18 Tear vehicle runs over bird (6) |
| car (vehicle) around ree (bird) = CAREER | |
| 20 Glam existence of magistrate upset Lorraine’s son in custody (8, two words) | |
| U | 20 Glum existence of magistrate upset Lorraine’s son in custody (8, two words) |
| doge (magistrate) around Rev. fils (Lorraine’s son) = DOG’S LIFE | |
| 22 Extremely easy caging bird – and it’s for a very long time (8) | |
| ey (extremely easy) around tern (bird) + it = ETERNITY | |
| 26 About eight spies holding Hezbollah’s initial phone number back (7) | |
| R | 26 About right spies holding Hezbollah’s initial phone number back (7) |
| Rev. Cia (spies) around h (Hizbullah’s first) + Tel (phone number) = ALETHIC | |
| 28 A party of Irishmen follows engineers to acquire gem (6, two words) | |
| N | 28 A party of Irishmen follows engineers to acquire gen (6, two words) |
| re (engineers) + a + DUP (party of irishmen) = READ UP | |
| 29 Initiators of Orangemen’s march all gather here? (5) | |
| start of Orangemen’s march all gather here = OMAGH | |
| 30 Bump in limo – maybe King and Queen without return journey (5) | |
| E | 30 Bump in lime – maybe King and Queen without return journey (5) |
| k (king) + r (queen) around Rev. run (journey) = KNURR | |
| 31 Was unaccustomed to exercise books (5) | |
| use (exercise) + nt (books) = USEN’T | |
| 33 Jumble sale of some wool in Perth (4) | |
| D | 33 Jumble sale of some wood in Perth (4) |
| (sale)* = SLAE |
I noticed a few inaccuracies in the blog when it appeared but, as they haven’t been addressed, I hope you don’t mind me pointing them out.
17a Barbados pride is the SANTA(L) tree.
37a doesn’t show the entry GALFRANT.
2d the thematic element appears to be JAGGER (of the Rolling Stones) and your entry would clash with the E of 10a.
I haven’t bothered with the odd typo, and I haven’t looked at everything in detail (I find it slightly more difficult when a solution grid isn’t supplied with the blog).
Thanks for the blog, twencelas and thank you, Kruger – I enjoyed the puzzle very much.
Thanks for the comments – have updated the blog now