[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
Darkest hour !!! How very prophetic. But in crossword terms some extra words to remove, to reveal 3 names, a perimeter quotation to insert and a single normal entry to be amended to the title of a work. Hopefully enough to temporarily shift the mind to something less worrying than Covid-19.
Certainly an interesting variation on the hidden message themes. the word to be removed from each clue either had only a single letter in common with the answer or only a single letter not in common with the answer OR both appplied!
After a bit of jiggery pokery the names revealed were:
RALPH WALDO EMERSON
JOHN WOOD CAMPBELL
ISAAC ASIMOV
The former being the origin of the perimeter quotation ” IF THE STARS SHOULD APPEAR ONE NIGHT IN A THOUSAND YEARS”.
The next part required (in my case anyway) a bit of assistance from a search engine. Apparently this was the inspiration for a novel by Isaac Asimov (following a conversation with John Wood Campbell) for the novel NIGHTFALL.
This being the replacement for the normal clue at 15ac (Raise Hell) leaving real words in the amended grid entries.
Highly enjoyable Stick Insect – thanks. Stay as safe as you can everyone.
Key:
Rev. reversed; * anagram; DD Double definition; Bold superfluous clue word; Underline definition
ACROSS
| 7 Credit’s filtered about: barman wrote a lot for Scots (8) | |
| R | Cr (credit) in sieved (filtered) = SCRIEVED |
| 9 Opening section within quaint oratorio rondo (5) | |
| A | Hidden quanINT ROndo = RONDO |
| 11 Indulge learned bear, we hear (6) | |
| L | Homonym of panda (bear) = PANDER |
| 12 Call’s very loud for old co-op drink (6) | |
| P | Cooee swapping ff (very loud) for o (old) = COFFEE |
| 13 Not being paired, idle agha left out gladly vacated (5) | |
| H | Lazy – l(left) + gy (gladly vacated) = AZYGY |
| 15 To advance, he will make trouble? (9, two words) | |
| Normal | Raise (advance) + he’ll (he will) = RAISE HELL becomes NIGHTFALL |
| 17 Umbrella’s cover mostly sheltering unwet solicitor (9, three words) | |
| W | Encase (cover) – e around tout (solicitor) = EN TOUT CAS |
| 21 Jade from Perth University taken in by malign revolutionary time of influence (4) | |
| A | Rev. day (time of influence) around u (university) = YAUD |
| 22 Representation of sac ideal for plant phytology (8) | |
| L | (sac ideal)* = SIDALCEA |
| 24 A little bit of Burns turning American partner dotty (4) | |
| D | Rev. Pard (American partner) = DRAP |
| 26 Bogus character takes work producing Warhol’s soup cans, say (6, two words) | |
| O | Part (character) around op (work) = POP ART |
| 27 Abandon operation after doctor prepped (4) | |
| E | Dr (doctor) + op (operation) = DROP |
| 28 Agreed to follow new pioneer regularly consuming English and Yemeni fish (8) | |
| M | Yes (agreed) after n + pIoNeEr around E (English) = NINEEYES |
| 31 Casual note representative enclosed (4) | |
| E | Te (note) + mp (representative) = TEMP |
| 33 Starlings turn aside rook in confusion (9) | |
| R | (turn aside)* = STURNIDAE |
| 35 Queen’s still after drink – that woman’s old legend (9) | |
| S | Sup (drink) + er (queen) + her (that woman) + o (old) = SUPERHERO |
| 37 Confused a special toast in drink (5, two words) | |
| O | A + s (special) in tea (drink) = AT SEA |
| 39 Indian army tracks a group of six homunculi (6) | |
| N | Sena (Indian army) + ry (tracks) = SENARY |
| 40 I kiss Jill in the centre of select tree (6) | |
| J | I + lip (kiss) in le (centre of select) = ILLIPE |
| 41 Spot a loving Kurd housing nerd (5) | |
| O | Hidden spOT A KUrd = OTAKU |
| 42 A Lao soup cooked in city shop (8, two words) | |
| H | (a lao soup)* = SAO PAULO |
| DOWN | |
| 1 Unravel yarn for lady regularly(4) | |
| N | FoR lAdY = FRAY |
| 2 Own dictator’s technical drawing containing fashionable attempt (6, two words) | |
| W | TD (Technical drawing) around in (fashionable) + go (attempt) = TIN GOD |
| 3 At all times, its rotor fails to start and turns inside out (6) | |
| O | Ever (at all times) + its – I (fails to start) = EVERTS |
| 4 Assessor upped concerns for chunk of glacier (5) | |
| O | Rev. cares (concerns) = SERAC |
| 5 Deer prevalent when criminal at last abandons firearm (4) | |
| D | Rifle(firearm) – l (criminal at last) = RIFE |
| 6 Horse cedes function to Will (5) | |
| C | DD STEED |
| 8 Square dads immersed in operating system – easy job (4) | |
| A | S(square) in DOS (operating system) = DOSS |
| 10 Assemble formerly merrier about situation (5) | |
| M | Re (about) + lie (situation) = RELIE |
| 14 Yankee pilot shoved bishop off and left the ground (6) | |
| P | Y (yankee) + bumped(shoved) – b (bishop) = YUMPED |
| 16 Celebrate Sharapova’s second long-practised lob (4) | |
| B | H (sharapova’s second) + old (long practised) = HOLD |
| 18 Starts to tune antenna up, acquiring news for master (4) | |
| E | Starts to tune up, acquiring news = TUAN |
| 19 Maids ventilate all sections, missing first of rooms alas (4) | |
| L | Air (ventilate) + as (all sections) – r (first of rooms) = AIAS |
| 20 Tom returned one lancet from Perth chain (6) | |
| L | Cat (Tom) + Rev. ane (one) = CATENA |
| 22 Eject past favourite after second tip (4) | |
| I | Ip (favourite) after s (second) = SPET |
| 23 Little confidence in mediocre seceder’s devolution (4) | |
| S | Hidden medioCRE Devolution = CRED |
| 25 Keep ape playing for dog (4) | |
| A | (keep)* = PEKE |
| 29 Once imprinted, assist in desire that’s initially lacking (5) | |
| A | In + lust (desire) – l (initially lacking) = INUST |
| 30 Washington’s cool opening for record (6) | |
| C | DD PROLOG |
| 31 Reddish-brown bird I can’t allow to be wingless (6) | |
| A | Tit (bird) + I + cant – ct (wingless) = TITIAN |
| 32 Capital city absorbs monsoon power in uncommon flood (5) | |
| S | Seat (Capital city) around p (power) = SPEAT |
| 33 His mailman cycling, carrying rupees for Indian address (4) | |
| I | Dhi(his cycling) around r (rupees) = SHRI |
| 34 Initially upset imam with shock about David’s victim (5) | |
| M | u (initially upset) + Rev. hair(shock) = URIAH |
| 36 Iain’s fish sped over tip of upraised oar (4) | |
| O | Ran (sped) over u (tip of upraised) = RAUN |
| 38 No right to kick out Eastern cat, old-fashioned Eve’s (4) | |
| V | Spur (kick out) – r (right) + e (eastern) = SPUE |
Hi twencelas
Thanks for the review and glad you enjoyed the puzzle