A snowy February and a puzzle from the Ace of Hearts. Extra letters in each clue to be removed and these spell out a definition in Chambers. Also five clashes to resolve using this definition. And the final grid is all real words.
1 across and 1 down were the first clues to yield a clash for me – Light Brigade and Airbus. Light Air proving to be the exact clash. Reminded me immediately of my O’ Level Geography and the Beaufort scale. And that proved to be the theme. Sea shell indicating the sound of the sea (wind) you can hear in one or that’s what I think anyway.
The entries in the grid, where the clashes occurred (shown in red below), being the numerical value on the scale for the description as described by the extra letters (in the order they came in the clue answer) – A SCALE OF WIND VELOCITY WITH ZERO FOR CALM
- 0 CALM
- 1 LIGHT AIR
- 3 GENTLE BREEZE
- 7 NEAR GALE
- 10 STORM
After inserting the numbers into the grid only real words did indeed remain.
Many thanks Ace of Hearts a fun puzzle with some non-standard definitions to keep us on our toes. Nice touch to keep the order of the clashes consistent with the wind speed (i.e. no anagrams).
Key: Rev. Reversed; DD Double Definition; * anagram; Underline definition
| ACROSS | |
| 1 Earring big head girl originally traced for military unit (12, two words) | |
| A | 1 Erring big head girl originally traced for military unit (12, two words) |
| (big head girl + t)* = LIGHT BRIGADE | |
| 6 Approaching metallic stone behind Angela occasionally (7) | |
| S | 6 Approaching metallic tone behind Angela occasionally (7) |
| aNgElA (occasionally) + ring (metallic tone) = NEARING | |
| 9 Not fully focused, clear away outside (6) | |
| C | 9 Not fully focused, lear away outside (6) |
| by (away) around lear = BLEARY | |
| 10 Sundowner parking Fiat in middle of showroom (6) | |
| A | 10 Sundowner parking Fit in middle of showroom (6) |
| hale (fit) in wr (middle of showroom) = WHALER | |
| 12 Flailing Japanese people perhaps pine for racetrack (7) | |
| L | 12 Failing Japanese people perhaps pine for racetrack (7) |
| Ainu (Japanese people) – u (failing) + tree (pine) = AINTREE | |
| 14 Being all over old small Scottish dame, at last, in heather (8) | |
| E | 14 Being all over old small Scottish dam, at last, in heather (8) |
| sma (small Scottish) + m (dam at last) in ling (heather) = SMALMING | |
| 15 Talks nonsense about you once blocking journalist for having floats? (8) | |
| O | 15 Talks nonsense about you once blocking journalist for having flats? (8) |
| Rev. rots (talks nonsense) + ye (you once) in ed (journalist) = STOREYED | |
| 17 In the beginning did we sell devilfish for cam parts? (6) | |
| F | 17 In the beginning did we sell devilish for cam parts? (6) |
| (d + w sell)* = DWELLS (cam parts is listed in Chambers) | |
| 19 Ken will get mean buggy polished (13) | |
| W | 19 Ken ill get mean buggy polished (13) |
| (ken ill get mean)* = GENTLEMANLIKE | |
| 20 Sited Warrant Officer cooking sweet dish long ago (6) | |
| I | 20 Sted Warrant Officer cooking sweet dish long ago (6) |
| (Sted WO)* = DOWSET | |
| 21 Biases of Cambodian partners received by ambassador at centre (5) | |
| N | 21 Biases of Cambodia partners received by ambassador at centre (5) |
| ss (ambassador at centre) around K (Cambodia) + ew (partners) = SKEWS | |
| 24 In Scotland rubbish joke about dace from Germany (8, two words) | |
| D | 24 In Scotland rubbish joke about ace from Germany (8, two words) |
| red (Scot. rubbish) + bar (Scot. joke) + on (about) = RED BARON | |
| 27 New York street move to change the original meanings of words (7) | |
| V | 27 New York street moe to change the original meanings of words (7) |
| (NY + st + moe)* = ETYMONS | |
| 28 Jingles heard in railway network endlessly (6) | |
| E | 28 Jingles hard in railway network endlessly (6) |
| h (hard) in ry (railway) + mesh (network) – h = RHYMES | |
| 29 Clan assembled to pen song about mites (7) | |
| L | 29 Can assembled to pen song about mites (7) |
| (Can)* around aria (song) = ACARIAN | |
| 30 Caledonian onion from old times soon to make return (4) | |
| O | 30 Caledonian onion from old times son to make return (4) |
| Rev. o (old) + by (times) + s (son) = SYBO | |
| 31 Synthetic fabric of nappy clean, reportedly (8) | |
| C | 31 Synthetic fabric of nappy lean, reportedly (8) |
| Homonym of Terry (nappy) + lean = TERYLENE | |
| DOWN | |
| 1 Bumpier carrier to spread business (6) | |
| I | 1 Bumper carrier to spread business (6) |
| air (spread) + bus (business) = AIRBUS | |
| 2 Guilty money collected in table overturned by Charlemagne say (11) | |
| T | 2 Guilty money collected in able overturned by Charlemagne say (11) |
| m (money) in (able)* + worthy (Charlemagne say) = BLAMEWORTHY | |
| 3 Relieving shifty men take American university over (5) | |
| Y | 3 Relieving shift men take American university over (5) |
| R (take) + Rev. yale (American university) = RELAY | |
| 4 Will informal Vladimir give back bottles? (4) | |
| W | 4 Ill informal Vladimir give back bottles? (4) |
| Rev. hidden vladiMIR Give = GRIM | |
| 5 Shrink lied about assuming control once (7) | |
| I | 5 Shrink led about assuming control once (7) |
| (led)* around wind (control once) = DWINDLE | |
| 6 Camera part framing beer tin shaped like a helmet (7) | |
| T | 6 Camera part framing beer in shaped like a helmet (7) |
| gate (Camera part) around ale (beer) = GALEATE | |
| 7 Goad goth holding mother in sewer (11) | |
| H | 7 Goad got holding mother in sewer (11) |
| needle(goad) + won (got) around ma (mother) = NEEDLEWOMAN | |
| 8 See a rig’s misplaced, no zone for oils (7) | |
| Z | 8 See a rig’s misplaced, no one for oils (7) |
| (see a rig – i)* = GREASES | |
| 11 Some enthusiasm El Cid raised for feasts (5) | |
| E | 11 Some enthusiasm El Cid raised for feasts (5) |
| Rev. hidden enthusiaSM EL Cid = CLEMS | |
| 13 Dread having to leave amusing function (4) | |
| R | 13 Dead having to leave amusing function (4) |
| drole (amusing) – d (dead) = ROLE | |
| 15 Re-routed roads made to avoid Australian herb-like plants (7) | |
| O | 15 Re-routed rads made to avoid Australian herb-like plants (7) |
| (radsmade – a)* = MADDERS | |
| 16 Fat cardinals heading to Ethiopia being deeply emotional (7) | |
| F | 16 At cardinals heading to Ethiopia being deeply emotional (7) |
| in (at) + tens (cardinals) + e (heading to Ethiopa) = INTENSE | |
| 18 Finally make bucko thank Santa Claus for small carriages (5) | |
| O | 18 Finally make buck thank Santa Claus for small carriages (5) |
| makE bucK thanK santA clauS = EKKAS | |
| 19 Heard French cheese’s indeed found under worn roofed passage (9) | |
| R | 19 Head French cheese’s indeed found under won roofed passage (9) |
| Homonym of Breeze (Brie’s) + w (won) + ay (indeed) = BREEZEWAY | |
| 22 Wise comedian, perhaps, overturned a German con (5) | |
| C | 22 Wise comedian, perhaps, overturned a German on (5) |
| Rev. Ein (German one) + Re (on) = ERNIE | |
| 23 For example Maine gentlemen restrained by Army Order (4) | |
| A | 23 For example Mine gentlemen restrained by Army Order (4) |
| AO (army order) around MM (gentlemen) = AMMO | |
| 25 Balts imprison two thirds of enlisted women in recess (5) | |
| L | 25 Bats imprison two thirds of enlisted women in recess (5) |
| bay (recess) around BALMY | |
| 26 Not many in contact with Noel oddly on the outside (4) | |
| M | 26 Not any in contact with Noel oddly on the outside (4) |
| NoEl(oddly) around on = NONE |
Quite a tough puzzle for me this week (interesting to see from the setter’s blog it was originally harder!). Unlike twencelas, locating the clashes took me some time and I needed most of the message from extra letters before I could work out the theme. The clues were a fairly tough bunch too, so a good workout overall: I enjoyed the challenge. Thanks to setter and reviewer.
Stick+Insect – I didn’t intend to imply the puzzle overall was easy, just the theme fell out for me very fast. Some of the clues were real head scratchers. Have had much easier solves but the endgame came to me early.
Nice puzzle with a neat PDM. Can’t understand the title though. Am I being dense?
Bingy, there is a Beaufort sea and a scale could be a shell (outer covering).
Nice puzzle.
Too tough for me so could not complete. Very nice puzzle though.