An interesting preamble this week. Certainly not at all clear on first reading it – will it become clearer when the clues are solved? Clues are normal bar 1ac (no definition) and some incorrect lengths.
To be honest I’m not sure the preamble helped me at all other than explaining some clashes existed, it proved to be one of those puzzles where the penny dropped from the shortened clue answer lengths in the bottom of the grid.
38ac and 39ac proved to have answers too short for their alloted space as did 23, 25, 26, 27, 32 and 35dn. Both the across clues ended in Cox and adjacent down clues also ended in c,o,x meaning that using 4 squares for each of C, O and X allowed the space to be filled and the answers to be consistent.
As to 1ac the undefined answer was NEW AMSTERDAM which clashed with only the first 3 down clues T,H,E.
The final bit of the jigsaw did n’t exactly make the preamble wrong but proved, no doubt as intended, an alternative interpretation of the first sentence to mine, that other clashes existed other than those in 1ac. Both 18 ac and 22 ac were across clues with clashes YORKISTS and SICCITY. The clashes being BIGA…. and ….PPLE. Attempting to put this succintly the choice was either The Big Apple or New York City (both names for New Amsterdam – 1ac unmodified). COX is an apple and by using 4 squares per letter is effectively a big apple – hence the choice at the end to go with the down answers rather than the acrosses and spell out THE BIG APPLE.
And that was that – could the preamble have been clearer, probably not without giving the game away, but it certainly confused me. Sometimes they are better ignored until the majority of the clues have been solved, which is usually my practice.
Thanks Kcit for a pleasant puzzle as the plum season here ends and the apple season approaches.
Key * anagram; Rev. reverse; underline defintion
ACROSS
1 Alternative names covering weak players (including Rutherford) (12, two words)
(names)* around w (weak) + team (players) around Rd (Rutherford) = NEW AMSTERDAM
11 I will leave cover to check wreck for marine creature (10)
Veil (cover) – i + vet (check) + Crab (wreck) = VELVET CRAB
13 Fun chat mostly covering aspect of sexual reproduction (7)
game (fun) + talk (chat) – k = GAMETAL
14 Dislike a Norfolk neighbour snaffling husband (5)
a Bor (Norfolk neighbour) around h (husband) = ABHOR
15 Arranged to secure a source of resin (4)
Arr (arranged) around a = ARAR
17 Old pool made emptier, having contents removed (4)
MadE EmptieR = MEER
18 Historic House supporters kiss Tory that’s converted (8)
(kiss tory)* = YORKISTS
20 Island shed: sanctions bringing in introduction of electricity after setback (4)
Rev. oks (sanctions) around e (introduction of electricity) = SKEO
22 Dryness I see also reflected in farm building (7)
sty (farm building) around i c(see) + ci (see I) = SICCITY
24 Spoils book a lot (7)
b (book) + oodles (a lot) = BOODLES
26 Natural attitude seeing English as European (4)
E(English) + as + e (European) = EASE
28 Apparently right about preceding one making concessions (8)
app (apparently) + r (right) around ease (preceding one) = APPEASER
31 Drug source defiantly trimmed back (4)
Rev. acock (defiantly) – k = COCA
34 One leading party line is a person to follow (4)
i (one) + do (party) + l (line) = IDOL
36 Work in embroidery support holding tense (5)
base(support) around t (tense) = BASTE
37 Dispute successes? Yes (7)
gains (successes) + ay (yes) = GAINSAY
38 Elderly fop ‘cut’ royal – neat? Not any more (10)
prince (royal) – e + ox (neat) = PRINCOX
39 Disapproving comment about Times taking a new Washington location? Times workers never meeting (12, three words)
boo (disapproving comment) about x (times) + a + n (new) + DC (Washington location) + x (times) = BOX AND COX
DOWN
1 Not wild about very good screen entertainment option (6, two words)
tame (Not wild) around vg (very good) = TV GAME
2 Audience member almost fell for poet (5)
hearer (audience member) – r = HEARE
3 Female name used in novel manner (4)
Hidden novEL MAnner = ELMA
4 Declared Bible was wrong (7)
AV (bible) + erred (was wrong) = AVERRED
5 According to some, insects with rounded divisions turned up in Morocco (8)
Rev. lobate (rounded divisions) in MA (Morocco) = METABOLA
6 Lack of action occurs after store closes early (6)
stash (store) – h + is (occurs) = STASIS
7 River cracking drainage channels in the Fens for ages (4)
Eas (drainage channels) around r (river) = ERAS
8 Religious leader in Italy pursuing poor performer lacking special quality (5)
rabbit (poor performer) – it (special quality) + i (Italy) = RABBI
9 One increasing flock in what could be taken for lea? (7)
a post le describes lea = APOSTLE
10 Sullen way of working with nozzle (6)
mo (way of working) + rose (nozzle) = MOROSE
12 Block conclusion, having eradicated sin (4)
closing (conclusion) – sin = CLOG
16 Snakes go by, keeping head down (4)
pass (go by) moving p down = ASPS
19 Wicked destruction of crib is harsh (8)
ace (wicked) + (crib)* = ACERBIC
20 Partner managed old singer (7)
sop (partner – significant other person) + ran (managed) + o (old) = SOPRANO
21 High Priest satisfied with upturn in Hebrew character (4)
Rev. hp (high priest) + ok( satisfied) = KOPH
23 American actor all but walking over (7)
pacing (walking) – g + o (over) = PACINO
24 Epidemic disease gripping area adjacent to black tropical tree (6)
Boba (epidemic disease) around a (area) + b(black) = BAOBAB
25 Ice on incline is inclined to topple over (6)
Rev. cares (is inclined to) = SERAC
27 Quicklime around yard will do for flower covering (6)
calx (quicklime) around y (yard) = CALYX
29 More writing putting off foremost artist (5)
text (writing) – t + Ra (artist) = EXTRA
30 Indication part of sinking island is rising (4)
Rev. hidden sinkiNG ISland = SIGN
32 Persuade company to cut American (5)
Co (company) + ax (cut American) = COAX
33 Against article in Die Welt displaying humour (4)
v (against) + ein (article in Die Welt)
35 Cook accepting singular exotic bull (4)
do (cook) around s (singular) = DSO
Having had perhaps too good a helping of puzzles with a lot of clue manipulations recently, it was pleasant indeed to enjoy one with some grid manipulation instead – in this case with clashes in parts of the grid.
By resolving the clashes in different ways I came up with this set of possible thematic names from which to select the ‘correct’ one or two: NEW AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK CITY and THE BIG APPLE (NEW being used twice). Unlike you (twencelas), I regarded NEW AMSTERDAM and NEW YORK CITY as the correct ones, mostly because neither AMSTERDAM nor THE AMSTERDAM are relevant in this context. I thereby eliminated THE BIGA PPLE and of course damaged some Down entries in the process.
I thought of three ways to put COX neatly in the grid such that the six words going down and the two going across would have their proper endings (C, O, X or COX), and I too chose to put three huge letters in 3 extra-large cells (made up of 4 cells each), representing The Big Apple. It was a rather strange way for the endgame to end – in keeping, I would say, with the rather strange ending to the preamble.
Thanks to Kcit and twencelas.
An enjoyable solve with some fun puzzling out the clashing entries and a nice PDM on realising what was required in the bottom right corner. Some very elegant and creative clueing too. Thanks Kcit and twencelas.
Belatedly popping in to give a thumbs-up for the over-sized letters in the grid. Nice to have a variation from the usual replace-and-shade end game.
Thanks all.