Six un-clued entries to be completed that hint at a song title – the song to be found and it’s singer. A cryptic hint at the solstice.
A relatively straightforward puzzle this week. A good introduction for those seeking a change from a normal cryptic one.
The six unclued entries were pretty easy to deduce – MITES, STIME, METIS, EMITS, SMITE and ITEMS. Or described more aptly the TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN’ – a famous song by Bob Dylan. Visible in the grid as shown below
I can’t help thinking this would have been better timed at the changing of the clocks a fortnight earlier.
All in all a fun puzzle – Thanks Chalicea and thanks mcrapper for enabling the blog to be done efficiently.
Key * anagram; DD double definition; underline definition; Rev. reverse
ACROSS
10 Dried apricots from most excellent folk in California (5)
me (most excellent) + bos (flok in California) = MEBOS
11 Asphyxiator working! Rats! Dreadful! Must go; it’s producing lack of oxygen (7)
(asphyxiator – rats)* = HYPOXIA
13 Preposterously transfer anything locally for double dealer (8)
Rev. remit (transfre) + owt (anything locally) = TWOTIMER
14 Gratin, prepared with first drops of grease removed? (4)
(gratin – gr[firts drops of grease])* = TIAN
16 When thrusting, cry like Russian guy that’s not hard (4, two words)
Sasha (Russian guy – h(hard) = SASA
17 Some of revolutionary stranded islanders had opposing opinions, perhaps (5)
Rev. hidden = stranDED ISlanders = SIDED
19 Allowed to go in Stirling, strangely inutile with leader gone (6)
(inutile – i)* – LUITEN
21 Put circle round space on cryptic grid (6)
en (space) + (gird)* = ENGIRD
24 English chapter he’d augmented according to the bard (5)
e(english) + c (chapter) + he’d = ECHED
25 Printing type remained unchanged absorbing new (5)
rode(remained unchanged) around n (new) = RONDE
26 Sudden uncontrollable swings regularly louder on board ship (5)
LoUdEr in SS (ship) = SLUES
27 Protester’s claim for chemical component of dyes (6)
I sat in (Protester’s claim) = ISATIN
30 Build up supply of endless plays at home (5, two words)
pLAYs (endless) + in (home) = LAY IN
31 Popular street workers moments (8)
in (popular) + st(street) + ants (workers) = INSTANTS
34 Thus man-eating monster’s overthrown (4)
Rev ogre = ERGO
35 Care about crude rubber’s heavenly colour according to Ed (7)
(care)* + ule(crude rubber) = CAERULE
37 Netizens, maybe, confused users overcoming resistance with force (7)
(users)* around r(resistance) + f(force) = SURFERS
38 American inland sea receding, essentially declining by half (5, two words)
a (american) + Rev. med (inland sea) + i (essentially declIning) = A DEMI
DOWN
1 Offence being mostly about parent’s excessive molly-coddling (12)
mothers (parent) in sin (offence) SMOTHERINESS
2 With time, topped early tree (4)
t(time) + soon(early) – s (topped) = TOON
3 Awareness programme is French (3)
DD EST
4 Flung one into outhouse (5)
i(one) in shed(outhouse) = SHIED
5 Action of enzymes unknown by Yankee sibling consuming type of wild onion (9)
z(unknown) + y(Yankee) + sis (sibling) around moly (type of wild onion) = ZYMOLYSIS
6 Local marshy spot we heartlessly pass over (4)
Rev. PasS + we = SPEW
7 Is worthless stuff turning up in trunks? (5)
Rev. is + rot (worthless stuff) = TORSI
8 Naked fairy in front of atomic plant in East London (4)
pIXIe (fairy naked) + A (front of atomic) = IXIA
9 Gets the wrong idea about young girls consuming Ecstasy (7)
misses(young girls) around e(ecstasy) = MISSEES
12 Last order possibly for those playing Nearer my God to Thee (11, two words)
a band on ship (those playing Nearer my God to thee) = ABANDON SHIP
15 Whisky’s staple removing us from Hell on reflection (4)
Rev. erebus(hell) – us = BERE
18 Expired without energy, exhausted! (3)
Died (expired) – e (energy) = DID
20 Me finally getting into your old pronoun for two (4)
e (me finally) in thy (old pronoun) = THEY
22 Offspring turns up with first of tequila, droll hypothetical cure-all (7)
Rev. son (offspring) + t (first of tequila) + rum (droll) = NOSTRUM
23 Strathclyde’s dull-witted prof ran backward department (7)
don (prof) + Rev. Ran + d (department) = DONNARD
24 Measure of East London underworld? (3)
DD ‘Ell (East end Hell) = ELL
28 Some hag grieved about ancient glass beads (5)
Hidden hAG GRIeved = AGGRI
29 Not oddly itch for fit oarsman’s rowing bench (5)
iTcH fOr FiT (oddly) = THOFT
32 Turning up market’s means of transport (4)
Rev. mart (market) = TRAM
33 Not completely examine and verify German car (4)
audit(examine and verify) – t = AUDI
36 Delay old permit (3)
DD LET
I enjoyed this puzzle and was pleased to solve it. Thanks Chalicea and twencelas.