“The wordplay in some clues leads to the answer plus an extra letter, not to be entered in the grid. These letters in clue order spell TWO WORDS indicating pairs of words overlapping by two or more letters which form the unclued entries. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”
Sorry it’s late! I was over-keen and blogged last week’s one.
The TWO WORDS are SPICE GIRLS, and the pairs of words the following overlapping spice/girl combinations:
CUMINNIE
TURMERICA
CLOVERA
PAPRIKATE
NUTMEGAN
MACELIA
CHILLISA
CASSIAN
This was quite a quick grid fill, but enjoyable nevertheless. The theme raised a smile, and also brought back memories of bores going on about the fact that none of the Spice Girls’ monikers were spices. Well, we’ve got an 8-woman supergrounp now!
| Notation | |
|---|---|
| Definition | word |
| Indicator | [word] |
| Anagram | WORD* |
| Reversal | <WORD |
| Extra letter | PUPIL |
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spread FARE (provisions for table) [around] [centre of] |
FLARE | |
| 10 | Shaking A QUIVER (case for missiles) (7) | AQUIVER | |
| S | 11 | Prisons [mistreated] {LAGS SO}* (5) | GAOLS |
| 13 | [Dismiss 50% of] |
ISOS | |
| 14 | Old tale [penned by] |
REDE | |
| P | 15 | A PUPIL* [concocted] spicy Asian dish (5) | PILAU |
| 16 | [Athletic] MORAYS*: they can swim (6) | MORAYS | |
| I | 19 | I (One) [leaving] SARD |
SANDRA |
| 20 | D (Daughter) [probes] [ploughed] ACRE* seeking large plant (5) | CEDAR | |
| 21 | BA (Graduate) [coming into] CASH (money) [beginning to] S |
CASBAHS | |
| 24 | Poetic area [excluding G (German) from] { |
ARABY | |
| 26 | “EYE SICKLE” [We’re told] (to look at bladed implement) that’s cold (6) | ICICLE | |
| 28 | Player in band <{NAMED (given title) IS} [making comeback] (7) | SIDEMAN | |
| 30 | {A TABLA (percussion instrument)} [returned] for German silver (6) | ALBATA | |
| 31 | SCALA | ||
| C | 33 | Wood < LACED (fastened with cord) [brought back] (4) | DEAL |
| E | 34 | Sun‘s STARE (glare) (4) | STAR |
| 35 | AN (Article) [on] N (navy) [taking almost] AL |
ANNAL | |
| 36 | {SCONES I}* [cooked] to supply functions (7) | COSINES | |
| 37 | Tapirs [first to] A |
ANTAS | |
| Down | |||
| 1 | FAT (Overweight) MA (mother) [cradles] [head of] I |
FATIMA | |
| 2 | AU (Gold), RORAL (dewy), fresh and beautiful (7) | AURORAL | |
| 3 | < MIR (Mauritania) [is over] S (southern) borders (4) | RIMS | |
| G | 4 | {AVERY EDGY}* [Liberal] daily (8) | EVERYDAY |
| 5 | [ N(Number) ignored] [eccentric] SCREE |
CERES | |
| 6 | I GO [touring] [middle of] |
IGAPO | |
| I | 7 | Unsophisticated < {EVITA (Ms Peron) IN} [uprising] (6) | NATIVE |
| 8 | Piece of combed wool < LION (cat) [picked up] (4) | NOIL | |
| R | 9 | Part of river {AT SURREY}* [meanders] (7) | ESTUARY |
| 12 | APE (Primate), [in] PART, provides wall to protect soldiers (7) | PARAPET | |
| L | 17 | Bird, LOST (mislaid), RICH (full of comic potential) (7) | OSTRICH |
| 18 | {INCA (Old Peruvian) B (bishop)} [cycled] to find simple wooden house (5) | CABIN | |
| 22 | Malayan tapir having SANG (anthrax) [biting] LAD (boy) (7) | SLADANG | |
| S | 23 | BLAST (Use explosives to destroy) ANT (insect) that’s offensively noisy (7) | BLATANT |
| 25 | Furious woman BLAMED* [drunk] (6) | BELDAM | |
| 27 | VARES (Minds) S (sons) showing loving touch (6) | CARESS | |
| 29 | E (Earth) [beneath] [gnarled] PALM* tree (5) | MAPLE | |
| 30 | < NORA (Mrs Batty) [brought up] [to support] A man (5) | AARON | |
| 32 | AUNT | ||
| 34 | Hide S (small) KIN (family members) (4) | SKIN | |
| F | L | A | R | E | C | U | M | I | N | N | I | E |
| A | Q | U | I | V | E | R | A | G | A | O | L | S |
| T | U | R | M | E | R | I | C | A | T | I | P | T |
| I | S | O | S | R | E | D | E | P | I | L | A | U |
| M | O | R | A | Y | S | C | L | O | V | E | R | A |
| A | S | A | N | D | R | A | I | C | E | D | A | R |
| C | T | L | C | A | S | B | A | H | S | B | P | Y |
| A | R | A | B | Y | L | I | C | I | C | L | E | C |
| S | I | D | E | M | A | N | A | L | B | A | T | A |
| S | C | A | L | A | D | E | A | L | S | T | A | R |
| I | H | U | D | P | A | P | R | I | K | A | T | E |
| A | N | N | A | L | N | C | O | S | I | N | E | S |
| N | U | T | M | E | G | A | N | A | N | T | A | S |
I unreflectingly entered MACELLA rather than MACELIA in the eighth column down, and wonder if that will have been deemed an acceptable alternative: clearly less good, with an overlap of one letter rather than two; and all the others have an overlap of two, three, or (TURMERICA) four. But I omitted, anyway, to send it the solution this time. Another satisfying puzzle and another meticulous blog: many thanks to both, and let’s hope that this week no rival blogger will emerge to confuse things!
Thanks, Mister Sting, and Piccadilly – an enjoyable solve, with an amusing twist.
quenbarrow at #1 – I also put in MACELLA on my working copy, and it was only on transcribing for submission that I realised there was only one overlapping letter, whereas the preamble specified two or more. Took me a while and a few head-scratches to come up with CELIA…
mc_rapper67 @2: I overlooked that part of the preamble, careless at the time and careless again now. Good luck with your submission…