All aboard the Skylark – Cap’n Pugwash? Anyway a puzzle with extra letters and extra words – sounds challenging. And 28 cells to highlight.
And challenging it was – some tricky clues but all eventually resolved.
MEN ARE NEARLY ALWAYS WILLING TO BELIEVE WHAT THEY WISH was spelled out by the extra words
Obviously not referring to Donald Trump and Boris Johnson, but actually a quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. The extra letters spelling out:
TWO RULERS PLUS A SOURCE OF MANY RUMOURS which needed to be highlighted
JULIUS CAESAR (leading diagonal), CALIGULA (at 90 degrees) and INCITATUS (horse other diagonal)
I must admit to being slightly disappointed that this did not refer to some of our so disappointing delusional modern leaders though linking Boris and Donnie with a horse may be a step to far.
Thanks Skylark – quite a challenge, but a fun one
Key * anagram; Rev. reverse; DD double definition; underline definition
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 Steam leg of lamb? (5) | ||
| T | 1 Seam leg of lamb? (5) | |
| DD JOINT | ||
| 6 Harms southern newts, heartlessly (7) | ||
| W | 6 Harms southern nets, heartlessly (7) | |
| s (southern) + catches(nets) – h (heartlessly) = SCATHES | ||
| 11 Unitarian pursues mostly old Scottish men about a hall (8) | ||
| MEN | 11 Unitarian pursues mostly old Scottish about a hall (8) | |
| auld – d (mostly old scottish) + arian (unitarian) = AULARIAN | ||
| 12 Italian brother’s French sleeveless coat (3) | ||
| O | 12 Italian brother’s French sleeveless cat (3) | |
| Fr (French) + a (sleeveless cat) = FRA | ||
| 13 Detach an iceberg, crossing liner, beware! (5) | ||
| R | 13 Detach an iceberg, crossing line, beware! (5) | |
| cave (beware) around l (line) = CALVE | ||
| 14 Pout about lecturer’s impact (4) | ||
| U | 14 Pot about lecturer’s impact (4) | |
| bet(pot) around l(lecturer) = BELT | ||
| 15 Immature fool left aboard palms mixed substance once thought to determine hereditary character (9) | ||
| L | 15 Immature fool left aboard pams mixed substance once thought to determine hereditary character (9) | |
| Idiot(fool) – t (immature) + l(left) in (pams)* = IDIOPLASM | ||
| 16 Pretentious twaddler’s bluer hiding fever (8) | ||
| E | 16 Pretentious twaddler’s blur hiding fever (8) | |
| Blur around ague(fever) = BLAGUEUR | ||
| 17 Race leaving passage, perhaps, lona (4) | ||
| R | 17 Ace leaving passage, perhaps, lona (4) | |
| Aisle(passage) – a(ace) = ISLE | ||
| 19 Second slumbers for groups (6) | ||
| S | 19 Second lumbers for groups (6) | |
| S(second) + quads(lumbers) = SQUADS | ||
| 20 Instruct weak about first of pranks (4) | ||
| 20 Instruct weak about first of ranks (4) | ||
| P | Wan (weak) about r(first of ranks) = WARN | |
| 23 Alberta are reportedly to judge railway guide (5) | ||
| ARE | 23 Alberta reportedly to judge railway guide (5) | |
| Ab (alberta) + homophone of see (judge) = ABCEE | ||
| 25 Nearly help eastern ambassador’s assistant (4) | ||
| NEARLY | 25 Help eastern ambassador’s assistant (4) | |
| Aid(help) + e(eastern) = AIDE | ||
| 27 Worry master abandoning tramp blacking vessels (6) | ||
| L | 27 Worry master abandoning tramp backing vessels (6) | |
| Rev. eat (worry) + roam(tramp) – m (master) = AORTAE | ||
| 28 Review about soprano’s former duress (4) | ||
| U | 28 Review about soprano’s former dress (4) | |
| Vet(review) about s(soprano) = VEST | ||
| 29 Sacked Gold outside sold emergency exit (8, two words) | ||
| S | 29 Sacked Gold outside old emergency exit (8, two words) | |
| Fired(sacked) + or (gold) around o (old) = FIRE DOOR | ||
| 30 Quantity in LA hurried back trapping leaderless beast (9) | ||
| A | 30 Quantity in LA hurried back trapping leaderless best (9) | |
| Rev. Raced(hurried) around elite(best) – e (leaderless) = DECALITRE | ||
| 33 United, always rough without centre (4) | ||
| ALWAYS | 33 United, rough without centre (4) | |
| Tired (rough) – r (centre) = TIED | ||
| 34 Claims aristocrat conceals type of Japanese porcelain (5) | ||
| S | 34 Claim aristocrat conceals type of Japanese porcelain (5) | |
| Hidden claim ARIstocrat = IMARI | ||
| 35 Short rail’s orange (3) | ||
| O | 35 Short rail’s range (3) | |
| Rung (rail) – g (short) = RUN | ||
| 36 Beau, luter working in Paris that’s quite blue (8) | ||
| U | 36 Bea, luter working in Paris that’s quite blue (8) | |
| (bea luter)* = BLEUATRE | ||
| 37 Shires behind singular sides of crag (7) | ||
| R | 37 Shies behind singular sides of crag (7) | |
| Tosses (shoes) after s (singular) = STOSSES | ||
| 38 Crook seized by old drunk returning growls (5) | ||
| C | 38 Rook seized by old drunk returning growls (5) | |
| Rev. sank (drunk) around r (rook) = KNARS | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 Account during tasks ranks planets (13, two words) | ||
| E | 1 Account during tasks ranks plants (13, two words) | |
| Ac(account) in jobs (tasks) + ladders (ranks) = JACOBS LADDERS | ||
| 2 O yes, in Scotland old French coin soon disappears, indeed (4, two words) | ||
| O | 2 O yes, in Scotland old French coin son disappears, indeed (4, two words) | |
| Sou(old French coin) – s (son) + ay (indeed) = OU AY | ||
| 3 Scottish ugly university’s covered with failing white paint (8) | ||
| F | 3 Scottish ugly university’s covered with ailing white paint (8) | |
| Ill (ailing) + fard (white paint) around u (university) = ILLFAURD | ||
| 4 Sails one willing vehicle up passages (9) | ||
| WILLING | 4 Sails one vehicle up passages (9) | |
| Rev. i(one) + van(vehicle) + gates (passages) = NAVIGATES | ||
| 5 Diacritical marks sadly misled tenor (6) | ||
| M | 5 Diacritical marks sadly isled tenor (6) | |
| (isled + t)* = TILDES | ||
| 6 Losing energy, Twain’s collecting more Italian trees (6) | ||
| A | 6 Losing energy, Twin’s collecting more Italian trees (6) | |
| Same (twin) – e (energy) around piu (more Italian) = SAPIUM | ||
| 7 Bitter craven fabric (7) | ||
| N | 7 Bitter crave fabric (7) | |
| Ale(bitter) + pine (crave) = ALEPINE | ||
| 8 Some paint to illustrate container for money (4) | ||
| TO | 8 Some paint illustrate container for money (4) | |
| Hidden paint ILLustrate = TILL | ||
| 9 Calmer South secures last of hairy rubbers (7) | ||
| Y | 9 Calmer South secures last of hair rubbers (7) | |
| Easer (calmer) + s (south) around r (last of hair) = ERASERS | ||
| 10 Special medical social worker holding brass picked up fish and Californian fruit (13) | ||
| R | 10 Special medical social worker holding bass picked up fish and Californian fruit (13) | |
| S (special) + almoner (medical social worker) around b (bass) + Rev. seir (fish) = SALMONBERRIES | ||
| 14 Believe nationalist entering mine is supported (5) | ||
| BELIEVE | 14 Nationalist entering mine is supported (5) | |
| N (nationalist) in bore (mine) = BORNE | ||
| 18 Society texts laud Zorro, for example (9) | ||
| U | 18 Society texts lad Zorro, for example (9) | |
| S(society) + words (texts) + man (lad) = SWORDSMAN | ||
| 21 Drama masks at first hiding dull people acting by rote (8) | ||
| M | 21 Drama asks at first hiding dull people acting by rote (8) | |
| Auto (drama) + a (asks at first) around mat(dull) = AUTOMATA | ||
| 22 Consuming unlimited soup, shivering Violet’s to survive (7, two words) | ||
| O | 22 Consuming unlimited sup, shivering Violet’s to survive (7, two words) | |
| (violet)* around u (unlimited sup) = LIVE OUT | ||
| 23 What simple designs capturing the French! (7) | ||
| WHAT | 23 Simple designs capturing the French! (7) | |
| Arts(designs) around les (the French) = ARTLESS | ||
| 24 Split into two sections whenever they offer sandwiches (5) | ||
| THEY | 24 Split into two sections whenever offer sandwiches (5) | |
| If (whenever) in bid (offer) = BIFID | ||
| 26 Essential organs force old guest briefly inside (6) | ||
| U | 26 Essential organs force old gest briefly inside (6) | |
| Tale( gest) – e in Vis (force) = VITALS | ||
| 27 Ancient declares rare Browning’s interpretations (6) | ||
| R | 27 Ancient declares are Browning’s interpretations (6) | |
| a(are) + redes (Browning’s interpretations) = AREDES | ||
| 31 Wish twins to avoid soft tunes (4) | ||
| WISH | 31 Twins to avoid soft tunes (4) | |
| Pairs(twins) – p (soft) = AIRS | ||
| 32 It’s freezing: American brother runs for clothes finally (4) | ||
| S | 32 It’s freezing: American brother runs for clothe finally (4) | |
| Brer (american brother) swapping r (runs) for e (clothe finally) = BRRR |
Sorry to shy away from the obvious modern targets, but I thought most of us could already be bored by them – I often am – whereas some of us might not know about Incitatus.
I certainly didn’t, until my eldest, talking about their Ancient History course, told me of Suetonius’s claim that Caligula made his horse a consul.
I started to delve into the amusing ancient claims – and hence the link.
Thanks to Skylark for the puzzle, and for dropping in – though that expression seems not quite right: here, more like arriving early and unlocking the place, ready for others to drop in. I don’t generally keep the paper after (most weeks) sending in the solution, and memories become less sharp after a gap and an intervening puzzle, especially when the blogger provides no grid, colour-coded or otherwise (no criticism intended, the explication of clues is great). What I do recall is a common kind of brief stumble: JULIUS CAESAR and INCITATUS, 21 letters, 28 cells to be filled, one too many for CALIGULA. But of course one cell is common to two of the three names, I forget which, Anyway, a fun solve, so thanks to both.