“In eight clues a consecutive group of letters is to be removed, affecting the surface reading. These groups of letters can be rearranged as BIRDS, which are to be inserted into eight normally clued answers to form new words. Numbers in brackets refer to lengths of grid entries. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended; one entry is in Collins.”
One for the twitchers!
I flew threw it, and didn’t have to wing any of the answers.
Hopefully this was an encouraging one for people with less experience in thematics and a fun little romp for those who do them every week.
| Notation | |
|---|---|
| Definition | word |
| Indicator | [word] |
| Anagram | WORD* |
| Reversal | <WORD |
| Thematic day/workingman | MONDAY/GASMAN |
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elizabeth’s diminutive B (black) |
BRAVENESS | |
| 7 | Snare |
WEB | |
| 10 | [Play] {A ROLE IN}* balancing part of plane’s wing (7) | AILERON | |
| 12 | Make fun of TEES (supporters on course), [we hear] (5) | TEASE | |
| 13 | GY [Edges of G |
GYROSE | |
| 14 | KOTO (Japanese stringed instrument) [accompanies] W (western) Chinese ceremony of deference (5) | KOTOW | |
| 15 | ELY (Cathedral city) [conceals] [dismembered] HART*? That’s vile! (7) | EARTHLY | |
| 16 | YEARN* [to run around] L (loch) once only in Scotland (6) | ANERLY | |
| SERIN | 18 | Dance [with] REE (bird) [on] Liners (4) | REEL |
| 20 | [Find in] arbOUR A LIttle plant yielding curare (6) | OURALI | |
| 23 | <MAY (Former PM) [backed] [by] A Hindu god (4) | YAMA | |
| 24 | Dull sound T |
THUD | |
| 26 | Norman, perhaps, [shows] common sense (6) | WISDOM | |
| TERN | 28 | Woman rentED N |
EDNA |
| 30 | Birds G [start to G |
EGRETS | |
| 32 | B (Book) IE (that is) [containing] N (name) [identifying] hop-stem (7) | BOWLINE | |
| 33 | DON (Fellow at university) [embraces] YE (the ancient) dean (5) | DOYEN | |
| 34 | Tolls, {N (new) ELL (measure)} [brought into] KS (Kansas) (6) | KNELLS | |
| RAVEN | 35 | Lawmaker LavernE [follows] BOY (young man) (5) | BOYLE |
| 36 | A CROAT (person from Zagreb) [takes] B [B |
ACROBAT | |
| 37 | MOWERS [getting rid of] MOW (pile of hay) and vetch (3) | ERS | |
| 38 | Winged {A TEAL}* [in flight] (9) | ALTERNATE | |
| Down | |||
| 1 | BAN (Curse) E (Ecstasy), cause of misery (8) | BANKNOTE | |
| WREN | 2 | Watercourse Owner [stops] [drunken] GIRL* (5) | RIGOL |
| 3 | Two gentlemen from here in play {RAVE ON}* [excitedly] (6) | VERONA | |
| 4 | Old Norwich ale |
NOSERING | |
| RHEA | 5 | HearS TORY (conservative) statement (5) | STORY |
| 6 | Guard S (southern) ENTRY (entrance) (6) | SENTRY | |
| 7 | Manganese ore I [extracted from] WAD |
WARHEAD | |
| 8 | ELSIE* [recycled} stale vinegar (5) | ESILE | |
| 9 | Company of ladies from V (Vatican City) [hosted by] BEY (former Turkish governor) (4) | BEVY | |
| 11 | Spiked wheels WORE* [out] [on] [empty] L |
ROWELS | |
| 17 | LAC (Red resin), E (base) for ornamental material (8) | LAWRENCE | |
| 19 | L (Lecturer) ATE (worried), being overdue (8) | LAMINATE | |
| OWL | 21 | [Model] UNWARY*, Slow [finding] catwalks (7) | RUNWAYS |
| MINA | 22 | {REmain IDLE}* [composing] songs (6) | LIEDER |
| KNOT | 25 | Courtesan [misrepresented] {LInk to A LAD}* (6) | DALILA |
| 27 | Runner {LOST ON}* [exercises] (6) | STOLON | |
| 29 | One giving DO (party) [having] NO R [end of |
DONOR | |
| 30 | < [Erected} LEE (shelter) [to protect] {I (one) F (fellow)} in mountain range (5) | EIFEL | |
| 31 | REST (All others), A (academician) [included], took exams again (5) | RESAT | |
| 32 | BABE |
BABE | |
| B | R | A | V | E | N | E | S | S | W | E | B |
| A | I | L | E | R | O | N | T | E | A | S | E |
| N | G | Y | R | O | S | E | O | N | R | I | V |
| K | O | T | O | W | E | A | R | T | H | L | Y |
| N | L | A | N | E | R | L | Y | R | E | E | L |
| O | U | R | A | L | I | A | L | Y | A | M | A |
| T | H | U | D | S | N | W | I | S | D | O | M |
| E | D | N | A | E | G | R | E | T | S | R | I |
| B | O | W | L | I | N | E | D | O | Y | E | N |
| A | N | A | I | F | K | N | E | L | L | S | A |
| B | O | Y | L | E | A | C | R | O | B | A | T |
| E | R | S | A | L | T | E | R | N | A | T | E |
Def on the easier end of the spectrum an excellent gentle intro to tehmatics indeed!