Eclogue is an Inquisitor setter who appears 3 or 4 times a year.
There is a fairly short preamble this week, telling us that the two unclued entries are responsible for a popular song indicating how they and seven other undefined answers should be entered. Single extra letters generated by the wordplay in each across clue, read in clue order, provide the missing definition.
I made progress with the acrosses and got off to a good start with ABIOSES, RHEA, NIMBUSED and EATS.
The word play for 1 down was clearly RANA and as I had AN in the first two cells, I immediately thought of anagram or reversal. 7 down, GOLIATH also looked like wordplay only with a possible reversal of the answer.
It was a steady solve after that moving down the grid with growing confirmation that the undefined entries were being entered as reversals. The message from the extra letters was building up fairly well also although I wasn’t paying much attention to what it said.
I could see that the undefined answers all seemed to be a type of frog. Indeed they all were, as shown in the table below.
| Down Clue | Answer | Definition | Entry |
| 1 | RANA | the typical genus of frogs, giving name to the family Ranidae | ANAR |
| 7 | GOLIATH | the largest kind of frog, living in central and west Africa. | HTAILOG |
| 9 | NOTOTREMA | the pouch-toad, a S American genus of tree frogs, | AMERTOTON |
| 16 | BATRACHIA | the Amphibia; the Salientia, tailless amphibia, or frogs and toads. | AIHCARTAB |
| 17 | ANURA | the Salientia or tailless amphibians, frogs and toads. | ARUNA |
| 22 | XENOPUS | a genus of African aquatic frogs | SUPONEX |
| 35 | HYLA | common tree frog of the Hylidae. | ALYH |
The next pieces to fall were the unclued entries in columns 5 and 8 which I guessed were probably going to be read upwards. These resolved to THE FROG CHORUS in column 5 and PAUL MCCARTNEY in Column 8. A quick internet search brought everything together with the song WE ALL STAND TOGETHER recorded by MCCARTNEY and the CHORUS. All the thematic entries therefore were entered STANDING (reversed)
For those of you who feel the urge to be reminded of this haunting refrain, please click HERE.
After blogging the recent Inquisitor 1820, The Wallace Collection by Ifor and this one, I’m getting to know my frogs, particularly RANA and ANURA as both featured in each puzzle.
The message spelled out by extra letters was V-SHAPED BAND UNDER A HORSE HOOF as defined at frog3 in Chambers.
The detailed table below shows all the wordplay including the extra letters generated by the across clues.
Thanks to Eclogue for a fun puzzle, with a title that clearly linked UNITED to STAND TOGETHER.
| No | Clue | Extra Letters |
| Across |
Entry (definition) Wordplay (showing extra letter) Entry (construction omitting extra letter) |
|
| 1 |
A recipe’s departure from whipped bavaroises could result in lifeless conditions? (7) ABIOSES (absences of life; lifeless conditions) Anagram of (whipped) BAVAROISES excluding (departure from) A and R (recipe) ABIOSES* |
V |
| 6 |
Large bird hares around? (4) RHEA (flightless S American bird, resembling the ostrich – Chambers describes it as a small bird) Anagram of (around) HARES RHEA* |
S |
| 10 |
Hides numb bum with a halo (8) NIMBUSED (with a halo) Anagram of (bum) HIDES NUMB NIMBUSED* |
H |
| 11 |
Initially Edinburgh airport alleviated tram stop worries (4) EATS (worries) EAATS (first letters of [initially] each of EDINBURGH, AIRPORT, ALLEVIATED, TRAM and STOP) – either A could be the extra letter EATS |
A |
| 12 |
Horned viper turns left, seldom steals away (7) ASPORTS (rare word [seldom] meaning to carry away, especially wrongfully; seldom steals away) ASP (horned viper) + PORTS (turns to the left) – either P could be the extra letter ASP ORTS |
P |
| 13 |
Within Northern America support is instinctive (6) INNATE (instinctive) IN (within) + NA (North America) + TEE (support for a golf ball) – either E could be the extra letter IN NA TE |
E |
| 15 |
Comparatively shabby dam conceals fish (7) MOTHIER (comparatively shabby) MOTHER (dam, usually a MOTHER of cattle or horses) containing (conceals) ID (fish of the same family as the carp) MOTH (I) ER |
D |
| 16 |
Rickety cab hauls Cork’s darling (7) ACUSHLA (Irish [Cork] word for ‘darling’) Anagram of (rickety) CAB HAULS ACUSHLA* |
B |
| 18 |
Eastern river is relating to the air (4) URAL (river in Eastern Europe) AURAL (relating to the air [a second meaning for a word that also means ‘relating to the ear’]) URAL |
A |
| 19 |
Disturb lint on lecturer? The object shall, shortly (4) IT’LL (an abbreviation for IT [the object] SHALL) Anagram of (disturb) LINT + L (lecturer) IT’LL |
N |
| 20 |
Bear trapped by amateurs’ darts (4) URSA (Latin name of two constellations, URSA Major and URSA Minor, the Great and the Little Bear) URSDA (hidden word in [trapped by] AMATEURS DARTS) URSA |
D |
| 21 |
Glare endlessly at guy in America and his timber wolf (4) LOBO (American [relating to the guy in America] timber wolf) LOUR (a scowl or glare) excluding the final letter (endlessly) R + BO (American term of address for a man) LO BO |
U |
| 22 |
Long story amateur chanted at first (4) SAGA (long story) SANG (chanted) + A (amateur) SAG A |
N |
| 23 |
Garrulous talk about holding cadmium junk for Texan (4) SCAG (American [Texan] term for heroin [also known as junk]) GAS (garrulous talk) reversed (about) containing (holding) CD (chemical symbol for cadmium) S (C) AG< |
D |
| 25 |
Salmon caught by former nationalist politician (4) CHUM (type of Pacific salmon) C (caught) + HUME (reference John HUME [1937 – 2020], Northern Irish nationalist politician) C HUM |
E |
| 26 |
French department involved in corn rearing (4) ORNE (Department of France) ORNRE (hidden word in [involved in] CORN REARING) ORNE |
R |
| 28 |
Australian Press Association mostly undertaking southern constellation (4) PAVO (a southern constellation) A (Australian) + PA (Press Association) + VOW (undertaking) excluding the final letter (mostly) W PA VO |
A |
| 30 |
Hyper rubbish pile ready for incineration (4) PYRE (pile of combustible material for burning a dead body; pile ready for incineration) Anagram of (rubbish) HYPER PYRE* |
H |
| 31 |
One who once lived on charity in Saint Malo confused with king? (7) ALMSMAN (archaic [once] word for a man who lived on charitable donations) Anagram of (confused) S [Saint] and MALO + MAN (chess piece of which a King is an example) ALMS* MAN |
O |
| 32 |
Good gathering almost swelled after Mauritian rupee follows Euro? (7) ROOMFUL (a gathering of a lot of people; a good gathering) ROO (kangaroo; a euro is also a large kangaroo) + MR (Mauritian Rupee) + FULL (swelled) excluding the final latter (almost) L ROO M FUL |
R |
| 36 |
Lot sent out for defensive skirt (6) TONLET (a skirt of armour; defensive skirt) Anagram of (out) LOT SENT TONLET* |
S |
| 37 |
Record GI taking ballot box to Alabama (7) JOURNAL (record of events or transactions) JOE (reference GI JOE, an American soldier) + URN (ballot box) + AL (abbreviation for the American State of Alabama) JO URN AL |
E |
| 38 |
That’s funny, endlessly pursuing the French woman (4) LEAH (woman’s name) LE (one of the French forms of ‘the’) + HAH (that’s funny) LE AH |
H |
| 39 |
Ed’s nearer backing Conservative rambling (8) ERRANTRY (a rambling about like a knight errant) NARRE (Spenserian word for nigh or NEARER) reversed (backing) + TORY (Conservative) ERRAN< TRY |
O |
| 40 |
Snake consumes nine American plants (4) BIXA (tropical American genus of plants) BOA (genus of snakes or specifically a BOA constrictor) containing (consumes) IX (Roman numeral for nine) B (IX) A |
O |
| 41 |
Weak beer from pipe length precedes trouble from the Scots (7) TAPLASH (poor or weak alcohol, especially stale beer) TAP (hole or short pipe with a valve for running off a fluid) + L (length) + FASH (Scottish word meaning to trouble or bother) TAP L ASH |
F |
| Down |
Answer (defined where appropriate) Wordplay Entry |
|
| 1 |
Artist not available (4) RANA – undefined in clue, wordplay only RA (Royal Academician) + NA (not available) RA NA entered as ANAR |
|
| 2 |
Divides into two parties supporting one of five Chinese medicinal responses (7) BISECTS (divides into two) BI (one of five responses in traditional Chinese medicine) + SECTS (parties) BI SECTS |
|
| 3 |
A band of armed warriors, one following Emperor (4) IMPI (group of armed southern African native warriors) IMP (abbreviation for the Latin Imperator [Emperor]) + I (Roman numeral for one) IMP I |
|
| 4 |
Baltic national residing in West Ham (4) ESTH (native of Estonia; Baltic national) ESTH (hidden word in [residing in] WEST HAM) ESTH |
|
| 5 |
Offensive force having debts (6) ODIOUS (offensive) OD (Reichenbach’s arbitrary name for a force he supposed to manifest itself in light, magnetism, chemical action, hypnotism, etc) + IOUS (debts) OD IOUS |
|
| 7 |
Hail got atrocious (7) GOLIATH – undefined in clue, wordplay only Anagram of (atrocious) HAIL GOT GOLIATH* entered as HTAILOG |
|
| 8 |
Compound found in cholesterol (5) ESTER (compound formed by the condensation of an alcohol and an acid, with elimination of water) ESTER (hidden word in [found in] CHOLESTEROL) ESTER |
|
| 9 |
Bewildering to a mentor (9) NOTOTREMA – undefined in clue, wordplay only Anagram of (bewildering) TO A MENTOR NOTOTREMA* entered as AMERTOTON |
|
| 14 |
Religion takes place with flight to JFK (5) ISLAM (a religion) IS (takes place) + LAM (American [JFK] term for escape of hurried flight) IS LAM |
|
| 16 |
Rate old dog at the centre of trials (9) BATRACHIA – undefined inc clue, wordplay only BAT (speed; rate) + RACH (archaic [old] term for a dog that hunts by scent) + IA (middle letters of [centre of] TRIALS) BAT RACH IA entered as AIHCARTAB |
|
| 17 |
One acceptable to gunners (5) ANURA – undefined in clue, wordplay only AN (one) + U (acceptable) + RA (royal artillery; gunners) AN U RA entered as ARUNA |
|
| 21 |
Perhaps it’s an error to surround the Home Counties (5) LAPSE (error) LAP (surround) + SE (South East, the area of England where the Home Counties are located) LAP SE |
|
| 22 |
What might be regarded as noble matter, dropping second name (7) XENOPUS – undefined in clue, wordplay only XENON (one of the noble gases) excluding (dropping) the second occurrence of N (name) + PUS (thick yellowish fluid; matter) XENO PUS entered as SUPONEX |
|
| 24 |
Incarnations of matlos after alcoholic drink (7) AVATARS (incarnations) AVA (alternative spelling of KAVA [a narcotic drink] prepared from the root and stem of a plant of the same name) + TARS (sailors; matlos) AVA TARS |
|
| 27 |
Wild accrual of treasure – but not as newsman! (6) REUTER (reference Paul REUTER [1816 – 1879], German news reporter and media owner who founded the REUTERs news agency) Anagram of (wild accrual of) TREASURE excluding (but not) AS REUTER* |
|
| 29 |
What tastes like radish is low on Long Island (5) MOOLI (long white carrot-shaped root of Asia and E Africa, tasting similar to a radish) MOO (low, like a cow) + LI (Long Island) MOO LI |
|
| 33 |
Meetings are in favour initially (4) FORA (meetings) FOR (in favour) + A (are, a metric unit of area measurement) FOR A |
|
| 34 |
Square column is one with odd toes? (4) ANTA (a square pilaster [column] at either side of a doorway or the corner of a flank wall) ANTA (tapir [large odd-toed hoofed mammal]) double definition ANTA |
|
| 35 |
Henry cleared out indeed! (4) HYLA – undefined in clue, wordplay only HY (letters remaining in HENRY when the central letters ENR are removed [cleared out]) + LA (lo!; indeed!) HY LA entered as ALYH |
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