Misprints in every clue spelling out three characters – which form the subject of a question in a work that must be removed from the final grid.
Right on my wavelength this one – as soon as I saw Sancho Panza appear I had the “He got an ice pick that made his ears burn” come to mind from the classic song “NO MORE HEROES” by teh Stranglers.
The full set of misprints spell out DEAR OLD LENNY THE GREAT ELMYRA AND SANCHO PANZA
MORE HEROES being the 10 letters to be erased – diagonally from the third cell in the left hand column SE direction
Full Lyrics
Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky?He got an ice pickThat made his ears burn
Whatever happened to dear old Lenny?The great Elmyra, and Sancho Panza?Whatever happened to the heroes?Whatever happened to the heroes?
Whatever happened to all the heroes?All the Shakespearoes?They watched their Rome burnWhatever happened to the heroes?Whatever happened to the heroes?
No more heroes any moreNo more heroes any more
Whatever happened to all the heroes?All the Shakespearoes?They watched their Rome burnWhatever happened to the heroes?Whatever happened to the heroes?
No more heroes any moreNo more heroes any more
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: David Greenfield / Jean Jacques Burnel / Brian John Duffy / Hugh Alan Cornwell
No More Heroes lyrics © Albion Music Ltd., Cheeks The Bird Music
Thanks Stick Insect – a classic track and a lovely puzzle
Key:
Rev. reversed; * Anagram ; DD double definition; Underline definition
| Across | |
| D | 1 Joy mostly follows sugar making sound like train (6) |
| 1 Joy mostly follows sugar making sound like drain (6) | |
| glee(joy) n- e after gur (sugar) = GURGLE | |
| E | 6 Garth prepared to make brick house with retro interior (5) |
| 6 Earth prepared to make brick house with retro interior (5) | |
| abode(house) reversing interior = ADOBE | |
| A | 11 Pears and lychee fermented, drunk archly missing things used in perries (5) |
| 11 Pears and lychee fermented, drunk archly missing things used in parries (5) | |
| (pears + lychee – archly)* = EPEES | |
| R | 13 Blanch pollack as above (5) |
| 13 Branch pollack as above (5) | |
| lob (pollack) + us (as above) = LOBUS | |
| O | 14 Follower of May nuts about start of our independence (6) |
| 14 Follower of Mao nuts about start of our independence (6) | |
| mast (nuts) around oi (start of our independence) = MAOIST | |
| L | 15 US fuel rich, incorporating oxygen (8) |
| 15 US full rich, incorporating oxygen (8) | |
| Moneyed(rich) around o (oxygen) = MOONEYED | |
| D | 16 Amazement in hearing angle elongates swimmer (7, two words) |
| 16 Amazement in hearing angle elongated swimmer (7, two words) | |
| Sounds like oh (oar) + fish(angle) = OARFISH | |
| L | 17 If really necessary, American husband goes and weaves for thatching (4) |
| 17 If really necessary, American husband goes and leaves for thatching (4) | |
| at a push (if really necessary) – us(american) – h (husband) = ATAP | |
| E | 20 Czech pun below par, spirit assumes (7) |
| 20 Czech pen below par, spirit assumes (7) | |
| under(below par) in Ka (spirit) = KUNDERA | |
| N | 23 Elisha, for ode, is coming after books (4) |
| 23 Elisha, for one, is coming after books (4) | |
| is after OT(books) = OTIS | |
| N | 24 Charge old currency (4) |
| 24 Change old currency (4) | |
| DD PASS | |
| Y | 25 Aboriginal lads lagging houses (3) |
| 25 Aboriginal lady lagging houses (3) | |
| Hidden lagGINg = GIN | |
| T | 28 Pal’s previous prices for murder in Spain: heaps (6) |
| 28 Pat’s previous prices for murder in Spain: heaps (6) | |
| e(Spain) + ricks(heaps) = ERICKS | |
| H | 29 Tearing once, lost foot in entrance hall (4) |
| 29 Hearing once, lost foot in entrance hall (4) | |
| foyer(entrance hall) – f (foot) = OYER | |
| E | 30 Chuck dog back to king (4) |
| 30 Check dog back to king (4) | |
| Rev. Rab (dog) + k (king) = BARK | |
| G | 31 Lose badly, accommodating university where LA headquarters is found (5) |
| 31 Lose badly, accommodating university where LG headquarters is found (5) | |
| (lose)* around u (university) = SEOUL | |
| R | 32 Nursery rhyme catalogued lain’s grandchild accepting irrational (4) |
| 32 Nursery rhyme cataloguer lain’s grandchild accepting irrational (4) | |
| oe (Iain’s grandchild) around pi (irrational) = OPIE | |
| E | 33 Spa residents regularly steamiest (4) |
| 33 Sea residents regularly steamiest (4) | |
| sTeAmIeSt regularly = TAIS | |
| A | 34 Printing work without header (3) |
| 34 Painting work without header (3) | |
| Toil (work) – t (header) = OIL | |
| T | 35 Early supply misses out Loch Ness (4) |
| 35 Early supply misses out Loch Nest (4) | |
| (early – l)* = AERY | |
| E | 36 She trims her chances coming by river steamship (11) |
| 36 She tries her chances coming by river steamship (11) | |
| advent(coming) + ure (river) + ss (steampship) = ADVENTURESS |
| Down | |
| L | 1 Perhaps expert in pears, toms and lime agog about losing acre (11) |
| 1 Perhaps expert in pearl, toms and lime agog about losing acre (11) | |
| (toms lime agog – a)* = GEMMOLOGIST | |
| M | 2 Along the rain front, umbrella’s opening after holding firm (7) |
| 2 Along the main front, umbrella’s opening after holding firm (7) | |
| u(umbrella’s opening) + past (after) around co (firm) = UPCOAST | |
| Y | 3 Something made to be placed later in circle around green road (9) |
| 3 Something made to be played later in circle around green road (9) | |
| ring (circle) around eco(green) + rd(road) = RECORDING | |
| R | 4 Cheery angel surprisingly left out (4) |
| 4 Cherry angel surprisingly left out (4) | |
| (angel – l)* = GEAN | |
| A | 5 “Swards” poem mysteriously contains (5) |
| 5 “Awards” poem mysteriously contains (5) | |
| Hidden poEM MYsteriously = EMMY | |
| A | 6 Winglike parts of pets in the style of budgie’s back (4) |
| 6 Winglike parts of peas in the style of budgie’s back (4) | |
| ala(in the style of) + e (budgie’s back) = ALAE | |
| N | 7 Sew Mexican trinket in harem room, impressed by local cut (6) |
| 7 New Mexican trinket in harem room, impressed by local cut (6) | |
| oda(harem room) in dod(cut) = DOODAD | |
| D | 8 Ordinary morsel doubled middle in diet (5) |
| 8 Ordinary morsel doubled middle in died (5) | |
| o (ordinary) + bit(morsel) around I (doubled middle) = OBIIT | |
| S | 9 Example of genua 23 rodents rejected in embryo (7) |
| 9 Example of genus 23 rodents rejected in embryo (7) | |
| Rev. rats (rodents) in bud(embryo) = BUSTARD | |
| A | 10 Bolt tries three bottles (4) |
| 10 Balt tries three bottles (4) | |
| Hidden triES THree = ESTH | |
| N | 12 Girl’s young may formerly tremble in audition (6) |
| 12 Girl’s young man formerly tremble in audition (6) | |
| Sounds like shake(tremble) = SHEIKH | |
| C | 18 They can handle more than one look and amorous advance on islands (8) |
| 18 They can handle more than one lock and amorous advance on islands (8) | |
| pass(amorous advance) + keys (islands) = PASSKEYS | |
| H | 19 Pitch up with especially ordinary treat (7) |
| 19 Hitch up with especially ordinary treat (7) | |
| esp(especially) + o(ordinary) + use(treat) = ESPOUSE | |
| O | 21 Spencer’s mare near part of Mediterranean upset (5) |
| 21 Spencer’s more near part of Mediterranean upset (5) | |
| Rev. hidden meditERRANean = NARRE | |
| P | 22 One giving the slim earl notice receives termination (7) |
| 22 One giving the slip earl notice receives termination (7) | |
| e(earl) + see(notice) around cap (termination) = ESCAPEE | |
| A | 24 Cry about city’s limitless cull of lapwing (6) |
| 24 Cry about city’s limitless call of lapwing (6) | |
| Rev. weep(cry) + it (limitless city) = PEEWIT | |
| N | 26 One absolutely given motion (5) |
| 26 One absolutely given notion (5) | |
| I (one) + dead(absolutely) + IDEAD | |
| Z | 27 Gina’s temple might feature this, partly empty and almost uninhabited (5) |
| 27 Giza’s temple might feature this, partly empty and almost uninhabited (5) | |
| py(partly empty) + lone(uninhabited) – e = PYLON | |
| A | 30 Pig, mule and snake beginning to rumble (4) |
| 30 Pig, male and snake beginning to rumble (4) | |
| boa(snake) + r (beginning to rumble) = BOAR |
I found some of the clues very tricky, mostly because of the misprints in the definitions. My last two to solve were PASS (which should not have taken so long) and ERICKS, which I missed somehow when I first tried to look it up.
The corrected letters led me to The Springfields, and I was lucky to spot MORE HEROES pretty quickly. The result of emptying the ten cells was impressive: I particularly liked OARFISH becoming OAFISH and MOON-EYED becoming MONEYED.
This was a satisfying classic themed puzzle to solve.
Thanks to Stick Insect and twencelas.
(in 32a, OPIE is a nursery rhyme cataloguer, giving us the letter R.)
There is a setter’s blog for this crossword here
https://bigdave44.com/2024/04/18/ev-1637-setters-blog/#more-195262
I enjoyed this, although the song is rather before my time and the penny need help in dropping. But always interesting to get a new cultural touchstone. Last in were NARRE and ERICKS. Many thanks to Stick Insect and twencelas.
Thanks Alan B – Could n’t see OPIE at all
Great theme, nice treatment, week-long earworm – thanks to S&B.
For 17A, I had AT A P(USH), if really necessary, minus US and H – ‘American’ and ‘Husband’ going…
Thanks mc_rapper67 – have amended the blog
16A I had sounds like “AWE”
Thank you Stick Insect and twencelas.
For 30ac, I had BALK = check.
Reversed (Lab = labrador) + K
Thanks twencelas, quite enjoyed this one.
Rather fun that there was an actual misprint in 21d. How that one got past the editors is a mystery, given the chap crops up rather a lot! Still, at least it was pretty clear which was the intended one.