Enigmatic Variations 1673 No Prize by Chalicea

A merry Christmas to all – hopefully the new year may bring some peace to the world. I suspect there’s no prize for guessing the areas where it is needed most and I suspect the puzzle’s context is widely different. Extra letters this week in cryptic indications and 5 unclued entries to find. I’ve published this late because I wasn’t sure of the closing date with the normal closing date falling on boxing day – as the solution is in today’s paper then I think I’m ok

Chalicea usually supplies accessible clues, so definitely one for new thematic solvers – especially given the pare time that the seasonal period brings.

The extra letters spelled A PHYSICIST WHO NEVER LOST HER HUMANITY. Being a physicist by trade myself it is a statement I hope I still adhere to, as well. NUCLEAR at 11ac and 31ac FISSION were quite obvious to fill in. PROTACTINIUM and MEITNERIUM less so, but the latter providing 10dn LISE MEITNER and Austrian Physicist (born 1868 died 1968). Another in a long line of female scientists who never got the full recognition they deserved had they been men. I feel I should add that nuclear fission is not really something the world in general is ready to understand  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lise_Meitner

All in all a pleasant solve – Thanks Chalicea

 

Key * anagram; Rev. reversed ; underline definition

Across

A 1 Sister of Zeus essentially incubated medicinal plant (4)

Hera (sister of Zeus) + b (essentially incubated) = HERB

P 4 Sleeping partner sadly ignoring exceptional ringer for instrument (8, two words)

(sleeping partner – ringer)* = STEEL PAN

H 9 Exercises with the river machine for grinding polishing wheel for stones (10)

PE(exercises) + w(with) + the + r (river) +mill (machine for grinding) = PEWTER MILL

Y 13 One who trims is nervous with expression of hesitation (5)

edgy(nervous) + er (expression of hesitation) = EDGER

S 14 Old townsmen report initially on singular lemon-like fruit (7)

cits(old townsmen) + r (report initially) + on + s(singular) = CITRONS

I 16 Rejected untruth, for example followed by ultimately gloomy mourning song (5)

Rev. lie (untruth) + eg(for example) + y (ultimately gloomy) = ELEGY

C 17 Political correctness over measuring apparatus shunning a bony swimmer (5)

Pc (political correctness) + o(over) + gage(measuring apparatus) – a = POGGE

I 20 Revolutionary cool policies primarily succeed in apparatus for viewing variations of magnitude (12)

(cool policies + s)* = OSCILLOSCOPE

S 24 Allotted places lost on board ship (5)

(lost)* in SS(ship) = SLOTS

T 26 Source of guidance to extremely reluctant children (5)

to + rt(extremely reluctant) + ch(children) = TORCH

W 28 Part-time careerist, beginner in sculpting mermaid from time to time on ship’s bow (7)

s(beginner in sculpting) + mErMaId + prow(ship’s bow) =SEMI-PRO

H 30 North Island reluctant river valley inhabitant (5)

NI (north island) + loth(reluctant) = NILOT

O 33 Change inherent features of a torturous route east of cave (8)

den(cave) + a + (route)* = DENATURE

N 34 Outer covering not current on your curd cheese (4)

skin (outer covering) – i (current) + yr(your) = SKYR

Down

E 1 Skittishly he’s eponymous for Australian lover of sweetness (11, two words)

(hes eponymous)* = HONEY POSSUM

V 2 One manages to escape and change course getting round judge facetiously (6)

veer (change course) around Lud (judge facetiously as in M’lud) = ELUDER

E 3 Abler liegemen regularly put on sheltered side in The Tempest, say (5)

aBlEr LiEgEmEn = BELEE

R 4 Foolish wagerers lacking energy in poet’s heaven (6)

(wagerers – e)* = SWERGA

L 5 Eternally upset dance (3)

Rev. reel (dance) = EER

O 6 Formerly Greek love-god, at last quit (4)

Eros(Greek love god) + t (at last quit) = ERST

S 7 Dumplings I fed to child casually, starter from Indian (6)

sprog(child casually) around i + i (starter from Indian) = PIROGI

T 8 Hooked claw good at full length (5)

talon (hooked claw) + g(good) = ALONG

H 12 Most of crowd with constant system of sharing bonuses (5)

throng(crowd) – g + c (constant) = TRONC

E 14 In New York, person on bike‘s somewhat racy celerity (6)

hidden raCY CELERity = CYCLER

R 15 Entirely concerned with wrong originally overlooked (6, two words)

in tort(concerned with wrong) + o (originally overlooked) = IN TOTO

H 19 Shrubs with clusters of white flowers; this is about it (5)

this around it = TITIS

U 21 Invitation to enter clue oddly, ordinary people accepting one (6, two words)

cu (clue oddly) + o(ordinary) + men (people) around i (one) = COME IN

M 22 Some enthralling name is turning up, bringing luck for Morag (6)

some around n(name) + rev. is = SONSIE

A 23 Exclamation of disgust mostly followed by nonsense – it expresses scorn! (6)

pah(expression of disgust) + PHOOEY

N 25 Eleven circling in outdated reception of visitors (5)

(eleven)* = LEVEE

I 27 US supporting showy flower for a laugh (5)

iris(showy flower) + us = RISUS

T 29 Fix TT beverage (4)

pin (fix) + TT = PINT

Y 31 Odd characters in fayre buy right to use land in perpetuity (for a fee) (3)

FaYrE bUy = FEU