“In each of 17 clues, there is a misprint in the wordplay part; correct letters, in clue order, spell out the first four words of the most POPULAR part of the theme. An extra letter must be removed from every other clue before solving, spelling out an instruction involving 21 cells in two straight lines. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”
The correct letters spell out O FORTUNA VELUT LUNA (O Fortune, like the moon), which are the first four words of the most popular part of CARMINA BURANA by CARL ORFF.
The extra letters spell HIGHLIGHT COMPOSER AND PIECE.
There has to be someone out there who routinely completes some mundane task to the song (e.g. I AM CLEAN-ING UP THIS RO-OM). Is that you?
Apparently, part of it means “Fate – monstrous and empty, you whirling wheel, you are malevolent,
devoid of security and ever fading to nothing”. Not exactly chucklicious! I certainly hope you’ve been having a better time than the medieval author appears to have been.
As for me, I’ve had a busy little time recently. As one minor consequence of that, I can’t tell you whether these clues were easy or hard (!) because I completed it over an extended period. I do know that the last bit came together in a bit of a rush. I also know that the ambiguity of the “anagrind” in 1 across was sneaky – although fair and not irksome.
I also remember 38 across 36 acrossing me, but that might have been because I was perusing the puzzle when I should have been – and immediately before I in fact started – sleeping.
How did you find it?
Thank you to Skylark. Here‘s a song your name (unsurprisingly) brought to mind.
As always, please post a comment if anything is unclear.
| Notation | |
|---|---|
| Definition | word |
| Indicator | [word] |
| Anagram | WORD* |
| Reversal | <WORD |
| Homophone | “WORD” |
| Misprint | shun |
| Extra letter | gall |
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| H | 1 | Describes distinctive parts of CHASES (hunts) [chasing] ERRATIC* [suspect] (13) | CHARACTERISES |
| I | 10 | Ruin stock (4) | RACE |
| G | 11 | [By centre of] |
ARALIAS |
| H | 13 | < [Turning] STAR (shun) The Traitors? (4) | RATS |
| L | 14 | Neaten RIM (ledge) [behind] P (pastor) (4) | PRIM |
| O | 15 | S (Southern) LUMBER (gall) to be inattentive (7) | SLUMBER |
| I | 16 | OVER | |
| G | 18 | Goodness, once OD (overdose) SO (thugs) (4) | ODSO |
| F | 20 | Transfer to another [oddly] A |
ATTORN |
| O | 21 | US (America) [adapts] SURE (certain) old interests (6) | USURES |
| R | 23 | Sheriff’s officers BOUND (spying) AIL (trouble) [blocking] BIFFS (blows) (13) | BOUND-BAILIFFS |
| H | 24 | M (Millions) [welcomed by] UN (French hone) ASK (appeal) to show up (6) | UNMASK |
| T | 25 | BEHO |
BEHOOF |
| T | 27 | COY (Shy) [faking in] P (Portugal) duplicate (4) | COPY |
| C | 31 | Cleaves [half of] GO |
GOES |
| O | 33 | Offer better value than OUT (unpopular) RAT (scoundrel) [close to] |
OUTRATE |
| M | 34 | [Somewhat] insulAR, MANy from group of islands (4) | ARAN |
| U | 35 | Bird R (runs) [by] HEA |
RHEA |
| N | 36 | Cunningly escaping E (eastern) LUG (bear), [maintaining] DIN (poise) (7) | ELUDING |
| A | 37 | Locals’ aim MINT (to stump) (4) | MINT |
| P | 38 | E (Energy) [in] D (Dutch) PRESSED (crowded) AREA (zone) slumps (13, two words) | DEPRESSED AREA |
| Down | |||
| V | 1 | CRUSTA (Cowering), A (accepted) cocktail (6) | CRUSTA |
| O | 2 | HAILES (Praises) TONE (coast)’s weather feature (9) | HAILSTONE |
| E | 3 | E (Garth) [entering] RAMS (strikes) a large quantity (5) | REAMS |
| S | 4 | {STAR BINDS}* [loose] |
ANTBIRDS |
| E | 5 | CAASE (Create) [walls of] R |
CASERN |
| L | 6 | ER (Um), RED (framing) was inaccurate (5) | ERRED |
| U | 7 | [Top] |
RAILS |
| T | 8 | SILVER (Precious medal) FOX (to deceive) animal (9, two words) | SILVER FOX |
| R | 9 | Quiet [losing head], |
EASE |
| A | 12 | Emphasize S (section) TRESS (along lock) (6) | STRESS |
| N | 14 | Cell‘s PRO (professional) CAR |
PROCARYON |
| L | 17 | M (Mark) [dividing] STUPE (food), < [picking up] PUD (dessert), paid bill (9, two words) | STUMPED UP |
| D | 19 | Will’s to happen to FORTUNE (chance) [holding up] BED (9) | BEFORTUNE |
| U | 22 | Tracked {SLEE (sly Aberdonian) D (director)} [outside] HUT* [working] (8) | SLEUTHED |
| P | 23 | L (Left) [inside] BUNG (to bribe) E (Pearl), act clumsily (6) | BUNGLE |
| I | 25 | Southern English stream O (Oscar) [interrupting] BURNET (plaint) [briefly] (6) | BOURNE |
| E | 26 | FIE (Whimsical), [almost] STAB (cute), holiday (6) | FIESTA |
| N | 28 | C (Celts) [abandoning] |
OWRIE |
| C | 29 | L (Clough) [in] < SNAP (card game) [raised] objectives (5) | PLANS |
| E | 30 | [In] theaTRE MEAny’s opening (5) | TREMA |
| A | 32 | ORLE | |
| c | H | A | R | A | c | T | E | R | I | S | E | S |
| R | A | C | E | N | A | A | R | A | L | I | A | S |
| U | I | R | A | T | S | P | R | I | M | L | S | T |
| S | L | U | M | B | E | R | E | L | O | V | E | R |
| T | S | S | S | I | R | O | D | S | O | E | B | E |
| A | T | T | O | R | N | C | U | S | U | R | E | S |
| B | O | U | N | D | B | A | I | L | I | F | F | S |
| U | N | M | A | S | K | R | B | E | H | O | O | F |
| N | E | P | C | O | P | Y | O | U | T | X | R | I |
| G | O | E | S | W | L | O | U | T | R | A | T | E |
| L | R | D | A | R | A | N | R | H | E | A | U | S |
| E | L | U | D | I | N | G | N | E | M | I | N | T |
| D | E | P | R | E | S | S | E | D | A | R | E | A |