Hello all. No kitties were harmed in the writing of this blog …
The preamble:
Two unclued entries frame a thematic location. Ten clues must have single words removed before solving. Extra words from across clues identify a thematic individual. Extra words from down clues identify five words to be highlighted, all in the same direction (17 cells). Finally, part of the thematic location (appropriately shaped) must be highlighted along with the abbreviated PROTECTION of the individual, in an appropriate position (10 cells). Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.
When filling the grid it soon became clear that the first unclued entry down the left hand side would be ONTARIO. A little later, NEW YORK started to appear on the right. Together with the extra words from the across clues – FIRST PERSON SURVIVING DROP – this gave me a clue about where were headed [downhill fast?].
I recalled something about this, but had to look up the details: Annie Edson Taylor was the first person to intentionally go over Niagara falls in a barrel and survive.
The words from down clues, MUSICAL ABOUT THEIR LIFE TEST SUBJECT needed more investigation. I discovered there is a musical, QUEEN OF THE MIST, about Taylor’s life which accounts for the first part. I could find this nice and easily in the grid, but a further word (3 letters) remained. Naturally I had spotted the CAT in the grid, but didn’t actually consider it for the solution – until something made me take a closer look at this picture on the Wikipedia page. Oh no. Reading further, I saw they sent the poor thing down first to test the barrel. I don’t think I have even been less happy to find a cat in a crossword.
Finally, the HORSESHOE falls proved to be in the expected location and of the appropriate shape. And as crossworders know, b is the abbreviation for barrel, which is the PROTECTION to be highlighted. Nicely done. Thanks Check!
If there is a setter’s blog for this puzzle it will be available after 9am here.
| # | ANSWER | Clue with definition underlined | |
| Explanation, with quoted indicators in italics and ANSWER letters in bold caps | |||
| Across | |||
| 1a | QUEENY | Quarterly evening of poetry opening in youth camp (6) | |
| QU. (quarterly) + ‘EEN (evening of poetry) + the first letter of (opening in) Youth | |||
| 6a | CATTISH | This [first] act turned spiteful (7) | FIRST |
| THIS ACT anagrammed (turned) | |||
| 12a | ENTRESOL | Stolen terminals from computer store strewn around mezzanine (8) | |
| An anagram of (… strewn around) STOLEN and the end letters of (terminals from) computeR storE | |||
| 14a | OUTER | Superficial [person] captivated by foldout erotica (5) | PERSON |
| The answer is in (captivated by) foldOUT ERotica | |||
| 15a | HOOF-MARK | Maybe impression from pony and trap crossing farm ground (8) | |
| HOOK (trap) around (crossing) an anagram of (… ground) FARM | |||
| 16a | NEGATES | Rejects son after desire to carry gun loses daughter (7) | |
| S (son) is after NEE[d] (desire) holding (to carry) GAT (gun); this loses D (daughter) | |||
| 18a | LEN’ | Credit to Scotch blend breaking borders (3) | |
| Removing outer letters (… breaking borders), bLENd | |||
| 19a | TENCH | Fish odour stifling beginning of soirée (5) | |
| [s]TENCH (odour) suppressing (stifling) the first letter of (beginning of) Soirée | |||
| 20a | DATE LINE | Teen [surviving] Aldi’s inept international division (8, two words) | SURVIVING |
| TEEN ALDI is anagrammed (inept) | |||
| 21a | AND HOW | Worker cycled town shunning outsiders very much indeed (6, two words) | |
| HAND (worker) cycled + tOWn removing outer letters (shunning outsiders) | |||
| 24a | BIOTA | Piece about adopting ordinary local life (5) | |
| BIT (piece) and A (about) taking in (adopting) O (ordinary) | |||
| 26a | RORAL | Damp cellar orphanage keeps back (5) | |
| CelLAR ORphanage contains in reverse (keeps back) the answer | |||
| 28a | CHANCY | [Drop] uncertain editor’s case out of High Court division (6) | DROP |
| EditoR’s outer letters (case) comes out of CHANC[er]Y (High Court division) | |||
| 31a | IDOLISES | Admires oldies working to protect lives (8) | |
| OLDIES anagrammed (working) around (to protect) IS (lives) | |||
| 32a | MUNRO | Canadian author’s letter from Athens put in writing uncovered (5) | |
| MU (letter from Athens) + eNROl (put in writing) without outer letters (uncovered) | |||
| 33a | OOM | Uncle in Newcastle starts to obsess over Mackems (3) | |
| The first letters of (starts to) Obsess Over Mackems | |||
| 35a | SEETHER | Person getting angry article suppressed by Oracle (7) | |
| THE (article) inside (suppressed by) SEER (oracle) | |||
| 37a | PROVIRUS | Quiet survivor ignoring very devious agent that’s infiltrated cell (8) | |
| P (quiet) + an anagram of (… devious) SURVI[v]OR omitting (ignoring) V (very) | |||
| 39a | TENET | Position temporary shelter outside base (5) | |
| TENT (temporary shelter) around (outside) E (base) | |||
| 40a | ASSESSES | Values session aboard choppy seas (8) | |
| SESS. (session) in (aboard) an anagram of (choppy) SEAS | |||
| 41a | ARDRIGH | Former Irish king contributing to wayward righteousness (7) | |
| This is in (contributing to) waywARD RIGHteousness | |||
| 42a | DEMIST | Clear believer accepts mockery, initially (6) | |
| DEIST (believer) takes in (accepts) Mockery, initially | |||
| Down | |||
| 2d | UNSEEN | Hidden lab heater preserves energy head of biology extracted (6) | |
| [b]UNSEN (lab heater) contains (preserves) E (energy), with the first letter of (head of) Biology extracted | |||
| 3d | ETA | Menial [musical] worker dined in retreat (3) | MUSICAL |
| ATE (dined) reversed (in retreat) | |||
| 4d | ERIACH | Overturn hard charge to limit international murderer’s punishment (6) | |
| Reverse (overturn) H (hard) and CARE (charge) containing (to limit) I (international) | |||
| 5d | NEATH | Blake’s under oath [about] replacing leader with vacuous niece (5) | ABOUT |
| [o]ATH replacing the first letter (leader) with NiecE missing the inner letters (vacuous …) | |||
| 7d | ALOETIC | Somehow locate source of Indian herbal medicine (7) | |
| An anagram of (somehow) LOCATE with the first letter of (source of) Indian | |||
| 8d | TOFU | Bland food integral to most of [their] undoing (4) | THEIR |
| This answer is in (integral to) mosT OF Undoing | |||
| 9d | TUMULT | Express disapproval over largely deliberate riot (6) | |
| TUT (express disapproval) around (over) most of (largely) MULl (deliberate) | |||
| 10d | ITALIAN | Regulars in Vietnam fix up meal (7) | |
| Alternate letters of (regulars in) vIeTnAm + NAIL (fix) reversed (up) | |||
| 11d | SERENE | Met Earl hosting Ruysch’s original still [life] (6) | LIFE |
| SEEN (met) and E (Earl) around (hosting) Ruysch’s initial letter (original) | |||
| 13d | SHE | Woman central to music bothers Adele (3) | |
| The letters central to muSic botHers adEle | |||
| 17d | SABLES | Auction’s listing British artist’s paintbrushes (6) | |
| SALE’S (auction’s) holding (listing) B (British) | |||
| 22d | DROMOND | Aircraft almost bagging second Dutch warship (7) | |
| DRONe (aircraft) almost containing (bagging) MO (second) + D (Dutch) | |||
| 23d | WASHRAG | The Gambia smuggles quiet associate holding last of tailor’s Texan cloth (7) | |
| WAG (The Gambia) takes in (smuggles) SH (quiet) and A (associate) around (holding) the last of tailoR | |||
| 25d | ADORER | Doctor Who’s finale rated “R”, losing Tennant’s #1 fan (6) | |
| Make an anagram of (doctor) whO’s last letter (finale) and RA[t]ED “R”, losing Tennant’s first letter (#1) | |||
| 27d | OLIVER! | Gold frames rise of Wicked musical (6) | |
| OR (gold) surrounds (frames) the reversal of (rise of) EVIL (wicked) | |||
| 29d | AUTISM | Faculty occasionally dismissed practice for condition of the mind (6) | |
| On removal of alternate letters (… occasionally dismissed) fAcUlTy + ISM (practice) | |||
| 30d | CRÊPES | [Test] recipes out, binning starter of insipid French food (6) | TEST |
| REC[i]PES anagrammed (out) discarding (binning) the first letter (starter) of Insipid | |||
| 32d | MÊLÉE | Fringes of Mozambique protected disorderly conduct (5) | |
| Outer letters of (fringes of) MozambiquE + LEE (protected) | |||
| 34d | ZITI | Zero sex appeal in food for 10 (4) | |
| Z (zero) + IT (sex appeal) + I’ (in) | |||
| 36d | ESS | Perhaps twist part of message [subject] (3) | SUBJECT |
| Part of mESSage | |||
| 38d | PSI | Speech impediment unsettling lecturer that’s raised character in the Iliad (3) | |
| [l]ISP (speech impediment) removing (unsettling) L (lecturer) that’s reversed (raised) | |||