La Jerezana is the compiler of this Spectator puzzle, for which the preamble read:
Eight unclued lights, two of which consist of two words, are of a kind.
[apologies for the late blog – I thought it had published but for some reason, it hadn’t]
The title of the puzzle gave a hint to the missing entries as “Off drive” could indicate an anagram of DRIVE, which is what’s required, as the themed entries are titles of VERDI operas. There were a couple of obscure entires, but the setter has done well to create a barred grid with mostly accessible solutions.
Thanks, La Jerezana.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | FALSTAFF |
Themed entry
|
| Opera by Verdi (1893) | ||
| 8 | AIDA |
Themed entry
|
| Opera by Verdi (1871) | ||
| 11 | ETHNOBIOLOGY |
Science revolutionised by hoeing tool (12)
|
| *(by hoeing tool) [anag:revolutionised] | ||
| 12 | LILAC |
Purple tips of leaves in late autumnal colours (5)
|
| [tips of] L(eaves) I(n) L(ate) A(utumnal) C(olours) | ||
| 14 | NABUCCO |
Themed entry
|
| Opera by Verdi (1842) | ||
| 16 | SHOW |
Silence over women’s conduct (4)
|
| SH (“silence”) + O (over) + W (women) | ||
| 17 | SEDAN |
Litter beginning to shock Dane when cycling (5)
|
| [beginning to] S(hock) + E-DAN (DAN-E when cycling) | ||
| 18 | OCCULT |
Esoteric clothing of Orphic sect (6)
|
| [clothing of] O(rphi)C + CULT (“sect”) | ||
| 22 | EATERIES |
Levanters perhaps obliterating first small then large restaurants (8)
|
| EA(s)TER(l)IES (“levanters perhaps” i.e coming from the east) oblitering first S (small) then L (large) | ||
| 23 | MINARET |
Turned back time in impressive tower (7)
|
| [turned back] <=ERA (“time”) in MINT (“impressive”) | ||
| 24 | ERNANI |
Themed entry
|
| Opera by Verdi (1844) | ||
| 25 | NGAIOS |
Greenpeace and WWF perhaps protecting fine antipodean trees (6)
|
| NGO’s (non-government agencies, such as “Greenpeace and WWF”) protecting A1 (“fine”) | ||
| 27 | RECENCY |
Republican and Democrat abandoning respectability for novelty (7)
|
| R (Republican) and D (Democrat) abandoning (d)ECENCY (“respectability”) | ||
| 29 | PORT VILA |
Retired, living mostly on wine in Pacific capital (4,4)
|
| [retired] <=ALIV(e) (“living, mostly”) on PORT (“wine”)
Port Vila is the capital of Vanuatu. |
||
| 33 | TALENT |
Leaders of Triple Alliance temporarily given power (6)
|
| [leaders of] T(riple) A(lliance) + LENT (“temprarily given”) | ||
| 34 | DEALT |
Idle harlot periodically sold drugs (5)
|
| (i)D(l)E (h)A(r)L(o)T [periodically] | ||
| 35 | ERIE |
Lake is inaccessible place, but not unknown (4)
|
| E(y)RIE (“inaccessible place”), but not Y (unknown, in mathematics) | ||
| 37 | AT A LOSS |
Nonplussed, making negative profit (2,1,4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 38 | SISAL |
Fibre in prunes is a laxative (5)
|
| Hidden [in] “pruneS IS A Laxative” | ||
| 39 | PARIETAL CELL |
Abusing pill, lacerate part of stomach wall (8,4)
|
| *(pill lacerate) [anag:abusing] | ||
| 40 | OOZY |
Bachelor left, crapulous and weeping (4)
|
| B (Bachelor) left (b)OOZY (“crapulous”) | ||
| 41 | PALMETTO |
Chum came across hollow tangelo tree (8)
|
| PAL (“chum”) + MET (“came across”) + [hollow] T(angel)O | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FELLOW |
Chap collapsed with cry of pain (6)
|
| FELL (“collapsed”) with OW (“cry of pain”) | ||
| 2 | AT IT |
Wingless ratite mating (2,2)
|
| [wingless] (r)AT IT(e) | ||
| 3 | SNAFUS |
Messes lover about, seized by suspicion (6)
|
| <=FAN (“lover”, about) seized by SUS (suspicion) | ||
| 4 | ABUSTLE |
Crowded passenger vehicle stopping at Land’s End firstly (7)
|
| BUS (“passenger vehicle”) stopping AT + L(and’s) E(nd) [firstly] | ||
| 5 | FISH KETTLE |
Poacher likes theft to be sporting (4,6)
|
| *(likes theft) [anag:to be sporting] | ||
| 6 | ALAWITE |
Part of sharia law, it enthuses Shiite (7)
|
| Hidden in [part of] “shariA LAW IT Enthuses”
Alawites are a minority Shia sect primarily from Syria, Turkey and Lebanon. |
||
| 7 | LOBSTER-CLAW |
Chucks claret clumsily over top of woody plant (7-4)
|
| LOBS (“chucks”) + *(claret) [anag:clumsily] over [top of] W(oody)
Lobster-claws are plants of the Heliconia genus with flowers that resemble lobster claws. |
||
| 8 | AGUED |
Old university dons suffering from fever (5)
|
| U (university) dons AGED (“old”) | ||
| 9 | DECADENCE |
Moral decline of northern church after the 60s? (9)
|
| N (new) + CE (“church” of England) after DECADE (“the 60s?”) | ||
| 10 | ADONIS |
Fuss, and perhaps lust, over handsome youth (6)
|
| ADO (“fuss”) and <=SIN (“perhaps lust”, over) | ||
| 13 | LACUNARY |
Account of the moon is gripping yet initially gappy (8)
|
| LUNAR (“of the moon”) is gripping Ac. (account) + Y(et) [initially] | ||
| 15 | IL TROVATORE |
Themed entry
|
| Opera by Verdi (1853) | ||
| 19 | LA TRAVIATA |
Themed entry
|
| Opera by Verdi (1853) | ||
| 20 | GIANTESS |
Very large lady eating bananas with case of Sauternes (8)
|
| *(eating) [anag:bananas] with [case of] S(auterne)S | ||
| 21 | RIGOLETTO |
Themed entry
|
| Opera by Verdi (1851) | ||
| 26 | SILESIA |
Liaises about frequently partitioned area of Europe (7)
|
| *(liaises) [anag:about] | ||
| 28 | ENTERAL |
Penetrate almost all of the digestive tract (7)
|
| ENTER (“penetrate”) + [almost] AL(l) | ||
| 29 | PEDALO |
Extremely polite old boy’s thrown up in boat (6)
|
| [extremely] P(olit)E + <=(O (old) + LAD (“boy”), thrown up) | ||
| 30 | PLAICE |
Picked up rank fish (6)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [picked up] of PLACE (“rank”) | ||
| 31 | OTELLO |
Themed entry
|
| Opera by Verdi (1887) | ||
| 32 | ALLAY |
American friend keeps quiet (5)
|
| ALLY (“friend”) keeps A (American) | ||
| 36 | HALT |
Stop Labour’s leader entering Balmoral? (4)
|
| L(abour) [‘s leader] entering HAT (“Balmoral?”) |