Hi everyone. Sometimes a crossword brings you joy, sometimes double joy. This one also left me with an earworm, which may be deducible from my final comments.
The preamble:
Single letters in six cells clash; solvers must pick the letters that spell out a thematic word reading around the grid. The middle cell must be filled such that a three-word phrase can be formed including the thematic word. The person credited with describing this process (8 symmetrically arranged cells) must be highlighted. Solvers must also highlight five contiguous characters associated with the theme who might make them CRACK UP (24 symmetrically arranged cells), with one cryptically represented. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended; 2 and 8 are confirmed in ODE.
It was some time before I encountered any grid clashes and I almost forgot about them. With just six, this was on the whole a nice uncomplicated solve. I had no inkling about the endgame until I turned my attention to it.
Clashes resolved to THEORY – and with a BANG in the centre I thought immediately of the BIG one. Georges LEMAÎTRE is credited with the first modern formulation of the theory, and he is found surrounding the central four cells. With this confirmed, the centre of the grid must contain an I so that we can form our thematic phrase, the BIG BANG THEORY.
I was delighted to then find characters from the US comedy The BIG BANG THEORY (which might make people crack up). I studied physics and have many happy memories of watching the series with a friend from uni, so this was a lovely finale for me.
LEONARD, SHELDON, HOWARD and RAJ are present in a ring, together with Penny, cryptically represented as P. Sadly, no space for Amy or Bernadette. I should also note that this configuration neatly echoes the show’s title card. Brilliantly done – thanks Shark!
This blog was brought to you by Soft Kitty … purr, purr, purr!
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 | FIELD MARSHAL | One in command of failed league running around Slough (12, two words) |
| An anagram of (… running) FAILED L (league) around MARSH (slough) | ||
| 9a | INNYARDS | Yankee entering interior quadrangles (8) |
| Y (Yankee) entering INNARDS (interior) | ||
| 10a | OTTO | Oil stripping seat of chair (4) |
| We are removing (stripping) OTTO[man] (seat) of its MAN (chair) | ||
| 11a | SNEB | Previously check Benjamin’s back (4) |
| BEN’S (Benjamin’s) reversed (back) | ||
| 14a | HOCK | Ham and wine (4) |
| Two definitions | ||
| 15a | SNOW | Winter is present time (4) |
| ’S (is) + NOW (present time) | ||
| 17a | URODELE | Newt remained undisturbed in Panamanian tree (7) |
| RODE (remained undisturbed) in ULE (Panamanian tree) | ||
| 19a | TOLERABLY | Ordinarily rickety trolley pinches muscle (9) |
| An anagram of (rickety) TROLLEY surrounds (pinches) AB (muscle) | ||
| 20a | ALLBE | Pall-bearer veils even if once (5) |
| pALL–BEarer hides (veils) the answer | ||
| 22a | AMENDS | Compensation from a surgeon associated with hands (6) |
| A + DS (surgeon) by (associated with) MEN (hands) | ||
| 24a | UPTORN | Ground eruption shaking the leylandii ultimately pulled out by the roots (6) |
| An anagram of (ground) [e]RUPT[i]ON removing (shaking) final letters of (… ultimately) thE leylandiI | ||
| 26a | ASSOT | Veteran to make a fool of rank – no right! (5) |
| ASSO[r]T (rank) with no R (right) | ||
| 29a | T-JUNCTION | Traffic jam initially with fervent manner here? (9) |
| Traffic Jam initially with UNCTION (fervent manner) | ||
| 32a | MOANERS | They grumble as oarsmen veered off (7) |
| OARSMEN anagrammed (veered off) | ||
| 33a | CHAD | Rat skirting hot country (4) |
| CAD (rat) going round (skirting) H (hot) | ||
| 34a | OVER | Done with girlfriend – wanting start of life (4) |
| [l]OVER (girlfriend) lacking (wanting) the first letter of (start of) Life | ||
| 36a | TOOM | Hamilton’s empty discussion recalled (4) |
| MOOT (discussion) reversed (recalled) | ||
| 38a | SCYE | Cut in half opening of each armhole in Shetland (4) |
| SCYthe (cut) in half + the initial letter of (opening of) Each | ||
| 39a | DRAWN OUT | Extended untoward shifts (8, two words) |
| UNTOWARD is anagrammed (shifts) | ||
| 40a | TECHNOSTRESS | Worry about AI dance music beginning to show bit of shock? (12) |
| TECHNO (dance music) + the first letter of (beginning to) Show + TRESS (bit of shock) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1d | FIESTA | Rest when Sabbath is following holiday (6) |
| [s]IESTA (rest) when S (Sabbath) is F (following) | ||
| 2d | IN WHELP | Pregnant cycling to get by labour – relief! (7, two words) |
| Cycling WIN (to get by labour) + HELP (relief) | ||
| 3d | ENSOUL | Fill with spirit being soluble (periodically) (6) |
| ENS (being) + regular letters of (… periodically) sOlUbLe | ||
| 4d | DAM | Mother’s choked up (3) |
| MAD (choked) reversed (up) | ||
| 5d | ADORE | Worship Godhead or epiphany exhibits (5) |
| GodheAD OR Epiphany exhibits the answer | ||
| 6d | SOH | Provided hospital note (3) |
| SO (provided) + H (hospital) | ||
| 7d | ATOLL | Island’s accepted levy (5) |
| A (accepted) + TOLL (levy) | ||
| 8d | LOKEYS | Maybe CtrI & Alt & Del with engines (e.g. Steam) down under (6) |
| LO[w] KEYS (maybe CtrI & Alt); delete (del) W (with) | ||
| 12d | BULB | Retro cry: it’s swell (4) |
| Reversal of (retro) BLUB (cry) | ||
| 13d | MORMAOR | Old chief steward of Crimea regularly seen in upland region (7) |
| cRiMeA regularly seen in MOOR (upland region) | ||
| 16d | COERCED | Pressured company to return unfinished directive (7) |
| CO (company) + unfinished DECREe (directive) reversing (to return …) | ||
| 18d | DAES | Cheats in ceilidh … heartless boyfriends! (4) |
| Without the middle letter (heartless) DAtES (boyfriends) | ||
| 21d | BONN | Head in a northerly direction to northern city (4) |
| NOB (head) going upwards (in a northerly direction) to N (northern) | ||
| 23d | DONATUS | Astound eccentric grammarian (7) |
| ASTOUND anagrammed (eccentric) | ||
| 24d | UPMOST | First to come into the mind at school on second street (6) |
| UP (at school) on MO (second) + ST (street) | ||
| 25d | GIST | Make-up expert with no visa – what’s the point? (4) |
| [visa]GIST (make-up expert) with no VISA | ||
| 27d | SCHMOE | Misguided master chose doofus at Yale (6) |
| An anagram of (misguided) M (master) with CHOSE | ||
| 28d | TAROTS | Hiding ace in child’s card game (6) |
| Hiding A (ace) in TROT’S (child’s) gives the answer | ||
| 30d | JOYCE | Irish writer starting short third letter with Dear ___ (5) |
| We’re preceding (starting) all but the last letter of (short) CEe (third letter) with JOY (dear) | ||
| 31d | TRURO | Run tour around county town (5) |
| R (run) and TOUR anagrammed (around) | ||
| 35d | REH | Hindu originally goes after Rupee (Indian crust) (3) |
| The first letter of (… originally) Hindu goes after RE (Rupee) | ||
| 37d | OWT | Nothing minus number is anything some say (3) |
| [n]OWT (nothing) minus N (number) | ||