Hi everybody. Luxor has given us a puzzle to remember …
The preamble:
Unclued entries give the title of a work BY its creator (six words). In three clues a sequence of four, five or six letters must be removed to enable solving, sometimes disregarding spaces. Each sequence can be rearranged to form a GENTLE OBSERVATION concealed in the grid and solvers must draw a line through the consecutive cells of each. Letters in two other cells must be changed (making new words) and the theme highlighted (11 cells, two words). Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.
The first “observation” I found was that in 2d (view); the others waited until much nearer the end, after I had deduced the top and bottom rows:
THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY BY DALÍ
A trip to Wiki to refresh my own (sadly not very persistent) memory confirmed that this is indeed Dalí’s famous melty clocks painting.
I knew by this time that I was looking for VIEW and SURVEY in the grid and found them in appropriate positions. I’d not been satisfied with the apparent definition of 23a, but hadn’t yet managed to mend it, so was happy to find the GUARD from that clue to complete the set.
A little more searching, and I came across SOFT WATCHES “gentle observations” – apparently another alternative name given to the work – there in the grid after changing 16a’s I to F and 31a’s G to T.
An appropriately memorable way to pass the time, much enjoyed. Thanks Luxor!
If there is a setter’s blog for this puzzle it will be available after 9am here.
| # | ANSWER (ENTRY) |
Clue with definition underlined | |
| Explanation, with quoted indicators in italics and ANSWER letters in bold caps | |||
| Across | |||
| 11a | RATITE | Unopened chest holding primitive creature with keel-less breastbone (6) | |
| Without its first letter (unopened) cRATE (chest) holding IT (primitive creature) | |||
| 13a | DOUTS | Puts out questions lacking balance at the start (5) | |
| DOU[b]TS (questions) lacking the first letter of (… at the start) Balance | |||
| 15a | EBON | Make bonfire concealing rare wood (4) | |
| MakE BONfire concealing the answer | |||
| 16a | BAIT (BAFT) |
Harass communications company installing learning software (4) | |
| BT (communications company) putting in (installing) AI (learning software) | |||
| 17a | ACNE | Spots empty canteen in hospital department? (4) | |
| Empty CanteeN in A & E (hospital department) | |||
| 18a | REGRANT | Again, permit rave following rule for example (7) | |
| RANT (rave) following R (rule) and EG (for example) | |||
| 19a | OSHAC | Very large horse cropped ammoniac plant (5) | |
| OS (very large) + HACk (horse) without the last letter (cropped) | |||
| 20a | KARTS | Track vehicles using specialist knowledge in Kansas (5) | |
| ART (specialist knowledge) in KS (Kansas) | |||
| 22a | FROWST | Disappointment surrounding whiskey’s stale mustiness (6) | |
| FROST (disappointment) surrounding W (whiskey) | |||
| 23a | ABY | Make settle[d argu]ment once case of burglary accepted in advance (3) | guard |
| Outer letters of (case of) BurglarY with A (accepted) first (in advance) | |||
| 24a | ANATTA | Stripped cane and rattan for orange dye (6) | |
| Without outer letters (stripped) cANe and rATTAn | |||
| 29a | LAPTOP | Maybe, Mac’s best mate coming round earlier (6) | |
| TOP (best) with PAL (mate) reversed (coming round) earlier | |||
| 31a | GOO (TOO) |
Extend zero sentimentality (3) | |
| GO (extend) + O (zero) | |||
| 32a | GARVIE | Pike challenge small fry north of the border (6) | |
| GAR (pike) + VIE (challenge) | |||
| 34a | FA CUP | Flat on one’s back – devoid of energy in sporting contest (5, two words) | |
| FAC[e] UP (flat on one’s back) without (devoid of) E (energy) | |||
| 35a | ADEEM | Cancel American judge (5) | |
| A (American) + DEEM (judge) | |||
| 37a | NORWICH | City women on vacation performing with choir (7) | |
| WomeN on vacation anagrammed (performing) with CHOIR | |||
| 39a | RENY | Renounce disused tracks taking space (4) | |
| RY (tracks) surrounding (taking) EN (space) | |||
| 41a | SAMA | Almost unchanged amateur title in Kyoto (4) | |
| Almost SAMe (unchanged) + A (amateur) | |||
| 42a | REDO | Recreate order recalled when single Republican cancelled (4) | |
| O[r]DER reversed (recalled) on removal of one R (when single Republican cancelled) | |||
| 43a | TRUCE | Respite care originally in flat (5) | |
| The initial letter of (… originally) Care in TRUE (flat) | |||
| 44a | MOISER | Farm cat perhaps – one replacing acceptable ratter? (6) | |
| MO[u]SER (farm cat perhaps) with I (one) replacing U (acceptable) | |||
| Down | |||
| 1d | TREE KANGAROO | Ben possibly sporting golf anorak over climbing jumper (12, two words) | |
| TREE (ben possibly) + an anagram of (sporting) GOLF ANORAK + O (over) | |||
| 2d | HABDABS | Short biblical book and f[ive w]ishes producing nervous state (7) | view |
| HAB. (short biblical book, Habakkuk) and DABS (fishes) | |||
| 3d | PINE TAR | Messy type mixed honey discarding cold oily extract (7, two words) | |
| PI (messy type mixed) + NE[c]TAR (honey) discarding C (cold) | |||
| 4d | REAR | Stern parent (4) | |
| A double definition | |||
| 5d | SUBACT | Perform after reserve’s overcome (6) | |
| ACT (perform) after SUB (reserve) | |||
| 6d | IDANT | Some stupid antisocial elements that are hereditary (5) | |
| Some stupID ANTisocial | |||
| 7d | TUTORS | They teach you French before prose at regular intervals (6) | |
| TU (you French) + TO (before) + pRoSe at regular intervals | |||
| 8d | ETAS | Given time such foreign characters might generate estimate (4) | |
| The answer anagrammed together with TIME can generate ES[tim]AT[e] | |||
| 9d | CON | Setter leaving venerated person to direct steering (3) | |
| I (setter) leaving [i]CON (venerated person) | |||
| 10d | ELECTROPHORI | Equipment for building static base – Cor! Heliport at sea (12) | |
| E (base) + COR! HELIPORT anagrammed (at sea) | |||
| 12d | TUGS | Urges at intervals after time drags (4) | |
| Regular letters of (… at intervals) UrGeS after T (time) | |||
| 14d | SCHWA | Indistinct vowel sound school won’t accept initially (5) | |
| SCH (school) + first letters of (… initially) Won’t Accept | |||
| 21d | DALE | Alternately weald and rising valley (4) | |
| Alternately wEaLd AnD reversed (rising) | |||
| 22d | FATE | Final issue from English newspaper covering article beforehand (4) | |
| E (English), with FT (newspaper) around (covering) A (article) beforehand | |||
| 25d | EPACRID | Wrap up and deliver antipodean flower (7) | |
| CAPE (wrap) reversed (up) and RID (deliver) | |||
| 26d | ROUNDEL | Stuck in ground, elaborate disc (7) | |
| A hidden answer: stuck in gROUND, ELaborate | |||
| 27d | URENT | Stinging needing prompt attention – not good (5) | |
| UR[g]ENT (needing prompt attention) – not G (good) | |||
| 28d | DIM SUM | Obscure total bill for Chinese food (6, two words) | |
| DIM (obscure) + SUM (total bill) | |||
| 30d | PIRACY | Too good and fast – this car e[very us]er is taking illegally (6) | survey |
| PI (too good) + RACY (fast) | |||
| 33d | VOMER | Skull bone removed without journalist recoiling (5) | |
| REMOV[ed] without ED (journalist), backwards (recoiling) | |||
| 34d | FILO | First of flour and oil rolled for pastry (4) | |
| The first of Flour + OIL anagrammed (rolled) | |||
| 36d | EYRE | Historic journey prior to capturing unknown quantity (4) | |
| ERE (prior to) taking in (capturing) Y (unknown quantity) | |||
| 38d | WOMB | Marsupial missing at place for conceiving young (4) | |
| WOMB[at] (marsupial) missing AT | |||
| 40d | ELF | Fantastic being filmed occasionally on the ascent (3) | |
| Regular letters of (… occasionally) FiLmEd reversed (on the ascent) | |||