Guardian cryptic Easter Special by Maskarade

This crossword can be found at https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2026/04/03/Guardian_cryptic_crossword_Easter_special_2026.pdf

On Thursday 2nd April the Spectator published a crossword by Doc which involved 10 unclued six-letter words that could be made into a chain using as the first three letters the last three letters of another word.  On Saturday 4th April the Guardian publishes a mega crossword by Maskarade (another pseudonym of Doc’s and the regular holiday mega-setter) using the same device with 35 unspecified lights, all clued but only some defined.  At least three items in the chain were identical in each case:  clearly Doc/Maskarade has become ecologically minded and started recycling his material … Even so, it takes skill to join 35 words into such a daisy chain:   maybe the setter just liked the idea and decided to expand it.

In full the rubric states:  Thirty-five six-letter words or phrases can be arranged to form a chain, the last three letters of one word giving the first three of the next. Fifteen of these clues include a definition; 20 do not. They are presented in alphabetical order of their entries and must be fitted into the grid, jigsaw-fashion.  As always with unclued-light crosswords, one has to solve virtually all the clued solutions before seeing where to fit those with no defined destination.  And, as usual, there are clusters of answers of unspecified location which make this task difficult … but with a bit of trial and error it became possible to see light at the end of the tunnel.  Having unlocated solutions in alphabetical order helped to create a list of them, even though many were undefined.  The chain is at the end of this post.  Definitions, where given, are underlined.

Across

11 Extremely tense learner crossing Shropshire town (7)

TELFORD

TE (extremes of TENSE) + L (learner) + FORD (crossing)

12 Plan lunch, but some rejected bone (4)

ULNA

Hidden (some) in plAN LUnch reversed (rejected)

16 Average May Day, love (2-2)

SO-SO

SOS (May-Day) + O (love)

20 Medic sidles up and clears away (7)

DREDGES

DR (medic) + EDGES (sidles up)

24 Priority system for two-thirds of geriatric round (6)

TRIAGE

Anagram (round) of GEriATRIc (two-thirds of geriatric)

32 If it is true, it can be swapped for cheese ingredient (6)

CASEIN

IN CASE (if it is true) reversed (can be swapped)

33 Valuable resources from state coffer, unendingly (6)

RICHES

RI (Rhode Island – state) + CHES (chest, unendingly)

37 Little dog with bushy head of hair returning (3)

POM

Reverse (returning)  of MOP (bushy head of hair)

39 Bitmap image of half the design in retrospect (3)

GIF 

Half of FIGure (design) reversed (in retrospect)

50 Barrow-boys have no time for social workers (6)

CARERS

CARTERS (barrow-boys) without the T (no time)

55 Many set free, thus? (7)

AMNESTY

&lit. Anagram (free) of MANY SET.  THUS giving the reason for freeing

59 Empty zone with relation where females are secluded (6)

ZENANA

ZE (zone, empty) + NANA (relation)

60 Some drinks at a golf match, more or less (6)

AROUND

A ROUND can be some drinks or part of a golf match

61 Upset priest starts to use rude language (4)

PURL

P (priest) + first letters (starts to) of Use Rude Language. To purl (which I only knew from my mother’s knitting) means to capsize or upturn (third definition in Chambers)

63 Go and complain having lost a cup (6)

GOBLET

GO + BLEaT – bleat (complain) having lost A

65 State expressions of pain and grief (4)

OHIO

OH (expression of pain) +  IO (expression of grief)

66 Mystery a peculiar vessel contained (7)

ARCANUM

A + RUM (peculiar) around (contained) CAN (vessel)

68 Legal official’s name on seal (6)

NOTARY

N (name) + OTARY – a seal with ears, such aa a sealion

Down

3 Track’s repeated rhythms (6)

GROOVE

Double definition:  both coming from an LP ….

8 Pastry first seen in Polynesian island group (6)

SAMOSA

S (first seen) inside SAMOA

9 Long and limp Scottish seaweed (6)

TANGLE

Double definition:  an adjective used in Scottish for long and limp + coarse seaweed

10 Lavish spreads, having fine food, swallowing seconds (6)

FEASTS

F (fine) + EATS (food) around (containing) S (seconds)

19 Historic site put up gargantuan houses (4)

AGRA

Hidden (houses) in gARGAntuan reversed (put up, in a down clue).  Agra is the city housing the Taj Mahal

21 Perhaps shamans and I cross River Exe, floundering (10)

EXORCISERS

Anagram (floundering) of I +CROSS + R (river) + EXE.  Definition: a minor order in the Roman Catholic church

22 Dynamic types with energy moving later plant (5)

GORSE

GOERS (dynamic types) with E (energy) moving later

23 Shipping area – could be Dover? (4)

SOLE

Reference to the Dover sole fish.  Sole is an area in the shipping forecast in the SW, near Lundy, Plymouth, Fastnet

26 How winds may blow in Lebanon, poet admits (9)

SOUTHERLY

The poet is clearly Southey, a Victorian who was Poet Laureate from 1813 till his death in 1843, despite there being far greater poets around.  The country code for Lebanon is LB:  not sure where the RL inside Southey comes from …

27 Likely location of flying ptarmigans with temperature dropped (9)

GRAMPIANS

Anagram (flying) of PARMIGANS  – ptarmigans without (dropped) T (temperature)

28 Racecourse animals at home in ceremonial roll-outs (3,7)

RED CARPETS

REDCAR (Racecourse) + PETS (animals at home)

32 Prince Philip’s birthplace is – my goodness – half-full (5)

CORFU

COR (my goodness!) + FU (half of full).  The late HRH Prince Philip was born in Corfu

34 Brief period of enchantment (5)

SPELL

Double definition

43 Stock Exchange certificate St Paul found now and again (5)

TALON

Alternate letters (found now and again) of sT pAuL fOuNd.  A talon (Chambers tells me) is a detachable printed part of a Stock Exchange certificate

44 Three different blood groups, maybe, or one group (4)

ABBA

AB, B and A are different blood groups

46 Spanish region without success in knitwear (4)

ARAN

ARAGON without GO (success – in Chambers, 7 lines from the end).  Aran is a style of knitwear that originated in the Aran Islands – made famous by Robert Flaherty in Man of Aran)

52 Small nut cut for fish (6)

SALMON

S (small) + ALMON (almond cut)

53 County Down’s top store refitted (6)

DORSET

D (Down’s top) + anagram (refitted) of STORE

56 During springtime, a greenhouse is poorly supplied (6)

MEAGRE

Hidden (during) in springtiME A GREenhouse

Word chain

A cut, no different from usual (2,4)

AS EVER (4a)

A + SEVER (cut)

Drinks in A&E (2,4)

AT EASE (17a)

TEAS in A +E

In punt, a couple of lines for historic song (6)

BALLET (48a)

In BE T (punt) A + LL (two lines).  Definition (in Chambers under ballad):  a historic word for a madrigal

Unfeeling, nothing less (6)

CALLUS (50d)

CALLOUS without O – (nothing)

Exuberant, keeping husband back a lot? So crude (6)

EARTHY (62a)

HEARTY with H (husband) kept back a lot

Close attention for charm (6)

ENDEAR (54d)

END (close) + EAR (attention)

Crumpled notepaper Poe’s thrown away (6)

ENTRAP (57d)

Anagram (crumpled) of NoTePApER – notepaper without (thrown away) Poe

Artist swapping sides (6)

INGLES (19d)

INGRES (artist) with L instead of R (swapping sides)

King’s College on edge of Cambridge (6)

KETONE (49d)

K (King) + ETON (college) + E – last letter (edge) of Cambridge

Inferior alternative (6)

LESSOR (67a)

LESS (inferior) + OR (alternative)

C, say, for correspondence (6)

LETTER (1d)

Double definition

Five years’ distinction (6)

LUSTRE (40a)

Double definition

Fellows chat endlessly (6)

MENTAL (14a)

MEN (fellows) + TALk (chat – endlessly)

52 with carp’s innards (6)

MORTAR (38d)

MORT (a young salmon – see 52) + AR, inner letters of CARP

Awaited the arrival, holding flower (6)

MUSKET (64a)

MET (awaited the arrival) around (holding) USK -river (flow-er in crossword jargon)

Most distant Scottish cottage room (6)

OFFEND (2d)

OFF (most distant) + END – at the very end, Chambers offers a definition of a Scottish cottage room.  I was brought up in a cottage in the Highlands and never heard a room referred to as an end …

Soon perspire regularly (6)

ONESIE (41a)

Alternate letters (regularly) of sOoN pErSpIrE.  Definition – a garment beloved of crossword setters – a one-piece bathing suit

Transported soldiers (6)

RAPTOR (51d)

RAPT (transported) + OR (soldiers)

Some bounder – a scallywag! (6)

RASCAL (36a)

Hidden in boundeR A SCALlywag

Assembly of characters from Tralee (6)

RELATE (33d)

Anagram (assembly of characters) of TRALEE

Up in part of Yorkshire (6)

RIDING (25d)

Double definition, the first meaning riding as on horseback

Booked heroine turning up after game (6)

RUSSET (7d)

SSET – TESS (booked heroine, reversed – turning up in down clue) after RU (Rugby Union)

Note that’s part of auction (6)

SALUTE (18A)

UT (what was formerly doh) inside (part of) SALE (auction)

Start a journey in contrast (3,3)

SET OFF (8a)

Double definition

In Germany they sat about, resting? (6)

SIESTA (5d)

SIE (they in German) + STA – anagram (about) of SAT

Steamroller dismantled, metal components thrown out (6)

SORREL (30a)

Anagram (dismantled) of StEamROLleR – steamroller, without letters (bits) of metal

Station loo-sign? (6)

STAMEN (35a)

STA (short for station) + MEN (loo-sign)

Story books (6)

TALENT (47a)

TALE (story) + NT (New Testament – books)

Bone in foot of male hawk (6)

TARSAL (45a)

Double definition:  an alternative to tercel (male hawk) and referring to tarsus, bone in the foot

Rarest form of volcanic fragments (6)

TERRAS (13a)

Anagram (form) of RAREST.  I can’t find a reference for the volcanic fragments , which are usually known as tephra …

Lengthy musical extract getting it in the neck (6)

THYMUS (58D)

Hidden (extract) in lengTHY MUSical.  The thymus is a gland in the lower neck

Against clergyman’s title and identity (6)

TORRID (31a)

TO (against) + RR (Right Rev – clergyman) + ID (identity)

Does it come from the epicentre, more usually? (6)

TREMOR (15a)

&lit.  Hidden in epicenTRE MORe

Oz vehicle with corrosion, mostly (6)

UTERUS (42a)

UTE (an Australian utility vehicle + RUS (rust, mostly)

Abuse when overbalancing somewhat (6)

VERBAL (6d)

Hidden (somewhat) in oVERBALancing

The chain, beginning with 4a, reads AS EVER, VERBAL, BALLET, LETTER, TERRAS, RASCAL, CALLUS, LUSTRE, TREMOR, MORTAR, TARSAL, SALUTE, UTERUS, RUSSET, SET OFF, OFFEND, ENDEAR, EARTHY, THYMUS, MUSKET, KETONE, ONESIE, SIESTA, STAMEN, MENTAL, TALENT, ENTRAP, RAPTOR, TORRID, RIDING, INGLES, LESSOR, SORREL, RELATE, AT EASE, AS EVER ….