“In the 180° symmetrical grid, two unclued entries (each of 13 letters) give the names of an author and a sequel to their PRIME work. Cells illustrating a counterexample of a PRIME quotation from the work, involving a further unclued entry of four letters, must be highlighted (13 letters, three words). Clues are in normal order, the wordplay in PRIME examples leading to an extra letter, spelling out the name of a charitable trust. In the final grid solvers must change two letters and then highlight the trust’s initials, a novel and a publication (three, four and six letters respectively in straight lines), all of which were PRIME creations of the author. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”The unclued entries are SUPERWOMAN TWO and SHIRLEY CONRAN. The quotation is LIFE’S TOO SHORT TO STUFF A MUSHROOM, and we are to highlight an overlong LIFE stuffing A MUSHROOM.
The extra letters spell MATHS ANXIETY. The initials of the trust are therefore MAT. The novel is LACE, and the publication is FEMAIL, which we are to change from FEMALE.
Some tricky clues here. MESE had me foxed, as did DISINTER with its unusual (but canonical) use of “shared by”. Even a short clue like WREN had a misdirection (that tricksy with) that had me considering such exotic non-existent fauna as the RESO and TIDO.
Unless I’ve missed something, the extra highlighting (especially MAT) seemed a little odd to me, but the stuffed mushroom was very nice. Thanks to Arcadia!
I don’t believe I have ever stuffed a mushroom and I didn’t have any intention of doing so. Have you? How mushroom did you have in your heart for this puzzle? Did you think it was L-ACE or did you want it to get stuffed? Do tell!
| Notation | |
|---|---|
| Definition | word |
| Indicator | [word] |
| Anagram | WORD* |
| Reversal | <WORD |
| Homophone | “WORD” |
| Extra letter | MAD |
As always, please let me know if anything isn’t clear.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| < [Westerly] [banks of] N |
SUDD | |
| M | MAD (Rabid) DUCE’S (Italian leader’s) quotes (7) | ADDUCES |
| NIGH (Touch discarded) TIE (Bostonian sleeper)’s lingerie (7) | NIGHTIE | |
| A | [Extracting] E (energy), ABAT |
BATH |
| Setting for board PLACEMA |
PLACE MAT | |
| [Faceless], |
EIDOLA | |
| Much reduced TIER (rank) IN [sticks] (6) | TINIER | |
| Logical S (section) ONE (a certain) READ (study) [contains] (8) | REASONED | |
| T | W (Wide) THOLE (oar-pin), undamaged (5) | WHOLE |
| H | [Enthralled by] SHE (female) ME (Maine) duck (4) | SMEE |
| Keynote MES |
MESE | |
| ORG (Organisation) IC (in charge) of revels on rare occasions (5) | ORGIC | |
| ARUM* [misrepresented] [bearing] BELL (domed corolla) with canopied flower clusters (8) | UMBELLAR | |
| S | < VAN (Small lorry) [backing] SAID (reputed) GPS? (6) | NAVAID |
| Real estate of tomorrow in La Défense? (6) | DEMAIN | |
| A | Dig out DIE (long) R (recipe) [shared by] SAINT (Puritan) (8) | DISINTER |
| Choice Scots “WAIL” (lament) [delivered] (4) | WALE | |
| Female US jurist, perhaps [cramped by] neOCON NORms (7) | O’CONNOR | |
| Greek shipowner ON (assigned to) ASSIS |
ONASSIS | |
| Songbird W (with) RE N (two different notes) (4) | WREN | |
| N | Open UNLIN |
UNLID |
| X | Courses in DIAD (“511AD): [origins of] Reign Of Merovingian Sons” (8) | DIADROMS |
| Crabs’ claws HE (that man) [used in] CoLlAgE [regularly] (6) | CHELAE | |
| < {MOT (Annual check) AID (help)} [looking up] microscopic alga (6) | DIATOM | |
| I | Wrongly holding back DIET (food) IN [abrupt] UE |
DETINUE |
| CALI |
CALID | |
| [Limitless] |
ET CETERI | |
| E | {HE’S BEEN}* [developing] dance notation (6) | BENESH |
| T | MATAI (Coniferous tree) [cut by] S (South) African highlander (5) | MASAI |
| HIE (Primitive urge) LAM (to beat) AN aborigine’s shield (8) | HIELAMAN | |
| < {ROTA (Course) I’M (one’s)} [raised] [covering] GR (Greek) wanderer (8) | MIGRATOR | |
| Perhaps miss FEE (wages) [stopped by] MAL (illness) (6) | FEMALE | |
| LIDOS (Bathing beaches) [full of] BI (AC/DC) sexual impulses (7) | LIBIDOS | |
| Y | Wraps up OLDY (classic film) [inspired by] < [retro] SF (science fiction) (5) | FOLDS |
| Italian family MEDIC (doctor, rarely) I (independent) (6) | MEDICI | |
| Fatty compounds [disguised by] rOLE IN Sherbets (6) | OLEINS | |
| U (Unionist), VUL |
UVULA | |
| FIER |
FIERE | |
| S | U | D | D | C | A | D | D | U | C | E | S |
| U | N | I | G | H | T | I | E | B | A | T | H |
| P | L | A | C | E | M | A | T | E | L | C | I |
| E | I | D | O | L | A | T | I | N | I | E | R |
| R | D | R | E | A | S | O | N | E | D | T | L |
| W | H | O | L | E | A | M | U | S | M | E | E |
| O | I | M | F | L | I | F | E | H | I | R | Y |
| M | E | S | E | I | M | O | O | R | G | I | C |
| A | L | U | M | B | E | L | L | A | R | F | O |
| N | A | V | A | I | D | D | E | M | A | I | N |
| T | M | U | I | D | I | S | I | N | T | E | R |
| W | A | L | L | O | C | O | N | N | O | R | A |
| O | N | A | S | S | I | S | S | W | R | E | N |
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