No bars this week. Extra letters in all the clues which spell out a line from a play. The letters within the speaker of this line then need to be highlighted. Sounds amusing.
And amusing it was. Some relatively straight-forward clues and some trickier ones. The carte blanche was slightly easier than normal with the clues in a conventional order. The symmetry of teh across clue lengths enabling teh start of teh down clues to be found.
The extra letters themselves led to
“I HAVE ALWAYS DEPENDED ON THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS”
A line from “A streetcar named desire” spoken by Blanche. The letters of B L A N C H E in the grid, when highlighted, spell out DESIRE
A very neat conclusion and justification for the title Carte Blanche. Obviously the puzzle is a carte blanche type and by removing an ‘e’ like the other clues you get Cart Blanche
Many thanks Stick Insect – very elegant and neat.
Key:
* anagram; rev. reverse; Underline definition
Clues
| Spar trips maid (5) | |
| I | Spar trips mad (5) |
| (trips)* = SPRIT | |
| Quicker, posh mouse swaps Spain for Italy when uprooted (8, two words) | |
| H | Quicker, pos mouse swaps Spain for Italy when uprooted (8, two words) |
| (pos mouse – e + i)* = PIU MOSSO | |
| Ate fit Irishman (6) | |
| A | te fit Irishman (6) |
| Te + ague(fit) = TEAGUE | |
| Youngster taking the French close to vice? (7) | |
| V | Youngster taking the French close to ice? (7) |
| Child(youngster) around le = CHILLED | |
| Expressed surprise over twine boat (8) | |
| E | Expressed surprise over twin boat (8) |
| Cor (express surprise) + o (over) twice (double) = COROCORO | |
| Auntie foraged for Christian type (6) | |
| A | Auntie forged for Christian type (6) |
| (auntie)* = UNIATE | |
| Plants lone ground surrounded by birds (7) | |
| L | Plants one ground surrounded by birds (7) |
| Pies (Birds) around (one)* = PEONIES | |
| See Irish institute now for hypothetical cause of disease (6) | |
| W | See Irish institute no for hypothetical cause of disease (6) |
| V(see) + Ir(Irish) + I (institute) + no = VIRINO | |
| Seat back down before food signifies melon (6) | |
| A | Set back down before food signifies melon (6) |
| Rev. (a bas (down) + ac (before food)) = CASABA | |
| Sweaty saint spread odour heartlessly (5) | |
| Y | Sweat saint spread odour heartlessly (5) |
| S (saint) + (odur)* = SUDOR | |
| Twisted one in gross skit (3) | |
| S | Twisted one in gross kit (3) |
| Re. I in gr(gross) = RIG | |
| Dopes use tosh regularly in attractive whispers (5) | |
| D | opes use tosh regularly in attractive whispers (5) |
| oPeS uSe ToSh = PSSTS | |
| Feather seized by corrupting influence almost produces Australian snake (6) | |
| E | Father seized by corrupting influence almost produces Australian snake (6) |
| Tain (corrupting influence) around pa(father) = TAIPAN | |
| P | Steal maple sprig for tennis player Laura maybe (6) |
| Steal male sprig for tennis player Laura maybe (6) | |
| Rob (steal) + son (male sprig) = ROBSON | |
| Ride bred confusion in American finch (7) | |
| E | Rid bred confusion in American finch (7) |
| (rid bred)* = REDBIRD | |
| Mostly nice hooligan is fired (6) | |
| N | Mostly ice hooligan is fired (6) |
| Kill (ice) – l + Ned (hooligan) = KILNED | |
| Daft tiler contorted to pass through small openings (8) | |
| D | aft tiler contorted to pass through small openings (8) |
| (aft tiler)* = FILTRATE | |
| Tire on travels around every Spanish city (7) | |
| E | Tire on travels around very Spanish city (7) |
| (tire on + v(very))* = TREVINO | |
| Wilson’s back tensed after Pike is bright (6) | |
| D | Wilson’s back tense after Pike is bright (6) |
| N (Wilson’s back) + t (tense) after luce(pike) = LUCENT | |
| Weakness when staff officer’s feet stoop up (8, two words) | |
| O | Weakness when staff officer’s feet stop up (8, two words) |
| So (staff officer) + ft (feet) + (stop)* = SOFTSPOT | |
| Yearn after beer in North Carolina – it’s frothy (5) | |
| N | Year after beer in North Carolina – it’s frothy (5) |
| Y (year) after suds(beer in North Carolina) = SUDSY | |
| Downs | |
| Pants for holy water with the object of infusing drinks (6) | |
| T | Pans for holy water with the object of infusing drinks (6) |
| Sups(drinks) around to (with the object of) = STOUPS | |
| Short prison to hold not Spenser’s writer (5) | |
| H | Short prison to old not Spenser’s writer (5) |
| Pen(short prison) + ne (old not) = PENNE | |
| Read triumphal call editor transmitted (7) | |
| E | Rad triumphal call editor transmitted (7) |
| Rad + io (triumphal call) + ed (editor) = RADIOED | |
| Rebuke skit over sections performed by all (6) | |
| K | Rebuke sit over sections performed by all (6) |
| Tut (rebuke) + (sit)* = TUTTIS | |
| Island siting square pictures (5) | |
| I | Island sting square pictures (5) |
| I (island) + con (sting) + s (square) = ICONS | |
| No, I’m backing little sister for pupil’s abnormal contraction (6) | |
| N | O, I’m backing little sister for pupil’s abnormal contraction (6) |
| Rev. (o im) + sis (little sister) = MIOSIS | |
| Mud sold in pieces with barrels (4) | |
| D | Mud sol in pieces with barrels (4) |
| (sol)* + b (barrels) = SLOB | |
| Sneer about natural alto in pastoral cantata (8) | |
| N | Seer about natural alto in pastoral cantata (8) |
| (seer)* + nat (natural) + a (alto) = SERENATA | |
| Fragrant doe, turning over sour hybrid (7) | |
| E | Fragrant do, turning over sour hybrid (7) |
| Rev. do + (o + sour)* = ODOROUSO | |
| Instrumentalist Iain’s beloved is held in local Elsan (8) | |
| S | Instrumentalist Iain’s beloved is held in local Elan (8) |
| Jo (Iain’s beloved) + is in bant (local elan) = BANJOIST | |
| Rabbi with a goddess to slay waste (6) | |
| S | Rabbi with a goddess to lay waste (6) |
| Rav (rabbi) + a + ge (goddess) = RAVAGE | |
| Age four can be replaced with zeros (8) | |
| O | Age fur can be replaced with zeros (8) |
| Era (age) + sable(fur) = ERASABLE | |
| I tug a roof on the rampage in aircraft (8) | |
| F | I tug a roo on the rampage in aircraft (8) |
| (I tug a roo)* = AUTOGIRO | |
| Spiders from Mars, topless and bottomless, getting 40% of Earth (6) | |
| S | Spiders from Mars, topless and bottomless, getting 40% of Earth (6) |
| Mar – m (topless) + and – d (bottomless) + ea (40% of earth) = ARANEA | |
| Steamer filters without head for old paints (7) | |
| T | Steamer filters without head for old pains (7) |
| str (steamer) + sifts (filters0 – s = STRIFTS | |
| Goner to heaven? Restored instead (7) | |
| R | Gone to heaven? Restored instead (7) |
| (instead)* = SAINTED | |
| Scotland’s awe with religious instruction contained by Psalm cakes (6) | |
| A | Scotland’s we with religious instruction contained by Psalm cakes (6) |
| Oo (Scotland’s we) + ri (religious instruction) in Ps (psalm) = POORIS | |
| Offensive demon’s end to succeed gods embraced by South African men (6) | |
| N | Offensive demo’s end to succeed gods embraced by South African men (6) |
| Ous (South African men) around di (gods) + o (demo’s end) = ODIOUS | |
| Strangeness gone inside fermented toddy (6) | |
| G | Strangeness one inside fermented toddy (6) |
| (toddy)* around I (one) = ODDITY | |
| Runes are also for Fijian ruler (5) | |
| R | Runs are also for Fijian ruler (5) |
| R (runs) + a (are) + too (also) = RATOO | |
| Strops about those in power (5) | |
| R | Stops about those in power (5) |
| Re (about) + ins (those in power) = REINS | |
| Canticle sforzando contains indicator of pitch (4) | |
| S | Canticle forzando contains indicator of pitch (4) |
| Hidden antiCLE Forzando) = CLEF |