A fairly simple preamble greeted us this week:
In RANTING, eight answers must be altered thematically on entry; clues to these answers consist of a definition for the answer, and wordplay leading to the entered form. A further two entries, clued normally, must have a similar alteration within the completed grid, thereby leaving all real words (ignoring spaces). Solvers must highlight a two-word phrase (18 cells) which explains the reason for the thematic alterations. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.
Being a Shark puzzle, I suspected it would be tough. In fact, getting the first few entries in the grid took a bit of time, and even after that the grid filled up slowly. Having the lengths in brackets relate to the unaffected answers certainly helped (all 3 more than the entry length), and eventually I identified the missing WARs.
I was lucky with the endgame as I’d had INTERNECINE in a Times Jumbo crossword only a few days before. Having exhausted the diagonals, I suddenly spotted INTERNECINUM in the second row. Seeing BELLUM above it was an easy next step. Chambers gives Bellum Internecinum as “a war of extermination”, although I suppose here we have an extermination of war!
This was a tough puzzle. I’m not too sure how long it took to solve — over 3 hours, I think. Thanks for the work-out, Shark.
Legend:
Definition in clue
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | BELL | Cocktail not consisting of a single bubble (4) BELLINI (cocktail) – IN (consisting of) – I (a single) |
|
| 4 | UMBONATE | Having a boss focally worrying about men (8) (ABOUT MEN)* |
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| 10 | INTERN | Dropping off friend at heart hospital’s resident (6) INTERNALLY (at heart) – ALLY (friend) |
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| 12 | EMBREWE | Spenser used this steep space to concoct verse’s ending (7) EM (space) + BREW (to concoct) + (vers)E |
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| 14 | ON ICE | Dean was often here in old city? (5, two words) O (old) + NICE (city); reference to Torvill and DEAN, British ice-skaters in the 1980s and 1990s |
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| 15 | LEEPING | Idle to ignore sun that is boiling in the country (7) SLEEPING (idle) – S (sun) |
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| 17 | DESKS | Counters son used for cocaine within grounds (5) DECKS (grounds) with S (son) for C (cocaine) |
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| 19 | COWSHED | Clubbed about wide barn (7) COSHED (clubbed) about W (wide) |
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| 20 | SO[WAR]REES | Parades starting to suffer on hard earth (9) S(uffer) on SORE (hard) E (earth) |
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| 21 | BLOATS | Soaks duck’s egg in rags (6) O (duck’s egg, zero on scoresheet) in BLATS (rags, newspapers); bloats = soaks = drunkards |
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| 23 | PODLEY | Young Scottish swimmer in school intermittently sleepy (6) POD (school) + (s)L(e)E(p)Y |
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| 24 | OIL-CUP | It helps maintain smooth work of cycling loop all the way (6) OILC (COIL cycling) + UP (all the way) |
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| 26 | STE becomes STED |
Serve 35, perhaps, with clear wine (7) WETAS* (35ac) + R(e)D (wine, clear) |
|
| 31 | L-DOPA | Drug from organophospate leading to asphyxiation after taking lethal dosage (5) OP (organophosphate) + A(sphyxiation) after LD (lethal dosage) |
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| 33 | BARBATE | This may describe a marmoset: mammal in stark surroundings (7) BAT (mamal) in BARE (stark) |
|
| 35 | WETAS becomes ETAS |
Hamilton’s jumpers somewhat conservative so far (5) WET (somewhat conservative) + AS (so far) |
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| 36 | THEOREM | Fines possibly dividing management (rather than the workers) in principle (7) ORE (fines) in THEM (management) |
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| 37 | ASYLEE | Lays out European base for exile (6) LAYS* + E (European) + E (base) |
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| 38 | RAPHIDES becomes APHIDES |
More than one crystalline ridge is enveloping inner diameter (8) RAPHES (ridge) about ID (inner diameter) |
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| 39 | FOR[WAR]D | Wanting to have date, gets ready (7) FOR (wanting to have) + D (date) |
|
| DOWN | |||
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | BIELDS | After Scott shelters in open areas, foot becomes black (6) FIELDS (open areas) with F (foot) becoming B (black) |
|
| 2 | ENMEW | Confine headless chicken, upset stomach once (5) (h)EN (chicken, headless) + WEM< (stomach) |
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| 3 | LERP | In the outback, coating of leaves towering in front of lake (4) (PRE (in front of) + L (lake))< |
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| 4 | UREIC | Capital harbours stop short of waste (5) UC (capital, ie upper case) containing REI(n) (stop, short) |
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| 5 | BE[WAR]E | Cut meat in cave (6) BEE(f) (meat, cut) |
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| 6 | NINE-HOLE | Shorter round lifted tennis player: how victorious Nadal might cry (8) HENIN< (Justine H, tennis player) + OLE (Spanish victory cry) |
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| 7 | ANISE | Flavouring from German is edible (5) in germAN IS Edible |
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| 8 | TUCK | Unopened fast food (4) (s)TUCK (fast, without first letter) |
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| 9 | EMESIS | Bringing up end of the dog’s dinner, I devoured (6) (th)E + MESS (dog’s dinner) containing I |
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| 11 | CO[WAR]DS | Chickens left out of frozen section (7) COLD (frozen) – L (left) + S (section) |
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| 13 | BEAR[WAR]D | Murderer eliminates adult keeper of beasts (8) BLUEBEARD (murderer) – BLUE (adult, adj) |
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| 16 | NOSY | Restaurant evicts that girl for interfering (4) NOSHERY (restaurant) – HER (that girl) |
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| 18 | TELEPATH | Psychic’s set approach (8) TELE (set, television) + PATH (approach) |
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| 21 | BORA becomes BOA |
Wind a mug up (4) (A ROB (mug, vb))< |
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| 22 | ACHAR | Pickle Australian fish (5) A (Australian) + CHAR (fish) |
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| 23 | PUL becomes PUL |
Before turning green, row short boat (6) PUL(l) (row, short) + RAW< (green) |
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| 25 | PRE[WAR]MED | Unexpected baby, not born in cot that’s heated in advance (9) PREM (premature baby) + BED (cot) – B (born) |
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| 27 | TOT UP | To mount? (5, two words) TO + TUP (mount?); &lit. I think! |
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| 28 | WASH becomes ASH |
Flavourless drink that’s presumably cooler now? (4) WAS H(ot) (cryptic definition) |
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| 29 | [WAR]DRESS | Screw piece of furniture without hesitation (8) DRESSER (piece of furniture) – ER (hesitation) |
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| 30 | STEER | Cox … or perhaps one without heading? (5) STEER also (c)OX |
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| 32 | DEVA | God flaunted, moving around after dumping wife (4) WAVED< (flaunted) – W (wife) |
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| 34 | BOYF | Difficult problem’s curtailed following squeeze (4) BOY(g) (difficult problem) + F (following) |
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| 36 | TO[WAR]D | Getting on now, just past half way (6) TOD(ay) (now, mostly) |
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