The preamble, followed by a confession:
In nine clues the definition contains an extra letter which must be removed before solving. In clue order, these letters, together with the solutions to these clues, will guide the solver to completing the two unclued entries, thus revealing indications in the central column of the two original patriarchs who are SADLY LACKING. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.
Ok, confession time: The endgame has completely passed me by! This is the first time that this has happened for an EV puzzle I’ve been scheduled to blog. Although the grid fill went fairly quickly — apart from 11ac which took me an age — when it came to the endgame, I looked at it on and off for the whole week — and into week two. Eventually, Listener solving and blogging — and life — took priority and I gave up.
The clue at 29ac sums up how I felt!
I therefore leave it to others who visit this site to fill in the gaps with their comments. I’ll add a postscript reflecting what, if anything, is added and my subsequent thoughts.
Solving time: unfinished
Postscript
Thanks to Mug/Bones the Milkman/Butcher below, and other, private correspondents. The theme was the children’s card game, Happy Families. ALL AT HOME, the extra letters in nine clues, was a reference to “Not at home”: in the original game, this was said by a player if they didn’t have a particular card requested by another player. (I’m not sure if this is in any current version of the game.)
The thematic entries were synonyms for the families in the original game; thanks to Bones below:
- RASPS: the Grits
- BRIBE: the Bung family
- DICE: the Bones family
- TEASE: the Chip family
- SMUT: the Soot family
- GLUT: the Block family
- SOUSE: the Dip family
- RECORD: the Tape family
- SHOOTS: the Pots family
That left the Dose and Bun families who were sadly lacking. The central column therefore read NODOSE and BUNLESS.
Conclusion
I think it’s safe to say that I wouldn’t have got this in a month of Sundays. It must be 50 years since I played the game. Congratulations to all who solved it. I’d be interested to know what gave you the in.
Thanks, Ranunculus, I’m glad this wasn’t a Listener.
Legend:
Definition in clue
[x] = Extra letter in clues
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Extra Letter |
Clue and Explanation |
| 1 | RASPS | A | They’re used in f[a]iling schools primarily to stop criminal charges (5) S (Schols, primarily) in RAPS (criminal charges) |
| 7 | RESEAU | Blundering A&E nurse knocks out national grid (6) (A&E NURSE – N (national))* |
|
| 11 | EKE OUT | Sled’s smooth once you’ve rubbed this scratch (6, two words) SLEEKED (smooth, as an adj I guess, although sleek itself is smooth) missing EKE (ie eke out); not 100% sure that scratch = eke out |
|
| 13 | CROCUS | Quack from duck with spot of cramp in leg (6) O (duck) + C (spot of Cramp) in CRUS (leg) |
|
| 14 | BRIBE | L | Dishonestly p[l]ay barista, espressos initially taking in Costa (5) B(arista) Espressos (initially) containing RIB (costa) |
| 16 | POETICAL | Imaginative American author, rolling drunk, penning chapter one (8) POE (American author) + LIT< (drunk, reversed) containing C (chapter) + A (one) |
|
| 17 | NATURIST | Fancy I start half nude? (8) (I START + NU(de))*; half&lit perhaps! |
|
| 19 | DICE | L | Fulham’s [l]one forward ultimately joined by reserve (4) (forwar)D (ultimately) + ICE (reserve) |
| 20 | GISMO | Prig is modestly covering thingy (5) in priG IS MOdestly |
|
| 21 | TEASE | A | Dividing up support is a start for staff rot[a] (5) A S(taff) in TEE (support) |
| 23 | IDEA | Thought I would scoff no end of toast (4) I’D (I would) + EAT (scoff) – (toas)T |
|
| 25 | ZEBRA | Unknown item of underwear enthralling English weaver? (5) Z (unknown) + BRA (item of underwear) containing E (English); the zebra (finch) is the Australian weaver bird |
|
| 27 | SMUT | T | Must supply crude pun[t]? (4) MUST* |
| 29 | REVUE | Regret tackling this puzzle for entertainment? (5) RUE (regret) containing (tackle = seize) EV (this puzzle) |
|
| 31 | GRILL | Policewoman framing right question (5) GILL (policewoman) containing R (right) |
|
| 34 | GLUT | H | Over[h]eat something sticky, not close to suitable temperature (4) GLUE (something sticky) – (suitabl)E + T (temperature) |
| 35 | INVEIGLE | Very boring lingerie sadly no recipe for allure (8) V (very) in LINGERIE* – R (recipe) |
|
| 36 | ENGIRDLE | Ace abandons realigned flying compass (8) REALIGNED* – A (ace) |
|
| 40 | SOUSE | O | Provided good so[o]t to Americans (5) SO (provided) USE (good, as in no use/no good) |
| 41 | RECORD | M | Glowing about my [M]EP? (6) RED (glowing) about COR (my!) |
| 42 | HUSSAR | Cavalryman from Hungary accepted in Soviet Union (6) H (Hungary) + A (accepted) in USSR (Soviet Union) |
|
| 43 | METEOR | It’s brief but brilliant introduction overheard near 100 Aker Wood? (6) sounds like “meet eyore” (ref Winnie the Pooh) |
|
| 44 | SEEDY | Sick coming back from Ryde Esplanade (5) reversed in rYDE ESplanade |
DOWN |
| No | Entry | Extra Letter |
Clue and Explanation |
| 1 | RACING | It suggests having a flutter (6) Double meanings: heart and betting |
|
| 2 | AIR-RAIDS | Bangs accompanied these plaits, covering heads (8) (h)AIR + (b)RAIDS (heads covered) |
|
| 3 | SHOOTS | E | Going off Holst, so left out bits of Plan[e]ts (6) (HOLST SO)* – L(left) |
| 4 | PECK | Kiss flashy bird, driving current love from heart (4) PEACOCK (flashy bird) – AC (current) – O (love) |
|
| 5 | DESPITE | Regardless of truce, king’s left for dead (7) RESPITE (truce) with R (king) replaced by D (dead) |
|
| 6 | •O•OSE | See preamble | |
| 7 | RUDE | It’s still vulgar when topped with a bit of caviar (4) RUDE + C (bit of Caviar) also vulgar |
|
| 8 | STRIDES | I dress up, pressing these to start with? (7) (DRESS) containing T(hese); &lit. |
|
| 9 | ELICIT | Earth allowed mole out (6) E (earth) + LICIT (allowed); see under mole1 |
|
| 10 | ABBA | Waterloo victors ‘touch naughty’ with Duke repeatedly absent (4) DAB (touch) BAD (naughty) – D twice |
|
| 12 | SELECT | Privileged wing splits party (6) EL (wing) in SECT (party) |
|
| 15 | FROZEN | Fixed Parisian snitch up with gold francs (6) (NEZ (French for nose) + OR (gold) + F (francs))< |
|
| 18 | USAGES | Enlightened fellows upholding university traditions (6) SAGES (enlightened fellows) upholding (under) U (university) |
|
| 22 | MULLERED | Trashed a couple of Liberals before entering into slander (8) LL (couple of Liberals) + ERE (before) in MUD (slander) |
|
| 23 | INGEST | Nesting cuckoo shoving out new swallow (6) NESTING* – N (new) |
|
| 24 | ARTISTE | Player’s fluffed a sitter (7) (A SITTER)* |
|
| 26 | REVERSE | Backtrack about taking in topless bars (7) RE (about) containing (l)EVERS (bars, topless) |
|
| 28 | AUGUST | Joey O’Brien’s wicked time (6) 2 meanings: Joey, a clown and reference Edna O’Brien’s August Is a wicked Month |
|
| 30 | UNL•S• | See preamble | |
| 32 | IGNORE | Slight twinge in the rear following strained groin (6) (twing)E after GROIN* |
|
| 33 | LEWDLY | Artist clothing wife and daughter in sensual fashion (6) LELY (artist, reference Sir Peter Lely) around W (wife) D (daughter) |
|
| 37 | NOTE | Mark Twain originally worked with one (4) (T(wain) + ONE)* |
|
| 38 | DOUR | Black Rod upset about character wearing stockings in House (4) ROD< about U (ie HOUSE – HO-SE (stockings)) |
|
| 39 | ACRE | It could come down to a race at sea (4) RACE*; acre becomes A when abbreviated |
|
Theme is the Happy Families card game. Missing are Bun the Baker and Dose the Doctor. Hence missing letters make NO DOSE and B UNLESS
The original cards can be found here:
http://www.wopc.co.uk/games/jaques-happy-families
After 10 days all I had got was that Esau was a hairy man, the sons of his brother were the original patriarchs and COMOSE fitted 6D. Now I can’t work out how one can feel REVUE.
Sorry, Blank, I meant the clue at 29ac.
Thanks Dave and all those who provided the answer.
My solving experience was similar to that described above.
I took the grid to stare at it in bed twice.
The first night I had a dream where I worked out that the answers pointed to 9 members of the England 66 World Cup team.
The second night I had a dream where I worked out that the answers pointed to 9 months of the French Revolutionary calendar.
In both cases, nonsense.