4 unclued entries to determine and a thematic alteration to be applied to a clue in each across row leaving a real word. The downs are all normal
Quite a gentle workout, though a dictionary was needed to confirm some of the answers. Maieutic is a word with lovely properties (5 vowels, 4 consecutive), but not one I had met before
The twist in the across clues was very eco-friendly requiring the removal of COO (Carbon dioxide) from the answer before entry. It is time for action, certainly, what a mess we have made of the planet!
The unclued downs must be increased
- RENEWABLES
- RAINFOREST
to reduce the unclued Acrosses
- CLIMATE CHANGE
- GLOBAL WARMING
Many thanks X-Type a poignant theme which was well executed.
Key * anagram; DD double definition; Underline definition; rev. reverse
Across
10 Plane landing: displaying impetuosity (4)
Hidden planE LANding = ELAN
11 Ruining coal-converting process when absorbing oxygen (4)
coking (coal-converting process) around o (oxygen) = COOKING = KING
12 Warm bedding in Oz: Australian on Scottish down (5)
doon (Scottish down) + a (australian) = DOONA
13 Life of a pachyderm – as heard in song? (6)
DD NELLIE as in Nellie the Elephant
14 Bird in pipe, travelling at speed (5)
coot (bird) in sing (pipe) = SCOOTING = STING
16 Valley making a lot of money with opening of industries (4)
wad (a lot of money) + i (opening of industries) = WADI
17 Make a cask and manage to retain ring radius (3)
cope (manage) around o (ring) + r (radius) = COOPER entered as PER
18 Need law to be amended in the Downs? (7)
(Need law)* = WEALDEN
19 I hear we are making a dam? (4)
Homonym of we are = WEIR
20 Break open sculpture containing rupees (5)
bust (sculpture) around r (rupees) = BURST
22 Investigated concealing Oscar and issued story before others could (4)
scoped (investigated) around o (oxygen) = SCOOPED = SPED
24 Best being close to ground (4)
(close to)* = COOLEST = LEST
25 Governor engaging non-drinker as a chap who’ll do the housework (5)
bey (governor) aorund tt (non-drinker) = BETTY
28 Rain forecast providing data (4)
Hidden raIN FOrest = INFO
30 Animals get condos a bit agitated (7)
(condos a bit)* = BANDICOOTS = BANDITS
34 A short distance to the rear (3)
A + ft (short distance) = AFT
35 Depend on university place (4)
lie (depend on) + u (university) = LIEU
36 Fish? Must eat one after business safely wrapped up (5)
co (business) + cod (fish) around one = COCOONED = CONED
37 Fellow lodger in US keeping nothing – in storage unit, that is (6)
Rom (storage unit) around o (nothing) + ie (that is) = ROOMIE
38 Fraudulently earn money and take up weapons (5)
(earn + m)* = ENARM
39 Officer in the money (4)
Co (officer) + in = COIN
40 Beans from cocoa blended with outer parts of nuts (4)
(cocao + ns(oter part of nuts))* = CACOONS = CANS
Down
1 Cliff, some say, is almost intelligent (5)
clever (intelligent) – r = CLEVE
2 I ladle clumsily, getting a beating from Sandy (6)
(I ladle)* = LALDIE
3 Interestingly, I’m a cutie: bringing out latent ideas (8)
(Im a cutie)* = MAIEUTIC
4 Time to give out rich fabric (6)
t (time) + issue (to give out) = TISSUE
5 Go in to process tree containing last of resin … (5)
(tree + n (last of resin))* = ENTER
6 … then put a sharp edge on local pine? (4)
DD HONE
7 The Bard’s crown, maybe, showing Northern bird? (4)
n (northern) + owl (bird) = NOWL
8 Urge forward gazelle that’s dead (4)
goa (gazelle) + d (dead) = GOAD
9 The last journalist, finished at last? (5)
end (the last) + ed (journalist) = ENDED
11 Unofficial market in Byker buildings (4)
Hidden ByKER Buildings = KERB
15 Vaporous smog with air tainted around France (8)
(air + smog + f (France))* = GASIFORM
21 Graduated rod for measuring race courses (6)
DD STADIA
23 New day in rising reputation of the last person in the chorus-line? (6, two words)
nd (new day) in Rev. name (reputation) = END MAN
24 Psychiatrist with theories about stress: Heather has swallowed one (5)
ling (heather) around i (one) = LAING
26 Article that hurts old slave (5)
The (article) + ow (that hurts) = THEOW
27 Feel desire, but lack energy, for a really good story (4)
yearn (feel desire) – e (energy) = YARN
29 Throw fellow a fish (5)
f (fellow) + ling (fish) = FLING
31 Toughen an Irish champion? (4)
DD NEAL
32 39 perhaps: or some disused fabric with its end trimmed (4)
duroy (fabric – obsolete) – y (end) = DURO
33 Garment obtained from the South area (4)
Rev. got + a (area) = TOGA
I used to see the Telegraph when I took it round most Sundays to an elderly relative, who still enjoyed collaborative solving of the non-cryptic puzzles. And got in the way of doing the EV puzzles myself later in the week, and one week even had a win. But after the relative’s sad decline and death, I hadn’t seen the paper for two years or so until picking up a copy from a poorly-stocked bookstall for a railway journey. And it was a real pleasure to get back to EV, with this one, just the right level of ingenuity and challenge, plus topicality. So, many thanks to X-type, and to twenceslas, for keeping up the high standards.
Time for action quite some years ago! Truly an emergency now!
I’ve only recently got back into solving EV. Previously (10 years’ ago?) I was an occasional solver, but now I’m a regular. There’s been some good and some great puzzles over the last couple of months I’ve been doing that. I can recommend the Telegraph’s online puzzle club as good value for money if you want to start solving them regularly. So far this year in my view they’ve all been quite gentle but fun solves.
Brock – hopefully the run will continue. I second your recommendation on the puzzle club. You get the puzzles without the paper. Much more eco too.