“An extra letter not entered in the grid is generated by wordplay in each clue; read in clue order, the extra letters give three names which will lead solvers to the definition of RAMJETS, the eight unclued entries. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”
Another (possibly the last?) in the easier EVs, designed to boost the puzzle’s popularity. Has it worked? It was the first thematic I tried although, as there’s no longer a Telegraph fountain pen with handcrafted nib up for grabs, I don’t enter it.
Anyway, where was I? Ah yes. WENDY CRAIG, GEOFFREY PALMER, and NICHOLAS LYNDHURSDT were in the TV series ‘Butterflies‘.
PURPLE EMPEROR, CARDINAL, COMMA, TORTOISESHELL, PAINTED LADY, SWALLOWTAIL, and ADMINAL are all BUTTER (ram) FLIES (jets).
Please post a comment if the explanations are not clear.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| W | 10 | Old itch [to redevelop] WARSOP* (5) | PSORA |
| E | 11 | LarGE LUGger [is loaded with] drink (4) | GLUG |
| N | 13 | Glasgow gangsters END (kill) [in] NS (new style) (4) | NEDS |
| D | 14 | Watchmaker SITS* [awkwardly] [on] DOT (spot) (6) | TISSOT |
| Y | 15 | RI (Rhode Island) [involved in] I (current) SHY (gibe) from the Emerald Isle (5) | IRISH |
| C | 16 | DO (Party) U (united) < CAR (vehicle) [circling] grass (5) | DOURA |
| R | 17 | SINNER* [upset] baseball teams (5) | NINES |
| A | 18 | Contemptible person TO (against) ADA (programming language) (4) | TOAD |
| I | 20 | Muddled TRIO* [in] AA (anti-aircraft) vessel (5) | AORTA |
| G | 23 | Antiseptic powder AGED* [badly] UP (all the way) [inside] (5) | EUPAD |
| G | 25 | < {ORT (Scrap) GEM (stone)} [around] urban rail system (5) | METRO |
| E | 26 | Keen EMO (guitar music) at URN (ballot-box) (5) | MOURN |
| O | 27 | Drizzling mist in the Highlands [returned] < {R (right) [in the middle of] WOOD (trees)} (4) | DROW |
| F | 29 | Most dissipating in energy and FLOSSIEST (extremely fluffy) (8) | LOSSIEST |
| F | 31 | Page SH ([starts to] SHINE HORSE’S) FEET (hooves) (5) | SHEET |
| R | 32 | [Exciting] STAR* [taking on] IR (Iran) on the move (5) | ASTIR |
| E | 36 | Hindu god of wisdom A (adult) has [somehow] SEEN* [in] GA (Georgia) (6) | GANESA |
| Y | 37 | YE (The old) < HAY (country dance) [turning over] casual word of agreement (4) | YEAH |
| P | 38 | PLUS (Additional) H (hard) alcohol (4) | LUSH |
| A | 39 | < TAD (Little boy)[’s back] with ALA (wing) relating to time (5) | DATAL |
| Down | |||
| L | 1 | Like Shylock, U (you reported) SLUR (disparagement) with IOUS (promises to pay) (8) | USURIOUS |
| M | 2 | SIN (Shortcoming) [encountered in] ROMA (gypsy) girl (6) | ROSINA |
| E | 3 | PROSE (Writing) for those in favour (4) | PROS |
| R | 4 | Thin strips of {TRASH L (left)}* [strewn around] (5) | LATHS |
| N | 5 | Frozen girl LEANS* [obliquely] (4) | ELSA |
| I | 6 | I’m pondering aniMUS I ERadicated in part (5) | MUSER |
| C | 7 | ENT (Field of medicine) COILED (wound up) trapped (8) | ENTOILED |
| H | 8 | PUN (Wordplay) [in] THEIR* [unholy] number, such as 666? (7) | REPUNIT |
| O | 9 | European waterway [periodically found in] |
ODER |
| L | 11 | Played in lively fashion SO (well) [beyond] GIO (northern creek) and COL (mountain pass) (7) | GIOCOSO |
| A | 12 | GOD (Immortal) ADMAN* [performed] utterly (7) | GODDAMN |
| S | 19 | Optical problem, SAY (for instance), SIGH (to lament) in data transmission (8) | DAYSIGHT |
| L | 21 | {HALT STIR}* [rioting], being sharp (7) | TARTISH |
| Y | 22 | Introducing [synthetic] POLYMER* [over] I (one) A (afternoon) (8) | PROEMIAL |
| N | 24 | WARN (Threaten) [to follow] POST (stake in game) after contest (7) | POSTWAR |
| D | 28 | RED (Sandy’s vacated) MOTE (spot) that’s out of the way (6) | REMOTE |
| H | 30 | Weary HEN (Scots female) [cutting short] NUI |
ENNUI |
| U | 31 | SCAUDS (Burns in Edinburgh) for Jonathan’s large amounts of money (5) | SCADS |
| R | 33 | [Swirling] ROKES* in Orkney shed (4) | SKEO |
| S | 34 | LESS |
LESS |
| T | 35 | Fish PATH (course) [after] O ([starter of] OFFAL) (4) | OPAH |
| P | U | R | P | L | E | E | M | P | E | R | O | R |
| P | S | O | R | A | G | L | U | G | N | E | D | S |
| A | U | S | O | T | I | S | S | O | T | P | E | W |
| I | R | I | S | H | O | A | E | D | O | U | R | A |
| N | I | N | E | S | C | A | R | D | I | N | A | L |
| T | O | A | D | A | O | R | T | A | L | I | P | L |
| E | U | P | A | D | S | G | A | M | E | T | R | O |
| D | S | O | Y | M | O | U | R | N | D | R | O | W |
| L | O | S | S | I | E | S | T | S | H | E | E | T |
| A | S | T | I | R | N | L | I | C | O | M | M | A |
| D | K | W | G | A | N | E | S | A | P | O | I | I |
| Y | E | A | H | L | U | S | H | D | A | T | A | L |
| T | O | R | T | O | I | S | E | S | H | E | L | L |
Thank you, Mister Sting. You didn’t comment on the title (or even give your reaction to the crossword) – we found the title rather difficult to understand and, not living in the UK, we had never heard of the series, so, had it not been for Google, we would have been at a loss for what the letters spelled out, but, of course, the butterflies gave us the theme.
I found this a bit tougher than the previous EVs this month. I had already begun to slow down when I decided to think about what could go along the top. First, it looked like two words; second, the first word could be PURPLE; finally, and a little later, PURPLE EMPEROR was a perfect fit. And it explained the title Ramjets (‘Butterflies’).
That first butterfly made both the discovery of the others and the solving of the remaining clues easier. I had forgotten the TV series and had to work out most of the three names before I realised why they were there.
I enjoyed this very much. Thanks to Eclogue for the puzzle and Mister Sting for the blog.
As Wendy appeared from extra letters, I started thinking Peter Pan, but Craig then emerging got me on to the theme almost immediately, helped by remembering the series very well, and confirmed by the title. A nice tribute and an enjoyable puzzle. There were some interesting new words for me too — day-sight, repunit, drow — to add to the fun.
Great fun, even though I knew nothing bout the TV series. Nice clever title too.
I guess we’re back to harder puzzles after this. Fair enough, but I was rather enjoying the easier ones!
Unlike the puzzle (which I enjoyed, especially the title and the clue to REPUNIT) the TV series left me cold. In my view most of the characters were in need of a good shaking to get over themselves.
Having teased out the names I was left wondering what happened to the actor who played the other son and perhaps didn’t achieve the fame of those in the puzzle.
As always, thanks to setter and blogger.