Autumnal October and Vismut presents a puzzle with only 9 non standard clues. Then a theme to be found based on the missing letters. An associated entry to this to be written below the grid.
A similar standard to the September ones in my opinion, which is a good thing, I think. Any new solvers to the EV are most welcome.
Firstly the missing letters yielded Orangutan when read top to bottom, left to right. Not a lot to go on there. The theme however was more apparent from the title A CLEAR LAW which becomes A R WALLACE with WALLACE LINE visible in the leading diagonal. He was famous for THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO about evolutionary theory (a contemporary of DARWIN) giving the unclued entries.
Wallace’s works comprised two episodes, the first an orangutan and the other side of the Wallace line being BIRD OF PARADISE in Episode 2 to be written under the grid
And that was a very educational puzzle as biology is not a subject I take much of an interest in.
Thanks Vismut
Key: * anagram, DD double definition, Rev. Reversed, underline definitions.
Missing letters before clue. Also apologies for the slight delay in this blog.
Across
R
1 They conjure an image of old person in squabble returning fees (12, two words)
Reverse row (squabble) + pict (old person) in dues (fees) = WORD PICTURES
11 Nancy’s the teen played from an age division (6, two words)
la (Nancy’s the) + (teen)* = LATENE
13 Unwrapped black resin (3)
bLACk = LAC
A
14 Local ‘orse bones (4)
‘oss (local ‘orse) = OSSA
15 Outlining gossip about Liberal ruler and East London man (11, two words)
chat (gossip) about l (liberal) + king (ruler) = CHALKING OUT
17 Fast-running bird locked in by harem eunuch (4)
Hidden harEM EUnuch
19 Offhand lecturer moved nearer the front heaving last active keyboard (7)
cavalier (offhand) removing a and moving l(lecturer) = CLAVIER
21 Colour right bit of dahlia base sheaths for botanical purposes (7)
ochre (colour) + a (right bit of dahlia) + e (base) OCHREAE
24 Support advertising work (4)
pr (advertising) + op (work) = PROP
25 Old form of song with reflective content (5)
psalm reflecting sal = PLASM
U
26 Gael occasionally displays Scottish instrument (3)
GaEl = GUE
T
28 Chooses cartographers drawing in capital of Philippines (4)
OS (cartographers) around p (capital of Philippines) = OPTS
30 Music embraced by hellraisers (3)
Hidden hellRAIsers = RAI
31 Lionel refashioned way of adorning metal (6)
(lionel)* = NIELLO
32 Maggie said she didn’t do these notes covering ballot box (6)
uts (notes) around urn(ballot box) = UTURNS
N
33 Peers around opening of tomb only shrouding saint’s fossil (12)
(peers)* + one (only) around t (opening of tomb) + st (saint) = SERPENTSTONE
Down
O
2 Word to husband (4)
at (to) + h (husband) = OATH
3 Daughter with gifts dreams of Ian (6)
d (daughter) + w (with) + alms(gifts) = DWALMS
4 Mac’s diamond cutter’s tool (7)
pick (diamond in cards) + axe (cutter) = PICKAXE
5 Make black top light red colour (3)
pink (kight red) – p (top) = INK
N
6 Like one person like another from pub with clubs promoted (6)
local(pub) moving c (clubs) = CLONAL
7 Sharp Yankee chasing T Oscar out (5)
tango(T) – o (oscar) + y (Yankee) = TANGY
8 Taking liberties without leader and starting again (8)
presuming (taking liberties) – p (leader) = RESUMING
9 Shakespeare’s wet nurse exorbitant (7)
en (nurse) + steep(exorbitant) = ENSTEEP
G
10 Add salt to outside of expired wild ox and fish (10, two words)
Season (salt) around ure (expired wild ox) = SEA SURGEON
12 Mishandling non-electronic retinoscope leads to turning out of eyelids (10)
(retinocsope – e)* = ECTROPIONS
16 Trader swapping priest for hot adviser (8)
exporter (trader) swapping h(hot) for p (priest) = EXHORTER
18 Mite that is something to make sheep very itchy (7)
scrap (mite) + ie (that is) = SCRAPIE
20 Declares force advanced from the south (7)
Rev. Stress (force) + a(advanced) = ASSERTS
22 ‘The Greatest’ boy gets girl’s name (6)
Ali (The Greatest) + son (boy) = ALISON
A
23 Distinguishing sign in endless tumult at sea (6)
(tumul)* = UMLAUT
25 Geography lesson covers Greek tribe (5)
Hidden geograPHY LEsson = PHYLE
27 Unholy earl abandoning learning about class of spirits (4)
(learning – earl)* = GINN
29 Stripped Dutch worked canal (3)
(Dutch – Dh)* = CUT
This had an interesting theme on which I read more than I needed to for completing the puzzle because I wanted to know more about Wallace’s work. For me too, it was an educational puzzle.
The nature of the theme became apparent when the name DARWIN fitted into the topmost unclued space and MALAY below it. At that point I had the I and the L of ARCHIPELAGO. and a quick online search yielded the A R WALLACE of the anagrammed title.
The long full title of the work included the two ‘landowners’ Orang Utan and Bird of Paradise. It took me a while to think of what ‘division’ meant, but on reading about A R Wallace in Encyclopaedia Britannica I found Wallace’s Line, which I knew something about, but it didn’t come to mind I hadn’t spotted it in the grid, but it was easy to find.
Thanks to Vismut and twencelas.
A nicely clued and, again, an educational puzzle for me on a subject that was completely new. Shortly after completing the puzzle I was watching the new BBC2 book programme ‘Between The Covers’ and Bill Bailey referenced it as one of his favourite books – so from never having heard of it before it was suddenly everywhere! Thanks Vismut & twencelas.
Thanks for the blog twencelas. Just to be clearer the name of the book Wallace wrote was The Malay Archipelago – The Land of the Orang-utan and the Bird of Paradise. Hence the reference to landowners in the preamble. There’s no “episodes” as far as I know and these two creatures are on the same same of the Wallace Line division the other side being Australasia and kangaroos, possums, koalas etc. Thanks and stay safe.
Concerning ‘episodes’ (or not): I read up about Wallace’s work, and his book, not only in Britannica but also in Wikipedia. The latter source mentions a BBC Two documentary on Wallace, aired in 2013 (the centenary of his death), of which there were two episodes, the first featuring orang-utans and the second featuring birds of paradise. These two creatures appropriately complete the theme because they are the only creatures named in the long title of the book. They are also on the same side of Wallace’s line.
I thought this was lovely. I recall studying Wallace in the distant past: Darwin getting all the natural selection attention with Wallace in the background
I wonder how much an original of The Malay Archipelago would fetch at auction
Thanks to twencelas and Vismut. I couldn’t parse 4D so thanks for clearing that up for me.
ORANG-UTAN was the first bit of thematic material to fall, and that sent me down the false path of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld (the librarian at Unseen University is an orang-utan). I confess to being a little disappointed that this wasn’t the theme as I love TP’s books, but this was a lovely puzzle all the same. Thanks, Vismut.
The Librarian did feature in a previous incarnation of this puzzle. Cruciverbophile :). Thanks for the comments everyone, it’s always really nice to get some positive feedback on my puzzles and very encouraging.
Good fun and educational – I too hadn’t come across this traveller before. Nicely constructed around the thematic elements and symmetry preserved which was elegant. Thanks Vismut
For us, too, the theme was one we were not familiar with though we were aware of Wallace’s work and the fact that Darwin got more credit and recognition. Thanks to twencelas and Vismut.