“Answers to five clues consisting of wordplay only are thematically connected to their entries. The wordplay part of every other clue includes an additional letter which must be removed prior to solving (always leaving real words). In clue order, these letters provide a refrain (with one variant spelling) of the reporters of this ACTION-PACKED sequence of events, who must also be completed (sharing a single letter). Numbers in brackets relate to entries. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.”
This was, as I recall, a gentle and pleasant puzzle, quite in keeping with the theme, which was ‘The Gasman Cometh‘ by Flanders and Swann.
That song has the refrain “O(H) IT ALL MAKES WORK FOR THE WORKING MAN TO DO”.
The various workmen are to replace the days on which they come, starting with the titular character on MONDAY.
(Apologies for the initial lack of title on this post!)
| Notation | |
|---|---|
| Definition | word |
| Indicator | [word] |
| Anagram | WORD* |
| Reversal | <WORD |
| Thematic day/workingman | MONDAY/GASMAN |
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| O | 3 | I (One) SO (shipping order) [on] BAT (dado) HIC (here), having equal depth (9) | ISOBATHIC |
| 10 | {ED (Journalist) ENDS* [rioting]} [in] WAY (street) (11) | WEDNESDAY/ELECTRICIAN | |
| I | 12 | Wandered around [trimmed] ROA |
ROAMED |
| T | 13 | ME |
MECCA |
| A | 14 | Gain EAR (attention) N (anew) (4) | EARN |
| L | 15 | [Flake] NIPS* favourable angle (4) | SPIN |
| L | 16 | {SET LORD}* [on] poet’s paths (6) | TRODES |
| M | 18 | [Last of] |
SLIP |
| A | 19 | Modern version of < {OR (circuit) [on] PER (commercial bay)} [making a comeback] (5) | REPRO |
| K | 21 | HO (Stop) [after] YE (the old) KEEL* [cracked] [outside] surveillance facility (7) | EYEHOLE |
| 23 | HUR (Charioteer) ‘S (has) D (died) [in] TAY (Scottish river) (7) | THURSDAY/GLAZIER | |
| E | 26 | Started BE (to live at) GUN (Breen, for instance) (5) | BEGUN |
| S | 27 | Shellfish [starter for] SON [after] UNI (college) (4) | UNIO |
| 28 | MY (Motor yacht) [receiving] “O (over) AND* [out]” (6) | MONDAY/GASMAN | |
| W | 31 | SB (Substantive) [describing] NEW check once (4) | SNEB |
| O | 33 | Edinburgh’s to lay the blame on YT (that formerly) [immersed in] WOE (4) | WYTE |
| R | 35 | Relation of RAT (despicable person) to IO (moron) (5) | RATIO |
| K | 36 | Alpha with ALT (high voice) [ordered] RAKI* (6) | ALTAIR |
| F | 37 | {THE RAF}* [developed] H (hot) PENNY (wing) for domestic duty (11) | HEARTHPENNY |
| O | 38 | {ROUTS TAKEN}* [astray] in Asian region (9) | TURKESTAN |
| Down | |||
| R | 1 | {TARO FELL}* [ill] in offshore accommodation (7) | FLOATEL |
| T | 2 | Have BET [on] AR (annual return) (4) | BEAR |
| H | 4 | ST (Saint) E |
STEAD |
| E | 5 | DOERS [served up] stale starters (4) | ORDS |
| W | 6 | Examination of fluid {BY POWIS}* [in exchange] (6) | BIOPSY |
| O | 7 | Mineral having IT (charisma) [held by] CAMEO* [that’s varied] (6) | ACMITE |
| R | 8 | HACK (Harsh) LOG (record) for the chopping block (7) | HACKLOG |
| K | 9 | KIN [getting] CA (Carer’s Allowance) for old person in the Americas (4) | INCA |
| 11 | {SEA DUTY}* [abandoned] (9) | TUESDAY/CARPENTER | |
| I | 12 | REAR (Retrial) GUARD (to protect) back support (9) | REARGUARD |
| N | 17 | O (Nothing) R (right) with <OZ (Australian) [rinsing] pasta (4) | ORZO |
| G | 18 | SH (Quiet) GEM, this arkite (4) | SHEM |
| 20 | D (Primitive instincts) [are maintained by] FRY (young fish) (7) | FRIDAY/PAINTER | |
| M | 22 | Scottish kindling < NIT (Mormon) [set up] [in] LUNG (open space) (7) | LUNTING |
| A | 24 | {RIG [with] AEON}* [to negotiate] bypass (6) | IGNORE |
| N | 25 | Disgorges E (East) GETS (Lothian brants) [obscuring] S (sun) (6) | EGESTS |
| T | 29 | Swimmer [lifting] < ALAS (unfortunately) [rotund] [head in] P |
SALPA |
| O | 30 | [Initially], O |
OAHU |
| D | 32 | Asian rhino BAD [with] HT (high tension) (4) | BAHT |
| O | 34 | Statist NAY (denial of old) [arising] [on] [top of] OK |
YANK |
| F | F | B | I | S | O | B | A | T | H | I | C |
| E | L | E | C | T | R | I | C | I | A | N | C |
| R | O | A | M | E | D | O | M | E | C | C | A |
| E | A | R | N | A | S | P | I | N | K | A | R |
| A | T | R | O | D | E | S | T | S | L | I | P |
| R | E | P | R | O | E | Y | E | H | O | L | E |
| G | L | A | Z | I | E | R | B | E | G | U | N |
| U | N | I | O | G | G | A | S | M | A | N | T |
| A | O | N | S | N | E | B | A | W | Y | T | E |
| R | A | T | I | O | S | A | L | T | A | I | R |
| D | H | E | A | R | T | H | P | E | N | N | Y |
| T | U | R | K | E | S | T | A | N | K | G | N |
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