Enigmatic Variations No.1626 – Cops by Piccadilly

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“Across answers in six alternate rows are to be jumbled thematically before entry in the grid, and down answers in the fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth columns are to be jumbled non-thematically. Reading from top to bottom, left to right, the letters in the circled cells confirm the COPS theme.”

Notation
Definition word
Indicator [word]
Anagram WORD*
Reversal <WORD
Jumbled entry NAZI*

The letters in the circled cells (which I’ve shaded blue in the grid below) spell out BOYS IN BLUE (slight niggle: the preamble says that the letters should be read “top to bottom, left to right”; shouldn’t this be “left to right, top to bottom”?).

The entries in even rows are jumbled such that the rows have boys (NICHOLAS, BASIL, NATHANIEL, JETHRO, DAVE, DENIS) inside words meaning “blue” (AZURE, SQUANDER, NAVY, OBSCENE, DEPRESSED, CERULEAN). Including non-colour meanings and using all of the letters in each row were nice touches.

I think it’s fair to say that this was on the easier side of things (certainly, I didn’t need to reparse clues at length when writing this up), but that didn’t stop it taking far too long – no, really, longer than that, an embarrassingly long time – for the penny… to… at very long last…

drop.

Thanks, as always, to Piccadilly.

Across
1 Harmful substance (S (sulphur)) [removed from] POISSON (fish) (6) POISON
6 SCAR (Mark) [found on] A B (black) beetle (6) SCARAB
11 A (Australian) [entering] NZ (New Zealand) [first to] IDENTIFY racist (4) NAZI*
12 Bodyguard for old King CHARLES* [collapsed] [outside] OU (Oxford University) (9) HOUSE-CARL*
14 Painted lady is one IN (among) SECT (party) (6) INSECT
16 SQUAD (Working party), [B (British), replacing D (director)]’s padded sofa (5) SQUAB*
17 Person from Jersey perhaps [sporting] {RED NAILS}* (8) ISLANDER*
18 [Fourth of] ARROWS [flying] TRUE*, but not the best archery shot (5) OUTER
19 {METAL ORES}*, [[last of] AMMONIA and O (oxygen) extracted]… [refined] here? (7) SMELTER
22 Indian police station [surrounded by] PaTHAN NAtionalists (6) THANNA*
24 IVAN* [reviewed] ELY (cathedral city) in a simplistic way (7) NAIVELY*
27 Buddhist writings [originally] TRANSLATED in SURA (chapter of Koran) (5) SUTRA
29 J (Judge) [wearing] ROBES, [losing R (right)] [to hold] CT (court), protests (7) OBJECTS*
31 Upon this PATH WE FOUR RIDE TO OBLIVION, [ultimately] (6) HEREON*
34 READERS (Proof-correctors) [requiring L (Latin) for R (rector) initially] [producing] editorials (7) LEADERS
36 D (Date) HOT (sexually attractive) IN [shortened] loincloth (5) DHOTI
38 Morally corrupt PADRE* [carelessly] [gets] VD (sexually transmitted disease) [touring) E (Spain) (8) DEPRAVED*
40 Pips [regularly picked out in] STEWED DISH (5) SEEDS*
41 USE (Habitually employ) < TEN (number) [backing] worldwide collection of newsgroups (6) USENET
42 D (Duke), INSECURE*, [performs] stupid activities (9) DUNCERIES
43 Narrow street [having] PLANE (smooth surface) [but no P (parking)] (4) LANE
44 [Mad] {RUSH TO}* Scottish town (6) THURSO
45 Old nostrum of [fermenting] ESTER* [containing] C (cocaine) (6) SECRET
Down
1 Member of clergy R (runs) [to block PA (father) and SON (male descendant)] (6) PARSON
2 [Shaking] [TIN CUP}* [wanting CASH at the start] for contribution in Dundee (5) INPUT
3 RABI (Indian grain harvest) [outwardly] EXHIBITS disease (6) RABIES*
4 {HUSHES ONE}* structures on poultry farm (9) HEN HOUSES*
5 CON (Swindle) < AMI (friend in Dieppe) [over] fragrant resin (6) CONIMA
7 [Penned in] CL (Sri Lanka), AN (article0 [on] A Martian surface feature (5) CANAL
8 Shrove Tuesday ENS (being) [after] FAST (Lent)? (7) FASTENS*
9 Regretted [being “RUDE” (impolite) on radio] (4) RUED
10 Seduces BET (little Elizabeth) with “RAISE” (wage increase), [we hear] (7) BETRAYS
12 CHAR (Scorch) [edges of] TERRAQUEOUS hydrographical maps (6) CHARTS
13 Noisy petty quarrels from SQUAD (16) BLOKES [OK (Oklahoma) expelled] (9) SQUABBLES
15 Spanish author {NEVER ACTS}* [foolishly] (9) CERVANTES
20 V (Victor), < [rising] RA (artist), SHINES* [developing] superficial lustres (9) VARNISHES*
21 EEL* [swims] [around] [middle of] SERBIAN river (4) ELBE
23 NOSEGAY (Bunch of flowers) [lacks] GAY (lively) aroma (4) NOSE
25 CON (Prisoner) “DUCKED” (yielded) [to auditor]’s guidance (7) CONDUCT
26 RN (Royal Navy) [imprisoning] A CO (conscientious objector) [with] UR (primitive) spite (7) RANCOUR*
28 Egyptian measures A RD (road) E (east) to [outskirts of] BENARES (6) ARDEBS
30 RAIN (Wet weather) [in] < ST (street) [going over] coaches (6) TRAINS
32 S (Son) H (Henry) [introduced to] COOL (excellent) educational institution (6) SCHOOL*
33 E (Eccentricity) I DEN (study) [over] T (time), being busy in Scotland (6) EIDENT
35 DE (Delaware) EDS (press chiefs) [compiled] legal documents (5) DEEDS
37 Willow is ROSIER (more promising) [with tip pruned] (5) OSIER
39 Country PEOPLE [on vacation] [joining] RU (game) (4) PERU

 

P O I S O N C S C A R A B
A Z N I C H O L A S U R E
R S P R H O N I N S E C T
S Q U B A S I L A N D E R
O U T E R S M E L T E R A
N A N A T H A N I E L V Y
C B O O S U T R A F B A S
O B S C J E T H R O E N E
N L E A D E R S D H O T I
D E P R E D A V E S S E D
U S E N E T I A B O I S E
C E R U D E N I S L E A N
T H U R S O S S E C R E T

 

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