Enigmatic Variations No 963 Broken Up by Piccadilly

So no grid numbers this week – just a list of straight clues in alphabetical order of their grid entry, forming an alphabetical jigsaw. After the majority have been entered, the remaining grid entries need to be broken up to form a quotation and its author around the grid perimeter.

A strange one this week – some very straight forward clues but, certainly in my case, quite an effort to make the entries fit in the grid – probably did n’t help that I had agonise when I should have had agonies for the first answer.

Anyway they finally fitted together leaving COVES, MAGIC and RAVISH. Anyone who can parse the Stalked Prince clue, please comment below – I do hate a loose end. Chopping these up gave a perimeter reading A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE – SMILES (Smiles is an author attributed with this  in ODQ)

A

P

L

A

C

E

F

O

R

E

V

E

R

S

E

A

M

K

L

A

B

O

W

E

R

Y

E

N

G

I

N

E

R

A

R

E

B

I

T

L

I

S

S

O

M

O

S

T

R

I

C

H

I

T

C

H

W

I

C

K

Y

E

L

M

I

M

E

H

R

A

M

A

I

N

T

A

I

N

S

N

A

I

L

S

C

S

E

E

I

N

G

E

T

I

O

L

A

T

E

T

N

R

V

A

C

E

S

T

H

G

I

F

T

E

D

E

N

A

G

O

N

I

E

S

A

L

M

O

N

D

L

O

Z

E

N

G

E

R

E

M

O

T

E

P

A

R

O

D

Y

A

S

S

E

S

O

V

S

T

I

N

I

G

N

I

H

Y

Y

R

E

All in all a neat and tidy crossword, good for those who relish the end game rather than the slog of difficult clues – A camp, which I belonged to  once, when my clue parsing skills were in their infancy.  Clue solving was less than 30 minutes, but took about 45 to put the pieces together.

Only a solitary gremlin this week a (5), which should be a (6) – did n’t really detract from the crossword, but it does baffle me that in such a precise pastime, where every letter of clue is important that these little errors are allowed to occur. Those with experience learn to live with them, but it can’t help in attracting those new to these puzzles!

* Anagram, Underline (definition) DD Double Definition, Italics (comments welcome)

Clues

Am (America) + is + h (home initially) = AMISH

Old American farm is shady (6)

DD BOWERY

Desert plants produce an effect in Channel lslands (5)

Act (an effect) in CI (channel Islands) = CACTI

Dry white Burgundy: save barrel for Romany girls (5)

Chablis (white wine) – bl (barrel) = CHAIS

Group of witches with first of spells for North Australian chaps (5)

Coven (group of witches) replacing n (north) with s (first of spells) = COVES

A paradise Eve and Adam examined regularly (4)

EveanDadamExamiNed (regularly)  = EDEN

Putting end of probe into tree, I get fragrant resin (5)

E (end of probe) in elm (tree) + I = ELEMI

Austen novel unfinished by Employment Trainee, a tourist in Cornwall (5)

Emma (austen novel) – a + et (employment trainee) = EMMET

Locomotive is grand in the middle of Red Square (6)

e (middle of red) + nine (square) around g (grand) = ENGINE

A fine chap (4)

DD ERIC

Someone from Tallinn, perhaps — or West Ham (4)

Hidden (wESTHam) = ESTH

Old giant, leaving ASDA, eats Edna (4)

eats edna – asda = ETEN

Stalked prince to hide and become pale (8)

Not sure of the derivation here (or should I say the prince to be stalked) = ETIOLATE

The water that leaves a large jug (4)

the water – that = EWER

Settle for a game of cards (4)

(for a)* = FARO

Leaders of Football Association regret such inappropriate language (5)

Initial letters = FARSI

Soldier on foot is present (4)

gi (soldier) + ft (foot) = GIFT

Ruminant beginning to gnaw shepherds pipe (4)

g (beginning to gnaw) + oat (shepherd’s pipe) = GOAT

One of Wingate’s commandos holds tongue (5)

cHINDIt (Wingate’s commando) = HINDI

Someone originating most of catalogue (8)

inventory – y (most of catalogue) = INVENTOR

Irritating sensation — it leads to crying hysterically (4)

it + c + h (leads to crying hysterically) = ITCH

Knight has no defence — he thinks he’s omniscient (7, hyphenated)

k (knight) + no wall (no defence) = KNOW-ALL

Steals pound, and silver shilling (4)

l (pound) + ag(silver) + s (shilling) = LAGS

Landowner’s den deserted (5)

lir (den) + d (deserted) = LAIRD

Nimble Somali’s dancing without accompaniment initially (6)

(somalis – a)* = LISSOM

Medicated sweet healing one leg with unknown ingredient (7)

(one + leg + z (unknown))* = LOZENGE

Wise men first to condemn sorcery (5)

magi (wise men) + c = MAGIC

To keep up strength, Tina, exercises! (8)

main (strength) + (tina)* = MAINTAIN

Bits of grit removed from polluted nitrogen gas (4)

(nitrogen – grit)* = NEON

Trap lets out things that sting (7)

net (trp) + (lets)* = NETTLES

In Scotland, wool ends in fleeces — very fluffy (4)

oo (wool – scottish) + s + y (ends of fleeces + very) = OOSY

Large bird clumsily hit rocks, losing end of beak (7)

(hit rocks – k)* = OSTRICH

Give money to see Mr Stewart in burlesque (5) Should be (6)

pay (give money) around Rod (Stewart) = PARODY

Being contrite, after prison I get Spanish wine (8)

pen (prison) + i + tent (red wine) = PENITENT

Underdone piece of beef — it makes a tasty snack (7)

rare (underdone) + b (piece of beef) + it + RAREBIT

Abduct six held by prince to start off harem (6)

vi (six) in ras (prince) + h (start of harem) = RAVISH

Missouri enters network to produce outside broadcast (6)

mo (missouri) in rete (network) = REMOTE

South American city has time for wild revelry (4)

rio (city) + t (time) = RIOT

Rowdy Australian having scrap in railway (5)

ort (scrap) in ry (railway) = RORTY

Wise man, 70, has to grow old (4)

s (70) + age (grow up) = SAGE

Irish lad is fleeced, we hear (4)

Homonym of shorn = SEAN

Vision of cathedral city in Gabon (6)

See + in + G = SEEING

Slips sideways, avoiding Dutch runners (4)

skids (slips sideways) – d (dutch) = SKIDS

Molluscs cruelly slain with bit of salt (6)

(slain + s)* = SNAILS

Local creek in north of England is lively and energetic (4)

DD WICK

Straw ready for thatching end of bothy next to tree (4)

y (end of bothy) + elm (tree) = YELM