A fairly straightforward offering from Rustic this week: solve the clues, move a letter to the perimeter and reveal a quotation and the person it describes.
Each clue was two clues side by side with a letter from each answer entered in the corresponding perimeter square. Subsidiary indications were to the entry without the perimeter letter. The quotation, reading top/middle/bottom rows and then left/centre/right columns, was from Howard Hughes Jr, the industrialist, aviator and film producer:
That man’s ears make him look like a taxi-cab with both doors open. Clark Gable.
I’m afraid I have to reiterate what I’ve said in previous blogs about the difficulty of getting good surface readings in double clues. I know many solvers don’t find that important, but I generally do. Also, a number of clues here seem to lack punctuation: 1,30dn; 2,22dn; 7,24dn and 15,17dn as they stand are positively bizarre. It’s almost as though the puzzle originally had single clues, and running pairs of them together was an afterthought!?
Solving time: just shy of two hours.
Legend:
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
Definition in clues
/ = dividing line between clues
X = letters moved to the perimeter
I have switched the clue numbers in those pairs where the first clue is to the second clue number.
| ACROSS | ||
|---|---|---|
| 36 1 |
ECLIPSE EXHAUST |
Darkness from city overflows / empty German house in Egypt (7; 7) EC (city, London postal area) + LIPS (overflows) / HAUS (German for house) in ET (Egypt) |
| 5 35 |
MONISM DOSIDO |
Theory mother embraces is having / to suffice with James on a sofa (6; 6) MOM (mother) embracing IS / DO (suffice) + SID (as in Sid James) |
| 34 9 |
PILEA AIOLI |
Pious woman without energy caps / sauce with a beaten oil (5; 5) PIA (pious woman) outside E (energy) / A + OIL*; I’m not sure I like ‘woman’ being used to identify a feminine adjective in this way |
| 10 33 |
CHAIN MASE |
Series of shops in Scotland save / jazz record about familiar American (5; 5) HAIN (save, Scottish word) / EP (record) about BO (familiar word for man in the US) |
| 11 32 |
COCKLED BONE-ASH |
Most of fuel conveyed is puckered / burnt remains of one tree (7; 7, hyphenated) COK(E) (most of fuel) LED (converyed) / ONE + ASH (tree) |
| 31 12 |
THALI FLEES |
Oriental eats fifty curry dishes / most of banquet, we hear, disappears (5; 5) THAI (oriental) eats I (one) / FEES [sounds like most of FEAS(T) (meal)] |
| 14 28 |
BOAT MASE |
Australian cadger’s vessel / initially modifies some electronics to generate and amplify microwaves (4;4) BOT (Australian cadger) / MSE (initials of Modifies Some Electronics) |
| 15 26 |
AWARD TATAR |
Grant to draw wild / mongol with the sailor (5; 5) DRAW* / A + TAR (sailor) |
| 16 25 |
SEA COB WEEING |
Gull — oceans wandered without number / passing water with little in (6, two words; 6) [OCEANS – N (number)]* / WEE (little) + IN |
| 18 23 |
OOSPORE TIPSIER |
In Perth we pose awkwardly resting zygote, / priest abandoned more drunk (7; 7) OO (we, Scottish word) + POSE* / PRIEST* |
| DOWN | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 30 |
TEACH LHASA |
Every one a pirate / finally legal possesses capital (5; 5) EACH (every one) / L (finally legaL) + HAS (owns); the pirate is Edward Teach, commonly known as Blackbeard |
| 22 2 |
MISSTEP HOOCHES |
Make a mistake omit spirit lacking power / choose awfully strong drinks (7; 7) MISS (omit) + [PEP (spirit) – first P (power)] / CHOOSE* |
| 29 3 |
REPEL UTILE |
Reject partial response, / French oil not hot is useful (5; 5) REPL(Y) (partial response) / HUILE (French for oil) – H (hot); I don’t think I like partial to mean most of |
| 4 21 |
STEMBOK EWENECK |
Bosket concealed antelope. / Thin concave part of horse having cyst in the centre of kneecap (7; 7) BOSKET* / WEN (cyst) in EEC (centre of knEECap) |
| 5 28 |
MALTA MYOID |
Island whisky / like muscle from my body’s inside (5;5) MALT (whisky) / MY + OD (bODy’s inside) |
| 6 27 |
SINEW KALES |
Tendon at first is not much used, / drinks for Scots meals (5; 5) I (Is at first) + NEW (not much used) / ALES (drinks) |
| 24 7 |
POTATO STEREO |
Most of Scots pinch is put in river vegetable / store unusual audio equipment (6; 6) TAT(E) (Scots pinch) in PO (river) / STORE* |
| 8 20 |
MISDEAL ROTATED |
Croupier’s error — idiot smiled — / gallery in road turned round (7; 7) SMILED* / TATE (gallery) in RD (road) |
| 13 19 |
ADAMS PIETA |
President‘s mother starting to spread / confusion over foot of saint in religious picture (5; 5) DAM (mother) + S (starting to Spread) / PIE (confusion) + T (foot of sainT) |
| 15 17 |
ASHEN CLAIR |
One female is very pale / town in Saskatchewan reported affliction (5; 5) A (one) + SHE (female) / CAIR (sounds like care); hardly the most well-known place in Canada! |