Enigmatic Variations No 967 Suit by MynoT

Well all straight clues this week  – apart from 4 with missing directions (N,E,W,S) to allow the correct quadrant of the carte-blanche grid to be completed – which means no clue numbers and clues presented (almost anyway) in alphabetical order of their solution. Also, pay attention to the preamble, entries need to be entered in a clockwise manner and towards the centre i.e. not in a conventional manner. Quite different but as it would appear to be Carte Blanche season at the minute it may “suit” my tastes.

Well some tricky clues this week, unless your vocabulary includes all of Chambers. Though to be fair, nothing is ambiguous at all. Though, the solutional alphabetical order is breached by BRIEF preceding BOUILLONS and BOWNE and DIG UP preceding DEANERIES. Slightly careless, but quite a common defect in this format of puzzle. If the answer meets the wordplay, fits the final grid but is not in alphabetical order then don’t fret. A couple of typos too,  a “lackin” and an “inolved” .  I’m usually loath to mention typos as I do make quite a number myself, but it just seemed careless.

The four entries missing the cardinal points proved to be CLEW UP to the west, OSTIAL to the south, LANGER to the north and TELARY to the east. These defined the quadrants and allow the remaining clue positions to be worked out.

The final piece of highlighting:

 

is shown in the final grid in the shape of a diamond, – Diamonds are “a girls best friend”:

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

All in all a pleasing take on the Carte Blanche style puzzle.

Key:

Rev (reverse) DD (Double definition) * (anagram), Underline is definition in clue

CLUES

• One among arbitrators getting small purple fruits

I (one) within ACAS (arbitrators) = ACAIS

• Fizzy drink with iodine in got sent back. Shame?

Rev(soda) around I = AIDOS

• Coarse grass as core of salad no good

Ala (core of sald) + n (no) + g (good) = ALANG

• Silk-Cotton family fail to account to expert who’s aged

Bomb (fail) + ac (account) + ace (expert) + ae (aged) = BOMBACACEAE

• Cheese beginning to ferment is not long-lasting

Brie (cheese) + f (beginning to ferment) = BRIEF

• Strong broths in barrels at Open University applied to bad legs

Bs (barrels) around ou (open university) + ill (bad) + in = BOUILLONS

• Get ready to bend knee essentially

Bow (bend) + ne (knee essentially i.e. heart) = BOWNE

• Pirate almost cheeky sounding mean

Bucca (almost buccal – cheeky) + neer (sounds like near – mean) = BUCCANEER

• Lecturer left advertising material in outskirts of city

Blurb (advertising material) – l (lecturer) = BURB

• Letter read out in diocese

Homonym of see (diocese) = CEE

• Having nothing to lose couple at sea prepare to furl sail (2 words)

(couple – o)* = CLEW UP (W added)

• Cabbage for old king

DD COLE

• Among rivals nut’s beginning to challenge abilities

Competes (rivals) around nc (beginning of nuts and challenge) = COMPETENCES

• Reluctantly produce girl’s violin and piano (2 words)

Di (girl) + gu (violin) + p (piano) = DIG UP

• Old coin that is special for ecclesiastical offices

Deaner (old coin – shilling) + ie (that is) + s (special) = DEANERIES

• Owing to H-heath this is what Cameron and Clegg did

Due (owing) + t ted (as in Ted Heath) = DUETTED

• Proven nuisance producing feeling of weariness

Hidden (provEN NUIsance) = ENNUI

• Being mostly old cut back

Rev (Snee (cut)) – e (mostly) = ENS

• No time for occupation to come into effect

Tenure (occupation) – t (time) = ENURE

• Remove eye in head? On the contrary

Ee (eye) aroung ras (head) = ERASE

• Goddess of agriculture had this at heart till aged

Ceres (goddess of agriculture) hear = ERE

• Deity to wander around

DD GAD

• Dash back when taken for a ride

Rev (dah (dash)) = HAD

• In Perth jostle with shoulder could make boor buy drink for woman

Hog (boor) + shout (buy drink) + her (for woman) = HOGSHOUTHER

• Look-out men announcing cutters

Homonym HUERS (to hewers)

• Beer for golfer

Lager (beer) = LANGER (N added)

• Bird losing its head for baldmoney

Emeu (bird) – head = MEU

• Low satellite is incomplete

Moon (satellite) – n = MOO

• Dark in America is certain? Not half!

Definite minus half = NITE

• Lords boiled drinking water for trials

(lords)* around ea (water) = ORDEALS

• Concerning opening regularly obtainable

ObTaInAbLe = OSTIAL (S added)

• Feel sense-organ

DD PALP

• Southern friend replacing American inhabiting marshes

Austral (southern) with Pal (friend) replacing A = PALUSTRAL

• Starting to paint artist visits Home Counties to find leek-green quartz

P (start to paint) + ra (artist) + se (home counties) = PRASE

• Queen Anne’s got time for file

Qu (queen) + anne + t (time) = QUANNET

• Fish not to dine on another one

Sardine (fish) – dine = SAR (fish)

• Sweetheart abandoned by Kelvin has returned for missile

Rev (Ducks) – k (kelvin) = SCUD

• Rising waters flow gently

Rev (pees – waters) = SEEP

• Whale found in French river? No not once

Seine (French river) – ne (not – obsolete) = SEI

• Square of tartan in seat lackin support

Seat – a (support) = SET

• Lump of lutetium in antimony

Lu (lutetium) in Sb (Antimony) = SLUB

• Spuriously attempt to sell sweetener after Arab left

Sugar (sweetener) – ar (arab) = SUG

• Market questions arise

Rev (qus – questions) = SUQ

• Fly-trap without edges involved web spinning

(lytra)* = TELARY (E Added)

• Putrefied food partly or wholly inedible for some

puTREFied = TREF

• Letter Berg’s heroine sent back as a hoot

Rev (eta (letter) + lulu (Berg’s heroine) = ULULATE

• Put into circulation first note and last? Right

Ut (first note) + te (last note) + R (right) = UTTER

• Start of some offers of goods in vessels for female dependants

S (start of some) + sale (offer of goods) in vases (vessels) = VASSALESSES