A larger than normal grid this week, 14×14, and a lot of clues to go with it. What’s more, all the clues were normal, not a misprint or extra letter in sight. There were just the quotation at 28 and 38ac and another eight unclued entries to find.
It transpired that, not only were the clues normal, they were on the easy side for an EV, so ideal for those making the transition from the normal 15×15 cryptic to the barred thematic. There were quite a few 3-letter entries, and the unching (or lack of) was very generous, so extra help there for any newcomers.
After a first pass through the clues, I had ··DD·CO·B··AI· at 39ac, and the theme was thus revealed as the old ballad, Widdicombe Fair. The first verse goes:
Tom Pearse, Tom Pearse, lend me your grey mare.
All along, down along, out along, lee.
For I want for to go to WIDDICOMBE FAIR,
Wi’ Bill BREWER, Jan STEWER, Peter GURNEY, Peter DAVEY, Dan’l WHIDDON, Harry HAWK,
Old Uncle Tom COBBLEIGH and ALL,
Old Uncle Tom Cobbleigh and all.
All the names mentioned in the ballad appear in the grid, together with the third line of the verse (apart from the second ‘for’). The song tells how Tom Pearce’s grey mare is borrowed to go to Widdicombe Fair with the singer and the others mentioned. Unfortunately, the horse dies on the way, and eventually its ghost comes back to haunt the moor, together with the others who have also, by now, died.
To complete the puzzle, Tom PEARSE in row 4, and his GREY MARE in rows 7 and 8, had to be highlighted. All in all, a lot of thematic material was packed into the grid. Thanks to Moordon for a gentle week.
EV gremlins: missing entry length for 53ac (4), and a missing T from ‘dissertation’ at 8dn
Legend:
Definition in clue
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | PAELLA | Small old pan taking time to produce stew (6) PATELLA (small pan, historic) – T (time) |
|
| 5 | DECEITS | Frauds last month on site resolved (7) DEC (last month, December) + SITE* |
|
| 11 | ARSON | Minister missing opening of Parliament causes offence (5) PARSON (minister) – P (opening of Parliament) |
|
| 15 | HUH | Thought regularly leading to an expression of surprise (3) regular letters of tHoUgHt |
|
| 16 | COBBLEIGH | Unclued thematic | |
| 18 | TIKI | Part of Identikit image from Polynesia (4) hidden in idenTIKIt |
|
| 19 | TILE | Cover school subject that’s backward-looking (4) E LIT< (school subject, English LITerature); I can’t find any justification for this abbreviation |
|
| 21 | APPEAR | A Lord’s heard in show (6) sounds like A PEER (a lord) |
|
| 22 | SED | Nameless forward spoke once (3) SEND (forward) – N (name) |
|
| 24 | IRA | Name used in broadcast first to last (3) AIR (broadcast) with first letter moved to end |
|
| 25 | NEVE | Snow just returned (4) EVEN< (just) |
|
| 26 | LIP | Mistake, not the first and it may be glossed over (3) SLIP (mistake) without first letter; as in lip gloss |
|
| 28 | FOR I WANT TO GO TO | Unclued quotation | |
| 29 | GNU | Animal with face of goat, name unknown (3) initial letters of Gnu Name Unknown |
|
| 31 | SEGRE | Learn about grey tributary of the Ebro (5) SEE (learn) about GR (grey) |
|
| 33 | YSAME | Together as earlier? Yes, man almost smitten (5) (YES MA[N])* |
|
| 36 | SPERM | Sort of oil found in second wave (5) S (second) PERM (wave) |
|
| 37 | ARETE | Ridge‘s advanced network (5) A (advanced) RETE (network) |
|
| 38 | ERK | Aircraftsman is from middle of southern county (3) [B]ERK[S] (southern county) |
|
| 39 | WIDDICOMBE FAIR | Unclued quotation | |
| 44 | OIL | Painting of island on lake (3) O (of) + I (island) + L (lake) |
|
| 46 | HAWK | Unclued thematic | |
| 47 | LOD | Tricky old mathematical function (3) OLD* |
|
| 49 | LEA | Urgent request, no parking in open area (3) PLEA (urgent request) – P (parking) |
|
| 51 | LOLLOP | Endless brass work in lounge (6) LOLL[Y] (brass, as in money) + OP (work) |
|
| 52 | LIRA | Turkish bread recipe for millions in S American capital (4) LIMA (South American capital) with R (recipe) replacing M (millions); bread as in money |
|
| 53 | TAXI | Vehicle duty and one’s stuck with it TAX (duty) with I (one) added on |
|
| 55 | STIR FRIED | Dire first supply of pan?cooked dish (9, 2 words) (DIRE FIRST)* |
|
| 58 | ELL | Get the measure from ‘orrible place (3) [H]ELL ([h]orrible place) |
|
| 59 | GENIE | Spirit in general starts to interest everyone (5) GEN (general) + IE (first letters of Interest Everyone) |
|
| 60 | SELECTS | Head of safety ordered carbon and steel picks (7) S (head of Safety) + (C (carbon) STEEL)* |
|
| 61 | GURNEY | Unclued thematic | |
| DOWN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | PARTI | One light carriage brought up for group in the Elysée (5) I (one) TRAP (light carriage) |
|
| 2 | ARC | Part of circle seen in Garrick regularly (3) regular letters in gArRiCk |
|
| 3 | LOBE | Chuck gets horse finally in common place for a stud (4) LOB (chuck) + E (horsE, finally) |
|
| 4 | ALL | Unclued thematic | |
| 5 | DEEPEN | Increase river dam (6) DEE (river) PEN (dam) |
|
| 6 | COGENT | Powerful man props up company (6) GENT (man) propping up (ie underneath) CO (company) |
|
| 7 | ETHAL | Radical mortal out of line at the beginning (5) LETHAL (mortal) – the L (line) at the start |
|
| 8 | THIS | Heartless dissertaion is an event (4) TH[ES]IS (dissertation, heartless) |
|
| 9 | SUK | This country’s supporting special Middle East market (3) UK (this country) supporting S (special) |
|
| 10 | WHIDDON | Unclued thematic | |
| 12 | SOLAR | Mobile hacked suspect morals of The Sun (5) MORALS* with M (mobile) hacked (choped) |
|
| 13 | TIPSTER | One perhaps helping better parking on street row outside (7) P (parking) + ST (street) with TIER (row) outside) |
|
| 14 | STRIGAE | Greta is upset and bristles (7) (GRETA IS)* |
|
| 17 | BREWER | Unclued thematic | |
| 20 | IRONSIDE | Derision upset a puritan (8) DERISION* |
|
| 21 | AVA | Sparkling wine not cold at all in Glasgow (3) CAVA (sparkling wine) – C (cold) |
|
| 23 | EXTERIOR | Appearance of unconstrained fox-terrier barking (8) [F]OXTERRIE[R]* |
|
| 27 | POME | Fruit lasts in Coop morello jam and marmalade (4) last letters of cooP morellO jaM & marmaladE |
|
| 30 | UPDO | Hairstyle amiss before party (4) UP (amiss) + DO (party) |
|
| 31 | SEDILIA | Ideal is to refurbish seats in church (7) (IDEAL IS)* |
|
| 32 | RAOULIA | Ourali flourishing with a plant down under (7) OURALI* + A |
|
| 34 | STEWER | Unclued thematic | |
| 35 | SWELTER | Feel uncomfortably hot in southern wallow (7) S (southern) WELTER (wallow) |
|
| 40 | CELTIC | Soccer club caught and then let off, I see (6) C (caught) LET* I C (see) |
|
| 41 | MHORRS | Gazelles mass outside in Senegal around end of summer (6) M (mass) + HORS (outside in (French-speaking) Senegal) around R (end of summeR) |
|
| 42 | BAP | Roll in bed alongside partner at first (3) first letters of Bed Alongside Partner |
|
| 43 | ALIEN | Tale boring one foreigner (5) LIE (tale) in AN (one) |
|
| 45 | LOSTE | Behold French saint set free by poet (5) LO (behold) +STE (saint, French) |
|
| 48 | DAVEY | Unclued thematic | |
| 50 | AXLE | Rod‘s cut around top of leg (4) AXE (cut) around L (top of Leg) |
|
| 52 | LIER | One lying in ship, not navy (4) LINER (ship) – N (navy) |
|
| 54 | ALS | Man’s too old (3) 2 meanings; Al’s (man’s name) |
|
| 56 | FOG | Driving hazard from reversing Golf (3) OF< (from) + G (golf) |
|
| 57 | DIE | Fulham, for example perish (3) 2 meanings; a fulham is a weighted die |
|
Thanks, Dave. However I don’t know what “unching” means or what it’s a typo for, if a typo it is.
Thanks, Dave. However I don’t know what “unching” means or what it’s a typo for, if a typo it be.
Sorry about the duplicate. It’s because I didn’t complete the sum at the bottom first time and then it told me I’d already posted the message, hence the changed word at the end. But I didn’t realize it would accept my message without the simple sum.
unching = “unchecked” = letters that are only used by a single grid entry. Checked letters are those used by both across and down clues.
Tony, many apologies for not making clear the meaning of “unching”, and Jim, thanks for the explanation. There were a number of entries in this puzzle which were fully checked, such as 21ac APPEAR and 8dn THIS.