Enigmatic Variations No.1203 – Admitting Defeat by proXimal

Quite an ominous title this week!

There are extra letters in across clues that indicate how additional words in some down clues must be treated. That’s about all the clue we have to the theme.

This one took quite a lot of work, but I got there in the end! There are some very tricksy clues. For example, I couldn’t make the connection between ‘on vacation’ and ‘vacated’/’empty’ in 9 down for the longest time. 22 down gave me great trouble too, easy though it looks to me now. Indeed, I certainly can’t be angry at proXimal for my difficulties, as the clueing is all totally above board.

Extra letters in the across clues spell out IF YOU CAN’T BEAT THEM.

Some extra words in down clues are ‘treated in accordance with the full thematic phrase’ (…JOIN THEM) in order to define the unclued entries as follows:

CLOCK (face)
GANGWAY (pack + method)
RETREAT (withdraw)
SWANSONG (bird + melody)
MONEYBAG (cash + sack)
DRUM (house)

By thus ADMITTING DEFEAT solvers can achieve victory.

Notation

(xxx) = definition
[xxx] = (anagram/homophone/container/etc.) indicator
XXX* = anagram
< = reversal
EXIT = extra letter/word

Please post a comment if the explanations are not clear.

Across
I	1	EXHAUST	HAUS (Dieter’s home), [needing] EXIT (to go) [outside] to wear out (7)
F	10	NEAR	NE (Nebraska) FAR (remote)? On the contrary (7)
Y	11	GLORIOSA	GLORY (Praise) IS [overwhelming] O (over) A plant (8)
O	12	EMU	Bird atE MOUse, partly (3)
U	14	MASAI	MAUI (Hawaiian island) [welcoming in] AS ([extremely] ADVENTUROUS) African people (5)
C	15	MOUNTEBANK	Charlatan COUNT (nobleman) [introduced to] ME (setter) [with] BANK (stock of money) (10)
A	16	SNAP	ASP (Snake) [seizes] N (knight) [with] A sudden bite (4)
N	18	EVADE	Cunningly avoid [most of] NEVADA (US state) E (Eastern) (5)
T	21	ORMER	[Before] R ([end of] WAR), OR (soldiers) MET (assembled) shell (5)
B	23	DROP	DR (Doctor) BOP (to dance to pop music) a little (4)
E	25	HYPERACUTE	{THEY ARE PUCE}* [bats] with abnormally good hearing (10)
A	27	ABATE	Blunt, BAT (heavy stick) [breaking] AREA [without] R (resistance) (5)
T	31	AGA	TAG (Closely follow) A Turkish commander (3)
T	32	DRESDEN	German city REST (all others) D (deserted) [to go into] DEN (pit) (7)
H	33	EGESTION	{THESE GO IN}* [recycling], it’s the process to remove waste (8)
E	34	ALOE	ASLEEP, ONE’S [taken oddly] bitter drug (4)
M	35	LHASA	LA (American city) [wrapping up] HAMS (pig parts) [to supply] Asian city (5)
Down
	1	ENGELS	Social scientist‘s EN (opponents) GEL (begin to work) [on] S (Sabbath) (6)
	2	HANUMAN	Bird HUMAN (being) [fed by] <{N (North) A (American)} [reared] monkey (7)
METHOD	3	ARGO	[Top] method CARGO (loaded goods on board ship) (4)
	4	SLAB	S (Special) LAB (place for testing) mud (4)
	5	TOYOTA	Multinational company‘s TO (tax officer), <{A TOY (trifle)} [upset] (6)
	6	CRIME	CE (Church) [accepting] RIM (lip) is sin (5)
	7	LIEABED	LIED (Song) [about] ABE (ex-president) being late riser (7)
CASH	8	OOPS	My bad <SPOOF (satire) [almost] [raised] cash (4)
PACK	9	KAMIKS	KAMI (Japanese lord) KS (KILLS pack [on vacation]) [to make] animal-skin boots (6)
FACE	13	PUER	PERU (South American country) [with declining] ER (centre) for face tanning substance (4)
	17	POETESS	TESS (Eponymous heroine) [supporting] POE (author), female writer (7)
MELODY	19	TREADLE	Pedal ALTERED* melody [broadcast] (7)
	20	CHAPEL	Printing office [investing] HAP (fortune) [in] CEL (thermoplastic sheet) (6)
	22	MANDIR	MAN DIR (One leading concern) for Hindu temple (6)
	24	PLANET	[Having injected] E (base), PLANT (cutting) large body (6)
WITHDRAW	26	REATA	[Some] thREAT! Withdraw A lariat (5)
SACK	28	AREA	A (Amateur) [arranged] [half-hearted] sack RACE for region (4)
	29	FROE	Tool for cutting ROE (eggs) [under] F (force) (4)
HOUSE	30	TSAR	Great potentate‘s S (second) house [captured by] < [revolutionary] RAT (turncoat) (4)

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