The unclued lights can be arranged to grow from 3 to 11 letters in length, each being an anagram of its predecessor and an extra letter. Across 7 Equipment for Bell, Athey and Trescothick initially (3) 13 Male folk star’s alarming words (7) 15 Pipe valley running through Britain (5) 16 Reportedly remained stolid (5)
Five pairs of unclued lights are similarly linked. Across 12 Finally, favourite coastal town gets special treatment (3,6) 13 Seafront apartment housing readily available (2,3) 15 Conductor is in Costa in confusion (9) 16 Get comfortable in finest Levis! (6) 20 Shell-like gold relic smashed (7) 21 Could be made in reverse? (6) 22 Passionate
‘31D’ is a line thrice uttered by the victim of ‘37A/34D/9D’ where his 14A grew. Remaining unclued lights give his name and how he was addressed by his son (two words) and the name of his son’s tragic friend. Across 1 Rave over wrestling tournament (5) 4 Wolf conquering war god frightens away
21 solutions in the grid are represented as follows: A B C d H I K L m N O p r s t U v W X y z. They have to be fitted into the grid jigsaw-fashion. Across 12 German novelist from the Wiesbaden area (5) 14 Single within the boundaries of Headingley,
The unclued lights can all follow the same word, which is hidden in the grid and should be shaded. (Two of the phrases take the definite article.) Across 1 Pack slung across river boat (5) 10 Trounce principal predator (10) 11 Cover plate at last with prawn salad (6) 12 Brother caught in evil turning
The unclued lights (including one pair) form three groups, each linked to thematic keywords in different ways. Across 3 With audit team, I’ve reassessed weariness of life (7,5) 10 French studio had remainer? (7) 13 Admitted Church pupil initially played outside (8) 16 Bait ram that is held inside (5) 18 Dutch island, an impediment
The unclued lights (one hyphened and one of two words) each bear a common feature. Across 7 Rodent, second seen in store (6) 12 Old Scottish borrowers who show respect about sons (9) 13 Rookie driver owns leading assets capital (5) 16 Bedcovers obtained from Chester’s shopping arcades lacking a touch of elegance (6) 20
Eight unclued lights (three of two words, including an abbreviation) comprise two ingredients, an instruction and its instructor, and the work in which they feature. The ODQ provides confirmation. Across 1 Terribly pale, Tacitus yields (11) 11 Exotic fruit and slice of smelly cheese (6) 15 Tea after endless day in Russian cottage (5) 16
Eight entries – only four of which comprise one word – possess titular properties. Across 11 Playful killer whales swimming, not terribly well, lacking energy (7) 12 Former parking cut in safe English city (6) 13 Question in National Curriculum test exercises (6) 14 Section of relatively revolutionary musical (5) 15 Wheels finally augmented by
The unclued lights (including six of two words and one of three words), individually, as pairs or as trios, are of a kind. Across 10 Tot ate more stewed fruit (4,6) 12 Beginning of term of some ninety months (6) 13 Gang carrying girl back to a prairie province (8) 16 Change place once on
Unclued lights feature in the same entry in Brewer. Across 1 Worked at jobs making decorations for shirts (6) 7 Inkpad destroyed in crime (6) 12 I bite idly, puzzled whether or not something could be food (9) 13 Decorative form returns in piccolo voluntary (5) 16 Gauge very low returns internally (6) 20 Tax
Clockwise round the grid from the square between 6 and 7 runs a quotation which could have referred to the three unclued lights, and its source (7,2,3,3,5,3,3,7,4,3,2,5,5). Across 9 Top part is the place to go in ships (5) 10 Wild party girl cycling (4) 11 Ex-president twice cut back tropical plants (5)
When paired the unclued lights, one hyphened and one French geographical name, and another which is a combination of 18 & 33, are somehow related. Across 1 Freight making vehicle move (5) 6 The architect’s malign intentions? (7) 13 Legal term about wills in US and Spain – late revision (4-5) 15 House-builders’ workplace isn’t
Unclued lights give two lines of a poem, their author and a relevant location. Across 1 Magnificent place featured in dispatch papers (8) 15 Wrongdoer relinquishes first secret (5) 16 Cut some garlic (5) 17 Stomachs filled with endlessly bad, bad feelings (6) 18 Young lad bored by love before long (4) 21 Housing activity
In one square in each quarter of the grid, across and down entries clash (leave these squares blank). From these eight letters four unclued lights (mutual anagrams) can be formed, each defined by one other unclued light. Across 6 Endlessly fortunate to go on morning walks (6) 10 No Southern Italian entertains blockheads (11) 11
The unclued lights are of a kind. One of them consists of two separate theme-words juxta-posed: one is of two words and two have to be paired. The letters in the red squares spell another theme-word and the letters in the yellowsquares can be arranged to form yet another (two-word) theme word. Across 1 Realise
Two of the eight unclued entries, appropriately placed, were likened to two others by a name hidden in the grid. The other four unclued entries are thematic. Unchecked letters could be arranged to spell ‘NO VAIN OAP MISBELIEVER, HIM’. Across 1 Treated ATMs etc like cash cows (4,7) 7 Tailless parasite twitching (3) 13 In
Twelve unclued entries can form six new words (not in the grid) Across 4 Each Chrome browser’s opening changes online site for self-validation? (4,7) 12 No charge for these new dancing routines (9) 13 Goblin at last living in tree trunk (5) 14 Cover turned over, novel is Catch-22? (7) 15 Observe small branch (4)
The unclued lights, all but one being two or more words and some could include a hyphen, are of a kind. Across 6 Powers which followed BL in Texas (6) 12 Loathed nerd having left one-armed bandit damaged (10) 13 Blackwood, bridge player, rather gaunt (5) 15 Graham is on manoeuvres with NZ crime writer
The unclued lights have an award-winning feature in common. Across 5 Webcam perhaps covering temporary accommodation (6) 10 With Head absent, our teachers brewed liqueur (10) 12 Start to grumble and show contempt, returning cabbage and sprouts (6) 16 Virginia starts to gripe about loss of nerve (5) 17 French film-maker returns in time to