The seven clues below have to be interpreted cryptically and are then entered in the grid where they will fit. (In 10 Down, alphabetical order takes precedence in one unchecked letter.) AL (12, two words) EARTH (10) IF (7) L (9, three words) RI (11, three words) STEW (8, two words) WAND (5, two words)
The first three or four letters of eight unclued lights (including one proper name) form a set said to be safe for 1A. Elsewhere, ignore an accent. Across 10 Sauce that will do OK for Frankfurters (4) 12 Sea-fishers lent warmer pants (10) 14 Upset goddess upset menial (3) 15 Departed by rail, oddball with
1D (two words) 15 10 26 né 21 died on 2 February. Most famous for 7A 37 and 14, he was also in 1A (two words)’s 24. Doc writes: This year some new compilers are joining the team. Today we welcome La Jerezana. We hope that solvers will enjoy the challenges which our new
The unclued lights, two of two words and the remainder when paired, are of a kind. Across 1 No fellow for mixing! (8, two words) 8 Over the channel I have left the Bastille, say (4) 12 Garbage has been the empties (5) 14 Seals cases (7) 16 Care costing less than a shilling (4)
According to Brewer, a five-word phrase was used to describe a creature, but applies also to a three-word fictional character. The unclued entries, one doing double duty, comprise the phrase, the creature, his victim, the character, and the author’s surnames. Across 1 ‘Poacher’s instruments’ mean whisky (8, hyphened) 6 A jockey’s is shorter than
Unclued lights, all confirmed in Chambers or Collins, are three sets of four words of a kind, each set relating differently to a theme word which must be shaded in the completed grid. Across 11 Religious devotee keeping a church in shade (6) 12 Sloth in tangles in New Zealand trees (6) 13 Country
The unclued lights can be paired in some way or other. One is of two words. Across 1 Distrain a dog brutally leading to loss of status (12) 10 Deep blue of Mediterranean ‘îles’ (4) 14 When this fish turns, it’s not fit for eating (3) 17 Pays attention to journalist when he’s around
Unclued lights (six of two words, one of three), correctly linked, make ten members of a seasonal set, one light doing multiple duty. Ignore one hyphen and two apostrophes. Nineteen across clues contain a superfluous word; initial letters of these words in clue order form the full name of the creator. The name of the
‘12/15’ (six words in total) is a quotation (in ODQ) suggested by the remaining unclued lights (two hyphened), whose fifth and sixth letters might give A NUN AMBROSIA. The surname of the quotation’s author will appear diagonally in the completed grid and must be shaded. Across 1 Scots bike across district in region round
Two unclued lights give the name of a location and another a means of arrival and -departure. Other unclued lights give the names of the party arriving, including one who joins them at the location, and none who leave them there. The three instances of a certain letter appearing in the grid must be written
Three unclued lights featured the remaining ones, two of two words, the others paired. Two of them do double duty. Elsewhere, ignore one circumflex. Across 7/7D Part of microscope under old coach (8) 11 Country house’s grand spread (6) 15 This is very slow, taking only a second to catch (5) 16 Pretentious fellow
The theme is two historic people who were contemporaries. Unclued lights give their forenames, places of birth and death and occupations. A geographical feature (5) linking the two will appear in the completed grid and must be shaded. Elsewhere, ignore an apostrophe. The solutions at 22 and 27 share the same two unchecked letters.
Unclued lights, singly or correctly paired, are of a kind, as given in Chambers. Ignore one apostrophe. Across 5 Maiden admitting born overseas originally, not in Danish city (6) 11 Author’s note on leader of band (6) 13 Sort of thinking muscle real troublesome (7) 15 Old royal servant, one that looks to captivate
The unclued lights, one of two words, and the others when paired are of a kind. One individual unclued light does double duty. Across 1 Women’s painting seen initially returning by tube (5) 4 Look about, right and left, in a jaunty manner (9) 9 Home I leave — priests’ centre’s defining acts of
Three unclued lights make up a nine-word quotation. Remaining unclued lights are of a kind. Across 1 Norway blocking the euro perhaps till now (8) 8 Excuse one departing French city (4) 12 Bill the Spanish for Jew’s harp? (5) 14 Break dance, say, to get going again (7) 17 Hospital’s moved organ in
1 Across and 45 Across form a phrase, and the other unclued entries form a word ladder linking them, by changing one letter at a time, always forming real words. Elsewhere, ignore an accent. Across 11 Weary junkie’s eaten mollusc (10) 13 Everything taken into account, at last, endlessly (5, two words) 14 Holiday
All the unclued Across lights are of a kind, as are all the unclued Down ones. They can be paired appropriately, and can be confirmed in Brewer. Across 4 What’s blocking criminal courts I bet around five? (11) 11 Land adviser returning to wharf without question (7) 16 Suave young socialite leaves broadcasting (5,
Eight headwords in Chambers consist of the same word. Unclued lights (including two trios and one doing double duty) give definitions of these headwords. The word will appear in the completed grid and must be shaded. Across 5 End with cloudy sort of wine (7, hyphened) 10 Strappers said to break down (4) 12
One unclued light, a term for a boundary of an area whose name is formed by two unclued lights, is a 19 of five items (one of which consists of two words, and one of which is hyphened) reading clockwise in the perimeter. Letters in corner squares and those adjacent to them could make CLAN
The dozen unclued lights can be arranged in a specific sequence when preceded by or followed by their sequence indicators which do not appear in the puzzle. But, two clued solutions happen to include the second word of the sequence! All but one (at 19, with an apostrophe) of the dozen resulting phrases can be
