My solution to this puzzle, published in the i newspaper on 29 August 2020. I recognized the title as one of the chapter titles from Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows before I even looked at the puzzle!
The extra letters from the wordplay spelled out CHAPTER TITLE IN GRAHAME BOOK for the Across clues, EVICT SQUATTERS FROM RESIDENCE for the Down clues. The unclued entry was NOTUS (a name for the south wind). The letters to be highlighted were TOAD and HALL in row 4 (location associated with the book); OSIER and SALLOW in row 12 (alternative names for the willow). The "squatters" who had to be evicted were WEASELS, running downwards between TOAD and HALL in column 8.
Queries
47A - why "without removing"? Surely either "without" or "removing" is needed, but not both.
51A - can't find "pink" as a definition of "chaffinch".
4D - what's the significance of "Ed"?
8D - isn't "pasha" a military rather than a naval officer?
13D - definition appears to come from a single source (see this thread).
Definition parts of clues are in quotes. Redundant letters in the wordplay are underlined.
Across
1. ROSEBUD - "flower-to-be"; ROSE + (CU in BD)
7. WASSAILS - "festive occasions"; WASH + SAILS
13. PARVENU - "upstart"; PAR[k] + AVENU[e]
15. ITERANT - "repeating"; IT + anag. of PARENT
18. BEAST - "animal"; AT in BEST
19. CUTTO - "large knife"; CUT + TOE
20. SHALLOWS - "sea not deep there"; anag. of (SHOR[e] + WALLS)
21. TEREBRAE - "boring organs"; anag. of (ARE BETTER)
22. RESOLE - "repair shoe"; RE + SOIL + 2nd letter of [l]E[ather]
24. SMOG - "it makes it hard to see"; rev. of (G + TOMS)
26. LAPSE - "to pass one degree after another"; (rev. of PAL) in LSE
28. HAKAM - "wise man"; HAKE + AM
31. NESTS - "lodges"; IT in NESS
33. SATIN - "silky fabric"; SANT[a] + IN
35. LUG IN - "irrelevantly introduce"; [p]LUGGIN[g]
37. WADD - "black lead"; WARD + D
39. MEDFLY - "pest"; ME + DAFTLY - T
41. ONCEOVER - "comprehensive survey"; anag. of (NEVER CHOOSE - S[tok]E)
42. INSOLENT - "rude"; IN[dia] + anag. of ALSO + E + [ba]NT[er]
44. DHOTI - "fabric"; HOT in DIM
47. AGUED - "cold"; A + SEGUED - [sweater]S
48. HOOSIER - "inhabitant of Fort Wayne"; HO + BOSSIER - S
49. SALLOWY - "pale-yellowish coloured"; SAL[t] + rev. of WOOL + [sand]Y
50. SPOONEYS - "fools"; anag. of SO-SO PEONY
51. TENPINS - "they're in alley"; rev. of NET + PINKS
Down
2. OAHU - "Pacific island"; HE in O + A + U
3. EVET - "amphibian"; E[at] + V[egetation] + E[xplanation] + TV
4. BEROBS - "steals from"; (rev. of BORE) in BIS
5. UNBARING - "stripping"; U + N + B + CAR + IN + G[arage]
6. DUE DATE - "pay-back time"; anag. of ([n]UTTE[r] + DEAD)
8. AISHA - "girl"; IS in [p]ASHA
9. SEXLESS - "not taking part in congress"; SEQ + X + LESS
10. ARAL SEA - "once-huge lake"; A + anag. of [p]ERUSAL + A
11. IAGO - "villain"; hidden in rev. of RIO AGAIN
12. STASES - "periods of inactivity"; S in STATES [=former legislature]
13. PICTS - "Steele's painted women"; TT in PICS (opp. of PICS in TT)
14. EASEL - "frame"; [criminal]S in (EA + EEL)
16. NEWLAID - "produced recently"; rev. of (WHEN - H) + (I in LARD) [="garnish" as verb]
17. STROKED - "gently rubbed"; [cat]S [tha]T [pur]R [s]O [owner]S [thin]K [they'r]E [contente]D
23. OCTAVOS - "books"; V + O + anag. of (FACTORIES - [bar]RIE)
25. MARENGO - "Emperor's horse"; (anag. of ROME RAN) incl. G[ladiators]
27. PSOCIDAE - "family of insects"; anag. of (I COPED + A SO)
29. ALFONSO - "old King of Spain"; ALSO incl. (F + MON) [=Japanese family crest]
30. MULLEIN - "shepherd's club" [name for plant]; MULL + REIN
32. TINIEST - "most small"; anag. of ENTITIES
34. SMITHS - "forgers"; anag. of (MISS + H[a]T[e]S)
36. WEDELN - "swivelling movements"; hidden in OVERAWE DELINQUENTS
38. DRILY - "in a restrained way"; R[overs] in DID + [p]L[a]Y
40. ANGRY - "annoyed"; [r]ANGER + Y[osemite]
43. SHOO - "go away"; SHOON [=old word for "shoes"]
45. HELP - "assist"; CHE + LOP - O
46. TOWN - "urban community"; TO + WEN
No comments:
Post a Comment