Phi Crosswords

phionline.net.nz

  • About me
  • Types of cryptic crossword
    • Solving crosswords
    • Outlets
  • APEX Crosswords
  • My other puzzles
    • BBC Music Magazine crosswords
    • Beelzebub Crosswords
    • Church Times puzzles
    • Enigmatic Variations
    • The European crossword
    • Independent Inquisitor
    • Independent: newspaper
    • Jumbos
    • Magpie
    • Other puzzles
  • Setter’s blogs
  • Book Reviews
  • Cats

Dux by Pedro

Three titles have each been treated to form the lights A, B and C: in each title a letter (the same one, occurring once only in each case) has been changed to another, different in each case, and the the result anagrammed to form A, B or C.  The grid twice reflects the original letter; the title the replacements.  A (in the OED), B (a proper noun) and C have definition clues.  They are all single words – the answer lengths refer to the associated titles.

11 words are separate from the rest.  These form the shaded thematic entries.  Clues are normal – two are left unclued to force identification of the theme.  One clued word is necessarily of archaic spelling (in OED).

11 further clues are Letters Latent.  These 11 have been arranged amongst themselves so that the apparent order allows the latent letters to spell the dux.  Solvers must determine the correct placing of each.  13 and 16 are proper nouns not in Chambers.

Thematic entries

About to take sailor to wreck (4)

An ill wind before former poverty? (8)

Crumpet let out in rush (4)

Direct way, all the time (5)

Fail English? Name omitted by lucky chance (5)

Mastiff’s tip, nose? (Noun wanted) (6)

Numbing horror’s right out (4)

Opening procedure up north (4)

Summons to witness-box gets reduced fine for idiot (4)

ACROSS

10           East Britain swamped by plague? What I carry will tighten the guts (6)

13           What is found in star and constellation? (3)

14           Disciple, shedding false tear in treachery (3)

A             Selling more (5,5)

15           Swollen up un extremes of leprosy (5)

16           Artist rejecting most of Mac’s red ochre… (4)

17           …crossing, for instance, German artist (5)

18           Vow to be skilful in competition (6)

20           Film of Macbeth should involve _____ dagger or knife (5)

21           Hair-remover made initially in America (5)

22           Sauce held back, given to a proper spicy dish (5)

24           It’s a god! (5)

26           Clip pet bird, removing tail (3)

27           The dregs? Yes and no (4)

28           Heifer unsettled when removed (4)

29           What tourists try to get away from (almost) could be lethal (5)

30           An ‘oven’ with slip of one letter could be ‘oxen’ (5)

33           Local irritation around this country (4)

34           A short cry to effect reconciliation (5)

36           Mad dog, kept inside on leash, laid flat (6)

38           This, in wrestling, could make you lose (6)

40           Look back at deserted garden (4)

41           Support? That’s right (4)

43           Having a lot of free time dissipated real blues I found (10)

45           Stupid brown cow, initially (5)

46           Target object removed from developing canines? (3)

47           Lower me into a valley (6)

B             Port (11)

DOWN

1              What makes half of Chinese meal, first to last? Hairpins? (4)

2              Shareholder with rapid turnover needs sterling (4)

3              Think card-game a swindle, we hear (6, 2 words)

C             Joy (5,5)

4              ‘In rear’ to need a complete change here (8)

5              Scots lake is where you’ll find large fish, not Italian river (4)

6              Ridge is just part of the serration (5)

7              It may be grabbed by marauding pussycat – one of these, perhaps? (9)

8              Assume a part, ultimately – Mr Chips, in my case (5)

9              Not precisely mega-Californian? If this – that may be right… (5-8)

11           …mega is certainly wrong – very lame (4)

12           Difficult actress right to be written out (5)

18           Selection of verse in book attracting praise (5)

19           With bits of oak lintel (deceptive) uncomfortably lowered? (10)

23           Brought up walker to go round country (5)

25           Hamlet to Ophelia? ‘Try green rue with a difference’ (8)

31           A bit of soft wood cut up for planks (5)

32           Old award? Notice what is bestowed for merit cropping up here (6)

35           Anti-Ximeneans, as it were, fiddle with so-correct Ximenes (5)

37           Follow on, head off rising – well done! (4)

39           What Lady Chatterley’s Lover, say, provides is cut to a superficial extent (4)

41           Spirit somewhat lacking in protest? (4)

42           Etna erupting? That’s undiluted bull (4)

44           Brian? Havergal, primarily, in this day and age (3)

PDF of puzzle

Solution

Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Share
Tweet
Pin

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Phi RSS feed

  • RSS - Posts

About me

This is the website of Paul Henderson, who sets crosswords for The Independent (London) under the pseudonyms Phi, for the Daily Telegraph (London) under the pseudonym Kcit, and anonymously for The Times (London) amongst many other outlets. For a more detailed biography see the About Me page.

Blogroll

  • Alberich Crosswords
  • Alchemi's puzzles
  • Anax Crosswords
  • Azed slip
  • Big Dave's Crossword Blog
  • Boatman Cryptics
  • Crossword centenary
  • Crossword Centre
  • Crossword Club
  • Crossword Unclued
  • CrosswordMan: Crossword construction software
  • Crosswords by Hasslethymi
  • Fifteensquared
  • George vs The Listener crossword
  • Guardian Crosswords
  • Hoskins Crossword
  • idothei
  • Independent Crosswords
  • Listen with Others
  • Listener Crossword
  • Magpie Crossword Magazine
  • One Across
  • Peter's Cryptic Crossword Corner
  • Telegraph Crosswords
  • The Stickler Weekly
  • Times Crossword Club
  • Times for the Times

Comments

  • Erin on And Happy New Year
  • Brock on Enigmatic Variations – the next stage
  • Erin on 10/10/2020
  • Erin on Rebranding
  • Erin on Enigmatic Variations – the next stage

Copyright © 2021 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in