Letters removed from clues gave FIN/ISH/ING THE HAT, Stephen SONDHEIM’s first book of collected lyrics. In this (and the second volume, Look, I Made a Hat) he outlines three principles:
- LESS IS MORE (17 down: clued as NO LESS, entered as NO MORE (which happens to be a song from Into the Woods));
- GOD IS IN THE DETAILS (23 across: THEDETA(GOD)ILS); and
- CONTENT DICTATES FORM.
In accordance with the last, the other unclued entries were hats lacking their last letters, requiring finishing by solvers: 33d: GIBU(S), 1a: SOMBRER(O), 6a: STETSO(N), 16d: MORTARBOAR(D), 26d: TARBUS(H), 15a: CLOCH(E), 25d: SOLA TOP(I), and 39a: MUSHROO(M). In this order they spelled SONDHEIM.
ACROSS
11 HAULAGE; U in a lag in he
12 VRAIC; A in v ric(h)
13 ORTS; (P)orts
14 ALHAMBRA; H in a lamb RA
16 MAIN; (do)main
18 HANGI; hang i(n)
20 ZONULE; n in anag. – B
21 ACRE; R in ace
22 ELMY; el + my!; elFIN
26 TACO; AC in to(ss)
28 SORT; s or t
31 ASHLER; cf. lasher
32 E-MAIL; AM in lie (all rev.)
34 ABLY; l in aby
35 TALPA; l in tapa
36 BILLBOOK; bill b(r)ook; burnISH
37 MOTT; mot t
38 U-BOAT; bo in tau (rev.)
40 SUNGAR; n in sugar
41 ENSTEEP; anag. + pee (rev.)
DOWN
1 SHOCHET; Che in shot
2 OAR-LAP; oar lap
3 MUTONS; t in muons
4 RASH; ras + H; pointING
5 RELATE; LA in rete
6 SCHIZOGONY’ z in anag. + y
7 ERMINE; E + Min in THEre
8 TABOULI; T abouli(a)
9 SIRE; s(qu)ire
10 O’CASEY; yes a Co. (all rev.)
17 NO LESS; noles s
19 ICE TEA; I cete A
24 ECHELON; EC + hel(D) on
27 OLD LAG; (b)old (b)lag
28 SALOME; anag. – p
29 GALORE; gal (w)ore; wHAT
30 TIPTOE; tip TOE
35 TOSS; last letters
Winning clues to SONDHEIM
1st Harry is done with His Majesty – he’s sadly departed, not without some dramas (Richard Morse)
2nd Scoring West End show, I composed foremost of musicals (Mick Hodgkin)
3rd Composer, the man uncredited in She Done Him Wrong? (Allan Scott)
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