You will certainly observe some less-than-usual words (one might imagine that a Nilotic pea-crab apricates regularly…). The ‘Quick’ version had rather fewer such entries – my approach was to fill two grids, and carefully look through the answers. The grid with fewer unusual words would become the ‘Quick’ puzzle – this is because, as noted on another page, cryptic clues actually contain additional help in the form of their wordplay components. It thus felt safer to have obscurer words in the cryptic puzzle where solvers got two indications. I wasn’t averse to the occasional odd word in a Jumbo – they did appear at times when you could expect solvers to have more time and want a more substantial challenge.
ACROSS
1 THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS;
14 ERATO; E + anag. + 0
15 RADICAL; C in radial
16 WELL-THOUGHT-OF; well though tof(f)
18 EXEMPTS; ex E MP + St (rev.)
19 ROLLING; 2 mngs.
20 BRING; n in brig
21 TONAL; hidden
22 IMBUE; I’m b u(s)e
23 COLONY; colon y
24 SWERVE; w in serve
25 THERETO; the ret O
27 ART DECO; anag. + Co.
28 ELECTORAL; E L + anag. + oral
29 OVERSLEEP; overs ‘leap’
32 DISINTEGRATOR; anag. + r
34 SWANK; swan k
36 EXPRESS; ex press
38 HEPPLEWHITE; anag. + t(h)e
41 APRICATES; anag.
44 ORIBI; I Biro (all rev.)
45 DRAFT; 2 mngs.
46 DISMISSAL; I SS in dismal
47 ORIENTATION; i.e. n(o)t in oration
48 EARACHE; RA in each e
49 EASEL; hidden
51 X MARKS THE SPOT;
54 BOBBIN-NET; inn in bob bet
56 DEPENDANT; end an in dept.
57 MACRAMI; Ma cram I
59 UNBOSOM; anag. in um
62 ACCEDE; ‘axe seed’
63 BUTTER; 2 mngs.
65 CHEAT; i.e. Ch. eat
67 SOLAR; so LA r
68 FROWN; Fr. + anag.
69 PRESUME; anag. + e
70 PLAY-PEN; play + pen
71 AN EYE FOR AN EYE;
72 RABBONI; bb in anag.
73 OKAPI; OK a pi
74 BEETHOVEN’S PASTORAL SYMPHONY; past oral in anag. + phony
DOWN
1 THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA; other Independent crossword setters
2 EXACERBATES; ex-ace + b in rates
3 ECOSPHERE; anag. + here
4 TERPSICHORE; anag. + chore
5 FEDERAL; fed + anag.
6 LOCAL ANAESTHETICS;
7 PULPIT; pulp it
8 SEWAGE WORKS; anag.
9 ILLIBERAL; hidden rev.
10 LATTICE-WORK;
11 WROUGHT; w R ought
12 REGATHERS; anag. + hers
13 DÉTENTE; tent in dee (=D)
17 FULL OF PASSIONATE INTENSITY; anag.
26 STAR WARS; raw rats (all rev.) + s
28 EARWIGS; anag. + wigs
30 EMERSON; anag.
31 EMERITI; Emer(son) it I
33 NILOTIC; nil otic
35 AS COOL AS A CUCUMBER; anag.
37 PROBATE; pro bat E
39 PEA-CRAB; a c in per AB
40 WIDGEON; W + anag.
42 RELAXANT; re lax ant
43 THICKET; hick e in TT
49 EXTRAPOLATE; ex trap 0 late
50 LEPIDOPTERA; anag. – r
52 TIMBROPHILY; m in orbit (rev.) + ‘filly’
53 PLAYER-PIANO; p lay + anag.
55 INSURGENT; ins urgent
56 DECANTERS; can’t in deer s
58 COCK-A-HOOP; cock a hoop
60 BELIEVE; be + I in leve(l)
61 MAFIOSO; O if a m (all rev.) + so
64 TREFOIL; ref in toil
66 FERRET; er in fret
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