Bit of a mix-up, so an emergency late blog. Please forgive any mistakes!
Wonderful puzzle from Ploy, but you would have to be a REAL anorak (as in trainspotter) to solve it without the use of Mr Google!
I beavered away at the middle letters of extra words until I had Mogul, Prairie, Atlantic and, by implication and guesswork, Pacific. After a number of false starts, (all four seemed to have some connection with oysters, but oyster Googles went nowhere) I eventually put all four words into Google as a last resort. It came up with the classification of American Steam Locomotives by wheel layout!!!
I couldn’t really believe this, but after a few more letters appeared, all the various words that appeared were locomotive types. Each had a wheel layout stated as three figures: [leading wheels]-[driving wheels]-[trailing wheels]. The central part of the puzzle (the white squares) appeared to have a zero rather than a letter O, so I counted the rows and columns and there were 8 three digit combinations. So it was a “numberword” in the middle of a crossword.
| Mogul |
2-6-0 |
| Prairie |
2-6-2 |
| Adriatic |
2-6-4 |
| Mikado |
2-8-2 |
| American |
4-4-0 |
| Atlantic |
4-4-2 |
| Pacific |
4-6-2 |
| Mountain |
4-8-2 |
The “numberword” was defined by the given zero which had to be in both 260 and 440. After one false start, I fitted them all in as follows:
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
4 |
6 |
2 |
|
|
4 |
4 |
0 |
|
|
2 |
8 |
2 |
|
|
| 2 |
6 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
|
Solving time: I dread to think!!
| Across |
| 1 |
MO |
locomotive EMMA (wartime phonetic alphabet – Ack Emma was a.m.) = MM in EA(ch) |
| 4 |
G |
Largely EPINASTY = (T)EPI(D) + NASTY |
| 10 |
U |
but MORTCLOTHS = M(ike) + CLOT in ORTS |
| 12 |
L P |
Alps LAIGH = omit odd letters from clearing height |
| 13 |
R |
waterbuck OGRE = [GRO(V)E]* |
| 15 |
AI |
main SHTETEL = [SHELTE(R)]* |
| 18 |
R |
observing POAS = PO + AS |
| 19 |
I |
specified ZED = BRAZED without BRA |
| 20 |
E A |
recreating ARTSY is hidden in part symbolism |
| 22 |
D |
wider METER = M(y) +(P)ETER (safe) |
| 23 |
R |
recurring NOY = N(o) + (PL)OY |
| 25 |
I |
Revisit TATTS is a double meaning, Tattersalls and old rags |
| 26 |
AT |
beater AFAR = (S)AFAR(I) |
| 28 |
I |
lit MAE WEST = M.A. + EW (we reversed) + [SET]* |
| 31 |
C |
elected CARTWHEEL = WHE(N) in CARTEL |
| 33 |
MI |
admits EARPHONE = [(C)HAPERONE]* |
| 34 |
K |
Yikes EROS – [EROS + I’D A T(hing)]* = asteroid |
| 35 |
AD |
Gladys EYE TO EYE = EYE (brood of pheasants) + TO + movE – theY livE |
| 36 |
O |
employees DUET = DIET (assembly) with I replaced by U |
| Down |
| 1 |
AM |
Rosamund EMYS – [EMYS + OR I NET]* = Romney site |
| 2 |
ER |
interior MOTHPROOFS = [FROM SHOP TO]* |
| 3 |
I |
icing AT LEAST = [A LATTE S(ugar)]* |
| 5 |
CA |
Escape PLIER = P(olice) + LIER |
| 6 |
N A |
binary NTH = N(o)T + H (Planck’s constant) |
| 7 |
T |
After AHOY = A + HOY |
| 8 |
L |
Warlike TERCELET = [RE-ELECT T(he)]* |
| 9 |
AN |
many YIELDERS = WIELDERS with W(hiskey) replaced by Y(en) |
| 11 |
TI |
Multiple CATS – initial letters of Coal And Timber Ships are coal and timeber ships! |
| 14 |
C |
blocked GAZETTEER = GAZER round (l)ETTE(r) |
| 16 |
PA |
Nepali TOTTY = T(he) T(ime) in TOY |
| 17 |
CI |
social WANNABEE = ANNE in [WEB]* + E |
| 21 |
F |
Norfolk SEAWEED = EA in SW + DEE reversed |
| 24 |
IC |
Ridicule TAWNEY = TOWNY (fellow inhabitant) with O replaced by A |
| 25 |
M |
Seeming TEHEE = HET reversed + (b)EE(n) |
| 27 |
OU |
should ACRE – not sure about the wordplay of this one! |
| 29 |
NT |
Fintan SLOE (black) sounds like SLOW |
| 30 |
A |
Hungarian TEST double meaning |
| 32 |
IN |
Find RHO = letter looking like a p |
And there were also three thematic words to highlight, weren’t there? I think I found them in the end, but couldn’t quite bring myself to work out the three-digit combinations – I plead guilty to crossword obsession and a bit of bad birdwatching, but my anorak doesn’t have room in it for locomotive wheel combinations!
Don’t think there was anything to highlight other Whyte Notation. Anyone got a solution to the wordplay for 27D?
Ah yes, that was what I meant – two words then. What was the clue to 27dn?
“The French who must leave get a measure of land.” – ACRE is the measure of land, but can you explain the rest?
The French “who”=QUI must leave “get”=ACQUIRE, which leaves ACRE.
Great Testy! Thank you.
Great puzzle – I see Ray Parry-Morris is keeping up his winning streak. The new Eddie Looby ?