Hi all.
The preamble:
Read clockwise from 1, the perimeter gives relevant subjects and part of a quotation; unchecked letters could form HOLY ANTHEM FLEW. Applying the full quotation, solvers must replace a name featured in six contiguous cells with another, leaving only real words or names. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended.
Often in puzzles like these I will avert my gaze from the perimeter until the very end. Not so this time. I used some of the outer words to help with a few straggling answers as I pieced together the partial quotation:
ANGELS … WHEN THEY ARE TOGETHER EN FAMILLE, THEY PLAY …
The full quote comes from the Swiss theologian Karl Barth. From Oxford Reference:
“It may be that when the angels go about their task of praising God, they play only Bach. I am sure, however, that when they are together en famille, they play Mozart.”
It was then just a matter of “applying the quotation” by finding in the grid JS BACH and replacing him with MOZART. Divine, thanks Raffles!
If there is a setter’s blog for this puzzle it will be available after 9am here.
Initial grid:
Final grid:
.
| # | ANSWER | Clue with definition underlined |
| Explanation, with quoted indicators in italics and ANSWER letters in bold caps | ||
| Across | ||
| 8a | YUKO | Japanese award or American present around here? (4) |
| YO (American present) around UK (here) | ||
| 9a | PESAH | Feast in drunken heaps (5) |
| An anagram of (drunken) HEAPS | ||
| 10a | AGRAPHIA | Silver palms causing writer’s block, perhaps? (8) |
| AG (silver) + RAPHIA (palms) | ||
| 11a | HONE | Love European edge (4) |
| HON (love) + E (European) | ||
| 12a | ULNAR | Powerful narcotics cutting outer segments of bone (5) |
| PowerfUL NARcotics removing letters from each end (cutting outer segments) | ||
| 13a | EDDY | Current in Jordan, perhaps, we hear? (4) |
| Sounds like (… we hear) EDDIE (Jordan, perhaps) | ||
| 14a | PRESSFAT | Old vintner’s pot of jam and cream (8) |
| PRESS (jam) and FAT (cream) | ||
| 17a | GLOBE | Bowl, possibly to toss spreads over, for example (5) |
| LOB (to toss) goes between (spreads) the reversal of (over) EG (for example) | ||
| 19a | FLOR | What’s grown on wine bed less ordinary (4) |
| FLO[o]R (bed) less O (ordinary) | ||
| 20a | EDIT | Modified version of retro trend (4) |
| Reversed (retro) TIDE (trend) | ||
| 23a | IAMBI | One film character losing head and feet (5) |
| I (one) + bAMBI (film character) missing its first letter (losing head) | ||
| 27a | PLAINEST | Most basic staple replaced to keep fashionable (8) |
| STAPLE anagrammed (replaced) holding (to keep) IN (fashionable) | ||
| 28a | TOSA | A boozer backing a dog (4) |
| A plus SOT (boozer) reversed (backing) | ||
| 29a | AMAZE | Stagger through a network (5) |
| A + MAZE (network) | ||
| 31a | EMIR | Show of hesitation about note for ruler (4) |
| ER (show of hesitation) around (about) MI (note) | ||
| 32a | NIBBLING | Bill with jewellery is showing interest (8) |
| NIB (bill) with BLING (jewellery) | ||
| 33a | LOSTE | The Spanish and the English leaving centre once let go (5) |
| LOS (the Spanish) and ThE (the English) omitting the middle (leaving centre) | ||
| 34a | MZEE | African elder marks Letter from America (4) |
| M (marks) + ZEE (letter from America) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1d | AUGURY | A caveman for all to see on railway sign? (6) |
| A + UG (caveman) + U (for all to see) + RY (railway) | ||
| 2d | GOAN | Wee and short Indian (4) |
| GO (wee) + ANd short | ||
| 3d | EL PASO | Help a soldier to hold a city in US (6, 2 words) |
| hELP A SOldier going around (to hold) to the answer | ||
| 4d | LEHR | What’s held in both hands where glass is heated (4) |
| EH (what) is inside (held in) L R (both hands) | ||
| 5d | SPIRAEA | Hope lowering top nets a bush (7) |
| ASPIRE (hope) shifting its first letter downward (lowering top) goes around (nets) A | ||
| 6d | HE-HES | One man with more chuckles? (5) |
| HE (one man) with HES (more [men]) | ||
| 7d | NANDOO | Grandma – social old bird (6) |
| NAN (grandma) + DO (social) + O (old) | ||
| 9d | PACTS | Plurality of agreement in quiet book (5) |
| P (quiet) + ACTS (book) | ||
| 15d | EGIS | English competing outfits getting protection (4) |
| E (English) + GIS (competing outfits) | ||
| 16d | PLIÉ | Bend left in confused state (4) |
| L (left) in PIE (confused state) | ||
| 18d | BILLION | Large amount of gold one’s taken for university (7) |
| B[u]LLION (gold); I (one) is selected in place of (taken for) U (university) | ||
| 21d | DROMOI | Passages one translated into French following note about take (6) |
| MOI (one translated into French) following DO (note) around (about) R (take) | ||
| 22d | SPINE | Special long will (5) |
| S (special) + PINE (long) | ||
| 24d | MIMBAR | Modest local pub where sermons are given (6) |
| MIM (modest local) + BAR (pub) | ||
| 25d | USENET | Web’s connections do round bread from Polynesia? (6) |
| UT (do) round SENE (bread from Polynesia) | ||
| 26d | JARTA | Islander’s beloved beer, the ale for beginners (5) |
| JAR (beer) + the first letters of (… for beginners) The Ale | ||
| 29d | ABYE | To pay penalty once is an extra? (4) |
| A BYE (an extra?) | ||
| 30d | ALME | More relaxed following trim dancer (4) |
| After removing outer letters (… following trim), cALMEr (more relaxed) | ||