A puzzle it took me a while to finish…
…even though most of the solutions weren’t that difficult. The difficulty was in seeing the connection between the unclued entries. I was in danger of running out of time, but a fellow bogger (Michael) helped me out. The three unclued entries that explain the others were COUGHS/AND SNEEZES/SPREAD DISEASES, the “spread” telling us to look out for anagrams, and so STRIP + USES becomes PERTUSSIS, ANNULI + FEZ becomes INFLUENZA, and MEAL and SSE becomes MEASLES. We were also invited to identify a clued entry that fit the pattern, and it was CARNIVOROUS, an anagram of CORONAVIRUS.
Thanks Michael and thanks Madrigal.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | IMPERIUM |
The power to command text excited umpire (8)
|
| IM (instant message, so “text”) + *(umpire) [anag:excited] | ||
| 6 | EDUCES |
Draws out English and Italian leaders (6)
|
| E (English) and DUCES (“Italian leaders”, i.e. dukes) | ||
| 11 | AND SNEEZES |
Theme word
|
| 13 | ATTIC |
Room at the top for Greek (5)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 14 | BARTERER |
Maker of bargains, baronet meets King and Queen (8)
|
| Bart. (baronet) meets ER (Edward Regina, so “king”) and ER (Elizabeth Regina, so “queen”) | ||
| 16 | STRIP |
Theme word
|
| 17 | PATIENT |
Long-suffering hospital case? (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 18 | PARTITA |
I lead thunderous applause initially following organ suite (7)
|
| I lead T(hunderous A(pplause) [initially] following PART (“organ”) | ||
| 19 | RHEOMETER |
Fluid measure requires more ether possibly (9)
|
| *(more ether) [anag:possibly]
A rheometer measures the flow of fluid. |
||
| 22 | FEZ |
Theme word
|
| 23 | INROAD |
Encroachment into Anchorage (6)
|
| IN (“into”) + ROAD (“anchorage” in a sea area protected by armoury) | ||
| 24 | ANNULI |
Theme word
|
| 26 | SSE |
Theme word
|
| 30 | ERECTIONS |
More than one building muscles on inside of legs regularly (9)
|
| RECTI (“muscles”) + ON inside of (l)E(g)S [regularly] | ||
| 32 | HOT RODS |
Fast cars stolen by Poles? (3,4)
|
| HOT (“stolen”) by RODS (“poles”) | ||
| 33 | COMMUTE |
Change travel to work (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 35 | NUMBS |
Anaesthetises half the idiots (5)
|
| [half] NUMBS(kulls) (“idiots”) | ||
| 36 | BATTIEST |
Craziest drunken spree in front of one in trial (8)
|
| BAT (slang for “drunken spree”) in front of I (one) in TEST (“trial”) | ||
| 37 | GALAS |
Wing in grammar school used for festivals (5)
|
| ALA (like a “wing”) in GS (grammar school) | ||
| 38 | ENCEPHALON |
Plan he once devised for brain (10)
|
| *(plan he once) [anag:devised] | ||
| 39 | EERIER |
More frightening lake contained by returning engineers (6)
|
| (Lake) ERIE contained by [returning] <=RE (Royal “Engineers”) | ||
| 40 | SUSPECTS |
American muscle in the streets – a likely lot? (8)
|
| US (American) + PEC (“muscles”) in Sts. (streets) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | INAPPROACHABLE |
Mysterious Blaine holds the stage prior to landing out of reach (14)
|
| *(blaine) [anag:mysterious] holds APPROACH (“the stage prior to landing”) | ||
| 2 | MATZAHS |
Thailand adopts uplifting music app – crackers! (7)
|
| T (international vehicle registration code for Thailand) adopts [uplifting] SHAZAM (“music app”) | ||
| 3 | EDITION |
Issue journalist with just the thing to get one tipsy (7)
|
| Ed. (editor, so “journalist”) with IT (“just the thing”) to get I (one) + ON (“tipsy”, on the way to being drunk) | ||
| 4 | IN LINE |
Concerned with stuff under control (2,4)
|
| IN (“concerned with”) + LINE (“stuff”) | ||
| 5 | MEAL |
Theme word
|
| 7 | DETHRONE |
Remove incumbent, other end spinning (8)
|
| *(other end) [anag:spinning] | ||
| 8 | CARNIVOROUS |
Engine possibly housed in motor with talent for beastly consumption (11)
|
| IVOR (“engine, possibly”) housed in CAR (“motor”) with NOUS (“talent”)
Ivor the Engine was a British aninated TV series from 1959 that was revived in colour in 1975. |
||
| 9 | ELECTRA |
Choose painter for daddy’s girl? (7)
|
| ELECT (“choose”) + RA (member of the Royal Academy, so “painter”) | ||
| 10 | SPREAD DISEASES |
Theme word
|
| 12 | SET-TO |
Determined before fight (3-2)
|
| SET (“determined”) + TO (“before”, as in quarter to ten) | ||
| 15 | ROAR |
Hear crude shout (4)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [hear] of RAW (“crude”) | ||
| 16 | STERNUTATOR |
Perhaps pollen for hay fever sufferers is unrelenting, changing endlessly (11)
|
| STERN (“unrelenting”) + (m)UTATOR(y) (“changing”, endlessly) | ||
| 20 | TZAR |
Sailor’s protecting unknown tyrant (4)
|
| TAR (“sailor”) protecting Z (unknown, in mathematics) | ||
| 21 | ELSE |
‘Other woman’ losing initial interest (4)
|
| ELS(i)E (“woman”, losing [initial I(nterest)) | ||
| 22 | FLUORINE |
Gaseous element results from iron being with lutetium and iron alloy (8)
|
| Fe (chemical symbol for “iron”) being with Lu (chemical symbol for “lutetium”) and *(iron) [anag:alloy] | ||
| 25 | NEONATE |
One neat, tidy new-born (7)
|
| *(one neat) [anag:tidy] | ||
| 27 | TIMBALE |
Mould short dance to fit occasion (7)
|
| [short] BAL(l) (“dance”) to fit TIME (“occasion”) | ||
| 28 | ENTRANT |
Hospital department organised on time for admission? (7)
|
| ENT (ear, nose ant throat, old name for a “hospital department”) + RAN (“organised”) on T (time) | ||
| 29 | GRATE |
Rub fireplace (5)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 30 | EDGE |
Creep Miliband say, fronts GB Energy initially (4)
|
| Ed (MIlliband, say) fronts G(b) E(nergy) [initially] | ||
| 31 | COUGHS |
Theme word
|
| 34 | USES |
Theme word
|
Definitely a tricky one to finish. FEZ was my route into the paired words as not many words contain both F and Z and ANNULI was close in the grid. MEASLES was next to jump out which only left PERTUSSIS to decifer.
SSE felt a bit odd as an unindicated abbreviation, but it couldn’t be anything else, and the anagram pairing confirmed it.
Pretty sure I’ve seen the CARNIVOROUS/CORONAVIRUS anagram before in some of the dailies.
I had a question mark against 2d…
Thailand “adopts” vs Thailand “adopted by”, but I see now that adopt can mean both take in and take on so perhaps it’s ok.
Good fun, thanks to loonapick and Madrigal.
We had the same problem as loonapick and had all of the clued answers in although 21D was last one.
We had the key phrase but missed the anagrind and so couldn’t pair the words to make any sense.
So no entries from us this week.
PS.
Jay, did you get any further with last weeks question about Eumolpus?