Crossword

The solutions to numbered lights are the words missing from the story. The unclued lights are the names of twenty-two Scottish lochs.  However, forty-four names of lochs appear in the story, all of which are hidden or appear in jumbled form in the story. Solvers are not required to list the ‘discarded’ lochs.   I was glad to receive the 26 (hyphened) from both my surgeons who told me that no 5 had 22 following the operation on my knee which I had injured falling off a 41.   They told me, ‘Watch how far you 38 though. You can try one or two miles without any effect. Remember another strain keeps you off the road again.’ ‘So I reckon my plans for my 44 bike trip to the 23 of France have to be 25 short,’ I pensively replied.

‘15A/35/1D’ is part of a quotation from 20 in ODQ and could refer to the remaining unclued lights (including a pair). Elsewhere, ignore an accent.

Each of seven definitions contains one misprinted letter. Corrections of misprints spell an alternative title for the puzzle, defining the unclued lights.

The unclued lights (two of three and one of two words), when preceded by the same word which solvers must include along with their completed grid, can be verified in Brewer.   Across   9    Small cafe spoken of in ski-lift (4, hyphened) 11    Computer functions ’til a server crashes (10) 16    Mature writer backed Ireland first (5) 17    It’s cold, but hot when one is there!

Twenty 9-letter items form a circular chain in which each item recycles eight of its letters into the next one. Eight of the items are unclued entries, seven are words which must be removed from clues before they can be solved, and five are thematic items. One of the thematic items and one of the unclued entries are two-word phrases. The thematic person’s surname must replace one answer in the grid (leaving real words).   Across   1    Police officer is against re-folding this firm (6) 7    Fairly generical diminutive outside right (6) 12    Queen accepts conclusions of her heir and no mistake (5) 16    Place certainly including earth?

Each of sixteen clues comprises a definition part and a hidden consecutive jumble of the answer including one extra letter; the extras spell two words. Solvers who refer to Chambers will find, in the definitions of these words, a word that describes each of the unclued lights. This word, concealed in the grid, must be highlighted. In one unclued light, ignore an apostrophe.

When paired, the unclued lights (one hyphened) are of a kind. Ignore two accents. (The solution at 15D is not listed in Chambers and that at 36D only at its definition.)   Across 3    Global popularity of a lecturer in Keele, say (12) 13    Covered pathways badly made inside, unfortunately (8) 18    Race-course records medal (5) 19    Forced Alan to be involved with U-turn (9) 22    Chemical company is here in France (3) 24    Endless yearning to embrace secretary causing gloom (7) 25    Allowed fellow to enter, then departed (4) 26    Would it provide some relief and relaxation? (7) 28    Novel resort in Arden?

Unclued lights could be resorted to form eight of a kind.

Unclued lights (including three of two words and one of three words) are four people connected by the 11A and four partial representations of their works (minus definite articles); solvers must complete each representation by shading the whole light appropriately. Ignore two apostrophes.   Across 1 Correct direction by board with head for commercial quality (14) 10 Mythic Norseman’s yen to be at the seaside abroad (4) 14 Start storing goods in trunk (6) 16 China’s always imprisoning liberals (4) 17 Pitches concerning golfer (5) 20 Departed one island after return of community (8) 21 Blackmail’s no longer wrong?

The unclued lights are of a kind, verifiable in an entry in Brewer. Solvers are required to highlight an eight-letter headword from this entry in the completed grid. Elsewhere, ignore all accents.

18 (two words) will know that where ‘Q’ = ‘the number of’: Q1D x ([Q5A x Q37/35] – Q11/42) x Q22 = Q the 19. Elsewhere, ignore four accents.   Across 1 Glitches involving a thousand aircraft (6) 10 Relationship of rhino and fox with earache, gent treated (14, three words) 13 Mysteries of anonymous ladies artist captures?

30 3 is a definition of one unclued light (which 34 follows) and also a cryptic indication of 16A. 34 is marked by the holder of the 16A with a 40. One unclued light is the name of the 40, and one is the name of the holder of the 16A. One of these lights consists of three words.

A trio of unclued lights (four words, one with an apostrophe) gave rise to another trio found in four further unclued lights (eight words in total), all of which featured the two remaining unclued lights.   Across 1 Suspect fine spray having corrosion (8) 9 Assessment of arrangement of a tune and a viol (10) 14 Flower that’s popular with Nationalist (3) 16 Firm fish penned?

Five unclued lights make up a six-word quotation (verifiable in ODQ) by an author whose name must be highlighted in the grid. Remaining unclued lights, all real words in Chambers, each begin with a word suggested by the first two words of the quotation. Ignore two accents and one apostrophe.

Unclued entries are words or phrases whose meanings are not connected, but they are determined by the appearance in the grid of the last two lines of a poem, one word to each row. The first two lines of the poem appear in fourteen clues, whose answers do not touch the quotation in the grid, as extra words which must be removed before solving the clues.  The four lines of verse, read together, could form a succinct summary of the poem. Across 1 Company lacking new economic revenue (6) 7 To wit, two who?

Four pairs of unclued lights (5,5) represent their solutions and together equal the remaining trio of unclued lights.   Across 5 Student of mental disorders or ufos? (8) 10 Relative from BR or ER, apparently (11, hyphened) 11 Doctor’s verdict, a dosing is in order (9) 12 Deal with work in church (4) 17 Composer heard on roll (4) 19 Short set of maps isn’t representing this place (8) 20 Some sea-green bore (5) 26 Rig the ship mystically for churchman (10, two words) 29 Ultra? Quite wrong – one keeping residence apart (10) 34 Lively black cuckoo won game (8) 36 Its seeds produce 39. Cut! Cut! (4) 38 Male gypsies coasting around without care at first (7) 41 Leading industrialist backing Sir Murdoch?

Unclued across lights combine with down ones to form anagrams of four works (one of four words, one of three and two of two) from the same nd. Elsewhere, ignore an accent.   Across 7 Shaman’s inexpert (3) 11 Mary Jane hugs arriving amazon? (6) 13 Withdraw from dramatist, being cause of misery (7) 15 Merrymaking in bar after revolution (5) 18 Faintly excellent Scots knight impressed (5) 20 Twice heartless Joe Friday mistreated goddess (6) 22 Notice stunted serf cooking waffles (7) 27 Lass artless and pure moves in (7) 29 Sound bouquet contains a touch of iris (5) 30 Some poor anchorite in rude hut (6) 32 Sons taken out choose fresh salmon (5) 34 One oath bishop stifled (interpreted most favourably) (6, two words) 36 Quick learner enthralled by poetry? (5) 37 O for an award!

Each of eighteen clues contains one misprinted letter in the definition part. Corrections of misprints spell a four-word phrase which alludes to the unclued lights, indicating the position of one of them in relation to the others. One unclued light is  hyphened; elsewhere, ignore an accent.

The unclued lights are presented in the form of the Lover’s Knots below. Each ‘Knot’ can be unravelled into two words which are connected only for the purposes of this puzzle. These are then to be entered in the grid, always as pairs of consecutive lights.   LOVER’S KNOT CLUES a) A thin bride b) Bach ate tenderloins c) Clara’s feminine d) Islander’s mural e) Norse warfare   Across 1 Fractures both bits – a betrayal (13, three words) 9 Redhead notices extremists (4) 11 0 and O (for instance) sent between the unclued lights?

Four unclued lights might justly sing ‘4D/18/13’ (five words in total). A relevant pair of clued lights must be shaded.   Across 10    European secretes strange smeary enzyme (10) 11    Botanical description half recorded by child (6) 12    Big browser nibbled wood sorrel for pudding (7) 14    Welshman that is backing Nauru (5) 15     Fruit from classy old bush, bishop plucked (4) 16    Simple creature almost in a frenzy with English scholar (6) 23    Ancient inhabitant’s aim to be active (7) 24    An abrupt farewell from 6?