2182: Tops
The unclued lights are of a kind, verifiable in Brewer.
Doc
Thursday
To 2179: Cos
The unclued lights are abbreviations of seven English and one Welsh county, which themselves are inflected headwords in Chambers. (Consequently, Hants at 35 Across was disallowed) First prize Christina Casement, West Harting, Hampshire Runners-up R.C.
Thursday
2179: Cos
The unclued lights are of a specific kind. Additionally each is a legitimate inflected headword in Chambers. Elsewhere, ignore one acute accent and an apostrophe. Across 4 By the way, black weapon is a valuable curio (9, two words) 9 C.O.O.L.E.R. characters in the mail?
to 2176: ,
The unclued lights are BUTTERFLIES (as is the ‘comma’ in the title). The pairs are 7/34A, 13/24, 33/6 and 35/25. First prize Sheila Beesley, Coventry Runners-up J.
Thursday
2176: ,
The unclued lights (one hyphened, one of two words), individually or as four pairs, are of a kind. Across 4 Small thief accepting a lead album for cuttings (9) 10 Photographer’s kit cases with 40 systems (10) 11 Composer from Harlem, composed (6) 12 Unscrupulous member of the French Academy drops tenor (7) 14 Speeds new shipment NHS omitted (5) 15 Separate old coil (5) 16 A chore cooking vegetable (6) 22 He certainly puts his foot down (8) 23 Most haggard marine removed from unclued pair, maybe (7) 27 No organ here — now that’s a drama, we’re told (7) 29 Not acquired — left in or left out!
to 2173: Men of note
The unclued lights are COMPOSERS whose surnames start with the letter C. First prize C.R. Haigh, Hassocks, West Sussex Runners-up Kenneth Robb, Linlithgow, West Lothian; Dr R.L.H.
Thursday
2173: Men of note
The unclued lights are of a specific kind. Across 11 Top flier backs help for sloth (6) 12 Birds on the barriers (5) 14 Mayfly larva on cobras, dead (5) 15 The head that’s characteristic of the Russian Church (5) 17 Lay claim to 32s somehow (6) 19 Eric needs new place to stay (9) 21 Caught fish, mushy peas and wine? (7) 24 Short Celt, retired keeper, in a 2-2 match?
to 2170: Hector’s summer nights
The unclued lights are the titles of the six movements of Nuits d’Eté (Summer Nights in translation) by Hector Berlioz: 38, 10/6D, 30/25, 19, 15, 12/18. First prize Philip Berridge, Spalding, Lincolnshire Runners-up Richard Foden, Vesenaz, Switzerland; Mrs E.J.
Thursday
2170: Hector’s Summer Nights
The unclued lights (one of three words and three of two), as three pairs and three individually, are of a kind. Ignore four accents and one apostrophe, in total.
to 2167: Groupies
The unclued lights are ‘nouns of assemblage’, all listed on page 6 of the Word Lover’s Miscellany section in Chambers 2011. Solvers had to shade to highlight COWARDICE (34A + 40A).
Thursday
2167: Groupies
The unclued lights are of a kind and are listed together in Chambers 2011. Solvers should highlight two normally clued solutions which together form another theme-word. Across 1 Ties series of games with instrumentalists (11, two words) 7 Small county’s struggle (3) 11 Clog has lost its tip – repaired clog (6) 16 Young lad from Nantwich, rising (5) 17 Number one difficulty in the Big Apple (6) 18 Old count makes school on time (5) 20 Dazed state from formal protest?
to 2164: Blank crossword
The unclued lights are types of CROSS. Solver were required to indicate clearly the FYLFOT at the centre of the grid. First prize M.
Thursday
Blank crossword
Solvers must create the barred grid for themselves; the resulting grid is symmetrical whichever side is uppermost. When submitting an entry, solvers need not indicate the clue numbers, but must clearly indicate the pattern of eight bars at the centre of the grid which is an example of the theme. This pattern is named as one of the unclued lights which are of a kind and all are shown in Brewer. Ignore three acute accents. Across 4 Dictator takes Artemis out East – he fears Gaul (11) 11 What about painting wrongly?
to 2161: Appellation contrôlée
The unclued lights begin with DOC (the Italian abbreviated equivalent of APPELLATION CONTRÔLÉE).
Thursday
2161: Appellation contrôlée
The unclued lights (one doubly hyphened) share a medical similarity. (Despite appearances there are no rude words in the puzzle!) Across 3 Revolutionary clock setting? (12, two words) 11 Vessels from fleet in the States (4) 12 When a name is misrepresented? (7) 16 Caught bird, reportedly, on rock (5) 18 Oarsman’s swimming style (6) 20 33’s code-words (5) 22 Some disc analysis?
to 2158: Late bloomers
The unclued lights are the surnames of people (nine of whom were botanists) who gave their names to flowers.
Wednesday
2158: Late bloomers
The unclued lights (33 with I) are of a kind, all verifiable in Chambers under the appropriate headword. Across 1 Chief director takes one look at the league (13, two words) 8 Very best note on new piano (7) 10 1 and 10 down. Confused? I’m off!
2155: Poor Billy’s left out | 16 April 2014
The unclued lights are SIBYLS (the title was an anagram of BILLY’S with L omitted).
Thursday
2155: Poor Billy’s left out
The unclued lights (two must be paired) are of a kind, verifiable in Brewer.
to 2152: T20
Each letter of each solution and each unclued light has to be represented in the grid by its numerical position in the alphabet — the title, T = 20, indicated this transposition.