Doc

The unclued Across lights are of a kind when preceded by one word, as are the unclued Down lights (one pair) when preceded by another. Brewer confirms them all.   Across 1 Pointless dissertations are more than this (5) 4 Breathing disorder altered my shape – and me! (9) 9 Companion dressed in fragrant black and white (10) 11 With openers of exceptional note, Surrey usually enforce follow on (5) 12 Time passed quickly, say – it’s sickening (7, two words) 14 Spare change – in Turkey, once?

The unclued lights, two of two words and the others as four pairs, are of a kind. Across 6 Rickety car – one cut off during July (6) 10 House-doctor, game to assist poor maintenance of biological conditions (12) 11 Ten expressions of 14 – just small amounts (5) 14 Appreciation from US actor (6) 17 Drafts of collages (8, hyphened) 21 Did a nose suffer from them? (8) 26 One gets caught in it!

The unclued lights appeared at the start under the shaded squares reading row by row from top to bottom (two words). Across 5 Touring hotel, arrive at poor area (6) 10 Old driver will show support going about in revelry (10) 12 Resort with edge beside popular island (6) 16 Church collection on foot?

The 12 unclued lights (one of two words) are somehow paired and one solution in each pair is of a kind with the five others.   Across 12 Prizes at dance which Desperate Dan patronises? (7, hyphened) 14 Fancy notepaper? (5) 15 Fish and cheese sauce, not new (5) 16 Stay out of bed with Christmas singer at university (6, two words) 17 Top chess player in compound (6) 24 With various actors, Ginger shared the lead (9) 29 Island garden with a cuckoo (7) 32 Appreciation from US actor? (6) 33 Secretary general of UN that flourished (6, two components) 35 Surpass and exit? (5) 36 Stop will be in France before one (5) 37 Thwarting swordsmanship?

The unclued lights, (one pair, one hyphened and one of two words) are of a kind. One clue leads to a number. Across 10 Alpine skier initially taking exercise by Norway’s top ski-resort (5) 11 Bowler in Anglo-French waters (6) 12 Most of the month witnesses are heard. That’s novel! (7) 16 Capital oil change in neutral (10) 17 Scots have broken amulet with little hooks (8) 20 Call round for drummer (5) 21 Shouts as ogre’s cuddling Doc?

The unclued lights (one hyphened) are of a kind, confirmed in Chambers. Elsewhere, ignore one accent.   Across 1 I returned with note and wave to Bletchley Park expert (11, hyphened) 11 Tried and kept in control in the past (6, three words) 13 Goes off for a while (7) 16 Women’s painting first seen returning by tube (5) 17 Ask individual hence (6) 18 Colonel Lyndhurst’s bird (5) 20 Amateur left, watching train (6) 21 Like a judge with tattered robes (5) 22 Excited, once, in river, surrounded by upland (7) 29 Stretch or bird!

The unclued lights (two of two words) are of a kind, verifiable in Brewer.   Across 4 High-handed relation in discussion first (11)11 This amphibian would need Marvel to make vanilla ice cream (9)12 Auxiliary doctor taking pulse (5)14 Ancient Glaswegian notice covering centre of Mull (4)15/38 Office facility managed 25C (6, two components)19 Nothing wrong, honest – it’s just a unique attempt (7, hyphened)22 Suddenly books one Routemaster, say, back (6)23 Small house and comfy home. No kidding!

Each solution contains one letter at least once, always omitted in the cryptic wordplay of each clue. This letter and its number of appearances in the completed grid mark this week’s landmark. Two solutions are hyphened, five of two words and one of three. The red squares disclose Doc’s family celebration on 3 April.

The unclued lights are all non-words, but each can be resolved into a pair of thematic solutions.

Four unclued lights of a kind, one of two words with an apostrophe, include the theme word. The remaining unclued lights (one as a pair), all but the literary solution at 41 Across verifiable in Brewer, can be linked with this theme word. Elsewhere, ignore one accent.

Unusually this week, one unclued light includes the theme word which can also be linked with all the other unclued lights, which include a pair. One light is made up of two words, -another of three. Ignore an apostrophe. 33D requires solvers to imagine that an apostrophe s is there, too! Brewer confirms the theme. Ignore two accents. Across 10 Albert Einstein embraces Art Deco designer (4) 12 We go out with menial female vassal (10) 15 Policemen drinking port sullied shortened garments (8, two words) 17 Could be a beret without gold plate (5) 18 Capital extremely tense after cold weather (7) 19 Fits of anger with or without touch of dudgeon (6) 22 What the in folk have, of course!

Each of the unclued lights, (four of two words), individually or as a pair can be linked with an unclued name suggested by the title, all verifiable in Brewer. Across 4 Wide support for the chair, one seen on TV?

At the Spectator Christmas PARTY(90) the TREE (42D) has a FAIRY (22), a STAR (78) and TINSEL strewn around (41, 42A, 50). The STARTER (or 81) is followed by 30 and 75 {3,3}. The TURKEY has come from France (67D), the GOOSE is accompanied by 20 and 31D, and the 102’s are followed by 15, 62, 104 and 109. The PUDDING has 3d’s in it (84). DRINKS (49, 58 {5-4} and 106) are then mixed at 91, 1A and 70, respectively. The table’s centrepiece is an ANGEL (114) and three items (54, 56 and 57) are placed in front of the STABLE. Entertainment by the DAMES (29/94 and 37A {5,4}) is followed by GAMES (12, 46 and 89) and three personalities (64, 88 and 116) from a daily CAROL. 50, 100 and 115 are the first words of three other CAROLS. All these solutions are not clued further.

The unclued lights (all but one either hyphened or of two words) share a distinctive feature. Across 1 Fun and games of conservative leader amongst those opposing him (6) 7 Cost out red herald’s tunic, once (6) 13 Less convincing Debussy composition …. (5, two words) 16 … and which gets first directed badly by this conductor (6, two words) 20 Belgrade’s football team swapped parts and took the lead (7) 21 Lowest form of bird life (6) 22 Rows between the wedding families!

The unclued lights (one of two words) display a common feature, different in each case.

The unclued lights (one of two words and one hyphened) are of a kind, verifiable in Brewer.

The ten unclued lights (one of two words and hyphened) consist of two themes which can be resolved into five playful pairs. Elsewhere, ignore one accent.

The unclued lights (two of two words) are of a kind. Across 12 To make sense of Sun puzzle, many go on and on (10)14 17 regularly discloses gun? (3)15 One fated, cruelly, to have no ear? (8, hyphened)17 A medic’s morning tipple? (5, two words)19 We’re told Roman king suffers ruin (6)22 Rallying cry evoking terrible noises (6)24 One in a suit amongst the artillery (5)26 One nominated for a benefice is here mid-week (9)27 Chemical compounds – a kilo lad’s carried away (9)29 Novelist whom Douglas Kidman embraces (5)31 Eloquent and well-off, without a female in the lead (6)34 Bouts of drinking on German water’s enjoyed by shoppers?

The unclued lights from 1 Down to 44 are of a kind with 4 overrunning a barline into 22. Ignore their four accents. The highlighted squares, read in order row by row reveal the theme and are a translation of the puzzle’s title. Across 1 Most splendid former capital with bombed site (8)5 Upmarket magazine with marginal comment at end of entry (6)12 First half of the rabble is groovy! (6)13 Hudson and Kitty go fishing here? (8, two words)17 Like laciest pants? (7)18 Battle with girl and friends across the channel (7)20 Woollen cloth cut before getting put away in E13 borough (8)25 Sound of contempt from stupid fellow in Tampa.