Doc

The unclued lights, three of two words and four pairs are of a kind. Elsewhere, ignore two accents.   Across 11    Arable plant making money, including capital – a grand (10, hyphened) 14    The occasion, we’re told, for tears (5) 15    Express excitement about the sun at start of evening (7) 17    Sound producer’s good fortune is keeping time (7) 19    Top performer and soothsayer, regularly (4) 22    Manageable while oddly dismissing odds all day!

The unclued lights, (two of two words), individually or as a pair, are of a kind and can be resolved into three separate trios. Ignore all accents and apostrophes throughout the puzzle. The highlighted squares, read in order row by row, reveal the sources of the trios.

Each of the eight unclued lights is a series of letters in alphabetical order which can be formed into eight theme words. Elsewhere, ignore two accents.

A word suggested by the title can either precede or follow each of the unclued lights to form phrases listed in Brewer.   Across 10    5’s musical art on car plate (12) 11    Chosen the front bits of 40 (5) 13    Artwork showing most of red face cover turned over (7) 14    Crushes forms and PO items (6) 17    Spenser’s questioning adding a seal (8) 21    Might they roughly bisect Arctic Ocean for starters?

The unclued lights (one of two words) are of a kind.

The unclued lights (one of two words) are of a kind. Elsewhere, ignore three accents. Across 1    Unethical point of an Aesop fable (6) 11    Improve, making Oriel, accommodated by a fellow (10) 13    3 in Casablanca in the wet season (5) 14    This psychotherapist poor Leonard can’t take on (5) 15    Oration about province (7) 18    Non-A roads are where to meet (6) 19    It’s under the window, not moving, timeless (4) 22    Old-fashioned people buried here?

The unclued lights (one of two words — ignore its accent) are of a kind.

The unclued lights (one of two words and one hyphened) when preceded by a five--letter word are phrases listed in Brewer. Solvers have to locate and highlight this five-letter word which appears as an inverted L in the completed grid.   Across 1    Enter the world with thick hair concealing head (5) 4    Abandons damaged chest of drawers, having lost the CD (9) 9    Proficiency with or without sporting award (10) 11    Major’s wife cuts sailor’s bar short (5) 12    Cocktail attachment (7) 14    Give in and give out (5) 15    Give a clue concerning ‘tape’ (5) 16    River — one other one. Gracious!

The unclued lights, when paired, are of a kind, the first word in each pair being thematic. Two of the unclued lights, one of which is plural, do double duty. One pair has a literary reference, too.   Across   5    Cross as a sign (6) 10    I left millionaire mixing petroleum distillate (10, two words) 16 What may be caught with a rod — a rod (5) 17 Strips, rubs gently and beats (7) 18 Pipe second carol outside Kings (7) 20 Those assailing verbally about to take on loathsome heartless rebels (8) 25    Just a bit of cement added (3) 26    Run faster than dismissal speed?

The unclued lights are of a kind. Elsewhere, ignore one apostrophe.

Clues are presented in alphabetical order of their solutions. The solutions have then to be fitted into the grid, jigsaw-fashion.

The unclued Across lights become thematic when a suffix is appended. The individual unclued Down lights (one a proper noun) also become thematic when a different suffix is appended; 1 Down consists of three further words which individually become thematic in the same way as the unclued Down ones do. The unchecked letters of all these unclued lights reveal HADDOCKS’ HERB GARDEN LTD. Elsewhere, ignore an apostrophe.

The subtraction reveals the link between the unclued lights which saw light then. Three unclued lights consist of two words, and others form four pairs. In addition, a personal announcement is revealed clue by clue, for starters.

The unclued four-letter words can be paired in a particular way to form the remaining unclued lights, one of two words. Elsewhere, ignore two accents.

The unclued lights, (two of two words), are of a kind. Chambers does not give the solution at 12 Across. So as to avoid alternative thematic solutions at 28A, solvers should know that the first letter is the same as the final one.    Across 2    Amblers won’t be adapting military item (13, three words) 12    Reported as irresponsible piano disposal (6, two words) 14    Cure for one at sea (4) 15    Yearn to get control of free shot in hockey (10, two words) 16    Tenements holding ordinary footlights (6) 18    Sayings of one involved in gaol-break (5) 19    Type setter and mason’s assistant?

This puzzle is a landmark for D(0)C: his first crossword appeared in The Spectator in the issue dated July 4th 1981 and his puzzles have appeared almost every third week since then. The unclued lights (three of two words) and the others when paired correctly represent initially the total which D(0)C reaches with this puzzle.   Across 7    This week’s theme has nothing in it for me! (3) 11    Channel’s only books (6) 13    Fruit and nuts (7) 15    Capital loss had affected savings accounts, originally (5) 16    Players training in small college court (5) 17    Welcome note during auction (6) 18    Wearing a hat, with a glazed look?

The unclued lights (one of two words) can be resolved into three associated trios which are not the solution to the problem. Solvers have to search the completed grid and then highlight the trio which does so.   Across 11    Maigret’s sidekick has read case in French (5) 12    Those in the band that take some beating (5) 15 The military can stand this (6, two words) 16    Is he blotto permanently?