A six-letter theme-word does not appear in the diagram and must be
deduced. It forms three compounds (in Chambers) with three of the unclued
entries: these entries form three further compounds (also in Chambers) with
the remaining three unclued entries, each of which has a link with Christmas.
The original theme-word forms a 16-letter two-word compound (in Chambers,
including a hyphen and an apostrophe) with an alternative rendering of the
number of the puzzle. Half the clues contain a misprint of one letter, always
in the definition part: the correct letters which the misprints replace spell
out, in clue order, a possibly helpful quotation (in the Oxford Dictionary
of Quotations). Remaining clues are normal. Competitors should submit with
their solutions a normal cryptic clue to the 16-letter compound referred
to above.
Send solution and clue as indicated to AZED No. 1,700, PO Box 518, Oxford
OX2 6WX. Closing date Saturday 1 January 2005.
| Across 10. Only very old Scotch, dash of Laphroaig in one blended rye (6) 12. Lap dog (sporting) - rather strange (6) 13. Clover maybe gives this oil, not right to eat (4) 14. Dressed wide, essential to cover obesity (4) 15. Bleat about love for tough piper (6) 16. Tavern I came across housing Arab (6) 18. Forward after kick-off, one secretly helping with hooker? (6) 20. Tendril that's entwined in carpels (7) 23. Short journey an endless irritation? We rarely have treks (7) 26. Amphibian that's toiled, afterwards obsolete (3) 28. Triplets from Pavarotti switched showing musical range (6) 30. Siberian tree that has to start splitting volcanic rock (6) 31. Expatriate from Ulster admitted to party (6) 33. Role model, international, to study closely as before (4) 35. Panels redone in type of yellow pigment (once secret) (6) 36. Decision reversed on earth raised fits on moon (6) 37. Umber and pike round fringes of lake (5) |
Down 1. Fitfully lit in room, Jock's ten brews under it? (6) 2. Having no time for counting, one gypsy trick gets almost everyone (12) 3. River birds in Blackburn and the like? (7) 4. Some innards? Half is without fat trimmed (4) 5. Three-parts cheerful, forgetting why whisky's drunk in Scots receptions (6) 6. Victorian topper? There's barrier maybe on Garden production without one (8) 7. Hard wood, mostly smooth, certainly inside (5) 8. Group of composites, beautiful in arrangement, with inner luminance, gold (12) 9. Carrects maybe wind up in German river (6) 11. Strong desire cheers schmoozy broad (5) 17. Without railway every delta works a little ferry (8) 21. Take fresh instruction in scripture and Latin - merit follows (7) 24. Junior pastoral deity succeeded in grass (6) 25. Owls maybe cause suffering to tit - it flies off (5) 27. Thick rail appropriate round college before start of term (6) 29. Boozer swallowing his last? It shouldn't be taken literally (5) 32. Climbing mountain peaks you'll discover old puy? (4) Every word is in The Chambers Dictionary (2003). |