This was a fine puzzle from Loda in which the solver seemed to go on and
on, finding new messages. The corrected misprints in down clues read ADVANCE
THE ACROSS MISPRINTS BY SIX. Doing this gave another message – READ THE CLUES’
END LETTERS. Reading the last letters
of across clues gave – ADD DOWN CAP AND ANSWER END. Giving a value of 1 to 26
to the alphabet and doing this, adding the value of the Capital letter of down
clues to the last letter of the answer gave this message – DONEE RAGE SHOWS
UNCHECKED LETTERS. The solver then had to allocate the letters of DONEE RAGE
into the top and bottom rows – this gave another message – SEE ODD ANSWERS’
CENTRES TO DRAW. Here is where the title was useful. In clue order the centre
letters of answers with an odd letter count (including the one-cell centre,
which had to contain a G) read – SIGN FOR INFINITY. The sign ∞ could
then be drawn in one line, passing through all the centre letters of the odd
answers. Gregson felt very satisfied on finishing!
Misprints are shown in bold type; correct letters in upper case in [ ]
ACROSS
10 Ailing, sickly? This bounder climbs mountains and dives in India (6)
NILGAI [Lives] Anagram AILING
11 "Grave" might describe these rats in ground (6)
TRAINS ref. [GravY trains] Anagram RATS IN
12 Hurtful staff at university pound (4)
UPAS [stUff] UP + AS
15 He may hunt for one missing from cruise at sea, Henry and air staff
involved (8)
CHASSEUR [hunt fAR] Anagram CRUISE less I + H (Henry) + AS (air staff)
17 Engine for casting stoves slipping gear? No (6)
ONAGER [stoVes] Anagram GEAR NO
18 Rig water carrier from middle of main drain with run to follow (4)
EWER [Big] (s)EWE(r) + R (run)
20 Buck in third gear likewise turning left to go in wrong direction (6)
SORREL [Year] SO + (L + ERR reversed)
23 It may be used to bash brains out (negating the use of a modicum of
rhetoric) (5)
BASIN [Wash] Anagram BRAINS less R
25 Once before, in the same place, I hooked beast from SA (5)
ORIBI [hooFed] OR + IB + I
26 Maybe Zak cut very first piece of escallop (4)
TREE [Oak] TRE(s) + E
28 Saint's dad's fine, is happy with tea (6)
FIESTA [Saint’s daY]
29 Vedic holy book has set of three in addition (6)
EXTERN [Medic] EX (Exodus) + TERN
32 Bus hazard society's abolished (4)
TAKE [buY] STAKE less S
36 Scot may end up here, leaving with yokozuna? (5)
INNER [sHot] WINNER (yokozuna = champion) less W (with)
39 Noises from bower possibly are very loud in yard mid-season (5)
YAFFS [boXer] FF in Y (yard) + (se)AS(on)
40 Once lull of heartache finally went man rebuffed the heartless (6)
TRISTE [Full] (wen)T + SIR (reversed) + T(h)E
41 Hands section of shirt for a light blow (4)
CUFF [handY] 2 definitions
43 "Pollack in Maize" is a cooking article (6)
SAITHE [in MaiNe] Anagram IS A + THE
47 Put hovel, eg, on sale and rent, inside set in order (8)
RELEASED (Novel) LEASE (rent) in RED (set in order)
48 Remove first part of cataract for Greg, maybe (4)
EARL {ref. Earl GreY] (p)EARL
49 Got more spirited electric current motor returning second in test run
(6)
RACIER [Lot more spirited] I + CAR (reversed) + (t)E(st) + R
50 SA's hope for this monitor - one country has a hundred and fifty
killed (6)
IGUANA [home] I + GUYANA less Y = 150
DOWN
1 With weapon cocked start to sip small port in bar (4)
SNUG [small pArt] GUN reversed + S(ip)
2 African beast doesn't finish wash (4)
ELAN [Dash] ELAN(d)
3 Versiform and harmful micro-organism with tail piece insulated like
wire is one (6)
DANGER [liVe wire] Anagram AND + GER(m)
4 Zapped, I ceased holding bole (4)
DICE [bAle=dice] Hidden
5 Cloth wrap, extremely short, is regularly touched by pair (6)
ATHROB [paiN] (b)ATHROB(e)
6 Speak about ligature for bruise (6)
SASHAY [Cruise] ASH in SAY
7 Going north one week, forwards from Spurs encountered savage tackling, most hop
(6)
WISEST [hEp] I W (reversed) + first letters SEST
8 Jumping up we enter (ignoring odds) to plunge into wager (4)
ENEW [plunge into waTer] WE + even
letters eNtEr reversed
9 Mould ends from the four rubber strips to fill toe gaps (4)
SERR [fill tHe gaps] last letters thE fouR rubbeR stripS
13 John's substitute or one hot broad? (5)
POORI [hot brEad] PO (John=chamberpot) +OR + I
14 Ohio's in the grip of infection for spice period (5)
SAROS [spAce period] O (Ohio) in SARS
16 Ultimately post supporting beam in shed - it hovers everywhere (7)
AMBIENT [Covers everywhere] Anagram BEAM IN containing (pos)T
19 Run from express longing for poet - and poet's fain (3)
ENE [faiR] ERNE less R
20 Reader of theology with masque's very good fellow, thank you (5)
SOFTA [mOsque] SO (very good) + F (fellow) + TA (thank you)
21 Jock's pen ink spews during ... "make a natty bouquet" (4)
REEK [naSty bouquet] REE + (in)K less IN (during)
22 Unrigging sails with energy I had an informative chat (7)
LIAISES [haS an informative chat] Anagram SAILS + E + I
24 Xtian finally enters iron church to take barrier (5)
FENCE [Make barrier] (xtia)N in Fe + CE
27 Owl does this to cloth on tables, not having enough strength (4)
RETS [oIl does this] RE (on) T(able)S less ABLE
30 Zit topped (after resistance) on Eric's nose - time before this producing
plucked wound (5)
TRITE [plucked Sound] T (time) + R (resistance) +(z)IT + E(ric)
31 Knocking tamworth's front and rear, one might weigh a grice (5)
RATER [a Price] Anagram T(amworth) + REAR
33 Preserve, with wings off, Japanese small fly? (3)
AYU (L)AY U(P) [small fRy]
34 Knitted feet covers from Cliff won (6)
EFFECT [wIn] Anagram FEET and C(lif)F
35 Lovely to follow Anglo-French concert (6)
AFFAIR [concerN] AF + FAIR
37 So untidy with scraps of Sunday Record newspapers everywhere, they use their
hoovers (6)
NOSERS [their hooTers] Anagram SO and initial letters S R N E
38 Persevering ornithologist screens tweet (6)
ERINGO [Sweet] Hidden
41 Quick feast with plates (awesome bite) and limitless pot (4)
CROC [Beast] CROC(k)
42 Fine, long and thin chopped raw material for penne? (4)
FLAN F (fine) + L + AN(d)
44 Kind of publicity, the focal point of Tahitian paysage (4)
ADIT [paSsage] AD + centre of (tah)IT(ian)
45 Zulu's kept out of anything risky, avoiding the Dutch most (4)
HAAR [mIst] HAZARD less Z (Zulu) and D (Dutch)
46 Venus gets tungsten for Mr Lynn's nail perhaps (4)
CLAW [lynX’s nail] CLAM swapping M for W (Tungsten)