This was an amusing puzzle
from Samuel
with an integral penny-dropping moment! The instructions revealed by
letters
removed from clues were ENTER FIRST LETTER OF TITLE IN SLOTS IN TOP ROW
and
FROM TOP OBEYING GRAVITY MOVE WHEELS HALF TURN. The unusual grid
represented a
penny-slot machine. Entering a P in the top two slots and moving all
the wheels
a half turn allowed the penny to drop to the bottom row. In the new
grid could
be discerned the name ARCHIMEDES, his famous exclamation EUREKA and a
translation, I’VE GOT IT! In the bottom row the solver had to
highlight two
words, PENNY DROPS! The title represented a Penny
Drop Moment ( P + lay + time)
Letters removed from clues are
shown in
[]
Across
4 Black[en] Iowa with southern prejudice (4)
BIAS B (black) + IA + S
10 Pic[t e]yes sorcerer (5)
IMAGE I (yes) + MAGE
12 Repo[rt] on Tuaregs herding camel (4)
OONT Hidden
13 Particle ravaged clone un[it] (7)
NUCLEON Anagram CLONE UN
14 Madder family ru[le] with four, not seven (5)
RUBIA RU + BIAS (4 across) LESS s (7)
15 Sharp[s f]ace pick-up having palmed clubs ... (5)
ACUTE c (CLUBS) IN A + UTE
16 ...[ir]king an independent princess (4)
RANI R (king) + AN + I
17 Think [st]out has mass, not volume - it's a departure (6)
DEMISE DEVISE swapping M (mass) for V (volume)
18 Put up duke evicted from cast[le] the afternoon before (7)
SHEATHE SHE(d) + A (afternoon) + THE
21 Proportion of mineral in ore, no[t t]in territory (5)
TENOR NO in TER (territory)
23 Time Joey called out plumb[er] (4)
TRUE T (time) + RUE (homophone ROO)
24 Cooks peeled first slice of [in]edible fruit (4)
AKEE (m)AKE(s) + E(dible)
27 Behind muscle[s, l]awful fat (5)
ABAFT AB + Anagram FAT
30 Self-seekers act dashingly when sp[ot]lit by sun in El Salvador (7)
EGOISTS ES (El Salvador) containing S (sun) in GO IT
32 Lacking [si]new, run for Scots lines and empty endless trenches (6)
RILLES RI(n) less N (new) + LL (lines) + E(ndles)S
34 Nomadic river worker pursues back re[nt] (6)
ERRANT RE (reversed) + R + ANT
36 Cut short fool almost left nursing broken [he]art (7)
CURTAIL CUI(f) containing Anagram ART + L
37 Charged [to] part by bird up front (5)
ANION ANI + ON (by)
38 Dislike [pr]ess quitting post (4)
HATE HA(S)TE less S
39 End[ow]ing of legacy in radio - it's cruelty (7)
TYRANNY Y (last letter of LEGACY) in TRANNY
Down
1 Diabolical re[f r]ides north, avoiding English restaurants (6)
DINERS Anagram RE IDES + N (north) less E (English)
2 Esau's bro[om] drops bedbug on clean fabric (7)
JACONET JACOB less B (see B-flat) + NET (clean)
3 [To] grace gala, naked maid gyrates (6)
AGLAIA Anagram GALA (m)AI(d)
4 Tree surgeon supports worker with a [po]sting (5)
BEECH BEE + CH (surgeon)
5 Upset Ti[be]tan leaving the bottom of Everest? Have not! (4)
AIN’T Anagram TITAN less T (last letter in Everest)
6 Test[y i]re blighted prospect? (6)
STREET Anagram TEST RE
7 Ma[n g]oes mute in distress, omitting a tip for tardy waitress (7)
MOUSMEE Anagram MA OES MUTE less A T(ardy)
8 Horse in retreat roughly crushed [gr]oom's head, not earl (6)
DOBBIN NIBBED reversed swapping E (earl) for O (first letter of TARDY)
9 [Av]ian's always strong outside - he's good over a distance (6)
STAYER AYE in STR
11 Witness [it]ching originally to leave reception after five (7)
VOUCHEE V (five) + (c)OUCHÉE
19 The[y m]ute LyDon at last, leaders of arcane Goth metal (7)
TUTENAG T (the) + UTE + N + A(rcane) G(oth)
20 Lay[ov]er surprisingly consumes Georgia with desire (7)
EAGERLY GE (Georgia) in Anagram LAYER
22 Cr[ew] have untangled seaweed (6)
VARECH Anagram CR HAVE
25 Stick in Auckland having [he]ard about director (5)
KORDA KO + Anagram ARD
26 Shock suburb of Birmingham and [El]y (6)
ASTONY ASTON + Y
28 Go-go dancing rule[s h]alt ecstasy (5)
ALERT Anagram R (rule) + ALT + E
29 Scold S[al]ly twice, heartlessly (5)
FLYTE FLY + T(wic)E
31 Sa[fa]ri turns right to start to stalk Norse antelope (5)
SASIN SARI + N swapping R for S
33 Sulks tin[t U]SA (4)
SNIT SN (tin) + IT (sex appeal)
35 In retreat, wa[rn] narrowboat capturing frogs (4)
RANA Hidden reversed