4076 Labour by Elint


Elint gave us a tightly themed puzzle with a difficult finale. 25 across was AMELIA -  a congenital condition in which one or more limbs are completely absent. In eight answers the name of a limb was to be omitted, always leaving a real word. In down clues eight redundant words defined these.

3 mixture       ALLOY
4 fixing          PROTEAN
13 figure       CONE
20 animals    CATS
24 squashes  SCOTCHES
27 wire        CABLE
35 giant       CYCLOPIC

The first letters of the remaining extra words, taken alternatively gave the names of two famous women with the name AMELIA – BLOOMER & EARHART. Finally, the solver had to highlight a word, which, etymologically speaking, might have described the puzzle before mutilations caused by 25 occurred. This was a new word to Gregson but he eventually tracked down, diagonally, ASHTANGA (a form of yoga aiming to synchronize breathing and posture). Its etymology is from the Sanskrit for EIGHT-LIMBED!

The title referrred to the name Amelia, which means 'labour'

Words omitted from clues and answers are shown in [ ].

Across
1 After tee shot chip into Perthshire village's trees (11, two words)
SCOTCH [PIN]ES T (tee) + Anagram CHIP in SCONE’S
6 Put boundary around deadly base infiltrated by force (7)
CON[FIN]E F (force) in CONINE
9 In French, sept étoiles: this could translate to The Pleiades (6)
HEPTAD Compound anagram TO THE PLEIADES less anagram ETOILES
11 Solar energy fans (6)
REALOS Anagram SOLAR + E (energy): &lit.
12 Victorian sealing making car run on time (10)
T[ARM]ACKING T (time) + Anagram MAKING CAR
14 Heart-throb such as Dahl (5)
PULSE 2 definitions
16 Independent doctor receiving degree in cell cycling that's open to scaling (9)
C[LIMB]ABLE Anagram CELL containing I (independent) + BA in MB (doctor)
17 Stars one might unravel with this disturbed fellow in astrophysics (6)
PSYCHO Compound anagram ASTROPHYSICS less anagram STARS I
19 Decked out for a holiday in Tenerife, merrily leaving River Island (6, two words)
EN FÊTE
22 Bookies' signalling language replaced by electronic fix for Ascot? (6)
TIE TAC TIC TAC with C (language) swapped for E (electronic). Ref Ascot necktie
25 See preamble (6) AMELIA
28 Twitch once displayed by Top Cat? (6)
TAPPET TAP (top) + PET
30 Laconically moralising and coming undone (6)
GNOMIC Anagram COMING
31 Celtic characters marry outside - cross-fertilisation results (8)
ALLO[GAM]Y OGAM in ALLY
33 Laddish behaviour in baggage room periodically subdued (5)
AGGRO even letters bAgGaGeRoOm
35 Brutally ensuring compliance, destroy corn pasture (11)
PRO[CRUS]TEAN Anagram CORN PASTURE
36 Husky speech: isn't it commonly used to mask how you might sound? (6)
INNUIT U in INNIT!
37 Dance with twisting is on a Tuesday (6)
WATUSI W (with) + A TU (Tuesday + IS reversed
38 Cheeses authentically made, originally, 250 miles west of Brest, roughly? No, east (10)
CA[MEMBER]TS CAM (initials Cheeses Authentically Made) + E (250) + Anagram BREST &lit.
39 Softhead suffering from unusual psychological defect, lacking ability to focus (11)
CYCLOP[LEG]IC Compound anagram PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFECT less anagram SOFTHEAD

Down
1 Enamelled merchandise [bought] new from regional stockholder? (6)
SHIPPO SHIPPON less N (new) (the query is essential!)
2 River rising above lake containing area of [extremely] milky stones (4)
OPAL PO (river) reversed + L (lake) containing A (area)
3 Fish with head dropped amongst cabbage [mixture], then here? (8, two words)
CAKE HOLE HAKE (with 1st letter moved)in COLE
4 [Fixing] Bond device? At first even that is beyond his employer (5)
ERNIE E(ven) + RN (ref. James Bond who worked in the Navy) + IE
5 Local iris, almost [like] a western US plant (3)
SEG SEG(o)
6 Handbag fanatic [at] a bargain store (4)
CABA Hidden
7 England's middle order's on top of Australia in legside [offensive]? Tosh! (7, two words)
OLD BEAN (eng)L(and) + DBE + A (Australia) in ON (legside)
8 [Variable] equities seen initially to fall heavily in value (6)
ESTEEM E(quities) S(een) + TEEM
10 Head of swinging club might produce this rise in [requirement] to see proof of age? (5)
DIVOT TO + V (see) + ID (reversed)
13 Ambassador to Chile is loveless, disturbed [figure] (6)
ELTCHI Anagram TO CHILE less O
15 Caught [out] in riddle's opening (4)
SCYE C in SYE
18 Good heavens, [he] dawdles (6)
SNAILS 2 definitions –‘SNAILS
20 With fluorine extracted, gas sure to cause death of baby [animals] (8)
NEONATAL NEON + FATAL less F (fluorine)
21 Root [mean] square leaving thicko cross, scratching head (7)
IMPLANT (s)IMP less S (square) + (s)LANT
23 Trash leads [apes] to the Rock of Gibraltar (4)
TROG 1st letters
24 Poorly coordinated Chelsea taxi [squashes] cardboard boxes (6)
ATAXIC Hidden
26 Burning silver flame [extinguished] (5)
AGLOW AG + LOW
27 Integrated circuits contain [wire] allowing connection of graphic display (6)
ICONIC ON in IC + IC
29 The Gunners like a pro [ref] (5)
TARTY T’ (the) ARTY (artillery)
32 Extra [rent] payment when head of bank's off duty (4)
ONUS (b)ONUS
34 Endlessly gape for all to see, totally captivated? (4)
GAUP U in GAP(e) &lit.
35 [Giant] postcard carries one (3)
PIC I in PC &lit.