Resolution by Alligator

Puzzle explanation

Answers: (Across) Alfred, toted, mentor, oche, ancora, offence, epos, pat, physics, breakback, News from Nowhere, arsenical, jewfish, mas, awed, rhesus, hind, rotolo, oobit, Fantee; (Down) atropin, loofah, rehears, Eden, veney, once, Utopia, Morocco, trass, chamiso, peon, Koch, Erewhon, fashion, musette, sweety, pardie, Jarry, inula, dsos, whoa. Initial letters of extra words spelt “erase all letters from the grid”; the required solution grid was blank except for the thematic word entered underneath (“pataphysics”, the science of imaginary solutions, invented by the dramatist of the absurd, Alfred Jarry, died November 1, 1907). Clues without definitions led to Erewhon by Samuel Butler, Utopia by Thomas More and News from Nowhere by William Morris, all of which describe imaginary worlds.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra word Answer Explanation
ACROSS
1 — ALFRED Thematic
10 Excellent TOTED TOT + ED
11 — MENTOR MEN + TO + R(ebels)
12 rearwards OCHE Hidden
13 Authoritarian ANCORA ANC (African National Congress) + OR + A
14 — OFFENCE (N + COFFEE)*
16 sixty EPOS EOS about P
17 — PAT P + AT; 100 ats = 1 kip
18 English PHYSICS CHIPS* about (Y(oung) S(ous-chef))
19 Agassi BREAKBACK Two definitions; one being “break back” as in tennis
21,23,33 leafy NEWS FROM NOWHERE Thematic: HOME FOR NEW WRENS*
25 losing ARSENICAL ARSENAL about (I(ncompetent) C(oach))
28 — JEWFISH J + FEW* + IS + H
30 — MAS MA + ’S
31 legion AWED A + WED
35 excitable RHESUS R + HE’S + US
36 — HIND H + IND; reference India
37 tungsten ROTOLO OR TOOL*
38 — OOBIT OO + BIT
39 Tetchy FANTEE ANT in FEE
DOWN
1 emulsion ATROPIN PAINT OR*
2 raving LOOFAH (H + A + FOOL) <
3 singing REHEARS REHEARSAL – (A + L)
4 — EDEN Two definitions; reference Sir Anthony Eden former PM
5 — VENEY ’VE + YEN <
6 Forbidden ONCE Hidden
7 Recent UTOPIA Thematic: UT + OP + AI <
8 — MOROCCO (MOA + ROC – A) + CO
9 odour TRASS TRASH – H + S
15 medicinal CHAMISO CHA + MISO
18 Turkish PEON PEN about O(rdure)
20 Hodgkin’s KOCH CHOK(ing)*
22 ecstatic EREWHON Thematic: E + (RETREAT – TREAT) + W + H(ordes) + ON
23 — FASHION FAS + (IN HO)*
24 — MUSETTE MUTE about SET
26 Goat’s SWEETY STY about WEE
27 Reckon PARDIE PAR + DIE
28 — JARRY Thematic
29 — INULA IN + U + LA
32 invading DSOS D (500) + SOS
34 dangerous WHOA WHO + A
Back to 2007 menu