The Isolated Word by Ten-Four
Puzzle explanation
The clues with an extra letter in the wordplay are shown in the table below. These letters could be arranged to form “acrostic”; a pointer to the first letters of the clues which spelt “extra letter from clue n occurs n times in final grid”. Thus in the completed grid could be found 1 C, 12 Os, etc. The twelve blanks in the grid, once all clued answers were entered, must therefore have been A, A, C, I, O, O, R, R, S, S, T and T. Only one 11-letter word, which could be formed from these letters, was also defined by a 29ac that used the remaining letter (O).
Clue explanations
Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal
| Number |
Extra
letter |
Answer |
Explanation |
| ACROSS |
| 1 | C | SOMERSAULTING | SINGULAR COMET’S * |
| 11 | | ORIENTEERED | (EXTERIOR NEED – X) * |
| 12 | O | LEARN | LEAR + NO |
| 13 | | ANOPLURA | R in (AN + O + PL + U(nnoticed) + A) |
| 16 | R | STARED | Two definitions (STARRED) |
| 17 | | SILENES | (LEN after I) in SE(a) + S |
| 19 | A | TAPS | Two definitions (TAPAS) |
| 20 | | RENAL | LEARN *; reference 12 across |
| 21 | | RAKE | Two definitions, semi & lit |
| 22 | | PULP | PUP about L |
| 25 | | SPOIL | P(lant) in SOIL |
| 29 | | NOBS | Unclued: thematic |
| 31 | | SEA REED | (f)EARED about E after S(kunk) |
| 33 | | TEAZEL | TEA + HAZEL – HA |
| 37 | | EPSILONS | EONS about LISP < |
| 38 | | TEWIT | Hidden |
| 39 | | TAU NEUTRINO | OUR NEAT UNIT * |
| 40 | | STREET SWEEPER | TESTER’S * + WEE + PER |
| DOWN |
| 1 | C | SOLO STOPS | COP’S SO LOST * |
| 2 | | OMERTA | First letters, semi & lit |
| 3 | | MOAT | MO + AT |
| 4 | | ERRORS | (t)ERRORS |
| 5 | | RINGER | Two definitions; reference bell-ringing |
| 6 | | ANNAS | ANN + AS |
| 7 | | UTOPIA | U + TOP + I + A(nywhere), & lit |
| 8 | | TELLER | Two definitions, 5 across = bell ringer |
| 9 | I | NERD | (DIRE + ’N’) < |
| 10 | | G’DAY | G(eordie) + D(enomination) + AY; Newcastle in New South Wales, clue’s surface misdirects to NE England |
| 13 | | AIDE | (m)AIDE(n) |
| 14 | T | PULL | PULLET – E |
| 15 | | ULNA | L in (t)UNA |
| 18 | S | SEA SLATER | SLATE in SEARS |
| 23 | | LAGS | (S + GAL) <; reference billiards |
| 24 | | PRUINE | I(nsect) in PRUNE |
| 25 | | SEAL | SE(xu)AL |
| 26 | | PEG OUT | UT [= as] after (PE + GO) |
| 27 | | ITAS | I + SAT < |
| 28 | | LEFTIE | IE after LEFT [politics] |
| 29 | | NA-DENE | NEED AN * |
| 30 | | BESIDE | BEDSIDE – D; “a degree” ensures just one D removed |
| 32 | | DANTS | DANTE’S – E |
| 34 | | RETS | Hidden |
| 35 | | SPAT | Two definitions |
| 36 | | SWOP | POWS < |
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