Demolition by Schadenfreude

Puzzle explanation

The letters omitted from wordplay gave “Buridan’s ass”, a sophism about an ass dying of starvation through inability to choose between two equidistant and equally desirable sources of food. The grid has DONKEY in the diagonal between two equidistant instances of CARROT; moving the DONKEY to replace the top CARROT makes real words.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer (omitted letter) Explanation
Across
1 KAGO AGO after (wee)K
5 TALLIER ALL in TIER
11 ESTRO EST + OR <
12 (B)LUE-EYE U in LEE + YE
13 SHE(R)DS SHEDS
14 NA(I)F F after N/A
16 GAEA GAE + A
18 RAISES BRAISE − B + S
19 OS(A)GE GOES *
21 CAMANS (MANIACS − I) *
23 ERIC CIRÉ <
25 A(S)KS SKA <
26 SKATED SKATE + (pon)D
28 PLEBE BE after (L in PE)
31 CACAOS (NOTE + CACAOS) * = OCEAN COAST
34 PRAD R in PAD
35 ECCE RECCE − R
36 FIRLOT IR after F + LOT
37 REGNANT PREGNANT − P
38 ANANA BANANA − B
39 SEED-LAC LEAD * in SEC
40 OATY Y after TAO <
Down
1 KESAR K + RASE <
2 ASHLARS LAR(d) in (ASH + S)
3 ORRIS (m)ORRIS
4 DODGEMS DOD + GEM’S
6 ALDER(N) (c)ALDER(a)
7 L(U)MA LM + A
8 LEN(D)S LENS
9 EYING YIN in E(g)G
10 REFLECT R + F in ELECT
15 RICKER TRICKER − T(his)
17 SARD(A)R R after SARD
20 CAPPER(S) C + APP + ER
22 STADIAL (AID + ATS) < + L
24 ISOKONT IS + OK + NOT *
27 KARENA KA + RE(i)NA
29 LYCEE LYCHEE − H
30 BY-END BEND around Y
32 CORNO CORN + O
33 (S)ATAY A + TAY
34 PEAL PEA + L
Back to 2015 menu