Wiggles by Sabre

Puzzle explanation

The letters in the centre cells of the Squares spelt out “Caesar-shift pairs”. The unclued Square entries were shifted alphabetically to give the unclued Octagon entries: KERNE → GANJA, TERRA → GREEN (two synonyms for “grass”), BEEFS → ADDER, FREUD → COBRA (two types of snake). The centre letters of perimeter Octagons spelt out “Natrix natrix”, the Linnaean name for the grass snake species.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Squares, Octagons
1 TRASH (ex)TRA SH(erbet)
2 PECAN PEN around CA
3 PRANG (s)PRANG
4 AERIE A + ERIE
5 SHADE SHE around AD
6 NIXER NICER with X for C
7 PANES AN in PES
8 BERNE BEE around RN
9 ELIDE LIDE after E
10 DIANA (AN + AID) <
11 DENCH (gol)DEN CH(ain)
12 GELID homophone of JELLIED
13 KABUL KL around (A + B + U)
14 DEFER DEFENDER − END
15 NUGAE (EA + GUN) <
16 RICER (RICER + US) * = CURRIES
17 TALIB LIB after TA
18 RUMPS (T)RUMP’S
19 AGATE A in (AG + TE)
20 BARRE BARE around R
21 METIF MET + IF
22 XHOSA (se)X + HO + SA
23 CAECA E in CACA
24 GIGAS 2 meanings
25 RETCH (THE + C(ontaine)R) *
26 BOILS B(urn) + OILS
27 STAGE (GETS A) *
28 APISH (ch)AP IS H(ugging)
29 CLEAN C + LEAN
Wiggles
2 CAPA C + A + P + A
7 SPREAGHS (GRASP HE’S) *
7 SNAKE FENCE KEF in (CAN SEEN) *
9 LIEBFRAUMILCH (RUM EACH IF BILL) *
14 EFS (thi)EF S(tole)
15 GURRAH RUG < + R + A + H
19 ATABEG A + TAB + EG
21 FERRET-BADGER FERRET + BAD + GER
27 TAIPAN TAI + PAN
27 TEA GARDEN (GREAT DANE) *
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