Child’s Play by Dysart

Puzzle explanation

The grid represented a Snakes and Ladders board. Misprints spelt “Delete all but seventy-five thematic letters.” Solvers were required to draw the snakes and ladders indicated by these letters. Potential ambiguities of location for the final letters of “anaconda” and “cobra”, as well as another possible path for “cobra”, were resolved by the need for 75 thematic letters.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Entry Explanation
Across
1 lan(K) LEANY (NEARLY – (dee)R) *
4 b(U)tter DIETIST IS in (DIET + (patien)T)
9 Sta(G)e EVITA E + VITA
13 ch(U)ck NOSH NOS(e) + H
14 (M)ore CALLOWER (y)ELLOW CAR(d) *
15 alon(G) COVARIES (O(ld) + V(est) in CARIES
16 m(O)re IWIS I + W(orkhouse) + IS
18 (S)acked CANNED CD about (A + N + NE)
20 s(H)ow PARADE PARADISE – IS
23 (D)rink ORGEAT ORG(y) + EA + T’
24 P(I)nched TAKEN TA + KEN
27 (B)ank PERP PREP <
29 (R)ing LAER LA(k)ER
30 W(A)lter’s BIELD FIELD, F to B
31 sha(R)ing ISOBARE (I + BARE) about SO
32 plan(T)s CEDARS (D + CARES) *
33 Thi(S) TETRYL Composite anagram of UTTERLY, using U
34 (L)ower LESSEN Hidden
Down
1 fiddl(E) LENTI LENT + I
2 (T)rance AISLING (f)AILS * + IN + G
3 Pla(N)t YACCA Y(arn) for D in DACCA
5 (D)icky’s ILL FILL – F
6 Pric(K) THORN T + HORN
7 (W)ell STEEN ST + E’EN
8 (L)acking TORSO Hidden
10 bl(U)nder THISNE THINE about ’S; reference A Midsummer-Night’s Dream
11 (P)an NAOI (IN A + O) *
12 Sh(O)w PLAY AT P(ygmalion) + LAY + A + (cas)T
17 we(D) WAR BRIDE (h)A(i)R in W(ash-tu)B + RIDE
18 F(L)at COHABIT CO(st) + HAB(akkuk) + IT
19 smoo(T)hed EASED CEASED – C
20 (W)ater PEE PEE(r)
21 (R)ight DESERVE D(inner) + RESERVE – R
22 u(S)e ENURE (enjoyabl)E + RUN < + E
25 Pe(N)s KRAALS ARK < + AL + S(kedaddle)
26 shrin(K) ADLER ((D(evi) + L(akshmi) + ARE) *
27 (N)ose PHIAL PHIL (Duke of Edinburgh = Prince Philip) about A
28 (G)od ROOSE OR < + alternate letters in MOBSTER
THEMATIC: SET 1
(a)   VIPER VIER about P
(b)   NAGA NAGASAKI – SAKI
(c)   RACER BRACER – B
(d)   COBRA (COR + A) about B
(e)   ADDER (g)ADDER
(f)   SIDEWINDER (WIN + DER) after SIDE
(g)   ANACONDA ANA + CON + DA
(h)   ASP WASP – W
THEMATIC: SET 2
(i)   COMPANION (A NINCOMPOOP – OP) *
(j)   LADDER LAD + RED <
(k)   RUN Hidden
(l)   SCALE SC + A + LE(o)
(m)   STY With YEA, STY becomes YEASTY
(n)   TRAP PART(ners) <
(o)   ÉTRIER E-TRIER, ie, one trying Ecstasy
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