27 by Mango

Puzzle explanation

The grid represented a snooker table with the coloured balls on their spots. Extra letters from clues spelt “Pot the six colours in sequence”, so Y(ellow), G(reen), B(rown), B(lue), P(ink) and B(lack) were to be cleared, in a break scoring 27. The seven Ws in the grid gave the successive positions of the white ball (ie, where the WHITE LIES, from the grid entry that would be 27dn in normal grid numbering) during the clearance. There were no Rs in the grid (all the reds having been potted) and no extra “colours”, but every other letter of the alphabet appeared at least once. The grid before clearance is shown here, with each ball’s path marked in the appropriate colour.

Entries were marked correct if they had (a) the colour letters either all removed or all retained, and (b) either all Ws retained or the first six or middle five Ws removed, and (c) the two circles in the correct cells.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

Extra letter Answer Explanation
Across
  AMAZE AMAZON + E − ON
  EXALT (EX- + LT) around A
  MELANOMA (A MOLE MAN) *
  MU-MESON (MUM + SON) around E(roticism)
  STAYS STAR’S with Y for R
  BEGONE BEEN * around GO
  ENLIST N after E + LIST
  SHIM SH + I’M
  TWO-TONE DOWN-TO-EARTH * − HARD *
  ENAMEL E(ntice) + LEMAN <
  NIDE (D in EIN) <
  TEWHIT (C + TEWHIT + R) * = TWITCHER
  FULL-BLOWN FLOWN around BULL *
  SEANAD SEAN + AD
  LAKH K in LAH
  HAMULI MILHAUD * − D
  UNSWEPT (WET SPUN) *
  AT IT A + TIT
  AEDILE (ELIDE + A) <
  THE MOB (BOTH MADE) * − DA
  VITAL T in VIAL
  TEXT-MAN (EXTANT + M(anuscript)) *
  MATELOTE (TETE around LO) after MA
  ETTIN ET + TIN
  JANUS J + ANUS
Down
s(P)ent AMUSEMENT (MUM SENT + A(g)E(s)) *
b(O)at MEAT (tireso)ME AT(tendants)
a(T) ALFALFA ALF + ALF + A
(T)axes ZANYISM (M after NAZIS *) around Y
t(H)rust DOUBT DO + BUT *
them(E) EMMEW ’EM + MEW
a(S) ALSO A + LSO
(I) LEONINE ONE * in LINE
Te(X)t TENEMENT TET around (NE MEN)
(C)hill STELLATE SLATE around TEL
Quit(O) STOW S + TOW
cu(L)t KNIFE FINK < + E(soteric)
f(O)ur OCELLATE OCEL(ot) + LATE(nt)
sl(U)ice SHWA WASH with letters arranged cyclically
Canto(R)’s DUAN U in DAN
(S)old INKLE KLEIN *
Nu(I)ts WHITE LIES (WITH ELSIE) *; no definition
Ya(N)k SQUATTLE SQ + TATTLE with U(neasy) for the first T
(S)tare NEWT NEW + T
(E)quality ON THE QT (NOT HET) * around Q
s(Q)uid MODIOLA (SUID < in MOOLA) − US
(U)SA UNITION UNIO around IT + N
Ma(E) WOMAN (ON MA + W) *
ra(N)ting ABATE AB + A + T(he) + E
(C)leave EXIT EX + I + (mean)T
(E)go AITU KUWAIT * − K − W
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