Lunatic Fringe by Axes

Puzzle explanation

The final grid depicted the artwork on the cover of the Pink Floyd album The Dark Side of the Moon, featuring a LIGHT RAY entering a prism and being split into six colours. The letters omitted in wordplay were SYD (for the band’s founder member Syd Barrett, who had recently left with poor mental health), forming a triangle that represented the prism. The extra letters in clues spelt out “Richard Of York Gave Battle Vain”, a mnemonic for spectrum colours (without indigo) whose initials ROYGBV appeared at the grid’s right edge. They were shaded in the six appropriate colours, with the colouring extended to converge on the Y where LIGHT RAY emerged from the prism. The extra words in clues were key words from the title of each track, in the order in which they appeared on the album. The puzzle’s title suggested “moon side”, a further nod to the theme.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra letter/word [in title] Answer (unclued letter) Explanation
Across
1 di(R)e OLIGOPOLISTIC OIL * + GO + POLITICS *
11 E(I)d SATED S + AT + ED
13 Speak [to Me] MASTED D after (MATE around S(ejm))
14 a(C)t VIATICA VICA(r) around (AT + I’)
15 [Breathe (in the] air [)] TRACER RACE in TR
16 [On the] run SCRAN NARCS <
17   A(S)H-STAND (HANDS AT) *
20 s(H)im MISTER (RET + SIM) <
22 time A SALTI (IT + LAS + A) <
23 Polk(A)’s SCALPER SCALE with last letter in PR
26 line(R) HALON (NOAH around L) <
28   PIG-E(Y)ED PI + GEED
29   O(D)DITY O’ + TIDY *
33 kin(D)a KITBAG (K + G) around BAIT *
35 Latin(O) LLANEROS L + LAN + SORE <
36 (F)laps COOMB COMB around O
37 [The Great] gig [in the Sky] LIBERO LIB + ORE <
38 Lev(Y)’s CHISLEV CH(r)IS + LEV
39 ri(O)t AORTIC (COA(l) + RIT) *
40 little(R) TEENY TEEN-Y
41 (K)en ENCYCLOPEDIST (EN + IS + T) around (CYCLOP(s) + ED)
Down
2 la(G) LAICISE LA + ICI + SE
3 l(A)unch GET AT G + EAT around T
4 di(V)ed ODIN (D + IN) after O
5 Fl(E)ying PICARIAE PICAR(d) + I + AE
6   OMA(S)A O + MAA
7 (B)at LATHY Y after (LH around AT)
8 money STATELY SLY around TATE
9 US [and Them] IDENT I(t) + DENT
10 [Any] Colour [You Like] CORDUROY ORDUR(e) in COY
12 (A)NY TARSALGIA TAR + SAL + GI + A
18   SCAN(D)I SCAN + (sil)I(con)
19 me(T)al AMPHIBOLE (HI-BOP MEAL) *
21   ETH(Y)NE ETHE around N
22 (T)rap APPELLEE APPEL + LEE
24 poo(L) COOK SHOP (POO SHOCK) *
25 born(E) HENNERY HENRY around NÉ
27 (V)ats STAMENS ATS < + MENS(a)
30 [Brain] damage ILIAN I + NAIL <
31 Re(A)ctor BROIL R in BOIL
32 (I)con’s ZOCCO COZ < + CO(n)
34 eclipse TOSED DORSET * − R
36 State(N) CITE COTE with I for O
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