Reappearance by Poat

Puzzle explanation

The entry methods for across and down answers were suggested by the line “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold”, from The Second Coming by W. B. Yeats. The second half of each across answer “falling apart” was to be transferred to its symmetrically opposite grid position. Each down answer was to be entered without its middle letter. The initial letters of answers with definitions misplaced in the cycle 10ac, 9dn, 28dn, 29ac, 6dn, 1dn, 33ac, 10ac could be rearranged to spell W B YEATS. Solvers were required to highlight CHINUA ACHEBE, author of the novel Things Fall Apart.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Def Answer Explanation
Across
5   WARDEN (GARDEN – G) after W (= won)
10 9dn TEASPOON yesterevening: (SITE + GREEN + ENVY)*
13   LABOR UNION (ON + ALBU(m) + INTRO – T)*
14   POON POOCH – (O + CH) + ON
15   BALATA TA after (A LAB) <
16   HUSTLE THUS* + LE
18   HEWN (haymo)W moving inside WHEN
19   EVACUANT (Carlisl)E + V + A + CAN’T about U; “number nine” is military slang for a purgative
21   ONCE-OVER Two definitions and ONCE (l)OVER
27   CYTE Homophone (CITE)
29 6dn BEDPAN acyclic: A + YC in CLIC(k)
30   MILIEU (IE + U) after homophone (MEAL)
31   CAPI PI after CA
32   CHERRY-BOBS CHER + RY + BOBS
33 10ac EROGENIC teaspoon: (ONE’S + POAT (= me))*
34   ILKLEY ILK + LEY
Down
1 33ac STAPHYLOCOCCI erogenic: (CINE GORE) <
2   EELPOUT (h)ELP OUT about E
3   CALYPSO PLAYS* in CO
4   NEBULAE NE about (BLUE* + A)
6 1dn ACYCLIC staphylococci: SHY about TAP + LOCO + CCI
7   ROBIN HOOD ROB + IN + ’HOOD; semi & lit
8   EMBRUTE (BR + UTE) in EME
9 28dn YESTEREVENING wiled: (I LED) after W
11   IRANIAN Cryptic definition, referring to city rather than wine
12   DONEE ON in DEE(d)
17   PHENOL RED HELD ROPE* about N
20   VACATUR VACANT URN – (N + N)
22   NYMPHAL HOLY MAN*, with P for O
23   UP A TREE (RECUPERATE – REC)*
24   TENTIGO (11 – 1 =) TEN + TIG + O’
25   STAMNOI Composite anagram: ONE OF + STAMNOI → SAFE + NO MOTION
26   CLOISON CON about LOIS (Lane)
28 29ac WILED bedpan: BAND EP*
Back to 2008 menu