Belligerent by Dimitry

Puzzle explanation

Letters from clues spelt “Ring out the thousand wars of old” (Tennyson). Unclued entries before entry in bell-ringing method were historic battles with capital Ms omitted: Montreal, Malplaquet, Magenta, Marengo, Monte Cassino, Marathon, Moerskirch and Marston Moor. Clue answers, in order, were: Gobi, immersion, moist, vegan, meshing, Potentilla, cogie, tafia, several, seed coral, lank, Putney, Peebles, sweir, vert, glasses, château, triced, clapnet, sed, seta, tokamak, lope, uredo, socialists, holiness, dendrite.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No First entry Letter Answer Explanation/Date
TOP HALF (ACROSS)
4     MONTREAL 1760
9     MALPLAQUET 1709
15 I R GOBI GO (=die) + BI(g)
17 M I IMMERSION IMMER (German) + IS  < + ON; reference spa at Baden-Baden
18 S N MOIST I in MOST
19 N G VEGAN VEGA + N
21 H O MESHING SHIN in MEG
22 N U POTENTILLA TENT + ILL in POA
23 G T COGIE CO + GIE
26 F T TAFIA FAT < + I + A
27     MAGENTA 1859
28     MARENGO 1800
29     MONTE CASSINO 1944
30 S H SEVERAL EVER in SAL
32 R E SEED CORAL C + DEE’S < + ORAL
33 A T LANK FLANK – F
35 P H PUTNEY UT + N + E(lement) in (P + Y); academic row = University Boat Race
36 E O PEEBLES PE(ople) + BE < + LES
38     MARATHON 490BC
40 W U SWEIR WE in SIR
41 R S VERT VERT(ical)
43 A A GLASSES G + LASSES
46 H N CHÂTEAU C + HATE + À (= of) + U
47 I D TRICED C in TRIED
48 L W CLAPNET C + PAL < + TEN <
52 D A SED Hidden (advi)SED(ly)
53     MOERSKIRCH 1800
59 T R SETA SET + A
60 O S TOKAMAK T + KAM in OAK
62     MARSTON MOOR 1644
64 E O LOPE First letters
66 E F UREDO U(stilago) + REDO (noun)
67 S O SOCIALISTS SO + CIA + LISTS
68 S L HOLINESS INES in HOLS
69 E D DENDRITE Homophone (DENNED RIGHT); den as verb

Masterworks by Viking

Puzzle explanation

The thematic answers were musical works beginning with M: 78 Moonlight 85 Maddalena 99 Má Vlast 110 Marche Slave 112 Mignon 113 Martha 125 Métaboles 126 Macbeth. Correct words were ar(m), b(e)ck, (t)rashing, (a)ngels, (m)irth, s(o)re, (r)ing, (p)ower, c(h)atter, L(o)ud, ri(s)es, Cas(e), Ja(n)e, ski(r)t, d(i)sh, fa(c)t, As(h), le(a)der, (R)efines, (D)epot, (s)ore, (t)ubes, c(r)op, Sh(a)ft’s, g(u)ides, te(s)t, (s)oup, the corrected letters spelling out “Metamorphosen, Richard Strauss”. This hinted that the association was with the composers: Beethoven, Prokofiev, Smetana, Tchaikovsky, Thomas, Flotow, Dutilleux, Strauss. Their names were enciphered using the phrase “Symphony of a Thousand, G Mahler”. The title suggested works starting M (Master), as well as parsing as the plural of Master + Work.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Misprint Correction Answer Explanation
BOTTOM HALF (ACROSS)
70 ar(M) AIR RIFLE AIR + RIFLE
73 b(E)ck GESTURAL (STAG + LURE) *
75 (T)rashing DESECRATER CRATE in REEDS *
76 (A)ngels GENII ((L)ENI(n) + I) after G; ENI centred on (Le)N(in), see Third International in Chambers
77 (M)irth GLEE G + LEE
78   MOONLIGHT MOO + L in NIGHT
80 s(O)re SADISTS DI’S in SATS
82 (R)ing LAER REAL <
85   MADDALENA Hidden
86 (P)ower VIM VIA, M replacing A
88 c(H)atter PRATTLE P + (Sir Simon) RATTLE
89 L(O)ud ROARIE RARE “intermixed” with O(xford) and I
91 ri(S)es MENDIPS MEN + DIP + S
94 Cas(E) DRACONE RAC in DONE
97 Ja(N)e EYRE R in EYE
98 ski(R)t MIDIS (SID(a) + I’M) <
99   MÁ VLAST MAST about (AV + L)
101 d(I)sh SIRLOIN (IR + LO) in (a deadly) SIN
103 fa(C)t IN ESSE (f)INESSE
105 As(H) WYNN First letters; ash and wynn are in same runic alphabet
106 le(A)der TAOISEACH (IS + EACH) after TAO
108 (R)efines DISTILS DIST + I’S about L
110   MARCHE SLAVE (ARCH + VALSE <) in ME
112   MIGNON I in NON-GM <
113   MARTHA MARA about (THIS – IS)
117 (D)epot ETAPE TAP in (E + E)
118 (S)ore PSORA Hidden
119 (T)ubes HAWSEPIPES W in (PIES + SHAPE) *
120 c(R)op QUIRTED QUID about (MARTENS – (M’+A+N+S))
121 Sh(A)ft’s STEEN TEE in (S + N)
122 g(U)ides AUNTS S after (h)AUNT
123 Te(S)t SCIENTISE NICE * in SITES *
124 (S)oup BREE BREED – D
125   MÉTABOLES STEM < about (A BOLE)
126   MACBETH MAC + BETH

Submerse by Arcturus

Puzzle explanation

The thematic answers were to be interpreted as 1 M-and-ingos 2 m-on-ogenetic 17 double-m-inded 24 mealy-m-out-hed 41 ru-m-below-s 42 metha-no-m-eter 65 m-in-orship 79 boxing-m-atch. The title was an anagram of M-REBUSES.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
LEFT HALF (DOWN)
1 MANDINGOS DIN in MANGOS
2 MONOGENETIC EMOTICON * around GEN
3 ABACI CI with ABA on
4 RUN TO SEED TO SEE in RUND
5 NEGATE NEG(oti)ATE
16 BEANOS BARONETS * – (R + T)
17 DOUBLE-MINDED (BUILD DOME + END) *
20 VISCERA VISA around (C + ER)
24 MEALY-MOUTHED MEALED around (Y + MOUTH)
25 REALTIE ((EA + LT) after R) + IE
31 CUSTOS SCOUTS *
37 BACKARE BACK + ARE(a)
40 WHITE LADY (A + D) with WHITELY around
41 RUMBELOWS SLUMBER * around OW
42 METHANOMETER OTHER MEN TAME *
50 ZAPTIEHS ZAP + TIE + HS
51 SELF-REGARD SELF + REGARD
54 ROUSSEAU (t)ROUSSEAU
61 TOSTADA TAD in TOSA
65 MINORSHIP MINORS + HIP
71 FRUSTA U in (FR + STA)
72 ETHOLOGY HOLE GOT * around Y
73 GEOS GE(nto)OS
79 BOXING MATCH BOX + (CAN + MIGHT) *
84 BARDASHES BAR + DASHES
95 EON ONE *
100 HOT SPOT HOT (was named) + SPOT
104 GIUSTO GO around IT around US
105 WIDISH I’D in WISH
109 STEIL TILES *
112 GAUM Two definitions
114 USED Hidden
115 GANG G + AN + G
116 HUIS HU(br)IS
119 HAP (c)HAP

Get Ready! by Trev

Puzzle explanation

Extra letters generated by clues gave “si non quocumque modo rem, Horace, Epistles” (if not, somehow, make money). Answers thus requiring changing into money were 39 spear 49 litters 67 soredial 81 idem 87 climate 93 sparteine 96 parties 107 neared.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Letter Answer Entry Explanation
RIGHT HALF (DOWN)
6 S LISE ISLES *
7 I EMIT EMI + IT
8 N TONG TONING – I
9 O TRIAS TRIO + AS
10 N EILEEN NEE + LIEN <
11 Q APPARAT (P + PARA) in QAT
12 U POORLY POO + RULY
13 O AMEN A OMEN
14 C LIT LICTOR – OR
18 U SAGE-GREEN (GRUNGE + EASE) *
33 M ANA MANAKIN – KIN
34 Q LOG-CANOE LOQ + A + (ONCE + (gettin)G) *
39 U SPEAR ASPER SUP + EAR
44 E LAROID ROE in LAID; def is “about birds”
45 M SNARLINGLY MARLIN in (SINGLY – I)
49 O LITTERS TESTRIL OTTER in LIS
55 D RADIANT (AD + I’D <) in RANT
56 O SMALLISH SOMA + ’LL + HIS *
57 R ETCH (w)RETCH
58 E HOSE REEL SERE in HOE (verb) + EL
63 M OSTLERESS MELTS < in ’ORSES *
67 H SOREDIAL SOLIDARE SHORE + DIAL; see “dial” in Chambers
74 O RESORBS ORE + SORBS
81 R IDEM DIME I + DERM
83 A AMIDST (’S + T) after A MAID
86 C VERIEST ICES in VERT
87 E CLIMATE METICAL CETE about LIMA
90 E ABROGATED A GRADE TO BE *
92 P DIECAST (A + DEPICTS) *
93 I SPARTEINE PISTAREEN TIE-IN in SPARE
96 S PARTIES PIASTRE SPAR + TIES
102 T LIMPET MP in (LIT + ET)
106 L THEISM (THIS MALE – A) *
107 E NEARED DEANER NE + A REED
111 S DOERS ER in DOSS
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