The Brewer’s Ingredients by Gnomon

Puzzle explanation

The “Must”, corresponding to the natural reading of the title, were found at 1ac, 28ac, 29ac and 38ac. The “Finings”, corresponding to a cryptic reading of the title, involved removing the English name for a Hebrew letter from a thematic clue, in order but not always consecutive, to leave a “normal” clue, which gave the answer. The English equivalents were to be found as an Appendix in The Chambers Dictionary (2008). One (zayin) was not used and was to be written at the foot of the grid. The clues affected, and the corresponding letters, were Across: 4 aleph, 7 yod, 10 vav, 11 daleth, 16 resh, 18 beth, 20 ayin, 23 samekh, 26 cheth, 31 lamed, 40 sin, 42 tav; Down: 1 sadhe, 3 heh, 6 nun, 7 peh, 9 teth, 17 mem, 25 koph, 30 kaph, 32 gimel. Solvers using the original printing of the 2003 edition should note that “mem” is missing from the table, though it does appear in the main part of the dictionary.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Letter removal Answer Explanation
Across
1   MALT Thematic: First letters
4 [ale p]er[h]aps SPARE ERAPS <
7 b[y o]l[d] BLAD B + L + (D + A) <
10 Sa[v]e [a] li[v]e ELAEIS (SAE LIE) *
11 Ha[dale], six[th] AXIS (HA SIX) * – H
13   CORPORAL Even letters of trapdoor in COAL
14   GREMLIN (GIRL + MEN) *
15   MERI MERIL – L
16 [re]lease[s h]ad ORDEAL Alternate letters reversed
18 [be]st [th]e ETAGES (ST E AGE) *
20 p[ay] d[in]ar DRAP (P DAR) *
21   SWACK W in SACK
23 Eat[s a me]al, [kh]uskhus TALUS Hidden
26 Man[ch]est[e]r, [th]ose ESTRO (MANESTR OSE) – MEANS *
28   YEAST Thematic: YEATS, TS swapped
28   HOPS Thematic: (SHOPPER – PER) *
31 [Lam]b tal[e] to[d]ay TALBOT (B TAL + TO(ay)) *
33   INHAUL HALLUCINATE * – CLEAT *; semi & lit
34   AMMO AO about (M + M)
36   CRISSUM CRISIS – I + UM
38   TAP WATER Thematic: A PEWTER TANKARD * – (’E DRANK) *
39   FÊTE TE(neri)FE, TE, FE swapped
40 [sin]k VAKEEL (K + LEAVE) *
41   CHAD Two definitions; depend = hang (rare)
42 [T]am [a]li[v]e EMAIL (AM LIE) *
43   ADZE AZ overlapping DE
Down
1 Meg’[s] d[ad he]re MERGED (MEG D RE) *
2   LATERALS LATER + AL’S (Al Gore)
3 T[he] East [H]am TEAM T + E + AM; cryptic allusion
4   SINLESS SIN + MORE (“less” for Shakespeare)
5   AGON (IN AGORA – IRA) *
6 [n]ext to be moved, [un]employed EXPAT (PA + EXT) *
7 [P]ass m[e h]ob BIOMASS (ASS M OB I) *
8   AFAR A + RAF <
9 [t]his l[e]d [th]e DELISH (HIS LD E) *
11   ARRECT RAT * about REC
12   PRO RATA (A PARROT) *
17 [me]la[m]ine LANAI LAIN(e) * about A
19   EARPLUG P(ins) in (EAR + LUG)
22   STOUSHED USED SHOT *
24   UNBOWED Two definitions
25 ma[k]e t[op] t[h]en METATE (MAE T TEN – N) *
26   ETHICAL (ATHLETIC – T) *
27   STATIC SIC about TAT
30 [K]im’s [a “ph]ile” SIMILE (IM’S ILE) *
32 [Gi]ve [me] a [l]ot OVATE (VE A OT) *
35   MACH H after MAC; reference Joseph Henry, the scientist
36   CECA (ACE + C(ola)) <
37   SIKA (A + SKI) *
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