Hellside by eXternal

Puzzle explanation

The puzzle was based on the children’s song There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. Extra letters in clues gave COW, DOG, CAT, BIRD, SPIDER, FLY, each enclosing the next. The highlighting shows GG (horse) swallowed by WIFE (old lady), with RIP above ("she’s dead, of course"). The title refers to the refrain "Perhaps she’ll die".

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra letter/ missing definition Answer Explanation
Across
1 spi(C)es CASSIA ASS in CIA
5 pow(D)er GRAPPA G + RAP around P + A
10 sh(O)red CRIPPLER C + RIP + PL + ER
11 wit(C)h EARWIG EAR + WIG
12 (B)each FEAST F + EA + ST
14 pa(I)n FRIER homophone of FRIAR
15 (S)cored USER US(h)ER
16 clas(P)s AVERSE (AVES + E(gg)) around R
18 ba(I)ts TRIUNE (MINUTE − M + R) *
19 (F)east MESH MUSH with E for U
21 s(L)ides SLUE S(choo)L U(nsaf)E
23 fur(Y) ABLE (s)ABLE
25 no(D) SPAS SPAS(m)
27 cr(E)am STURDY R in STUDY
28 ret(R)aining NEARLY NY around EARL
30 D(R)ead DUST BUST with D for the first letter
32 (D)river ORIEL (R + LEI <) after (lim)O
34 He(A)t IRATE I + RATE
35 modes(T) ODESSA (m)ODES SA(lesman)
36 (G)one MONOGAMY MO + NO + GAMY
37 b(O)y SHAPER HAS * + PER
38 (W)arm BRANCH BRAN + CH
Down
1   CLEF FC < around LE
2   SERIES SEES around RI
3   SEWER S(eal) + EWER
4   ARGUES ARGUS around E
5   GIGS PIPS with G for each P
6   APERIES APERIENTS − NT
7 dog PLAGUE P(oo)L + AGUE
8   ARTLESS homophone of ’EARTLESS; ref. Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion and My Fair Lady
9 spider HARVESTER (HARE + R) around VEST
12   FERULE REF < + ULE
13   SINHALESE S + INHALES + E
17 cow SUBDUE SUB + DUE
19   MUSLIMS SUM < around SLIM
20   HARDTOP HARD + POT <
22   GUYANA GUY + A + N/A
24   ENTOMB (O + MB) after ENT
26 bird PRISON PR + IS + ON
29   ARENA NEAR * + A
31 fly SOAR SOLAR − L
33 cat LASH LASHER − ER
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