The Bard’s Coupling

Puzzle explanation

The Playfair code phrase used in the clues was “duple bacon rights”. The phrase used to encode grid entries was “Dunmow Flitch by Kea” (the puzzle’s true title). The word highlighted in the grid was “Verulamian”, relating to Francis Bacon and to St Albans, where Listener entries are sent. “The Bard” referred to a bard as a piece of bacon in cooking.

The puzzle was published to coincide with the Dunmow Flitch trials, which are now held every four years in Great Dunmow, Essex. In these, couples who can satisfy a court that they have been married without rancour or regret for the previous year and a day are awarded a side of bacon. The custom is mentioned in Chaucer’s prologue to The Wife of Bath and in The Vision of Piers Plowman:

And þouȝ þei do hem to Dunmowe . but if þe deuel helpe
To folwen after þe flicche . fecche þei it neuere
And but þei boþe be forswore . þat bacon þei tyne

(And though they do them to Dunmow, but if the Devil help
To follow after the flitch, fetch they it never;
And but they both be forsworn, that bacon they lose)

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Modified word Answer Explanation
Across
1 ba(ND)s AGATES (SET AGAINST − INST) <
34   DUMOSE DOSE around UM
5   FUTONS UNSOFT *
32   SUSU (US + US) <
10 (DU)ped SHMO M in SHO(t)
11 (BO)ne HEEL-BONE (E + NOBLE + EH) <
31   OVERLEAF OVER + LEAF (substance = marijuana)
12 (YA)nk’s BEJEWELED JEW in BEE + LED
30   VITALIZED VITA + LIZ + ED (Tory, Vita = diminutives of Victoria in Chambers’ Some First Names appendix)
27 (FO)ils SWORDS S + WORDS
15   LAID UP (ID + U) in LAP
16 sp(EA)king PAHARI RAPHIA *
26   DIESEL DIES + (fu)EL
17   PACA (A + CAP) <
19   COAGULASE (CAUSE GAOL) *
21 la(RK) GALRAVAGE GAL + RAVAGE; ref. Galatians
25   DORS DORSA − A
33   PIERCE PIE + R + CE (ordinary, pie = rule book for religious service)
Down
1   HAYLEY HALE around Y + Y
18 gr(EA)t HUGENESS GÊNE in HUSS(y)
2   GHERAOED G + HEED around OAR <
3   TOERAG O’ER in TAG
23 s(AC)red VEDISM (M + SIDE + V) <
4   ACID C in AID
14 (PL)aning FILLISTER FIL(e) + LISTER (definition uses “planing”, wordplay uses “leaning”)
5   HELLWARDS (WELSH LARD) *
6 C(OW)man’s FLEAMS FLEA + MS
22   AUDILE homophone (ie, for an audile) of (AWED + ISLE)
13   WHATSOE’ER HATS in WOE + RE <
7 fl(OW)ers TOADGRASS TOSS around (D in AGRA)
28 (FU)ll WAVY 2 meanings
8   UNAU (J)UN(e)AU(’s)
20   MUSK OX MUX around OKS <
9 se(EN) VESPER VEER around SP
24   GWENDA GNAWED *
29   GNUS SUNG < (see “horned horse” in Chambers)
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