Follow-My-Leader by Harribobs

Puzzle explanation

For each cell where answers clashed, the letters were a jumble of the surname of one of the eight post-war German chancellors at the time of publication (which was the weekend of the 2017 German election), namely: Adenauer, Erhard, Kiesinger, Brandt, Schmidt, Kohl, Schröder, Merkel. The extra letters from wordplay spelt out “use bottom row and left column as indexes”. Treating the bottom row and left column of the grid as axes, the coordinates of the chancellors in chronological order spelt out “Palais Schaumburg”, an official residence of the chancellor. Solvers were required to write PALAIS SCHAUMBURG as two words below the grid, because writing the letters in coordinate pairs didn’t demonstrate recognition of the chancellors’ thematic location.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1 TELESMS TELE + S[U]MS
6 THE LAW WEALTH *
10 MEAT PIE M + EAT[S] + PI + E
11 SMASHED (DAM[E] SHE’S) *
12 GOSSAMER [B]OSS in GAMER
13 REDD [O]DDER <
15 ISSUER [T]ISSUE + (designe)R
16 BROGAN R in BOG + AN
17 NEWER WEREN’[T] *
20 SLOG S[O]LO + (ri)G(ht)
21 LAMMIE M1 in LAME
23 SESE SEE[M]S *
24 MAGGOT MA[R]GOT around G; ref. Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn
25 VENT-HOLE VEN + THOLE
26 USED US + [O]ED
29 CREDULITY RULED * in CITY
31 RE-IGNITE REIGN + [W]IT + E
33 PROSE P[A](y) + ROSE
34 KISLEU U after (H)ELSI[N]K(i) <
36 TEFLON TENFOL[D] *
38 LOPE ROPE with L for R
39 STRANDWOLF ST + RAND + FLOW <
40 OBIS OI[L]S around B
41 REAGAN ANGER * around A
42 DOPIER DO + PIER
43 BASHFUL BASH + FU[E]L
Down
1 TAGINE TAG + [F]INE
2 LAUNDRESS LAW with UNDRESS for W
3 SPAER SPA[T] + ER
4 MILKERS MI + [C]LERKS *
5 SERB S + E + R[O]B; B[O]RES <
6 TREBLE (B + L) in TREE
7 HYDROMEL (HYDE + L[L]) around ROM
8 LARGHETTO NE[U]ROPATHOLOGIST * − POISON *
9 WARRANTEE WAR[M] + RANT + E + E
11 DITCH-DOGS D + ITCH + DO + G(ilbert) + S(ullivan)
14 JANSKYS (SKY + S) after JAN
18 ELASTIN (NITS + ALE) <
19 WAGES SLIP P after WI[N]EGLASS *
20 SEAHORSE S(l)E(d) + (HO[A]RSE after A)
22 MOVIEOKE (VOICE * in MOKE[S]) − C(lass)
24 MUSK-COD MUS[I](c) + DOCK <
27 DESKILLS ([N]IL + L) in DESKS
28 STUPOR [D]ROPOUTS < − O
30 PENFUL P[E]EL around FUN *
32 AT SEA (Bo)ATS E[X]A(mined)
33 PEBAS BAS[E] after PE
35 HERB H in [S]ERB; ref. 5dn
37 LOAF FLOAT * − T
Back to 2017 menu