Isolated in May by Dysart

Puzzle explanation

The letters moved in down clues spelt out “Someone Like You; R Dahl”, referring to a collection of stories by Roald Dahl. One of the stories is Lamb to the Slaughter, in which Mary Maloney kills her husband Patrick with a frozen leg of lamb, then cooks it and feeds it to her husband’s police colleagues. In the grid, LAMB was removed from inside FREEZER (at 9dn) to replace DOWN of DOWNPATRICK, “knocking” PATRICK down to the horizontal position at 39ac (lying on the “carpet” of 40ac). LAMB was then moved again, to be interspersed with POLICEMEN in the top row. Finally, MARY replaced LAND at 26ac. The puzzle’s title gives wordplay for MALONEY [LONE in MAY].

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Moved letter Answer Explanation
Across
9   FLOUNCE (OF < + UNCLE) with (dancing-gir)L moved
10   EGAL (r)EGAL
11   READY REPLY with AD for LP <
13   ANGELO ANGE(r) + LO; ref. Measure for Measure
14   MEITH HEM < around IT
15   ETHIOPS ETHIC + COPS − C − C
16   DEMON DON around EM
17   LEFT LET around F(ighter)
18   ÉPÉE ELPEE − L(eaf-metal)
19   SOUP SO + UP
20   AGREED RE in AGED
22   PLANTA AP < around LANT
24   MOOR MOTOR − T
26   LAND 2 meanings
28   REFT REFIT − I
30   BUSES US in BES(t)
31   SPARSER (therapie)S + PARSER
34   SPEAN E in SPAN
36   EATAGE ÉTAGE around A’
37   DARIC (CAD around IR) <
38   URVA (c)URV(e) + A
39   CAB-RANK (SNACK BAR) * − (customer)S
40   KIDDERMINSTER KIDDER around (ERMIN(e) + ST)
Down
1 (S)old → S+pain OLEATE O + LATE around E
2 c(O)urse → R+o+ad OATH (PATH − P) after O’
3 ti(M)e → m+ill LUDDITE LUD + ’D + TIE *
4 h(E)ard → can+e+’s CHE CANE with H for internal letters
5 t(O)o → P+o+et’s EATHE EAT + EH <
6 ba(N)g → the+n MAGNES MAGES around (the)N
7 Not(E) → mad+e LED ((ma)DE L(ads)) <
8 Wa(L)ter → b+l+oom EELPOUT (PEE < + OUT) around L
12 Ma(I)d → sp+i+ed DISPENSER (SPIED * + R(ound)) around ENS
14 plan(K)s → bar+k+ing MODELS SELDOM *
16 grip(E)s → h+e+ad DELIAN (L + I’) in DEAN
21 Fish(Y) → all+y GOURAMI GO + UR + AMI
23 s(O)ar → Rome+o ARREARS (SAR + ARE) * around R
25 o(U)r → ca+u+se REGARD (o)R (h)E(a)D around GAR
27 (R)aces → +r+and APPEAR (A + A + R) around ((u)P (s)P(e)E(d))
29 force(D) → par+d FELINE LINE after (E + F) <
32 (A)stern → a+round SPRAT S(tern) P(lacing) R(opes) A(round) T(iller)
33 s(H)un → h+eight STUD S + THUD − H
35 drive(L) → Pa+l+m’s AÇAÍ AI around CA’
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