A Crossword by Artix

Puzzle explanation

Letters were inserted into 1dn to make SHELTON. Symbols from the shorthand system of the STENOGRAPHER (1ac) Thomas Shelton were used in place of BALL, BELL, BILL, BOLL and BULL to make overlong entries fit in the grid. Samuel Pepys used Shelton’s system in his diaries. The entry at 26dn was changed to PEPYS, forming PARMESAN to be highlighted in row 10 (highlighting PAR in row 9 and MESAN in row 10 was also accepted): to protect it from the Great Fire of London, Pepys buried his parmesan cheese in his garden on SEETHING LANE (20ac). The first and last letters of extra words in clues spelt “trace a line through circled cells to show annual fine for crossing lane”. This referred to the unauthorised construction by Constance Knollys in 1381 of a footbridge across Seething Lane to connect her two properties, for which a fine one red rose annually was imposed. The grid’s circled letters were linked to spell RED ROSE in order (crossing the Seething Lane entry twice). The Knollys family still pays the yearly forfeit in a ceremony where a rose is cut from the Seething Lane garden and presented to the Lord Mayor. The puzzle was published two days before this year’s Knollys Rose Ceremony, which took place on 19 June 2023.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Extra word Answer Explanation
Across
13   TINKER BELL (TIN + ELL) around KERB
14 temper → TR ATTAP AT&T + PA <
15 Chelsea → AC OMSK (T)OMSK; ref. Womble
18 Aussie → EA NOTICE NOT ICE
19 initial → LI DERMOT (TOM + RED) <
22 expiration → NE WHIP SCORPION W + HIPS + CORPORATION − (OR AT)
25 Tenth → TH APNOEA (AEON + PA) <
29 order → RO NOVA AVON <
31 unionising → UG PARTERRE PARTER + RE
33 Historic → HC STAR ’S + TAR
34 inner → IR MESA (Fra)ME-SA(w)
35   ODDBALL ODD BALL; ref. snooker ball scores
36 colossal → CL ASTROGEOLOGY (LARGEST + O + O + O) * + G + Y
Down
1 dyke → ED SETON SEXTON − X
2 cabbage → CE TRIM T + RIM
3 Level → LL EINSTEIN ST in (EIN EIN)
4 squat → ST NIKKI KIN < + KI(n)
5   GERBILLE ILL in GERBE
6   REBELLED B in REEL + LED
7   ABOLLA (ALL + OBA) <
8   PIT BULL (BIT with first letter moved down) in PULL
9 odious → OS HATE MAIL (MATE + HAIL) with first letters switched
10 Oprah → HO ERA EA around (Winf)R(ey)
11 Wonga → WA REPUTE PUT in REE(f)
12 nun → NN HEUCHS (CUE in SHH) <
16 Uppsala → UA AEGROTAT A + EG + ROTAT(e)
17 Funeral → LF HONOURED HON + OUR ED
20 in → IN SWANSEA SWANS + EA
21 face → EF NOURSLE (SON + RULE) *
23 offender → OR CAA’ED CAD around AE
24 Ribonucleic → CR PHENOL HEN in POL
26 obs → OS POTES TE in POS
27 Ideas → SI OARER ARE in OR
28   VERBALLY VERY around BALL
30 green → NG VAST VAT around S
32 Lea → LA REDO ODER <
34 Nile → NE MOO O(verflow) in MO
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