Malined Work by Hypnos

Puzzle explanation

The extra letters in wordplay spelt out “anagram of first column bar last letter; W Friedkin”. Thus 1dn HEROIC and 23dn TEXTS were altered to read The Exorcist, the name of both William Peter Blatty’s book published in 1971 and the 1973 film based on it, directed by William Friedkin. The demon requiring exorcism in the story was PAZUZU, highlighted in an ellipse in the grid. The puzzle’s title referred to the author’s surname cryptically, with [LINE in MAD] = [L in BATTY], as well as alluding to the film’s initial reception from some critics who “maligned” it when it opened in December 1973.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
2 POSTSCRIPTS (SPORTS C[A]P IT’S) *
9 EAGLET EAT around GLE[N]
10 ASCOT AS + CO[A]T
12 RELY R(ecedin)[G] + ELY
13 PASS PA[R]AS − A + S
14 CLOU (lo)C[A]L OU(tlet’s)
15 OARLESS [M]OS around ARLES
19 INDICES IN + D + IS around CE[O]
21 CRATES CRA[F]T + E,S
22 PIAZZA [F]A in PIZZA
23 TIDDLE TID + [I]DLE
25 CLUE UP LU[R]E in CUP
27 ERINITE IRE < + IN[S]ET *
32 ORGIAST [T]ORT around (I in GAS)
33 TEAS SET < around [C]A
34 ELMY E + L[O]MBARDY − BARD
35 PROA PRO + A[L]
36 SEATS [U]SE + ATS
37 ESPIAL (A SI[M]PLE) *
38 FLIRTATIOUS (FI[N]AL TOURIST) *
Down
1 HEROIC HIC around (E + [B]RO)
2 PAEAN (P + AN[A]) around EA
3 SLYLY SU[R]LY − U + L(az)Y
4 STASIS IS after S[L]ATS <
5 CUSS C[A]USES − E
6 RASH R in [S]ASH
7 ISCHIA IS + CHI[T] + A
8 TOOL TOO + L[L]
11 TULSA (AS + LUT[E]) <
16 ROADIE RO[T] + ADIE
17 ECZEMA Z after EC + [T]EAM *
18 DELI (ma)DE [E]LI(te)
20 DILL D[R]ILL
23 TEXTS T[W]EETS with X for E
24 DNESTR D + [F]EST in NR
25 CERMET (TE[R]M + REC) <
26 PETALS PET + A + L[I]S
28 ZIPPO ZIP + PO[E]
29 PSOAS SO in PA[D]S
30 PEEL PEE[K] + L
31 PEST [I]S in PET
32 OLLA [N]OLL + A
Back to 2024 menu