Strike Back by Horntail

Puzzle explanation

The letter moved in clues was always T (for time); the initial letters of the words into which it was moved spelt Back in Time, the closing song from the 1985 film Back to the Future. Corrections to the misprints in other clues spelt “converted car, plutonium, clock hands”. Taking the song title as an instruction, INT in the grid was reversed so that LIGHTNING appeared in an appropriate shape. An O on top of COURT HOUSE had clock hands drawn in it to show 10:04 pm, the time at which lightning struck the clock in the film, providing power for the DeLorean car to travel back from 1955 to 1985. The highlighted parts were LIGHTNING, COURTHOUSE and OLEANDER (an anagram of DELOREAN). The puzzle was published four days before the 70th anniversary of the 1955 lightning strike.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Misprint/[moved letter] Answer Explanation
Across
1 (C)lad GILDED GLIDED with I moved to second place
5 [T]win → bus[T] EARNED NEED * around (A + R)
10 (O)f ONEIRIC (I RECKON I) * − K
12 (N)ot MISDO D in MISO
14 sea[T] → a[T] TANAGER GREAT * around (N + A)
15 (V)oddy OPTIC OP + TIC(k)
16 Mon(E)y MOHURS HUR(t) in MOS
19 [T]rain → come[T] THAI (come)T + HAI(l)
20 (R)oad CAMBER B in (C + AMER)
22 fla(T) LLANERO ALL < + NERO
25 curr(E)nt OHM’S LAW O’ + HM + SLAW
26 (D)how ASTERN ASTER + N
28 s[T]eamy → Kara[T] AS IS (A + KISS *) − K
29 ba(C)k PAIGLE P(l)A(c)I(n)G (e)L(d)E(r)
32 l(A)nd DORAD DO + RAD
33 (R)ob TROUSER T + ROUSE + R
35 (P)ass ENSUE ENS + U + (Rom)E
36 forma(L) COURTLY OUTCRY * around L
37 fl(U)sh REWASH (SAW HER) *
38 (T)weeter OUSELS (fam)OUS ELS(tree)
Down
1 Bo(O)r GOTH GOT + H(eisenberg)
2 Cas[T]es → Indic[T] INAPTLY (I(ndic)T L(ait)Y) around PAN <
3 sto(N)y DIAMANTÉ (I AM) in DANTE
4 Go[T] → no[T]es DIE I in (D + E)
5 Toile[T] → tin[T] ECRU (Toil)E CRU(d)
6 s(I)n AMORAL ORAL after MA <
7 ro(U)és RIPS RIP + S
8 [T]axing → isle[T]s EDILE EDICT − CT + (is)LE(ts)
11 (M)ages ENCHANTERS (CHA + N) in ENTERS
13 (C)orn STUBBLIEST B(lather) in SUBTITLES *
17 tal(L) HERON HERO + N
18 Wo(O)dy OLEANDER ODE around LEAN + R
20 (C)lam COHOG CO(p) + HOG
21 stro(K)e MASSEURS MASS + USER *
23 (H)awk TASSELL AT < + SELL with first letter repeated
24 Tes[T] → me[T]al TRADES TES around RAD(ium)
27 [T]ravelled → E[T]ons STONE ETONS *
29 Se(A) PAUA AU in P(anam)A
30 Ha(N)ker’s ITCH PITCH − P
31 (D)ough PRYS PR(e)YS
34 (S)on ROO ROO(m)
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