Spectator 2045

[Ironie]

With best New Year's wishes to all Speccie fans: http://www.spectator....7546048/crossword.pdf

[roslyn251254]

Thanks for the link ironie & a Happy New Year to you too!

[barryjbutler]

Many thanks Ironie and a happy new year to you too!

[Farrnorth]

Thanks ironie -
May the best ye hae ivver seen be the warst ye'll ivver see.
May the moose ne'er lea' yer girnal wi a tear-drap in its ee.
May ye aye keep hail an hertie till ye'r auld eneuch tae dee.
May ye aye juist be sae happie as A wuss ye aye tae be.

[maurice]

Of clued solutions, I'm stuck on
11a If JIGSAW why "jig"?
18d Have ??EL?E? Is "seld" backwards included?
Then on the unclued:all place names,I presume, but only 4 produce anagrams that can be entered --- or doesn't that matter,whether they are words or not? Curiously enough, 4 are!
What they have in common is clear to me if my 8 are OK;the ninth diagonally visible would make sense too.
As for FAVELAS,is the anagram SLAVE FA intended?
Hope I'm not completely off track after all that conjecturing in the dark!
ALL HELP APPRECIATED!

[shaneystar2]

Thanks for the link Ironie and Prost Neu Jahr !

[mad max]

Many thanks for link and best wishes for a happy new year

[maurice]

What,nobody answering today? Not even as to what the 8 places might have in common? Indeed it is not explicitly required,but thought s'one might have contributed s'thing by now!Or are we all keeping quiet? Otherwise occupied?OK,I'll wait a bit longer then...

[Farrnorth]

Isn't 11a ripsaw?

[Nical]

Yes

[haggis58]

I went with padsaw. A pad is an archaic term for a thief.

[teacher1]

It can't be padsaw haggis58 ..... it won't fit in with 1d ! ;o)

[Nical]

Rip is an old term for a rogue.

[maurice]

Just to say we finished it all ages ago, but it's a real slog, and above all the title is only loosely related to the theme (what the anagrammed place-names all have in common).So now you can decide!

[slaney]

Thanks for the link Ironie, and Happy New Year to all!

[Farrnorth]

I don't know if anyone is still looking here but I need help with these clues.
17d Helen English in a French bed without valances (10) ?n?an?l?e?
26d Dancing-girl hugs American in Egyptian village (7) ?l?m?i?
Is 1a catty?
Is 2d ariel and if so why
Thank you

[Helveticus]

Dumpynose does it again. I have 7 of the 8 unclued lights and their anagrams and a diagonal 9th (which is not an anagram of anything?), but I am not able to find a suitable light for 3d, nor can I see how the title is related.

I think that the wordplay for 16a is a bit far-fetched (assuming my answer is correct): is "exotic" here to be understood as a synonym for "French"? The wordplay of 2d, 4d and 30d is unclear to me (again, assuming my answers are correct).

Happy New Year to all!

[Helveticus]

@Farrnorth:
17d "Nell" is a short form of Helen
26d If my answer is right, thinking of Montgomery should help you (but I don't understand the wordplay)
1a Yes (though "abstainer hid key" gives TCAYT by my reckoning; the clue for CATTY should be "key hid abstainer" or "abstainer hidden in key")
2d ariel is a species of swallow, but the remaining wordplay beats me

[Farrnorth]

Thanks Helveticus. I imagine there is a village at El Alamein so that makes more sense. I agree with your other comments but can't find a word for 1d.
Have you got it?

[Ironie]

@ F. - 1d is the plural of a synonym for 'shroud'. Does that help?

[Helveticus]

@Farrnorth: Yes, I have 1d. Its singular form is in Chambers. Your 1a is right, so if you are having difficulties with 1d, it may be because one of your other letters is wrong. Check your answers for 11a, 16a, 23a and 29a.

Can you offer any help with 3d and/or the significance of the title and/or the common factor which links the anagrams of the 8 unclued lights? There is one obvious link, but I don't see how it relates to the title, so I have probably failed to spot something.