Spectator 2270

[djawhufc]

Morning all

A puzzle called "Hard' is that tempting fate?

By the way has anyone heard from Kayakamina as I haven't seen him around for a while?

All the best

DJA

[cleodog]

Why are you on Crosswords? You should be on chatterbank surely?

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks, Daniel.

I haven't seen Kaya... around, but I'm quite unobservant!

[Lubumbashi]

12ac Secure university members axed watchman (7, two words)
I have _U_G_WN

[djawhufc]

Rug gown

[Ironie]

Am I right in thinking that it is the first letter of 22A that has to be eliminated to establish the category for the seven unclueds? If so, where might a helpless solver start looking for the appropriate names/words? And where does the puzzle's title come into it? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

[shaneystar2]

The first letter in 22 a is V Ironie .
Verse men.All the unclued are poets .
eg 34d Pound (Ezra) Pond to be entered .
All the letters taken from the poets names make "grown up ".
As for the title ...no idea .

[djawhufc]

Title is Hardy without the Y

[Ironie]

Oh thank you Shaney! I had understood that it was from the word at 22A that a letter had to be subtracted, not from the poets' names. Now that's a much more doable proposition. What a relief!

[shaneystar2]

Well done Daniel :)
I just couldn't get that.
Thanks as ever for the Speccie.