Crossword Centre Prize Puzzle June 2023

 Full of Beans by Road Gamer

PDF version

Eight members of a thematically clued subset of a tripartite set have entered the grid, with seven of them displacing normal clued entries. Definitions and wordplay of each displaced entry have been moved into clues for other entries which do not cross a thematic entry, so that all bar one of such other clues contains extra words representing either the displaced definition or its wordplay. These extra words must be extracted from clues before solving them. Having filled the grid, solvers must re-form the seven scattered clues and insert their solutions in the grid, thereby delivering seven members from the attentions of the eighth. Finally, solvers must highlight five cells in an across entry, which might provide a gender-bending synonym for a second subset, and six cells in a down entry, which might describe the study of  the third subset. All entries in the final grid are real words. Chambers is the principal reference.

Across

1 Idle fellow half-emptying ale trough (6)

5 Weapon-toting member of order in goblin throng (8)

12 Foolishly loosed brief joke about First Lady's lush toy home (10)

14 Skittle changing sides in northern sport (4)

16 Special people climbing round old Hebridean island ravines (6)

17 More strange goods supplied when king's dead (5)

18 Parent finally heading off conceited youngster who lives off others? (5)

20 Support in general for contribution from woodwinds (oboes) once fashionable (7)

21 Seniors' reels in Strathspey bringing more luck  (7)

25 Examined fourth manuscript on shrinking wine box? (5)

27 One certifying Norse seal (6)

28 Clever way to hold ball in well upset batter (5)

30 Bee's sound when bouncing over falls (5)

32 Inflatable mattress fixed up window frame in wool mill regularly (4)

33 Twitter finally engaged in barring old abusive posts (8)

35 He persuades arranger to include antique viol (6)

36 Serfdom of the whole generation, once Troy is abandoned (8)

37 Jazz fan's heard fitting old bagpipe part (8)

38 Junior employee's waffle? (5)

39 Glistening observed around hard yolk at first (6)

40 Force's units accepting rule on Sabbath's absence of alcohol (7)

Down

1 Talk at length about book (4)

2 Deva twice encompasses escape (5)

3 One leaving loo available for use (5, two words)

4 Cheers cast back some vacuous story (6)

6 Creamy desserts with fruit (5)

7 Not originally really well-behaved (4)

8 Parties for instance in union hosting South Tibetan natives (4)

9 Fix cross oddly one way, twisting aerial (7)

10 Rows after disarray in shooting galleries? (11, two words)

11 Stake in skins game ends in really unhappy experience (6)

12 Failed to force valet to accept date (5)

13 Scots leader who preceded King David? (4)

15 After excavation Barker uncovered pagan laws for display (7)

19 Bad smell of remotely controlled aircraft (5)

20 Extremely sinful sugar high lifted heart of strapping Balkan musicians (7)

22 In review briefly look into contents of bygone science of intellect (7)

23 Pitch held by native's monotonous speech (7)

24 Dirty crooks turning over smack (6)

25 Grub in church is fried bread (6)

26 One of two English pronouns (6)

29 Group of seaweeds' thematic member, some say (5)

30 Gracious following court song's burden (5)

31 Bores' spongy rubber serge pants (5)

34 Did Study In Scarlet on the radio (4)

To enter this competition, send your entry as an image or in list format, giving the highlighted entries to ccpuzzles@talktalk.net before 8th July 2023. The first correct entry drawn from the hat will receive a book from the Chambers range, which has been donated by Chambers.