Monday 30 October 2023

Crossword Centre Prize Puzzle November 2023

 No Subtitles by Pandiculator


A work's subtitle, rendered cryptically, must be removed from several answers before entry into the grid. The nature of the work, along with the roles of two thematic individuals whose surnames (6 and 5) that appear within two symmetrically opposite entries in the grid, is spelt out by first letters of extra words in remaining across clues. The wordplay in all other down clues indicates the answer with an extra letter that is not entered in the grid. These letters spell out what solvers must change in the grid to reveal the work's title. Numbers in brackets refer to entry lengths. Real words or names are maintained at all stages. The Chambers Dictionary (2016) is the primary reference.
Across
1 Poet recalled Moll Flanders (4)
5 Self-built bed assembled in rough area (8, two words)
13 Perhaps oak intarsia losing outer covering is difficult to deal with (5)
14 Indian bear's losing head for his last potato (4)
16 Live parrot leads sailor's core mission for mast's valuable product (8)
17 Hamish's dish goes with sprinkled sage (4)
18 Ian's allowed baked tuile with new ingredient (6)
19 Extremely deep fabrications about force in narrow passage (4)
21 Royal satire's a cracker (5)
22 Recalling excavation difficulty with rock at fringes of abandoned mines (7)
24 NZ region with books heralding past champion (5)
25 Energy's given to great Olympian, primarily by Hoy's TV channel (3)
27 US border rule to trouble church beyond swamp (5)
30 Owner's cycling back more rapidly with tool (7)
32 Ill deeds of old men inhibiting opening of forest reserve (5)
35 Deception among cruellest rogues doubling (4)
36 Emperor backing Israel's oil syndicate (6)
37 Dance award's first for final Latin competitor in frame (4)
39 Acid rock's almost obtaining equality in press (8)
40 Frozen plane in diamond country (4)
41 European drink intertwining spirits with tips of Rossignola vines (5)
42 Exchange thousands within group of stars to mark event somehow (8)
43 Take away from excited white rabbit (4)
Down
2 Love story of old from sauntering extract (7)
3 Skilful opener leaves with chance of success (4)
4 Happy it's served up as filling for sandwich (5)
6 Prohibiting drug use, cautiously at first, in government (7)
7 City intermittently behind newer compound (6)
8 Remain lefties juiced fodder pests (5)
9 Creepy-crawlies penetrate rubbish blue-green coats (5)
10 Length of fruit gives Institute for Horticulture's term emotion, in a manner of speaking (9)
11 Ian's senile having rest after two-thirds of DIY? (6)
12 Silicate in case vertically tipped on girl (12, two words)
13 Egg, one surrounded by others, is next to send in a southern European city (12, two words)
15 In India, short white male absorbs gardener from the south with US allure (6)
20 Fishing nets and headlands in these? (9)
23 Director is capturing a queen for Arabs (6)
26 Pub staff duck tricky Listeners, losing skin off nose (7)
28 Musician is essentially vacating supporting group (7)
29 Pawpaw equipment's in two short vehicles (6)
31 East London thug "Crazy Toots" is making a comeback (6)
33 Harry ferries exhausted lame men behind squadron's rear (5)
34 Father drops climbing brother (5)
35 Destroyer remains afloat initially with four on board (5)
38 Fruits from edible marine algae (4)

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

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