Oo, a special one: “Wrong Number”. Saith the rubric:
Each clue contains a one-word definition of the word required at the number where it stands but belongs as a whole to a word of the same length elsewhere. Method recommended is to find, after solving a clue, a definition of the solution in one of the other clues to words of its length: this will show where the word is to go.
This was fun; in many respects this was harder, because of having fewer checking letters for a long time, but one way in which I found this made it easier was in helping to parse the clues, because there would be another word in another clue of the same length which would also work as the definition: for example it wasn't too hard to guess that “neighbourhood” and “vicinity” were such a pair, and so that was likely to be the definition for one or other of 24ac and 29ac – though of course it didn't help much for answers like “viver”, neither of whose definitions I knew. In-clude definitions are underlined as usual; destination definitions are italic.
- 1ac: SPUR → 31ac: Strut: what cat does, tail to the fore (4): PURS (obs for “purrs”, what cat does) with S moved to front
- 4ac: ETRENNES → 30ac: Wept if denied odds on races once these are given at start of year (8): wEpT + RENNES (obs. races)
- 10ac: THEN → 33ac: Put name against article immediately (4): THE (article) + N(ame)
- 11ac: DIAGRAPH → 17dn: Device for e.g. copying this poet? I had got paper sorted (8): DIAGRAPH + POET = *(I HAD GOT PAPER)
- 12ac: ROUNDTRIP → 5dn: Rake dressing rotund dissolute for circuitous journey (9): RIP (rake) around *(ROTUND)
- 13ac: RECANT → 23ac: Disclaim wandering in France without fine temperature (6): *(FRANCE) - F(ine) + T(emperature)
- 15ac: GIGUE → 25dn: One under command of US NCO, not one fit for dance (5): GI (under command of US NCO) + AGUE (fit) - A (one)
- 16ac: HECTORING → 14dn: Run in chino and get prepared for bluster (9): R(un) in *(CHINO GET)
- 18ac: OVERDO → 6dn: Ducks forming limit for little bird dropping in fatigue (6): VERDIN (little bird) - IN in OO (ducks)
- 23ac: PTERIN → 28ac: Soak tucking into drink has to withdraw, colouring (6): RET (soak) in NIP (drink) all reversed
- 24ac: VOISINAGE → 29ac: Position love lives amid wine, mature vicinity (9): O (love) + IS (lives) in VIN (wine) + AGE (mature)
- 26ac: DEARE → 9dn: Costly end of marriage once badly affecting one’s conscience? (5): DEAR (costly) + (marriag)E
- 28ac: TROPIC → 18ac: Bit of pigment acceptable in such as Priam’s circle (6)
- 29ac: VIEWPOINT → 24ac: Scenic spot to contend with e.g. beer round centre of neighbourhood (9): VIE (contend) + W(ith) + PINT (e.g. beer) around (neighb)O(urhood)
- 30ac: TROUVERE → 11ac: One like Blondel who presents reworked overture (8): *(OVERTURE)
- 31ac: WORD → 27dn: Promise ends in vow to eager stud (4): voW tO eageR stuD
- 32ac: STRIGOSE → 3dn: Stop replacing work with wild orgies, bristling (8): STOP - OP (work) + *(ORGIES)
- 33ac: WEED → 7dn: Grass: water next day (4): WEE (water) + D(ay)
- 1dn: STONERN → 21dn: It was very hard getting powdered colour into tin (7): TONER (powdered colour) in SN (tin)
- 2dn: INWIT → 26ac: Single twin re-examined self-knowledge? (5)
- 3dn: SORROWED → 4ac: Lamented one who famously streaked in age-old grassy patch (8): ROWE (thinking of Erica Roe, I think) in SORD (grassy patch)
- 4dn: ERMELIN → 8dn: Capital? No capital – see me stuck in this old fur! (7): (b)ERLIN (Capital without its first letter) around ME
- 5dn: GARNITURE → 12ac: Regina distressed about return of routine apparel (9): *(REGINA) around RUT (routine) reversed
- 6dn: SWIVEL → 22dn: Ring women in veils one’s seen to harass (6): W(omen) in *(VEILS)
- 7dn: MUSO → 1ac: Missouri’s garment for American player (4): MO (Missouri) around US (American)
- 8dn: MAGENTA → 1dn: Mum’s making coat for sales rep, purplish (7): MA around AGENT (sales rep)
- 9dn: ORDER → 15ac: Regulate centre of sore showing inflammation reversed (5): sORe + RED reversed.
- 14dn: SKEDADDLE → 16ac: Flight burden that restricts annoying pest (9): SADDLE (burden) round KED (annoying pest)
- 17dn: REDLIGHT → 32ac: Sleazy illumination for dark room enlarger? (8): Double Definition, I think
- 19dn: DENTIST → 20dn: Stinted? Spoiled rather – if it’s filling you want, come to me (7): *(STINTED)
- 20dn: STICKIT → 4dn: Needing doctor? About time it’s inserted for Jock (7): SICK (needing doctor) around T(ime) + IT
- 21dn: RUINATE → 19dn: After end of supper auntie, rocky, collapsed (old) (7): (suppe)R + *(AUNTIE)
- 22dn: ERIACH → 13ac: Hearts tend to turn about one getting serious penalty (6): H(earts) + CARE (tend) reversed around I (one)
- 24dn: UNARY → 2dn: Posh form of yarn involving one component (5): U (posh) + *(YARN)
- 25dn: VIVER → 24dn: With endless verve I’ll jig in pond (5): *(VIVE(r) + I)
- 27dn: ANTI → 10ac: Opposed to a hint, convoluted, husband dropped (4): *(A HINT) - H(usband)
I could feel my brain being stretched as I did this one.