As Specified
Triplets of shaded squares form oddly-shaped combined cells. When a word crosses the combined cell, it uses all three letters, in the same order each time.
(For example, 20a is 4 letters, and ends with the same three letters that 7d and 22a do.)
Across and down clues have been sandwiched together with some filling in between. The filling must be removed and the two clues separated before solving, possibly with re-punctuation and/or re-spacing of words. Filling is either one or two letters.
The exception is 26d, which has been cut apart, had a 4 letter filling inserted, then joined back together.
Pentomino clues correspond to the 12 pentomino shapes (F, I, L, N, P, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z). X is unclued and must be found; the filling pieces from above may help identify it.
The pentominoes tile the puzzle (reflections/rotations allowed), ignoring the shaded 3-cells; the letters for each pentomino answer may appear within the shape in any order.
Each pentomino clue also has a hidden word that must be removed before solving (which may lead to re-punctuation and/or re-spacing of words).
You can use the buttons 1-9 to colour the grid, with 0 to clear colour.
For the dedication:
- Take the first letter of the answer that is also a clone.
- Previously, we followed this with a 4-letter synonym of the words removed from pentomino clues; we never backed them for a singer anyway.
- Now they are publically N, we instead twice use a letter that appears in at least one of P, T, U, V, W and Z, but not in any others.
Across and Down clues
| 1a + 1d | 1a + 1dBoat's big front, now closer to Dublin, got sale spaces (5 / 4) |
| 4a + 2d | 4a + 2dColoured, withdrawing; dimple captivates ballet dancer, finally stopping bachelor with rubbish retorts (5 / 5) |
| 8a + 3d | 8a + 3dWith care, moved by lust, tends to the ill, infirm and one with disease risk (6 / 3) |
| 12a + 5d | 12a + 5dUnreasonably, maiden lady's amis suck; night is boring, badly done, not stopping (5 / 2, 3) |
| 13a + 6d | 13a + 6dStudent with Gold Care Grants evacuated after drug appearing in e-jokes? (6 / 3-6) |
| 15a + 7d | 15a + 7dJapanese request working perhaps with a current US ad; you somehow settled on time for vacation (6 / 4, 3) |
| 18a + 9d | 18a + 9dPath's been set down for audience, a crushed rock one; red and dun (4 / 9) |
| 19a + 10d | 19a + 10dFirst out of roaring fire, by bathing for light touch; down shortly before bird (7 / 7) |
| 20a + 11d | 20a + 11dLost tip off nose up north; nothing chides head of sea creature pound (4, regional / 4) |
| 21a + 14d | 21a + 14dMade over 500 in time, spreading about online (going quiet in beer being copy) (6 / 3) |
| 22a + 16d | 22a + 16dHad picnic maybe; prepared tea over TT obligation (good, because getting regularly wasted) (3, 3 / 4) |
| 23a + 17d | 23a + 17dCharlie, in fix for commando, marks rigid timing in front ranks with skill (5 / 3) |
| 27a + 24d | 27a + 24dSnack with seconds; after odd sins, panacea right away gives nothing to setter (6 / 2, 3) |
| 29a + 25d | 29a + 25dMusical group worked on tent, sending up singer for waterproofing (5 / 3) |
| 26d | 26dThey'll, oddly, put up in paroquet's toy (5) |
| 30a + 28d | 30a + 28dElizabethan explorer told to come back; so friend hid her in the centre, in side street (5 / 4) |
Pentominoes
| F | New, cheerful, restraint sex cited as source of hormones perhaps (5) |
| I | 'Aromas' anime age rated; not run in island nation (5) |
| L | Finally traced Mafia graffiti across Salisbury Plain; ten sent in chains (5) |
| N | Type of fake entrails, taking time to front (5) |
| P | Separate gofer venting after temperature change (5) |
| T | Kept shirt during doze; a louse is put off (5) |
| U | Substantial team's award entry unknown (5) |
| V | American trade voted in car name, in pass on Republican (5) |
| W | Poles' crossfire duped country and Cair Paravel's queen (5) |
| X | See preamble (5) |
| Y | Compassion ate ET's partner as prize detective returned (5) |
| Z | Despite arsonist's smog, a gathering comes apart (5) |
Printable version available here
*The specific prompt was:
Compose a puzzle comporting to at least 3 of the following criteria:
- there are three sandwiches with the same filling
- there is a significant pentomino
- there is a significant word
- a section of the solution must have a clone
- one diagonal contains three repeated digits
- a negative constraint is in play
- not all cells are the same shape
Yours most precisely,
Mr Pacific
