Waste Recycling
a cryptic puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon
Every clue answer discards one letter before entry into the diagram. These 34 thrown-away letters are not wasted, however. Taken in order, with Acrosses preceding Downs, they combine to spell out a complete cryptic clue for the (otherwise unclued) word in the center of the diagram. Answers include three proper nouns; 2 Down and 7 Down are less-than-common words.
Across
-
1.
Plan to recycle liqueur (10)
-
10.
Sprang for a wine (5)
-
11.
Choose one flower that's ideal (7)
-
12.
Outside Italian river, farm products decay (8)
-
13.
Indian returned one's cases (5)
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14.
Slug, grabbing bottle nearest here (10)
-
16.
Acid rock has its origin among top British (5)
-
17.
Southern field worker is less active (7)
-
21.
Dessert draws reverent comments (7)
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23.
Father keeps piano in part of church (5)
-
26.
Backward poet experiments with soap, cologne, etc. (10)
-
28.
Girl's name: Dotty Ainge (5)
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29.
Beasts of burden eating most of Art's candies (8)
-
31.
Harry has large and small herbs (7)
-
32.
Confine one macho guy (hyphenated) (5)
-
33.
Overworking, Hollywood's Dracula gets dull (10)
Down
-
1.
Mountain pass has tarn inside (6)
-
2.
Shy taxi passenger withholds word of pain (8)
-
3.
Closer to red, red dogwood (6)
-
4.
Regular at sides and back (4)
-
5.
Vital statistic: work number (6)
-
6.
A box with bland sweetener (9)
-
7.
Penny I pinched, and gold coin (7)
-
8.
Left-leaning short newsmagazine issues (5)
-
9.
Looked for Queen playing etudes (7)
-
15.
Conclude floor material is not productive (9)
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18.
Lion (Elsa) mauled journalist (two words) (8)
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19.
Order it acted out (7)
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20.
Writer makes pen tilt (7)
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22.
Spy group covers baddie with bug (6)
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24.
Fish caught by each kitchen utensil (6)
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25.
Moderating each session of vocal music (6)
-
27.
Private meal excluding chief (5)
-
30.
Reversing direction, crow makes appearance (4)