Puzzletome Crossword Puzzles
October 2024 Monthly Crossword
Magic
In honour of it being October (which is obviously the eighth month of the year with *that* prefix) and Sir Terry Pratchett's discovery of the colour of magic (Octarine, the eighth colour of the spectrum) this puzzle is a magical affair.
Parts of clues for four pairs of words have been magically transmogrified (i.e. swapped). In each case this part comprises the wordplay for precisely 3 letters. Also in each case, the pairs of words have the same definition. These 4 definitions each appear as superfluous words in one of the clues unaffected by magical transmogrification.
| Across | | 1 | Abracadabra is best... only hocus pocus starts bringing about anxiety (6) | | 5 | Restructures drinks around fish lover (5-3) | | 9 | Bits of bewitching ritual stunned three new kinsfolk (8) | | 10 | Marsupial to tie up (6) | | 11 | Joined starters with healthy young pullet chicken swallowed down (10) | | 12 | There are no words for the piece of occultism I'm employing! (4) | | 13 | Performs clutching egg roll but falters (8) | | 16 | Imitation tazer fired arresting primary suspect (6) | | 17 | The French grass left (6) | | 19 | Objection to step sequence (8) | | 21 | List criminal soldiers with uniform (4) | | 22 | Soldier who drops sharp practice finally suitable, in other words (10) | | 25 | Final trick going astray around tree (6) | | 26 | Top illusion is keeping silent (the best) (8) | | 27 | Finding legerdemain with nails, say? (8) | | 28 | About to get penultimate crystal ball (6) |
| | Down | | 2 | Midge for example ends sorcerer wand blockage (5) | | 3 | Star cold and hard (5) | | 4 | Tore into rage with subterfuge shuffle (7) | | 5 | Una casts spell? Hasn't got a prayer (7) | | 6 | Regard as a failure and goes oddly, imprisoning Jack (7) | | 7 | Special witchcraft around morning bearing complication? (9) | | 8 | Magical impact around mystic defaced rune of air (9) | | 14 | Tiger and a comedian's wizardry, he writes (9) | | 15 | Phone card 1000 insert into large crack (9) | | 18 | Starting with levitation, rose up to cure diseased singer (7) | | 19 | Grave users tricked into edging inside (7) | | 20 | Sodium's acidity, over time, almost retains fuel (7) | | 23 | Month to catch setter (5) | | 24 | Joy over (5) |
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Whichever method you choose, your solution must be received by 11:59pm GMT on
October 31 2024. The winner will be selected at random from all of the correct entries
and be notified no later than November 5 2024.