8
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All but nine of the clues are normal. The remaining nine are printer's devilry clues, whose answers are thematic. Solvers must fill the grid correctly and use the thematic material to identify an appropriate location.

All answers (except thematic ones) may be found in Chambers dictionary, as may all abbreviations used in the clues.

(Any feedback on the clues is also very welcome!)

enter image description here

ACROSS

1. Destroys a Cadi's tree (10)

8. Spares down on leontodon (7)

11. May Hawk skates? (6)

13. State officer (3)

14. Doctrine is masculine... (3)

15. ...Rotorua social gathering every other hour needs one (3)

16. 10 and 7 day mourning cut short (4)

17. Li'l amen to Fr. Hone (5)

18. Innocent Edmund muddied lees (4)

19. Undressed? No, no: undone, dishevelled (4)

21. Resident, uneasy without it, seems thicker (6)

23. Fir replaced by cooked fruit (10)

26. Eddo for some is in part a rootstock (4)

27. Transport artery in a foreign country, not Britain... (5)

29. ...where masses are held by repeated twisting of the ankle back to front (6)

30. Disagree with taking none from egg producer (4)

31. Coordinate network trap (4)

32. This herb yields medicinal effects for starters (5)

DOWN

1. Thanks to the wind most of oaf is tangled with line (6)

2. Sell a fish (v. bony) in Dubai market (10)

3. Expressing reservation about border... (4)

4. ...classy babe goes back inside Hell (5)

5. Many mini-men abused ethics (6)

6. French star puts work into heart of speech (6)

7. Bay often used in Italian cookery (6)

9. Story of flesh hale after war (9)

10. Stab odd choice of king before beheading his spouse (5)

12. Can bear eat its form? (8)

20. Interjection describes dead, ill-looking specimen (4)

22. Needing courage, monarch boards nation's warships after loss of First Admiral (5)

23. Dynamites mesa for mineral stratum (4)

24. Without one, Rotoruan turns back from walkabout (4)

25. Hard-to-find camera returned unboxed (4)

27. Mad Ares in March (3)

28. Colour. For example: indigo (3)

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  • $\begingroup$ In the list of clues there's one that claims to be 26dn but the grid has no 26dn; should it be 27 not 26? $\endgroup$ – Gareth McCaughan♦ May 16 at 16:06
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, sorry, completely right -- I missed a clue near the bottom when I was numbering the first time and must have missed updating the numbering for that one. Will fix! $\endgroup$ – postmortes May 16 at 16:07
9
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Grid:

enter image description here

Theme:

All the p.d. answers are names of Watership Down characters (except that I think THREARAH is strictly a title, not a name). The location is therefore Watership Down (which is a real place, in Hampshire in England).

Explanations:

ACROSS

1. Destroys a Cadi's tree (10)
ERADICATES anag.
8. Spares down on leontodon (7)
HAWKBIT p.d. (sparhawk bites down on Leontodon)
11. May Hawk skates? (6)
BETONY p.d. (maybe Tony Hawk skates)
13. State officer (3)
COL (Colorado, Colonel)
14. Doctrine is masculine... (3)
ISM (is M)
15. ...Rotorua social gathering every other hour needs one (3)
HUI (HoUr + I)
16. 10 and 7 day mourning cut short (4)
SHIV (10 is KNIFE and a shiv is a knife; SHIV(a))
17. Li'l amen to Fr. Hone (5)
ACORN p.d. (lilac ornament of Rhone)
18. Innocent Edmund muddied lees (4)
SELE (LEES*; "Edmund" is there because the word is old and found in Spenser)
19. Undressed? No, no: undone, dishevelled (4)
NUDE (UNDONE with no NO, anagrammed)
21. Resident, uneasy without it, seems thicker (6)
DENSER (anag of RESIDENT minus IT)
23. Fir replaced by cooked fruit (10)
STRAWBERRY p.d. (first raw berry replaced by cooked fruit)
26. Eddo for some is in part a rootstock (4)
TARO (contained in "in parT A ROotstock")
27. Transport artery in a foreign country, not Britain... (5)
A-ROAD (ABROAD minus B)
29. ...where masses are held by repeated twisting of the ankle back to front (6)
ALTARS (TARSAL with last letter moved to front, twice)
30. Disagree with taking none from egg producer (4)
VARY ((o)VARY)
31. Coordinate network trap (4)
MESH (double def)
32. This herb yields medicinal effects for starters (5)
THYME (first letters)

DOWN

1. Thanks to the wind most of oaf is tangled with line (6)
EOLIAN (anag of OA + LINE)
2. Sell a fish (v. bony) in Dubai market (10)
RABSCUTTLE p.d. (sell arab cuttlefish ...)
3. Expressing reservation about border... (4)
AHEM (a hem -- though I'm not sure "a"=about is sound, and the definition feels a little off to me...)
4. ...classy babe goes back inside Hell (5)
ABYSS (reversed inside "claSSY BAbe"; indicator seems a little bit inside-out)
5. Many mini-men abused ethics (6)
TICHES (ETHICS*; isn't this usually spelled with an extra T?)
6. French star puts work into heart of speech (6)
ETOILE (TOIL in (sp)EE(ch))
7. Bay often used in Italian cookery (6)
SILVER p.d. (basil very often used ...)
9. Story of flesh hale after war (9)
WOUNDWORT p.d. (... of flesh wound worth ale ...)
10. Stab odd choice of king before beheading his spouse (5)
KNIFE (KiNg + (w)IFE)
12. Can bear eat its form? (8)
THREARAH p.d. (can Beth rear a hare at its form -- a "form" is a hare's nest)
20. Interjection describes dead, ill-looking specimen (4)
DRAT (D+RAT; not keen on "describes"; "ill" here means "bad(ly)" rather than "sick")
22. Needing courage, monarch boards nation's warships after loss of First Admiral (5)
NERVY (ER in N(a)VY)
23. Dynamites mesa for mineral stratum (4)
SEAM (MESA*)
24. Without one, Rotoruan turns back from walkabout (4)
ROAM (MAOR(i)<)
25. Hard-to-find camera returned unboxed (4)
RARE (contained in "cameRA REturned")
26. Mad Ares in March (3)
ASH p.d. (mad as hares in March)
28. Colour. For example: indigo (3)
DYE (double def)

Credit where due: my explanations for 8a, 18a, and 12d needed some adjustment; thanks to the OP for setting me straight.

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  • 2
    $\begingroup$ You never cease to amaze me with the speed at which you solve these! $\endgroup$ – postmortes May 16 at 16:45
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks. It was fun! $\endgroup$ – Gareth McCaughan♦ May 16 at 16:55
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for the feedback! A couple of clarifications for you (mostly on how the PD worked, though you found practically everything!). ACROSS: Fcneunjx ovgrf qbja ba Yrbagbqba Rqzhaq vf Rqzhaq Fcrafre orpnhfr FRYR vf n jbeq ur hfrq naq vf nobhg 700 lrnef byq naq zvtug or uneq gb svaq jvgubhg rkgen uryc. [rot13] $\endgroup$ – postmortes May 17 at 4:58
  • $\begingroup$ GUERNENU vf tvira nf gur enoovg'f anzr, zrnavat Ebjna Gerr, va nyy gur fbheprf V unir npprff gb, ohg V unira'g ernq gur obbx fb lbh zvtug or evtug. CQ vf cresrpg -- n sbez vf n uner'f 'arfg'. Finding good, short definitions for 3 and 20 was tricky, so I think your criticism is warranted there too :) $\endgroup$ – postmortes May 17 at 5:03

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