A couple of week’s ago a Stickler Weekly solver, Greg, noticed that my grid contained two clues that were fully checked, that is, the answers may be fully obtained from solving other answers potentially making the clues for these answers redundant. Take a look at the grid here. In a cryptic-style, blocked grid, where the black-square percentage is about 32, you won’t see too many designed this way. It was borne out of a need to maintain a minimum of half checked squares in every answer in the grid, something I firmly believe in. Noel Jessop impressed upon me the importance of having a grid that favoured solvers, and you would regularly see the crossover pattern in the centre of his grids. In this case it allows two 7-letter words to have four crossing letters, otherwise they would have three and be unacceptable.
It’s interesting to note that US non-cryptic grids tend to be fully checked, that is, if you solve all the across clues OR all of the down clues, then the crossword is completely solved.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | VICAR | |
| VIP cut short transport minister (5) | (VI)P + CAR | |
| 4 | CAMPAIGNS | |
| Pitch tents next to a sign, prepared for political events (9) | CAMP + anagram of A SIGN | |
| 9 | TUNISIA | |
| Land is one surrounded by fish (7) | (IS + I) inside TUNA | |
| 10 | PAVLOVA | |
| A succeeding dog trainer is sweet (7) | A after PAVLOV | |
| 11 | IRREPRESSIBLE | |
| Boisterous Irish rebels rise in a frenzy about power (13) | IR + (anagram of REBELS RISE outside P) | |
| 14 | AXED | |
| Transmitted a photocopy without heading removed (4) | F(AXED) | |
| 15 | GENERALLY | |
| Green worked with associate in most cases (9) | Anagram of GREEN + ALLY | |
| 18 | LITHENESS | |
| One immediately restricted by less flexibility (9) | (I + THEN) inside LESS | |
| 19 | WETA | |
| Spray a New Zealand insect (4) | WET + A | |
| 21 | BOLSHOI BALLET | |
| Retired layabout mismanaged Bali hotel’s dancing group (7,6) | SLOB reversed + anagram of BALI HOTEL | |
| 24 | ENTHRAL | |
| Pole stuck in earth buckled large rivet (7) | N inside anagram of EARTH + L | |
| 26 | GOULASH | |
| Leave university to make fast food (7) | GO + U + LASH | |
| 27 | DIALECTIC | |
| Face replacing leader of hectic debate (9) | DIAL replacing H in HECTIC | |
| 28 | TENET | |
| Teaching elements of forgotten etiquette (5) | forgotTEN ETiquette | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | VETO | |
| Check out front of office block (4) | VET + (O)FFICE | |
| 2 | CONTINENTAL | |
| European is happy about wearing everything mostly (11) | CONTENT outside IN + (AL)L | |
| 3 | RESORT | |
| Delightful place to take a break or put in some time off (6) | OR inside REST | |
| 4 | CHAMPAGNE | |
| A politician involved in change ordered a celebratory drink (9) | (A + MP) inside anagram of CHANGE | |
| 5 | MAPLE | |
| A trace of phosphorus found in rotten elm tree (5) | (A + P) inside anagram of ELM | |
| 6 | ADVISORY | |
| Sunshade employed during day at sea is helping (8) | VISOR inside anagram of DAY | |
| 7 | GOO | |
| Sticky stuff is satisfying to a large extent (3) | (GOO)D | |
| 8 | SCAREDY-CAT | |
| Racy cadets teased and frightened youngster (7-3) | Anagram of RACY CADETS | |
| 12 | BULLET TRAIN | |
| News about returned art – it travels quickly (6,5) | BULLETIN outside (ART reversed) | |
| 13 | DAILY BREAD | |
| Parent, pinching one, barely sorted out basic needs (5,5) | DAD outside (I + anagram of BARELY) | |
| 16 | NOSTALGIC | |
| Long act is terribly sentimental (9) | Anagram of LONG ACT IS | |
| 17 | SEAHORSE | |
| Seal, just about on shore, mauled a marine creature (8) | (SEA)L + anagram of SHORE | |
| 20 | FLAUNT | |
| Display unit reduced by half in living space (6) | (UN)IT inside FLAT | |
| 22 | INLET | |
| Opening line spoilt beginning of thesis (5) | Anagram of LINE + (T)HESIS | |
| 23 | SHOT | |
| Slug’s completely extracted from onion (4) | SHALLOT minus ALL | |
| 25 | TEA | |
| Trimmed duck is needed for meal (3) | (TEA)L |
