Straight clues and 9 clashes to find and resolve into one of two options based on three answers to clue the correct option.
Definitely one for lovers of crossword clues rather than those who enjoy a complex end game. It took me quite a while to resolve the clues, with it becoming apparent quite early on that the NW to SE diagonal was where the clashes lay.
W/S I/T N/A D/N H/D O/G V/A E/L R/E
These could be resolved to either WINDHOVER or STANDGALE
Kestrel being the definition of both (14ac) and both could in theory could be clued by WAIT ON (18ac) and BLOW (20ac) if I got the intention correct.
The fact that the second letter of ‘Wait on’ is one of the clashes meaning the resolution leaves STANDGALE on the leading diagonal as ‘Kestrel wait on blow’ as the clue to the selection.
Thanks Jaques for a lot of dictionary thumbing which kept my mind away from the real world.
Underline – definition; * anagram; Rev. reversed; DD Double definition
Across
1 Masons’ effort to infiltrate banks with House of Lords (6)
Asar (banks) around hl (house of lords) = ASHLAR
6 Might be bits of fly in tea, order one without (7)
Mate (tea from Paraguay) in Om (order) + a (one) = OMMATEA
12 ‘Queen, Regina amongst throng of drones’ – could it be inscribed on The Faerie Queene’s palace? (9)
Anne (Queen) = r (Regina) in ball (throng of drones) = BANNERALL
13 Piece of plate and cup of Sèvres (5)
DD TASSE
14 Bird’s strong through axial structure (7)
Keel (axial structure) around str (strong) = KESTREL
15 Tools of Knox? Were they rooted out by The Spanish Inquisition? (6)
El (the Spanish) + sins (rooted out by the inquisition) = ELSINS
18 Formally visit small island having traditional dwelling outside (6, two words)
Ait (island) in won (traditional dwelling) = WAIT ON
20 Black depression is a downer (4)
B (black) + low (depression) = BLOW
21 Metal bar inserted into part of reactor produces decay (7)
Rod (metal bar) in core (part of reactor) = CORRODE
22 Highland market lacking appropriate technology for car commonly (4)
Mercat (Highland market) – at (appropriate technology) = MERC
24 Soldiers entering wagers about Scottish legal issue penalties (11)
Ish (Scottish legal issue) + men (soldiers) in punts (wagers) = PUNISHMENTS
26 Chaffinch’s call is peep (4)
DD PINK
28 Dafter one collecting dung with bleach container (7)
Dor (one collecting dung) + kier (bleach container) = DORKIER
31 Formally to remove judge from cabal (4)
Junto (cabal) – j(judge) = UNTO
32 Veneer’s crumbling to deprive of courage of old (6)
(veneer)* = ENERVE
34 Festival no longer includes trumpet air from Debussy (6)
Ale (festival no longer) around lur (trumpet) = ALLURE
36 Blade absolutely overlapping maybe reason for shuddering (7)
Shiv (blad) + very(absolutely) with an overlap = SHIVERY
37 Taking time close up hole delicately (5)
Seal (close up) around t (time) = STEAL
38 Bottom-of-range medical equipment? (9)
Cryptic definition ENDOSCOPE
39 Mac’s to keep silent letter of Maccabees after Diaspora in West? (7)
Heh (letter of Maccabees) in west (dispersed) = WHEESHT
40 In the middle of stadium, having fallen to pieces, United lost (6)
(stadium – u)* = AMIDST
Down
1 Countryside spider dropping head of juicier bluebottle (8)
Fatter (juicier) – f + cop (bluebottle) = ATTERCOP
2 Catching shellfish disappearing, unofficially, around California (10)
Sloping (disappearing) around cal (California) = SCALLOPING
3 One going round selling introduction to Sky, not hub and cable (6)
Hawker (one going round selling) swapping s for the k = HAWSER
4 For fear that the smallest degree wants for Academy (4)
Least (smallest degree) – a (academy) = LEST
5 Sultana perhaps is stopping rule in the 16th century (6)
Rain (rule in 16th century) around is = RAISIN
7 Submariner in Merchant Navy unit potentially lost in the Lethe (6)
Nemo (submariner) in Mn (Merchant navy) = MNEMON
8 Meat recipe seen churning guts (9)
(meat + r + seen)* = MESENTERA
9 Radio telephony down the line is affected (4)
Homonym of RT (Radio telephony) = ARTY
10 Turning things on their head Ian’s informed on informer, it can taste sweet (7)
Rev. Telt (Ian’s informed) + rat (informer) = TARTLET
11 Let fat part of candle start to taper away (5)
Tallow (fat part of candle) – t (start to taper) = ALLOW
16 Served in the past, standard’s taken in reckless deed (7)
Std (standard) around (deed)* = STEDDED
17 Morgan’s bling perhaps from drug money? (10, two words)
Horse (drug) + brass (money) = HORSE BRASS
19 Not having an informer keeps one quiet (9)
Nose- less (not having an informer) around I (one) = NOISELESS
23 Half of deer by elderly reckoning turning up in sausage (8)
Cervines – ines (half of deer) + Rev. late (elderly reckoning) = CERVELAT
25 Will’s not dealt with search dismissing first of heirs and to remain unchanged (7)
Hunt (search) – h (first of heirs) + ride (remain unchanged) = UNTRIDE
27 Children earn poorly to begin with and rarely graft (6)
(ch + earn)* = ENARCH
29 To lock horns with America the French abandoned spirit (6)
Grapple (lock horns) – le (the French) + a (America) = GRAPPA
30 Accustomed to being wronged; justice is nowhere to be seen (6)
Injured (wronged) – j ( justice) = INURED
31 Acceptable facing all directions to pick (5)
U (acceptable) + nsew (all directions) = UNSEW
33 Prelude to celebration embracing hint of orgy? (4)
Eve (prelude to celebration) around o (hint of orgy) = EVOE
35 Rent suite, essentially upholsterer’s forgotten sewing equipment (4)
(suite – s (upholsterer essentially))* = ETUI
I like puzzles with complex but solvable endgames, but I also enjoy puzzles like these whose themes are intentionally less pervasive and less complex. I nearly always get as much or more pleasure from solving the clues, and this is yet another example of that.
I found KESTREL, WAIT ON and BLOW easily enough, but I opted for WINDHOVER, purely because I’ve never heard of STANDGALE (which I’ve just checked by looking it up). Obviously I saw the damage done to WAIT ON, but I never gave any thought to preserving it.
I had a few dotty moments with DORKIER, wondering whether it was going to be SILLIER, POTTIER, DOTTIER or DORKIER, and have only just realised that I forgot to prove it was correct by parsing it (it was the only word that would fit).
Thanks to twencelas for the blog and to Jaques for the challenge.
A PS to my comment @1
Having only just realised what a standgale is, I now appreciate how cleverly WAIT ON and BLOW were chosen to clue either of the two names for the bird. Quite apart from preserving the A of WAIT ON, the correct name also honours the order of those two clues in the grid, whereas the other name needs them switched.