Nudnix – a setter new to me.
Preamble: The theme involves two events – one possibly apocryphal – that happened on two (unrelated) visits. In the first, 1dn travelled East to 20; to enact the event solvers must deduce 38 (6) and then fill the empty cell. To identify who was involved in the second, the four unchecked letters in the Southern silvered block must all be modified. To enact this event, the contents of the Northern block must be restored to the reality. Only one non-word appears in the final grid; the final 4 can be verified in Collins.
I made steady progress on this one, not whizzing through the clues and being nearly finished on the first pass, nor ending up with only a dispiriting four or five answers after once through. (Again, didn’t get back to the puzzle until later the following day because the same ‘social pod’ as four weeks ago met in the Chilterns for an energetic 10k trek around Chequers plus a picnic – no kites this time.)
NEW JERSEY in the East of the USA suggested itself for 20d (thank you for numbering some of the unclued entries – but why only some?) and POTATO put itself forward for 38a coupled with the E erroneously added by DAN QUAYLE (1d) on a school visit during the run-up to the 1992 US presidential election. 
No major delays (apart from puzzling over the wordplay for MIEN at 19a) and soon enough the grid was filled, GUACAMOLE having been slotted into the Northern silvered block.
Now on to phase two: modify the four unchecked letters in the Southern silvered block – MAN???SO?. 
Well, 33a REMANS had to become REMAND and it seemed likely that 34a SOLAR would become SONAR, then after a brief stutter MANDELSON emerged. (Check CARGEESE at 22d and EALING at27d.) I had forgotten the (apocryphal) incident and so Googled Mandelson & Guacamole … and replaced the latter with MUSHY PEAS.
Which indeed left only one non-word in the final grid: the infamous POTATOE.
Not sure that Non-PC is the most apt title, but it’ll do. Anyway, I thought that this was a well-measured puzzle – possibly enough to test (& entertain) a novice, but with enough there to keep more experienced solvers on their toes (& interested). Thanks, Nudnix, and I look forward your return.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Answer | Wordplay |
| 1 | Ratted American leaves pooped (8) | DEFECTED | DEFECATED (pooped) ¬ A(merican) |
| 7 | Bow from naked waiter (4) | ARCO | (g)ARÇO(N) (waiter) |
| 10 | Spending limits have your free acknowledgement once (6) | AVOURE | [(h)AVE (y)OUR]* see comment 9 |
| 11 | Jo’burg shop to rip off local OAP (7, 2 words) | TEA ROOM | TEAR (rip) OOM (an elderly man, S Afr) |
| 12 | Fool runs to intercept hooligan (4) | NERD | R(uns) in NED (hooligan) |
| 14 | Some people receiving letter when drug is used in English-Spanish game (9) | EPHESIANS | E (drug) in [E(nglish) SPANISH]* |
| 18 | Handy thing made from outbacker’s 4×4 poles cut badly (7) | UTENSIL | UTE (4×4, Aust & NZ) NS (poles) IL(l) (badly) |
| 19 | Essentially discontented driver’s comportment (4) | MIEN | MI(zz)EN (driver, nautical) |
| 21 | Semi-hardening, taking in Dame Diana’s sinuous gyration (8) | SCRIGGLE | SCLE(roma) (hardening) around RIGG (Dame Diana) |
| 23 | Elizabethan entrances poet aurally (5) | YATES | homophone YEATS (poet) |
| 25 | Swan around with male Welsh kinsman (6) | NEPHEW | PEN< (swan) HEW (Hugh, Welsh) see comment 10 |
| 26 | Gutless rednecks following US patriot they worship (8) | REVERERS | R(edneck)S after REVERE (Paul R, US patriot) |
| 28 | Revolutionary treatment needs a Mediterranean herb (5) | ERUCA | CURE< (treatment) A |
| 31 | Unholy grief about asbestos emptied in heating apparatus (7, 2 words) | GAS FIRE | [GRIEF]* around A(sbesto)S |
| 33 | Ups numbers again where track changes sides (6) | REMANS | LE MANS (racetrack) with L(eft) changed to R(ight) |
| 34 | Two higher than me, as reported from The Sun (5) | SOLAR | homophones SO LA (notes two after mi) |
| 35 | See initially easy passage for small vessel (7) | VEINLET | V(ide) (see) E(asy) INLET (passage) |
| 36 | Authors that are entertaining on the subject of grooms (6) | PREENS | PENS (authors) around RE (on the subject of) |
| 37 | Senior apprentice ignoring transactions (5) | ÂINÉE | TRAINEE (apprentice) ¬ TR(ansactions) |
| 38 | See preamble | POTATO | |
| 39 | Good and thin or bad and fat? (6) | GREEDY | G(ood) REEDY (thin) |
| Down | No. | Clue | Answer | Wordplay |
| 1 | See preamble | DAN QUAYLE | |
| 2 | School equivalent to produce this final IQ (8) | EVENTUAL | [EQUIVALENT ¬ IQ]* (final) |
| 3 | Hammered (for one turning up in car) (6) | FORGED | EG< (for one) in FORD (car) |
| 4 | With signs of poor turnout, you’ll see carriage return at a canter (6) | CREASY | CR (carriage return) EASY (at a canter) |
| 5 | Lead-free, death-dealing alcohol (5) | ETHAL | (l)ETHAL (death-dealing) |
| 6 | Light suspensions rattled senior goalies (9) | GASOLIERS | [SR (senior) GOALIES]* |
| 7 | Cautiously trimming edges to reveal seed covering (4) | ARIL | (w)ARIL(y) (cautiously) |
| 8 | Co-hosted service: direct church light captures Rector in rage (13) | CONCELEBRATED | CON (direct) CE (church) LED (light) around R(ector) in BATE (rage) |
| 9 | Address for woman inhabiting fine city (4) | OMSK | MS (address for woman) in OK (fine) |
| 13 | Kneaded, primarily Christmas edible unctuously stuffed? (10, 2 words) | DUNDEE CAKE | [KNEADED C(hristmas) E(dible) U(nctuously)]* &lit |
| 15 | Having place for late French saint gaoled by Spanish chief (6) | CISTED | STE (Sainte, Fr) in CID (Spanish chief) |
| 16 | ‘Romantic’ start to day sounds like it was dismal (4) | MORN | homophone MORNE (dismal) |
| 17 | Single digit handicap (after divorcing wife) (5) | EIGHT | WEIGHT (handicap) ¬ W(ife) |
| 20 | See preamble | NEW JERSEY | |
| 22 | Austin, say, attempts ballad in three stanzas (7) | CARGOES | CAR (Austin, say) GOES (attempts) {ref: poem by John Masefield} |
| 24 | Summon President Macron’s joiner? (7) | TRUMPET | TRUMP (President) ET (and, Fr {Macron’s joiner}) |
| 27 | ___’s required to create ingesta (6) | EATING | [INGESTA ¬ S]* |
| 29 | Old-fashioned newsman ditching agent from South (5) | RETRO | REPORTER (newsman) ¬ REP (agent) rev. |
| 30 | Campbell’s against space being controlled by Amazon? (5) | ANENT | EN (space) in ANT (Amazon) |
| 32 | La démence of 29 sleep (5) | FOLIE | OF< LIE (sleep) |
| 33 | Two-thirds use hemp seeder for some Highland grass (4) | RIPP | RIPP(le) (hemp seeder) |
| 34 | Ed’s growl seeing printed section upside-down (4) | SNAR | RAN (printed) S(ection) rev. |
|
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Yes… I remember it well
An enjoyable crossword with an unusual and entertaining theme. Of the thematic names I saw NEW JERSEY first and then DAN QUAYLE. I had no recollection of the event (among many in that man’s career), but it was easy enough to look up. When POTATOE went in I was pleased that the non-word in the grid was thereby accounted for before I started on the second event.
I guessed CARGOES would lead to CARGEESE, and that helped me to get MANDELSON. I had no recollection of that event either, and to find the last thematic word (or phrase) I started by listing what alternative letters could go into that entry. ?US?Y?EA? was one of the likely combinations, and on trying the valid options for the first letter I saw MUSHY PEAS emerge as a possibility and then found the supposed connection with Peter Mandelson.
Thanks to Nudnix and HolyGhost.
I wasn’t aware of the Mandelson story (which I frankly don’t believe anyway) but I thought this was a nicely entertaining puzzle with a clearly-explained endgame
A very pleasant solve. Like the majority, I’m more familiar with potatoes than peas. I’ve only just this moment understood the title (incorrect politicians!) which on reflection is nice.
Thanks to HG and N.
I agree with HG, a well-measured puzzle. Good clues, some fairly challenging but not too difficult, with an amusing endgame which did need more time than the grid-fill – a refreshing change from some of the recent Inquisitors.
Thanks to Nudmix and HG.
Sorry, @5: should read did not need more time.. (Actually, it never does for me. I am always pleased and satisfied if/when I complete a grid. I then enjoy trying to solve a good endgame but if the research needed starts to drag on too long, I toddle off and find something more interesting to do!)
I solved this (slowly) from right to left, so I just knew someone went to New Jersey and it involved Guacamole. Naturally, google was unhelpful. Some clues with a religious flavour made me wonder if this was a hint; but google even less helpful. Finally, after wondering if the southern name might be Mandelson if it wasn’t Magnusson – Dan Quayle suggested himself, and therefore potato, and the reason for the empty cell became amusingly clear. I liked this a lot, from the level of difficulty to the resolution; it was one that I felt driven to complete.
Thanks to Nudnix & HG.
This reminded me of the funny, (but sadly for him, career-ending) Dan Quayle incident, which I shared with our youngest, who also found it hilarious. Thanks to Nudnix and Holy Ghost.
Thanks to HolyGhost and Nudnix
I dearly wanted to believe the guacamole story when I first heard it, but it was just too good to be true.
10a (h)av(e) (y)ou(r) (f)re(e)
11a I don’t understand the position of “Jo’burg”
19a I wondered if there might be a mi??en golf club or something. If “mizzen” is what’s intended I don’t like it
13d I’ve not made a Dundee cake but I’m fairly sure it’s not kneaded
33d “ripple” as a verb
Fairly good fun overall
One correction to 25 across: Huw (not Hew) is the Welsh spelling of Hugh – so “he” refers to male, and “W” to Welshman. Sorry, I’m Welsh, so I can’t let that one pass!
I enjoyed the puzzle but agree with Dansar’s quibbles, above. I found the “Jo’burg” positioning rather unfair, and “ripple” unfathomable as “use”(?).I also don’t see how ANT equates to Amazon (30d), and there were a couple of others where I still don’t understand the clueing, but that might just be me not being on Nudnix’s wavelength. Thanks to Holy Ghost for the blog, and to the setter for a (generally!) pleasant crosswording experience.
Amateur @11: look up “Amazon” in Chambers – the last part of the entry (as a noun) is “an amazon ant”.
Also, if you check “tea room”, it says “a small shop selling a variety of perishable goods, cigarettes, newspapers, etc (S Afr)” – so what’s the problem with “Jo’burg”?
Thank you HG – light dawns for me! Yes, I should’ve looked up Amazon instead of assuming I knew all its meanings (I see that it can also mean a parrot, who’d have thought). My 1970s Chambers only has “a room or restaurant where tea is served” for tea room, so I missed the SA reference – one of the perils of not using proper up to date ref books I guess. I’ll have to eschew sentiment and buy a new one!
Aha, I’d found the U.S. cottaging sense, but not the S African corner shop, thank you.
Nice idea well executed, but is it just me that doesn’t like non-standard grids? There seems to have been a spate of them recently.