Driver ed (Solution no. 3,338)

Solution and annotation to The Nation puzzle No. 3,338 below the fold.

Sabers and I were late to orchestra today.  A tree fell onto our usual route, and then when we got to the highway on the detour route, there was a multi-car accident right in front of us.  After a half hour going nowhere, the road was reopened, and about three or four miles down the way was an overturned car by the side of the road (looks like the passengers were OK).

Driver ed lesson for Sabers: light rain is dangerous—it makes roads more slick than heavy rain does. Longer following distances, no sudden lane changes.

 

Legend: “*” anagram; “~” sounds like; “<“ letters reversed; “( )” letters inserted; “_” or lower case: letters deleted; “†” explicit in the clue, “^” first or last letter or letters, “{“ relocated letter or letters; “§” heteronym, “¶” letter bank, “‡” Spoonerism

Across

1a	HAN D IN G LOVE	HAN (“Solo”) + DING (“sound of bell”) + LOVE (“passion”)
7a, 28a	*AFL-CIO	*CO FAIL (anagram indicated by “miserably”) (Freudian slip?)
9a	*MARY(L)IN	*I RAN MY (anagram indicated by “convertible”) containing (“around”) ear^L^ (last letter indicated by “back of”) Definition refers to Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, basketball player
10a	*ICED TEA	*ACE (cross-ref to 15d) IDEA (anagram indicated by “mixed”) The cross-reference makes something interesting out of rhe central 3
11a	*ABHORRENT	*EARTHBORN (anagram indicated by “disgusting”)
12a	_TORCH_	pas_TOR CH_ris (hidden word indicated by “is filled with”)
13a	*COLLE GE STATION	*CELLO (anagram indicated by “badly”) + GESTATION (“pregnancy”)
18a	OVER TH(E CO)UNTER	ECO (“Umberto”) contained in (“interrupts”) OVERT (“apparent”) + HUNTER (“stalker”)
22a	*INP(U)T	*PINT (anagram indicated by “drunk”) containing (“outside’) U (“university”)
24a	TOL(E RATE)D	TOLD (“tattled”) containing (“about”) E (“ecstacy”) + RATE (“speed”)
26a	TH UNDER	TH_is (†, omission of IS indicated by “is not seen”) + UNDER (“below”) This is why you should try and work out the wordplay in each of these puzzles.
27a	AL(LEND)E	LEND (“to advance”) contained in (“immersed in”) ALE (“brew)
28a	see 7a
29a	ST ETHOS COPE	ST (“holy man”) + ETHOS (“moral stance”) + COPE (“manage”)

Down

1d	<_H YM NAL_<	<mi_LAN MY H_oney< (hidden word indicated by “in,” reversal indicated by “read over”)
2d	*NORTH POLE	*HOTEL PORN (anagram indicated by “filthy”)
3d	_ILLER	_m_ILLER (“brand of beer,” omission of first letter indicated by “uncapped”)
4d	GINS ENG	GINS (“liquor’s”) + ENG (“English”)
5d	O(PI)ATES	OATES (“prolific writer”) containing (“taking”) PI (“detective”)
6d	*EYESTR(A)IN	*SERENITY (anagram indicated by “disrupt”) containing (“with”) A (†)
7d	A S T I R	^A^merican ^S^pectator ^T^hat ^I^ ^R^ead (first letters indicated by “first letters”) Another Freudian slip?
8d	LO A THING	LO (“look”) + A THING (“an object”)
14d	_LATITUDES	_p_LATITUDES (“clichés,” omission of first letter indicated by “faceless”)
15d	ET C	Swe^ET C^orn
16d	I N EXT*ENSO	I (“one”) + NEXT (“adjacent”) + *NOSE (anagram indicated by “broken”)
17d	HOLISTIC	Pun
19d	_EUTER PE_	n_EUTER PE_t (“spay dog or cat,” omission of first and last letters indicated by “after trimming”)
20d	*ON LEASH	*ALSO HEN (anagram indicated by “running”)
21d	AD HERE	AD (“notice”) + HERE (“in this place”)
23d	PLU<TO<	PLU<OT< (“hybrid fruit,” exchange of last two letters indicated by “switched last two parts”)
25d	ROLLS	Double definition