Pinwheel

a cryptic puzzle by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

Solution
Puzzle grid
In this puzzle, we’ve grouped symmetrically situated entries (all of which read either across or down), one from each quadrant of the grid, and filliped them into random order before cluing them. The four entries in each clue group are identified in the grid by their shared number, which may occur anywhere inaword’s sequence (not necessarily at the beginning). The shaded, unclued down entries will suggest an appropriate activity; its likely outcome is given in the shaded, unclued across entries.

Clues

  • 1.
    Filliped silent, flashy decoration (TINSEL)
  • 1.
    Tea quite a while coming after a pair of bagels (OOLONG)
  • 1.
    Cleaned up bride’s trash (DEBRIS)
  • 1.
    Indian running around Indonesian island from east to west (NAVAJO)
  • 2.
    Made a picture of wizard in card (IMAGED)
  • 2.
    Speaker’s dance costume is a bit much (TOO-TOO)
  • 2.
    Whenever you want a woven fabric (AT WILL)
  • 2.
    Shoot Ice‑T traveling around New Jersey (INJECT)
  • 3.
    Rafts zigzag among black reptiles (BLIZZARDS)
  • 3.
    Rare, but if moved, produce something (BEAR FRUIT)
  • 3.
    Mandarin incense in part of a rack for a buck (TANGERINE)
  • 3.
    Very front of pencil sharpener holds blade for chopping reed (SAXOPHONE)
  • 4.
    Condensed “Vogue” is a great deal (TONS)
  • 4.
    Prodigal son has secret as well (ALSO)
  • 4.
    Heard major landing (QUAY)
  • 4.
    Klingons originally annoy Spock’s boss (KIRK)
  • 5.
    Scandinavian coin tossed on either side of road (NORDIC)
  • 5.
    German composer: almost a god in India (BRAHMA)
  • 5.
    Paint handle inside urban train (ENAMEL)
  • 5.
    Loosely associate Chinese dynasty with the French (MINGLE)
  • 6.
    American capital essential to Caldecott award (OTTAWA)
  • 6.
    Gently shove green light into some fertilizer (POKE AT)
  • 6.
    Knucklehead outside is flipping for dance move (DO-SI-DO)
  • 6.
    Linger over there behind station (STAY ON)
  • 7.
    Stooge eating red crustacean (PRAWN)
  • 7.
    Prisoner and Georgia dance (CONGA)
  • 7.
    Soil erosion’s beginning in deprived state (LOESS)
  • 7.
    Give a new title to Edward, in Polish? (REDUB)
  • 8.
    Auditor’s superior put on the payroll (HIRE)
  • 8.
    Each nurse’s merit (EARN)
  • 8.
    Japanese soup is imported by Missouri (MISO)
  • 8.
    Observed net yield, ignoring the odds (EYED)
  • 9.
    Swine start to devour daily meals (BOARD)
  • 9.
    Clunker left Alaskan town in reverse (LEMON)
  • 9.
    Introduction and closing of letter written in verse (PROEM)
  • 9.
    Old Mexican’s spoken as PC expert (AZTEC)