Beelzebub 1168
Posted by Jed on July 27th, 2012
Sharp and fiendish fare – can anyone explain 1across?
Across
1 False notions in French article pushing international language IDOLA (fallacies, pl of idolum)
5 English cricketer avoiding an old bit of greenery BOSQUET (thicket)
BOS[an]QUET (Bernard inventor of the googly)
10 Our blue carp’s cooked, revealing such bones? SUBOPERCULAR (bones)
(OUR BLUE CARPS)*
12 Maori song, excellent, perceived amidst waving tawa WAIATA (song NZ)
AI (excellent) in (TAWA)*
13 Sheltered position, say, in group of teams excluding United
LEE GAGE (sheltered side) EG (say) in LEAG[u]E (group minus U)
15 Limits to aerial show, with even elements excluded as well ALSO (as well)
A[eria]L S[h]O[w]
17 Irishman’s love accepted by Scandinavian FIONN (Irish name)
O (love) in FINN
18 Unusual sexual practices? Others seem perverted THREESOMES
(OTHERS SEEM)*
19 Sedge and our hemp swaying around foreign river ERIOPHORUM (sedge)
RIO (river) in (OUR HEMP)*
22 Scots push to require payment from church DUNCH (nudge in Scotland)
DUN (to importune for payment) CH (church)
23 Exclamation after snatching hot salmon COHO (salmon)
H in COO
25 No pirate’s curse after curtailment of seaway LANDRAT (not a pirate)
LAN[e] (seaway) DRAT (curse)
27 Starting to shun new Alpine trip? ASCENT (trip)
[n]ASCENT (starting minus N)
28 Soccer team, almost suspended after victory party? It’s bound to make a difference
WIND OF CHANGE WIN (victory) DO (party) FC (soccer team) HANGE[d]
29 Hospital recalled friend displaying some ENT problem? NASALLY
SAN< (hospital recalled) ALLY (friend)
30 Bury rope after disposing of father INTER (bury) [pa]INTER (rope)
Down
1 It was a lone dead piece, initially? Possibly ISOLATED PAWN (chess)
ISOLATE (lone) D (dead) P[iece] = pawn
2 Commanding officer’s initial rage, missing a police operation OBTESTING (adjuring) O[fficer] BATE (rage) minus A STING (police operation)
3 Measure of verse on account of Shakespeare LONG DD
4 Old damage apparently produced by exposure APPAIR (damage)
APP (apparently) AIR (exposure)
5 Lake edge: tailless water bird turning over tiny shells BERGMEHL (shells)
L (lake) HEM (edge) GREB[e] all < (turning over)
6 Lots of Scottish food served by eatery on board SCAFFS (food in Scotland)
CAFF (eatery) in SS (steamship – on board)
7 Mnemonic not quite providing clever remark QUIP (clever remark)
QUIP[u] (Incan mnemonic system using coloured cords)
8 Be surprised that no sea eddies below middle of piers EAT ONES HAT
[pi]E[rs] (THAT NO SEA)*
9 One may be excited by station report, nothing less TRAINSPOTTER
(STATI[o]N REPORT)*
11 Country formerly composed of oil abusers? BELORUSSIA
(OIL ABUSERS)*
14 Committee’s outburst about second resident COMMORANT (resident)
MO (second) in COM (committee) RANT (outburst)
16 Fortune-telling, say, upset Arab country and Cyprus GEOMANCY (divination)
EG< (say upset) OMAN (Arab country) CY (Cyprus IVR)
20 Measure of acidity picked up single acid PHENOL (carbolic acid)
PH (measure of acidity) LONE< (single up)
21 Indian city farm getting capital from India RANCHI (city) RANCH I[ndia]
24 Have had article in religious writing VEDA (Hindu book) VE (have) D (had) A
26 Slade academic DEAN dd (small valley, college fellow)
( )* = anagram [ ] = omit < = reverse dd = double definition
July 27th, 2012 at 9:17 am
Thanks for this, as I couldn’t parse 7dn and 26dn. I’d heard of “quipu” but had forgotten that was what it is called. I guess if I’d thought to look up “quip” in Chambers I’d have spotted it next to that entry, but as I knew what “quip” meant, it never occurred to me to look it up.
As for “dean”, I think I did look up “slade” and found it was a small valley, but didn’t make all the connections to “dene” and “dean”.
July 27th, 2012 at 9:22 am
Just spotted you query about 1ac. “Ido” is an international language, an offshoot of Esperanto, and “la” is, of course, a French article, so I assume “pushing” means the article follows the language in this case.
July 30th, 2012 at 2:46 am
Good lord I completed a Beelzebub without aids a veritable first for me (been more years than I care to imagine) but didn’t enter I figured if I could solve it, so could 10000 others. Thanks Jed for confirming my reasoning, I really don’t envy the bloggers on these.