Beelzebub 994 (08/03/09)

by

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.

I actually managed to finish this on the Sunday, which is something of a rarity for me. Still, it was a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. On that note, if you haven’t tackled a Beelzebub before, I highly recommend picking up a copy of the Independent on Sunday and having a go.

Just the one query from me this week, at 2dn.

Across
1 SCRAPER – SCRAP + ER. Raised a smile.
6 RIPON – Lovely – a gravestone has R.I.P. ON it.
10 PROFITEERING – (POINT RE GRIEF)*.
12 LOURIE – I “in” LOURE.
13 IGBO – I + (GO “to constrain” B). Igbo is spoken in parts of Nigeria, I believe.
16 MESSAN – SS “guarded by” MEAN.
19 HOFMANNSTHAL – (HALF A MONTHS + N)*. Hugo von Hoffmansthal, librettist and writer, 1874-1929.
20 AUTOMOBILIST – (AMBITIOUS LOT)*.
24 NOSER – RE[-a]SON<.
25 ARMLET – ARMET “including” [-meta]L.
28 TAPU – I think this is TAP + U, and an alternative spelling of “taboo”.
29 ALDERN – AL[-l] + DERN.
30 EVEN-TEMPERED – EVENT + EMP[-ow]ERED.
31 NARKY – NARY “accepting” K[-indness].
32 RAMRODS – RAM + RO[-a]DS.
Down
1 SPLASH – SLASH “about” P.
2 CROUPOUS – “Disease of baby’s bottom no longer mostly ineffective”. I’m reasonably sure of this, but can’t explain it. I see “croup” in there, but I don’t think that’s a disease. It can also mean a horse’s rear end (“bottom”) though.
3 AFRO – A FRO[-g]. I think “frog” here is “an ornamental fastening or tasselled or braided button”.
4 ETEN – E[-a]TEN.
5 RENMINBI – (REIN “around” NM) + BI[-t], I think.
6 RECENSING – SCENE* “in” RING.
7 IRISH – [-fa]IRISH.
8 PIG’S WHISPER – PIGS + W[-ork] + HI + P[-ip]E + R.
9 NGONI – [-livi]NG ON I[-sland].
11 OUT OF TEMPER – (FROM TEE TO [-c]UP)*.
14 CHAMPETRY – CHAMP + [-prop]ERTY.
17 KNOTTIER – KNOT + TIER.
18 PASEARED – PARED “round” SEA.
21 TRENDS – R “in” TENDS.
22 OATEN – OFTEN “having” A “for” F[-un].
23 BLUNK – B + LUNK.
26 RAMA – A M “enthralled by” RA.
27 ODER – ODE + R.

2 comments on “Beelzebub 994 (08/03/09)”

  1. 2d CROUPO[n] (bottom no longer mostly) US (ineffective)

    According to Chambers ‘croupon’ is an obsolete word for the human buttocks.

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