Apologies for the late appearance of this analysis and for the lack of any real comment. I cannot remember too much about this puzzle having completed many more crosswords in the time between solving and writing this post. Had I known I was going to need to stand in at the last moment I would have made some notes whilst solving. All I can say is that, on my copy, I do not have a question mark against any of the clues so there cannot have been anything contentious (not that this is likely with an Azed).
Across
1 SCRATCHBACK SCRATCH (cash) BACK (returned)
11 PLEBE hidden in ‘purPLE BEret’
12 UNLOST NL (Netherlands) in *(TO US)
14 SLIPSLOPPY *(PILLS) in SOPPY (thoroughly wet)
15 GUEREZA *(AZEd a RoGUE – ado)
16 HUERS R (rule) in HUES (shades)
17 BRADAWL AD (notice) in BRAWL (rough-house)
20 DARNED *(RED AND)
24 LUMPER dd
25 AGELESS LEG (on, cricket) reversed in *(SEAS)
26 ALERT R (runs) in TELA (what’s spun) reversed
27 CHRISOM CH (church) IS in ROM (Romans)
30 RENOVATION ONE reversed V (against) in RATION (part)
31 RATLIN L (line) in RATIN[g] (sailor nearly)
32 LAMMY [c]LAMMY (unpleasantly damp clearing Cape)
33 BLOTCHINESS CHINES (spinal parts) in BLOTS (blemishes)
Down
1 SPAG BOL *(GOBS LAP)
2 CLOU CLOU[d over)] (become gloomy quitting Dover)
3 REVEALMENT EVER (always) reversed A[i]LMENT (illness, I suppressed)
4 TELE-AD T[h]E (emptied the) LEAD (main conductor)
5 CHIZ CHI (cross in Greek) Z (zero)
6 HYPALLACTIC *(I CALL PATCHY)
7 BUSH DOG *(DOSH) in BUG (enthusiast)
8 CLOURS LOUR (black look) in CS (public employees, Civil Service)
9 ASPREYS PREY (what one’s hunting for) in ASS (fool)
10 ATYS *(SATY[r])
13 OPEN SESAME O (love) SAM (Samuel) in PENSEE (thought)
18 ROULEAU R (river) OU (where, in French) L’EAU (water, in French)
19 WARRANT WAR RANT (hawkish bombast)
21 DISMAYS SM (unconventional sex) in *(DAISY)
22 UPROLL U (posh) PROLL (hunt stealthily, as of old)
23 NEROLI *(ORaNgE oIL – goa)
26 ARRY ARR[a]Y (one out of order)
28 HIGH td
29 OHMS O (reduced on) HMS (British ship)
Thanks for standing in, Gaufrid. Solving AZEDs is still sufficiently new to me to be v pleased to finish this one. For once, I understood almost all the wordplay, the exception being NEROLI, so thanks for explaining that.
I found this more difficult than this week’s.
I didn’t get 16 and 10, which were explained to me by another solver.
I did enjoy DARNED and AGELESS.
I thought 26 was ARRA rather than ARRY (from the nursery rhyme about ‘my bow and ‘arra’), but I can see why it’s ARRY now.
I thought 33ac was a bit weak with blots a word derived from the solution (I think).
29dn ‘units’ and ‘ship’ had me beat for a while… (HMS!)
Nick
Excellent puzzle as usual. I rather liked the grid, a few new words for me but overall a satisfying solve – a record time for me just over an hour-ish with help from chambers.
THanks for the blog Gaufrid.