This compiler never disappoints – wonder how many people agree
ACROSS
2 Boozy concoction providing animation? TOM AND JERRY dd
10 Person across globe sporting Asiatic names? ANTISCIAN (ASIATIC N)*
12 Refuses no special cures REISTS RE{S}ISTS
13 Maintained? Well-maintained, expending money KEPT
15 Outdoor game or dance I observed around Kansas JUKSKEI KS in JUKE I
16 Rash to imprison King’s bee-keepers? HIVERS R in HIVES
17 Woman left regularly here? SHELF SHE L{E}F{T}
18 Drive on round Rolls-Royce with one following in shock HORRIFY (RR I F) in HOY
23 Line out of place about London college not being well versed ILL SEEN LSE in (LINE)*
24 Girl in flap, returning without volume NOELE ELE{V}ON<
25 Murmur softly, held in strap by Madame ultimately REPINE P in REIN E
27 Protected legume’s utterly without one GUARDED GUAR DE{A)D
29 Androcles neatly encompasses such? ESNE androclES NEatly
30 Recoiled, getting end of rapier in leg SHRANK R in SHANK
31 Spice plant? Desire enclosure to contain fifty CLOVE-TREE L in COVET REE
32 Type of madness ends in lunacy and peculiar language Henry’s rather unwell LYCANTHROPY LunacY CANT H ROPY
DOWN
1 Displaying anger and hurt, he moved, wanting more land EARTH-HUNGER (ANGER HURT HE)*
3 Of the inner cochlea primarily OTIC first letters
4 Man with unknown duty in the past MISTERY MISTER Y
5 Flower festival shunned by European ASTER {E}ASTER
6 Idly stirred about objection regarding two radical groups DIBUTYL BUT in (IDLY)* chemical radicals
7 Bottom card’s last in play JACKSY JACKS plaY
8 Increase in debt? Raised stink REEKED EKE in RED
9 Opening filled with a lot of regurgitated food is distasteful REPELLENT PELLE{T} in RENT
11 What’s secured framing dispute in formal way? STIFFNECKED TIFF in SNECKED
14 This, this could represent your toils! RIOTOUSLY (YOUR TOILS)*
19 Brown cut of beef, then bring in second FILEMOT MO in FILET
20 English accordingly importing some grass ESPARTO PART in E SO
21 Adolescent cuckoo occupying half of nest NEANIC ANI in NE C ani is a black cuckoo
22 Was first in modern uphill skiing style WEDELN (LED in NEW)<
26 Second man interrupting Queen in Surrey town ESHER (S HE) in ER
28 Misinterpret more than half of military expedition WARP WARP{ATH}
< = reverse ( )* = anagram dd = double definition { } = omit
Jed
FWIW I agree wholeheartedly. Is it still set on alternate weeks by Phi and Columba I wonder. Perhaps someone will say.
Yes, I agree too.
Regarding setters, when I started blogging Beelzebub back in 2009, Eimi was able to confirm that the puzzle was still the work of Phi and Columba. I haven’t noticed a significant change in style in that time, and Phi often drops in here, so I assume that’s still the case.
One slight disappointment today though: the wrong grid seems to have been printed, at least in my copy of the paper. This will make blogging Beelzebub 1,139 particularly interesting!
Well, how can one resist such an invitation?
Beelzebub is still 3 x me and 1 x Colin G. This was one of mine – eimi will readily confirm that I have no real idea how the 3+1 pattern works. However I did calculate I wasn’t due to do a Christmas one this year, so I assume the one in he issue dated 18 Dec will be Columba.
I don’t get to see the puzzle for several months, when someone sends me a batch over, so I can’t comment on the grid issue, alas (though I see JACKSY escaped the blue pencil). But I think Jed may have missed a word from the clue at 21d – probably ‘about’ (I’m just being too lazy to open the file on my computer here, of course) – as I can’t see where the C comes from.