We’ve had rather a long time to complete Beelzebub 1,139 for several reasons. I must admit I needed it: this seemed a very challenging puzzle.
Still here we are, and as the New Year gets into its stride, our regular schedule of Beelzebub blogging can be resumed!
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | GOATSUCKER – GO + A + (S[hed] in TUCKER). |
| 11 | FUSE – F + USE. |
| 12 | PALMARY – ALMA in PRY. I spent ages trying to make PRIMARY work here. |
| 13 | ETHANAL – H in LANATE<. Again, I was convinced this was going to be ETHANOL. |
| 14 | ABLET – AB + LET. My last one in, even though it was the only word that could possible fit. It turns out that “Ab” is the eleventh civil or fifth ecclesiastical month of the Jewish calendar”. “Ablet” and “bleak” are both names for a particular fish. |
| 15 | PRIMEVAL – (V + EMIR)< in PAL. |
| 17 | CRAVE – C + RAVE. |
| 18 | SLEDGEHAMMER – (EDGE + H) in SLAMMER. |
| 20 | TERGIVERSATE – (REVISE TARGET)*. |
| 23 | OSMIC – OS + (I in MC). |
| 27 | FRIESIAN – (IS IN FEAR)*. |
| 28 | ARRAS – A + R + RAS. |
| 29 | EARTHLY – (T + H) in EARLY. |
| 30 | TAILING – T[hat] + AILING. |
| 31 | ROAR – R + OAR. |
| 32 | BARDOLATRY – BAR + DO + L + A TRY. Lovely, long charade clue. |
| Down | |
| 2 | OUTRE – from ROUTE, with its “leader”, R, relegated to its fourth place. |
| 3 | ASHIVER – V in [c]ASHIER. |
| 4 | TEAMED – TEA + MED. |
| 5 | SYNERGIC – (SINCE [o]RGY)*. |
| 6 | CALASHES – A in CLASHES. |
| 7 | EMBER – [m]EMBER. |
| 8 | RALE – [cent]RAL E[levator]. |
| 9 | GREAVE – RE in GAVE. |
| 10 | CYTHEREAN – THERE in CYAN. |
| 15 | PASTORATE – PAST + ORATE. |
| 16 | REVEREND – R + EVER + END. |
| 17 | CARCERAL – ([havo]C in CARE) + RA + L. |
| 19 | MANIHOT – MANI[a] + HOT. |
| 21 | ESTRAY – SET* + RAY. |
| 22 | SISTRA – STAIRS*. |
| 24 | ITALA – I + TALA. Another tough one. It turns out that TALA is a game reserve in Durban, South Africa. It’s not in Chambers, but I assume that’s what is meant here. |
| 25 | MALAR – AL[l] in MAR. |
| 26 | DRIB – DR in IB. |
Thanks for the blog Simon – and Beelzebub for the puzzle.