Satisfying cerebral exercise
Across
2 First whiskey? Drap curiously put in porridge – odd STIRRUP DRAM
(DRAP)* in STIR (porridge) RUM (odd)
9 Used axe cut centre, note HEED (note) W from centre of HEWED
10 Depose one from individual space UNQUEEN (depose)
I from UNIQUE (individual) EN (space)
12 Refuse to fight minister’s workload RED BOX (government minister’s work)
RED (rubbish) BOX (fight)
14 Delete Times puzzle’s final bit ERASE (delete) ERAS (times) [puzzl]E
15 More customary to discount transactions involving Germany ADDITIONAL more
D (Germany) in TRADITIONAL (customary) minus TR (transactions)
17 Good to make statement describing certain journalists GUTTER (press)
G (good) UTTER (state)
18 Filthy centre of ribbed fabric (American) ORDUROUS (filthy)
centre of CORDUROY ribbed fabric US (American)
21 In agreement? That’s educational centres, on everything, almost UNISONAL
UNIS (education centres) ON AL[l] (everything almost)
23 Country’s self-image recalled in detail at Institute ITALIA (country)
hidden backwards in det[AIL AT I[nstitute]
26 Shipboard arrangement BERMUDA RIG (BRIGADE RUM)*
27 British to avoid overseas highway A-ROAD B from ABROAD
28 Jack Bailey mostly chewed up Indian sweet JALEBI (Indian sweet)
(jack) J (BAILE)*
29 Can heading off policing operation result in criminal behaviour? LOOTING
LOO (can) [s]TING (police trap for criminals as in The Sting film)
30 Copies timeless recordings APES (copies) [t]APES (recordings)
31 Gull becomes tough when cooked without it GOBEMOUCHES (gull)
T (it abbreviation) from (BECOMES TOUGH)*
Down
1 Blowing own trumpet? A ‘Choral’ isn’t energised thus THRASONICAL
after Thrason in Greek New Comedy (A CHORAL ISNT)*
2 Motorists that are quick to dismiss power drills SEEDERS (plant drills)
P from SPEEDERS
3 Lingerie item and type of shirt given circulation TEDDY underwear
T (shirt) EDDY (circulation)
4 Violent offender, star one being form of a terrorist? RIOTER (rebel)
(A TERRORIST minus STAR)*
5 The pious functionary blocking one old pound without Queen’s head
UNCO GUID (the pious) COG (functionary) in UN (one) [q]UID
6 Describing continuance of French sound DURATIONAL
DU (of French) RATIONAL (sound mind)
7 Historic monarchs sincere over gutted treaty REALTY (royalty (old))
REAL (sincere) T[reat]Y (gutted treaty)
8 A computer key displaying special character AESC (rune character)
A ESC (escape key)
11 Close to Ring gets reviewed (I study conclusions) NECROLOGIST
(CLOSE TO RING)*
13 Blunt about popular cryptic clue with two core features BINUCLEATE
(with two nuclei) IN (popular) (CLUE)* Iin BATE (blunt)
16 A bloke enthralled by rock star provides tip BONAMANO (tip)
(A MAN) in BONO (music celebrity)
19 Fish in barrel surrounded by decay CARIBES (fish)
B (barrel) in CARIES (tooth decay)
20 In this year mistake is a nasty blow HABOOB (sandstorm)
HA (hoc anno – in this year) BOOB (mistake)
22 Mediterranean boat carrying excessive amount of metal compounds SODAIC
(of sodium compounds) OD (overdose) in SAIC (boat)
24 Rubber sheets slipping slowly, partially folded CREPE (rubber sheets)
(CREEP)*[ing] (slipping slowly)
25 African seamen are leaving African tableland KROO (African seamen)
A (are) from KAROO (African tableland)
( )* =anagram [ ] = omit
Several of the answers I had were correct but I couldn’t for the life of me see why – 12ac, 29ac, 24dn, 25dn. The first of those now seems so obvious I don’t know why I didn’t look up “red” in Chambers to see the rubbish meaning, which I don’t think I’ve come across before.
Stymied at the end because I know the Indian sweet as jelabi. Transliterations have the potential to confuse.
I thought I vaguely knew the sweet, but couldn’t spell it, and it’s not in Chambers. I did find “jelab” which is given as an alternative spelling of “djellaba” which sent me off searching the definition of that, but that’s a type of cloak, and that spelling got me thinking of “Djelibeybi”, which is a place in Pratchett, and, of course, connected with another type of sweet.
In the end I got enough crossing letters that it could be only one spelling from the anagram and I googled it.