This was one of those rare occasions where I get to feel smug for finishing an entire Beelzebub without recourse to reference materials or other aids, so it must have been towards the more tractable end of the Beelzebub spectrum. Not that this was overly easy: I recall a satisfying solve over a couple of sessions, and just having to check 10ac and 23dn in Chambers before being confident enough to blog them.
I’m not sure I like the new serif typeface. It seems to make the already tiny text even more difficult to read, but at least the new puzzle page design leaves plenty of whitespace for scribbled notes.
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | CLOUD-KISSING – (U + DK + IS) in CLOSING. |
| 9 | LENNON – L + [p]ENNON. |
| 10 | FUNDI – FUN + DI. |
| 12 | REDEEMABLE – DEEM in (A REBEL)*. |
| 13 | SEWEL – S + EWE + L. |
| 15 | BEMEAN – EME in BAN. |
| 16 | SEARED – SEA + RED. |
| 19 | ABSENCES – (CAN [m]ESS BE)*. |
| 20 | CHIASMUS – CHI + A + SUMS<. |
| 24 | SPARSE – SPARS + [wedg]E. |
| 25 | LEASER – AS in LEER. |
| 26 | ATILT – (T in AIL) + T. |
| 27 | PRICK-LOUSE – (RICK in PL) + O + USE. |
| 28 | SYNOD – SY + NOD. |
| 29 | SCROLL – (L + ORCS)<. |
| 30 | TRANSPARENCE – SPARE in TRANCE. |
| Down | |
| 1 | CLASSICALIST – (LILACS AS) in CIST. |
| 2 | ONE-WAY – 0 + NEW + AY. |
| 3 | UNDERPASSION – (RISEN UP AND SO)*. |
| 4 | KNEAD – hom. of “need”. |
| 5 | IAMBUS – [sold]I[er] + AMBUS[h]. |
| 6 | SUB-MINIATURE – SUBMI[t] + (I in NATURE). |
| 7 | INLET – L in (I + NET). |
| 8 | GIANT’S-KETTLE – (IN TALK GET SET)*. |
| 11 | DEAFEN – Fe in DEAN. |
| 14 | LEASH – LEA + SH. |
| 17 | VESPA – V + APSE<. |
| 18 | SHEEPY – HEE[d] in SPY. |
| 21 | MARKUP – (PUK[e] + RAM)<. |
| 22 | GRISON – SO in GRIN. |
| 23 | VARNA – .VAR[y] + N.A. |
| 24 | SALSA – [carou]SAL SA[ilors]. |