Sharp and fiendish fare – can anyone explain 1across?
Across
1 False notions in French article pushing international language IDOLA (fallacies, pl of idolum)
5 English cricketer avoiding an old bit of greenery BOSQUET (thicket)
BOS[an]QUET (Bernard inventor of the googly)
10 Our blue carp’s cooked, revealing such bones? SUBOPERCULAR (bones)
(OUR BLUE CARPS)*
12 Maori song, excellent, perceived amidst waving tawa WAIATA (song NZ)
AI (excellent) in (TAWA)*
13 Sheltered position, say, in group of teams excluding United
LEE GAGE (sheltered side) EG (say) in LEAG[u]E (group minus U)
15 Limits to aerial show, with even elements excluded as well ALSO (as well)
A[eria]L S[h]O[w]
17 Irishman’s love accepted by Scandinavian FIONN (Irish name)
O (love) in FINN
18 Unusual sexual practices? Others seem perverted THREESOMES
(OTHERS SEEM)*
19 Sedge and our hemp swaying around foreign river ERIOPHORUM (sedge)
RIO (river) in (OUR HEMP)*
22 Scots push to require payment from church DUNCH (nudge in Scotland)
DUN (to importune for payment) CH (church)
23 Exclamation after snatching hot salmon COHO (salmon)
H in COO
25 No pirate’s curse after curtailment of seaway LANDRAT (not a pirate)
LAN[e] (seaway) DRAT (curse)
27 Starting to shun new Alpine trip? ASCENT (trip)
[n]ASCENT (starting minus N)
28 Soccer team, almost suspended after victory party? It’s bound to make a difference
WIND OF CHANGE WIN (victory) DO (party) FC (soccer team) HANGE[d]
29 Hospital recalled friend displaying some ENT problem? NASALLY
SAN< (hospital recalled) ALLY (friend)
30 Bury rope after disposing of father INTER (bury) [pa]INTER (rope)
Down
1 It was a lone dead piece, initially? Possibly ISOLATED PAWN (chess)
ISOLATE (lone) D (dead) P[iece] = pawn
2 Commanding officer’s initial rage, missing a police operation OBTESTING (adjuring) O[fficer] BATE (rage) minus A STING (police operation)
3 Measure of verse on account of Shakespeare LONG DD
4 Old damage apparently produced by exposure APPAIR (damage)
APP (apparently) AIR (exposure)
5 Lake edge: tailless water bird turning over tiny shells BERGMEHL (shells)
L (lake) HEM (edge) GREB[e] all < (turning over)
6 Lots of Scottish food served by eatery on board SCAFFS (food in Scotland)
CAFF (eatery) in SS (steamship – on board)
7 Mnemonic not quite providing clever remark QUIP (clever remark)
QUIP[u] (Incan mnemonic system using coloured cords)
8 Be surprised that no sea eddies below middle of piers EAT ONES HAT
[pi]E[rs] (THAT NO SEA)*
9 One may be excited by station report, nothing less TRAINSPOTTER
(STATI[o]N REPORT)*
11 Country formerly composed of oil abusers? BELORUSSIA
(OIL ABUSERS)*
14 Committee’s outburst about second resident COMMORANT (resident)
MO (second) in COM (committee) RANT (outburst)
16 Fortune-telling, say, upset Arab country and Cyprus GEOMANCY (divination)
EG< (say upset) OMAN (Arab country) CY (Cyprus IVR)
20 Measure of acidity picked up single acid PHENOL (carbolic acid)
PH (measure of acidity) LONE< (single up)
21 Indian city farm getting capital from India RANCHI (city) RANCH I[ndia]
24 Have had article in religious writing VEDA (Hindu book) VE (have) D (had) A
26 Slade academic DEAN dd (small valley, college fellow)
( )* = anagram [ ] = omit < = reverse dd = double definition
Thanks for this, as I couldn’t parse 7dn and 26dn. I’d heard of “quipu” but had forgotten that was what it is called. I guess if I’d thought to look up “quip” in Chambers I’d have spotted it next to that entry, but as I knew what “quip” meant, it never occurred to me to look it up.
As for “dean”, I think I did look up “slade” and found it was a small valley, but didn’t make all the connections to “dene” and “dean”.
Just spotted you query about 1ac. “Ido” is an international language, an offshoot of Esperanto, and “la” is, of course, a French article, so I assume “pushing” means the article follows the language in this case.
Good lord I completed a Beelzebub without aids a veritable first for me (been more years than I care to imagine) but didn’t enter I figured if I could solve it, so could 10000 others. Thanks Jed for confirming my reasoning, I really don’t envy the bloggers on these.