This was a standard plain crossword from Azed with the usual mix of precise cluing and unfamiliar words.
Often when I blog an Azed puzzle there are a few clues where the exact wordplay eludes me as I solve the puzzle. Usually it all falls into place as I write the blog and think about the wordplay in more detail. This was the case today.
The wordplay I missed out on first time through related to OBSOLESCE (14 across where SCE was the stumbling point for a time), AMIRS (18 across, until I twigged the compound anagram), ORDAINER (27 across, ORD was new to me), ORSEILLE (8 down, although here my problems were mainly due to not spelling BETHESDA properly when I entered it in the grid) and ERGO (24 down where I took too long to recognise there were two distinct wordplays around the definition).
My favourite clues today were those for HUSSY (32 across when I discovered that a BAWLEY was a small fishing-smack), SHAMMY LEATHER (33 across because I always like clues which build up the solution from many intricate parts) and SEXAGENARY (10 down because of the way the clue linked logical items together). These clues weren’t particularly difficult to solve; I just liked the surfaces and constructions.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Clue | Wordplay | Entry | |
|
1
|
Rough old beer with infusion of creeper is so brewed – it’s fatal to birds (13)
|
ASPER (obsolete [old] word meaning rough) + GILL (beer with an infusion of ground ivy) + an anagram of (brewed) IS SO ASPER GILL OSIS* |
ASPERGILLOSIS (disease fatal to birds)
|
|
11
|
Studied in French university, stuck into book? Not me (5)
|
U (university) contained in (stuck into) (VOLUME [book] excluding [not] ME) VO (U) LU |
VOULU (studied [French])
|
|
12
|
Class showed signs of aging, we hear? (5)
|
GRADE (sounds like [we hear] GREYED [sign of aging])
|
GRADE (class)
|
|
14
|
Become passé, died alone, areas of activity halved (9)
|
OB (died, from the Latin obiit) + SOLE (alone) + (SCENES [areas of activity] excluding the final 3 of 6 letters [halved] NES)
|
OBSOLESCE (be in the process of going out of use; become passé)
|
|
16
|
Where some worship and live, death’s confounded (8)
|
BE (exist; live) + an anagram of (confounded) DEATH’S BE THESDA* |
BETHESDA (a Nonconformist church building; where some worship) |
|
17
|
Predatory male given protection by courtier (celibate) (7) |
TIERCEL (hidden word in (given protection by) COURTIER CELIBATE)
|
TIERCEL (male hawk; predatory male)
|
|
18
|
Islamic princes: is it them cine-clip’s shown jerkily? (5)
|
AMIRS (ISLAMIC PRINCES is a compound anagram (jerkily) of CINE-CLIP’S and AMIRS [the solution])
|
AMIRS (Islamic princes)
|
|
20
|
Australians’ luggage sent back, causing ill-temper (5)
|
PORTS (an Australian term for suitcases; luggage) reversed (sent back) STROP< |
STROP (fit of ill-temper)
|
|
22
|
Kite died with little air around? (5)
|
GLEE (a form of short part-song; little air) containing (around) D (died) GLE (D) E |
GLEDE (the common kite)
|
|
24
|
What you’d find in conquest Romans displayed? (5)
|
ESTRO (hidden word in [what you’d find in] CONQUEST ROMANS)
|
ESTRO (enthusiasm or height of poetic inspiration. from the Italians [Romans]. No doubt Romans would display enthusiasm in succesful conquest) &Lit clue
|
|
25
|
Rear stabilizer? Make adjustment to it final (7, 2 words)
|
Anagram of (make adjustment to) IT FINAL
|
TAIL FIN (rear stabilizer)
|
|
27
|
Once beginning, elder alongside king is one for making appointments (8)
|
ORD (an obsolete [once] word meaning ‘a beginning’) + AÎNE (elder) + R (rex; king)
|
ORDAINER (one who makes appointments)
|
|
30
|
Required by fashion* (9, 2 words)
|
No wordplay – this is the competition word that entrants have to write a clue for.
|
DE RIGUEUR (required by strict etiquette, or by fashion, etc.)
|
|
31
|
Refill pile-driver? There’s work in that (5)
|
OP (opus; work) contained in (in) TUP (a pile-driving monkey where monkey is defined as the falling weight of a pile-driver) T (OP) UP |
TOP-UP (refill)
|
|
32
|
Fish by stern of bawley, the saucy Sue? (5)
|
HUSS (any of various kinds of dogfish, when used as food) + Y (last letter of [stern of] BAWLEY)
|
HUSSY (impudent girl; Saucy Sue)
|
|
33
|
Is shortened amateurish Shakesperian tragedy including the window cleaner (13, 2 words)
|
‘S (shortened form of IS) + HAMMY (amateurish) + (LEAR [reference the Tragedy of King LEAR by Shakespeare] containing [including] THE) S HAMMY LEA (THE) R |
SHAMMY LEATHER (a soft LEATHER used for polishing and cleaning windows)
|
| Down | |||
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
2
|
Mounting hitches involving outside broadcast once provided (6)
|
TIES (hitches) reversed (mounting; down clue) containing (involving) OB (outside broadcast) S (OB) EIT< |
SOBEIT (archaic [once] word meaning ‘provided’)
|
|
3
|
Child’s cutlery that woman’s thrust into face (7)
|
HER (that woman) contained in (thrust into) PUSS (sland for face) PUS (HER) S |
PUSHERS (child’s table implements)
|
|
4
|
Well-behaved, typically doffing hat (4)
|
TRULY (typically) excluding the first letter (doffing hat) T
|
RULY (well-behaved)
|
|
5
|
Diver consumed by self-loathing re belly-flops (5)
|
GREBE (hidden word in [consumed by] SELF-LOATHING RE BELLY-DANCING)
|
GREBE (short-winged almost tailless freshwater diving bird)
|
|
6
|
Subsequently confined, palsied (not dead, poorly) on the same side (11)
|
LATER (subsequently) contained in (confined) (an anagram of [poorly] PALSIED excluding [not] D [dead]) IPSE (LATER) AL |
IPSELATERAL (belonging to or affecting the same side of the body)
|
|
7
|
Component of penicillin to produce effect in rising sickness (6) |
ACT (produce effect) contained in (in) (MAL [sickness] reversed [rising; down clue]) L (ACT) AM< |
LACTAM (a four-membered heterocyclic ring which is found in penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics; component of penicillin)
|
|
8
|
Red colouring is still taken up in heraldic border (8)
|
(LIES [is still] reversed [taken up; down clue]) contained in (in) ORLE (heraldic border) OR (SEIL<) LE |
ORSEILLE (red dye made from various lichens)
|
|
9
|
Pander leaving smack on Jenny’s cheek (4)
|
SMACK excluding (leaving) MACK (pimp; pander can also mean pimp) + ASS (a Jenny is a female ASS)
|
SASS (American term fo rimpertinent talk or behaviour; cheek)
|
|
10
|
Two boxes to fill in on form? Not one concerning period in later life (10)
|
(SEX [information often asked for on a form] + AGE [also information often asked for on a form]) + NARY (not one)
|
SEXAGENARY (based on sixty; relating to activities in one’s sixties; concerning period in later life)
|
|
11
|
Stove when lit produces blast – warts and all! (10)
|
Anagram of (when lit) STOVE + TOOTS (produces blast [on the car horn for instance]) VOETS* TOOTS |
VOETSTOOTS (South African term: [of something sold] as it stands, with any defects it has; warts and all)
|
|
13
|
What”ll cause Jock’s mulligrubs? Qualified dentist, ordinary filling (4)
|
O (ordinary) contained in (filling) DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery; qualified dentist) D (O) DS |
DODS (the sulks [Scottish {Jock}]; mulligrubs means sulkiness)
|
|
15
|
Rattle e.g. describing rondo, combined with round (8)
|
CUM (combined with) containing (round) ROTAL (describing a rondo) C (ROTAL) UM |
CROTALUM (a clapper or castanet used in ancient religious rites; rattle)
|
|
19
|
Have a drink? Minion will fill what we call the vessel up! (7)
|
(SERF [servile dependent; minion] contained in (will fill) HER [ships {vessels} are referred to as female]) all reversed (up; down clue) (RE (FRES) H)< |
REFRESH (have a drink)
|
|
21
|
Portrait painter admits getting drunk, wanting company (6)
|
LELY (reference Peter Lely [1616-1680], English portrait painter) containing (admits) ON (on the way to being drunk) L (ON) ELY |
LONELY (wanting company)
|
|
23
|
Neglect long enveloping southern States (6) |
DIE (long [for]) containing (enveloping) (S [southern] + US [{United} States]) DI (S US) E |
DISUSE (neglect)
|
| 24 | Work unfinished, hence terror mounts? (4) |
This clue comprises two distinct wordplays sandwiching the definition. Each wordplay leads to the entry. ERGON (work or business) excluding the last letter (unfinished) N OGRE (man-eating monster; terror) reversed (mounts; down clue) |
ERGO (therefore; hence) |
|
26
|
Emerge as part of year is ending (5)
|
|ARISE (hidden word in [as part of] YEAR IS ENDING)
|
ARISE (emerge)
|
|
28
|
Amino-acid to treat the old man (4)
|
DO (treat) + PA (father; old man)
|
DOPA (a naturally occurring amino-acid)
|
| 29 |
Gobsmacked – ‘Stone must be lost’, he commands (4)
|
AGHAST (stupefied with horror; gobsmacked) excluding (must be lost) ST (stone)
|
AGHA (Turkish commander; he commands)
|
Thanks for clearing up a couple of uncertainties duncan. Enjoyable stuff as usual.
I can’t see what’s happening in SEXAGENARY. Chambers says that nary = not and nary a = not one, but it doesn’t say that nary = not one.