Initially a fairly mid-paced week for me, but with a real struggle at the end, leaving a few clues unexplained. I’ve reproduced the relevant clues.
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | UNENDINGNESS – DING in UNE[ve]NNESS. |
| 11 | NANDOO – N AND OO. I think this implies “noo” is an archaic way of saying “no”. |
| 12 | ARISTA – [b]ARISTA. |
| 13 | ALTRICIAL – TRICIA in ALL. |
| 14 | ATONE – AT ON[c]E. |
| 16 | VERB – BREV[e]<. |
| 18 | OLDHAM – presumably a homophone, but of what? Tree, say, in borough of Manchester. |
| 19 | OSCITATE – COSI* + TATE. |
| 20 | VELA – [tra]VEL A[gency]. |
| 21 | USED – U + [cha]SED. |
| 23 | IRISHMAN – IRIS + (M in HAN). |
| 26 | RELUCT – from RELICT, with U instead of I. |
| 28 | FOND – dd. |
| 31 | MAZER – MAZE + R. |
| 32 | BEDFELLOW – FLED* in BELOW. |
| 33 | LINEAL – N in (LIE + AL[l]). |
| 34 | ARALIA – AR + ALIA[s]. |
| 35 | YARD-LONG BEAN – (EBONY + GARLAND)*. |
| Down | |
| 1 | UNFAVOURABLY – FUN* + A + V + LABOUR* + [part]Y. |
| 2 | NANTES – [competitio]N in NATES. |
| 3 | ENSORCELL – SNORE* + CELL. |
| 4 | DOLENT – DO LENT. |
| 5 | IOTA – (A TO I)<. |
| 6 | NARCOTIC – ARC in NOTIC[e]. |
| 7 | GRIM – unsure here: Unpleasant mop one’s abandoned. |
| 8 | NICAD – (AC in DIN)<. |
| 9 | STATAL – TATA in SL. |
| 10 | SALAMANDRIAN – R in (A SAND ANIMAL)*. |
| 15 | SHEMOZZLE – HEM in SOZZLE[d]. |
| 17 | MARTELLO – obviously a Martello Tower, but I don’t follow the wordplay: Fort, hammered, releasing upset soldiers. |
| 22 | SEMEIA – E in (SEMI + A). |
| 24 | SIMORG – MO in (SIR + G). |
| 25 | ANEMIA – A + MAINE*. |
| 27 | UNFED – pass: One twice has left one without meals. |
| 29 | ZEAL – ZEA + L. |
| 30 | ELAN – [c]ELAN, as in Paul Celan. |
Hi Simon
18ac: I think this is OLD HAM – Tree being a reference to the actor Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree
7dn is GRIMACE (mop² in Chambers) less ACE
17dn is MARTELLATO (hammered) without TA (soldiers) reversed
27dn is UNIFIED losing two Is.