Beelzebub 1,225

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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.

1 comment on “Beelzebub 1,225”

  1. Pelham Barton
    #1 - Sun 1st Sep 13, 20:24

    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.

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