Beelzebub 1,274 – Fifteensquared

Definitely at the easier end of the Beelzebub spectrum. I fairly raced through this, and it might have been an unaided, single-sitting finish had I not had to check a couple in Chambers.

34 across looked like it could have been WAEGER and 8 down could plausibly have been GODBRO, though a quick glance at the book of course confirms that neither of those actually exist.

There are some particularly nice surface readings today too: Stop tucking into chocolates at 13 across, and 3 down’s Caught short in toilet, went – stock potty after this? particular amused me.

*=anagram, []=dropped, <=reversed.

Across
1	ATTLEE – ATT + EEL<. Clement, of course.
5	BAGGIT – (G + G) in BAIT.
10	COPPER NOSE – PERNO[d] in COPSE.
11	BUNCHY – (N + CH) in BUY.
13	ECHO – [th]E CHO[colates]. A soft-toned organ stop, in fact.
14	OSIER-BED – BIO-REEDS*.
16	SHEW – SHE + W.
17	CARTE – R in CATE. A delicacy in the food sense.
19	SPLENETIC – TENE< in SPLIC[e].
22	EXCITEDLY – (X + CITED) in ELY.
24	REEDY – [g]REEDY. I suspect I wasn’t the only one trying to find something to remove a P from here.
26	RHEA – [ove]RHEA[d]. I think this is a reference to a rhea’s lack of flying ability, implying it won’t be overhead.
27	ACCORAGE – COR in A CAGE.
30	BUST – S in BUT.
31	ZEALOT – Z[on]E + A LOT.
32	SELF-BOUNTY – (LEFT BONUS)* + [need]Y.
34	JAEGER – (EG + E) in JAR.

Down
1	ABBESS – BES[t] in ABS.
2	TOUCH-PIECE – (PIE + C[lass]) in TOUCHÉ.
3	LOCOWEED – (C in LOO) + WEED.
4	EPHOR – (H in ROPE)<.
5	BEFITTING – IF< in BETTING.
6	ARLE – R in ALE.
7	GNAR – [do]G + RAN<.
8	GOMBRO – GOM + BRO.
9	TENDER – two definitions: one looking after/part of steam engine.
12	NETTLESOME – ETTLES in NOME.
15	SPECTATOR – (A SPORT ETC)* and &lit.
18	ACERBATE – R in (ACE + BAT + E).
20	WRASSE – W[ilde]R + SEAS*.
21	FECULA – F + CLUE* + A[larmed]. In the clue “mother” is used in its somewhat rarer sense, meaning “dregs” or similar.
23	YATTER – from [m]ATTER, with Y in place of the M.
25	VEENA – VEE + AN<.
28	OAFS – A F[arm] in SO<.
29	RUBE – from [t]UBE, with R in place of the T.

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