My apologies for the late appearance of this post. The scheduled blogger forgot that it was his turn and did not solve the puzzle (I’ll put it down to festive spirit!).
Too many other puzzles have been solved since last Sunday for me to remember much about this one so there won’t be many, if any, comments. However, whilst writing this post it did seem that there were more easy, entry clues than normal but perhaps this is just with the benefit of hindsight.
Across
1 Aussie Charlie maybe once imprisoned in NZ if felonious (4)
ZIFF – hidden in (imprisoned in) ‘nZ IF Felonious’ – ‘Charlie’ = beard
4 Scottish support that can be provided by the clans (8)
STANCHEL – an anagram (that can be provided by) of THE CLANS
11 Battered, a true ‘cauli’ ear may be so described (10)
AURICULATE – an anagram (battered) of A TRUE CAULI
12 Star in group gripping bass instrument from Africa (5)
MBIRA – MIRA (star in group) around (gripping) B (bass)
14 Tailless lizard, northern scoff (4)
GECK – GECK[o] (tailless lizard)
15 Course daughter consumed in recess – it doesn’t get lighter than this (8, 2 words)
BROAD DAY – ROAD (course) D (daughter) in (consumed in) BAY (recess)
16 High-pitched or tinkling alto parts (7)
ORTHIAN – OR plus A (alto) in THIN (tinkling)
19 Workers etc feed us, work being in foreign seas (6)
MEROPS – OP (work) in MERS (foreign seas)
21 Toxic solvent with which huntress entraps bovine (6)
DIOXAN – DIAN (huntress) around (entraps) OX (bovine)
22 Dog book, a worthwhile thing to have (6)
BASSET – B (book) ASSET (a worthwhile thing to have)
24 Church canon in a heavenly colour (6)
CERULE – CE (church) RULE (canon)
26 Repetitive musical piece that gets a sailor dancing (7)
ROSALIA – an anagram (dancing) of A SAILOR
27 Second vintage given very little examination (8)
SCRUTINY – S (second) CRU (vintage) TINY (very little)
29 Strong link saving king in retreat (4)
KRAB – BAR (saving) K (king) reversed (in retreat)
30 Foursomes in international entering good steady scores (5)
PAIRS – I (international) in (entering) PARS (good steady scores)
31 What can make a hole in wet sand? Rotten timber can’t (10, 2 words)
MITTEN CRAB – an anagram (rotten) of TIMBER CAN’T
32 Working on art in Paris has one lying posed within … one of these? (8)
ATELIERS – LIER (one lying) in (posed within) AT (working on) ES (art {are} in Paris)
33 Confused sweetheart, one supplanted by setter? (4)
HAZY – H[one]Y (sweetheart) with the ‘one’ replaced with (supplanted by) AZ (setter)
Down
1 A flop, millions invested, in South Africa – its ‘music’ is very limited (8)
ZAMBOMBA – M (millions) in (invested) A BOMB (a flop) all in ZA (South Africa)
2 Son abandoned thrill in fast dance (4)
FRIS – FRIS[son] (son abandoned thrill)
3 Heroes disturbed after uncertainty over brigade equipment (8, 2 words)
FIRE HOSE – IF (uncertainty) reversed (over) plus an anagram (disturbed) of HEROES
5 Sultan’s ornamental devices involving tough struggle with prince (6)
TUGRAS – TUG (tough struggle) RAS (prince)
6 Nut or head cut from fish, dead (6)
ALMOND – [s]ALMON (head cut from fish) D (dead)
7 Cobra, welcome spoil for lemur (7)
NAGAPIE – NAGA (cobra) PIE (welcome spoil)
8 Edmund’s careful – is that him briefly appearing in country dance? (5)
HEEDY – ED (him {Edmund} briefly) in HEY (country dance)
9 Enclosure granny’s in shortly, about mounted – not sidesaddle (10, 2 words)
EN CAVALIER – ENC (enclosure) AVAL (granny) I[n] (in shortly) RE (about) reversed (mounted)
10 With freshwater features, / reddish in colour (4)
LAKY – double def.
13 Government official misrepresented as ‘a brute and a cur’ (10)
BUREAUCRAT – an anagram (misrepresented) of A BRUTE A CUR
17 Sad song performed in transport for fans? (8)
CORANACH – RAN (performed) in COACH (transport for fans)
18 Informer once abused beaks in minor channel overseas (8)
SNEAKSBY – an anagram (abused) of BEAKS in SNY (minor channel overseas)
20 Imprisoned Italian, one doing for traitorous mafiosi (7)
PENTITI – PENT (imprisoned) IT (Italian) I (one)
23 Sad old soprano, worn out (6)
TRISTE – TRITE (worn) around (out) S (soprano)
24 Be like William, we hear? A tenner’s one worth having! (6)
CONKER – a homophone (we hear) of ‘conquer’ (be like William)
25 Getting runs in cricket, say, the old trouble (5)
GRAME – R (runs) in GAME (cricket, say)
27 Predatory bird from this country turning up in South Africa (4)
SKUA – UK (this country) reversed (turning up) in SA (South Africa)
28 Star part in Semiramide (4)
MIRA – hidden in (part in) ‘seMIRAmide’ – easy if you’ve already solved 12ac!
I think Azed was being a bit kind in anticipation of today’s puzzle. Thanks Gaufrid for all your work.
Thanks to Gaufrid for ‘filling in’ for the scheduled blogger. I enjoy looking at the AZED blogs to see if I have ‘missed’ something.
But all I ‘missed’ this morning was the blog itself.
Had not come across ‘es’ as French art before. ‘Tu es’ is, of course, French for ‘thou art’.
Finding ‘tinkling’ as a meaning for ‘thin’ in Chambers was also a surprise. I know that tinkling sounds are thin sounds, but would not expect thin sounds to be tinking sounds. Have I got the wrong connection?
NB obvious typo in 21a. DION for DIAN
Thanks Norman, typo now corrected (that’s what comes of typing and proof reading both in a hurry and in poor light).