Beelzebub 1297

I seemed to finish this one a little more quickly than usual, perhaps because 1ac and 1dn were my first entries, and then spent more time than is the norm justifying/verifying some of the obscure wordplay, for example 23ac.

All in all, a satisfying challenge.

Across
1 Make up, suppressing dispute, no longer perverse (7)
FROWARD – FARD (make up) around (suppressing) ROW (dispute)

7 Four without question recalled here (5)
TETRA – [qu]ARTET (four without question) reversed (recalled) – the ‘here’ seems to be indicating that ‘four’ is both part of the wordplay and the definition

12 Rise up in connection with dressage move (6)
REVOLT – RE (in connection with) VOLT (dressage move)

13 East Central Scotland’s mud cake (6)
ÉCLAIR – EC (East Central {London post code}) LAIR (Scotland’s mud) – “a cake, long in shape but short in duration, with cream filling and usu chocolate icing” (Chambers)

14 Flexible management transformed coach yard (9)
ADHOCRACY – an anagram (transformed) of COACH YARD

17 Italian actress backing Australian for Shakespeare rôle (7)
LORENZO – LOREN (Italian actress) OZ (Australian) reversed (backing)

18 Tribe to live in further meetings? Not half (6)
REUBEN – BE (to live) in REUN[ions] (further meetings? Not half)

19 Prince in the French Court over to be embraced by English Queen (7)
ELECTOR – LE (the French) CT (court) O (over) in (to be embraced by) E (English) R (queen)

21 Reduced military manoeuvres: line to regret backing gunner (11)
MITRAILLEUR – an anagram (manoeuvres) of MILITAR[y] (reduced military) L (line) RUE (regret) reversed (backing)

23 Prat behind cut Scottish grass (7)
CANNACH – CAN (prat {buttocks}) NACH[e] (behind cut)

25 Heat in Death Valley definitely revolving around stone (6)
ESTRUS – SURE (definitely) reversed (revolving) around ST (stone)

26 Artificial covering formed from granite? (7)
INTEGRA – an anagram (formed from) of GRANITE

30 Lure to Edinburgh bar for indulgence (9)
TOLERANCE – TOLE (lure) RANCE (Edinburgh bar)

31 I’m in a bit of good weather, rejecting ill-feeling (6)
ANIMUS – I’M in A SUN (bit of good weather) reversed (rejecting)

32 Man and sister trapping rook in bird enclosure (3,3)
HEN RUN – HE (man) NUN (sister) around (trapping) R (rook)

33 Some gentleness and softer sounds (5)
LENES – hidden in (some) ‘gentLENESs’

34 English, correct, breached by singular poet (7)
ELEGIST – E (English) LEGIT (correct) around (breached by) S (singular)

Down
1 Such an attitude to family provokes unusually radical rift (11)
FRATRICIDAL – an anagram (unusually) of RADICAL RIFT

2 Rescue rock group, covering swearword? (6)
REDEEM – REM (rock group) around (covering) DEE (swearword {damn})

3 Attribute of dog or catfish (4)
WOOF – double def.

4 Australian period encompassing origins of large continent here? (7)
ALCHERA – A (Australian) ERA (period) around (encompassing) L[arge] C[ontinent] H[ere] (origins of large continent here) – &lit – according to Oxford on-line “In the mythology of some Australian Aborigines, the ‘golden age’ when the first ancestors were created.”

5 Old sleeping draught – start to drink McTavish’s choice (5)
DWALE – D[rink] (start to drink) WALE (McTavish’s choice)

6 Cancel including column exposing excess embonpoint? (9)
DÉCOLLETÉ – DELETE (cancel) around (including) COL (column)

8 Other selection of pictures left up (4)
ELSE – hidden reversal in (selection of … up) ‘picturES LEft’

9 Small drink not about to grab one in already wasted state? (8)
TAINTURE – TIN[c]TURE (small drink not about) around (to grab) A (one)

10 Hotelier creates opening in Edinburgh, we hear (4)
RITZ – a homophone (we hear) of ‘rits’ (creates opening in Edinburgh)

11 Arab punch with aroma of trees (11)
ARBORESCENT – AR (Arab) BORE (punch) SCENT (aroma)

15 What this doesn’t do for encounter (3,6)
RUN ACROSS – double def.

16 Stop one batting training target (8)
QUINTAIN – QUINT ({organ} stop) A (one) IN (batting)

20 Studios televiser rebuilt – see independent moving out (7)
ELSTREE – an anagram (rebuilt) of TELE[vi]SER (televiser … see independent moving out)

22 American college chasing origin of red American shrub (6)
RUSCUS – R[ed] (origin of red) US (American) C (college) US (American)

24 Substantially reduce sound, limiting volume (5)
HALVE – HALE (sound) around (limiting) V (volume)

27 Selection of workmen in each square (4)
NINE – hidden in (selection of) ‘workmeN IN Each’

28 Uncle restricting son with unisex name (4)
ESME – EME (uncle) around (restricing) S (son)

29 Dynasty name’s entered where name often goes? (4)
TANG – N (name) in (‘s entered) TAG (where name often goes)

2 comments on “Beelzebub 1297”

  1. Blog much appreciated Gaufrid, and it is a nice touch to include the clues. (Several times I have needed to be reminded when replying to a point.)

    The Evil One defeated me with 23 and 5. Three unches have been staring at me all week.

  2. Certainly easier than the previous week, I recall, but there were several that defeated my attempts at parsing, so thanks for the explanations.

    23ac, I find that not only did I not know the answer with out looking it up, I didn’t know the two parts of the word play.

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