In a way (but only a way) my heart sank when I saw what I was going to have to blog: Azed’s specials are always excellent but take ages and are often very complicated. I was unsure that I’d be able to cope, but it’s all done now and any mistakes have now been made, I’m afraid.
It’s a long preamble, which I won’t repeat, except to say that there are two types of clue, occurring in more or less equal numbers. In half of them (and in these clues I’ve put (D) by the answer) you have to define the answer by finding a spoonerism in the clue. In the other half, which I found more difficult, certainly at the start — I had about ten of the first type before I got any of this type — the clue leads to a spoonerism of the answer, which is always a word in Chambers. So in these cases the answer isn’t actually defined and perhaps that’s what makes it so difficult to get started on them. In the first case the subsidiary indication is normal and in the second it leads to the actual word in the answer, not the spoonerism of it.
Really good. Definitions underlined.
| Across | ||
| 1 | GUTSCRAPER |
Confines leather strap to haul back fight in front of HM (10)
“gates crupper” — (tug)rev. scrap ER |
| 11 | FLEA (D) |
What bucks, after sighting, will be bagged by rifle aimed? (4)
“What sucks, after biting” — hidden in riFLE Aimed |
| 12 | FISH-DIVE |
Later course in long meal, sea food dip perhaps? (8)
“dish five” — fish dive [= dip, perhaps] |
| 13 | POST-OP |
Pack fizz – not a word! – in upper deck (6)
“stow pop” — po(st!)op |
| 14 | EDEN (D) |
Where sea wind first died, even on the fringes (4)
“Where we sinned first” — d in een |
| 16 | SINAEAN |
Without Latin one must stay outside area of ecumenical council (7)
“Nicaean” — ‘sine’ is ‘without’ in Latin, so it’s sin(a)e an [corrected thanks to Norman@1] |
| 17 | THINFACED |
Clan chief writing if hand etc guided (9)
“thane fist” — (if hand etc)* |
| 19 | CREEL (D) |
Tree sap to soften by boiling, then left (5)
“Sea trap” — cree l [corrected thanks to Norman@1] |
| 20 | SCOTIA (D) |
Feature of bill as pace modified cost, reverse of ideal (6)
“Feature of pillar’s base” — (cost)* (A1)rev. |
| 22 | HINT AT |
Part of Tommy’s kit bashed? Number cheers having it for protection (6, 2 words)
“tin hat” — hi(n ta)t |
| 25 | APIAN (D) |
Alto, soft, cut short as one bawls keys (5)
“as one calls bees” — A pian{o} |
| 26 | STILL-HUNT |
Mount showy performance: switch round work (9)
“Hill stunt” — s(till)hunt |
| 28 | CARIOLE |
Cheerful Cockney, slack, e.g. I brought in to sing last in programme (7)
“‘arry coal” — car(I)ol {programm}e |
| 31 | KING (D) |
Ma left off preparing cart cord (4)
“court card” — {ma}king |
| 32 | CITESS (D) |
Down tame summons involving minimum of sin (6)
“Town dame” — cite(s{in})s |
| *33 | ERADIATE |
Shoot out like light (8)
Straight. The clue-word, where one had to compose a clue of the type (D) |
| 34 | INTI (D) |
Bit of cold ash mate’s left by close friend (4)
“Bit of old cash” — inti{mate} |
| 35 | SANDSUCKER |
Polish patsy warmed vandal (10)
“sunned sacker” — sand sucker [= patsy] |
| Down | ||
| 2 | ULOTHRIX (D) |
Some wee seeds: wife has potted large number, even ones for Charlie (8)
“Some seaweeds” — u(lot {C}h{a}r{l}i{e})x |
| 3 | TEST (D) |
See me catch half of team, the other half being stumped (4)
“key match” — te{am} st. |
| 4 | SATINET |
Dapper coterie, a point accepted by street (7)
“Natty set” — s(a tine)t |
| 5 | RIP-SAW |
Inferior horse cut to taste uncooked (6)
“sip raw” — rip [= inferior horse] saw |
| 6 | ASPIC (D) |
Like informal photo, say, it may be sold for mammon (5)
“it may be mould for salmon” — as pic |
| 7 | PHONE CALL |
Pub once shattered the whole solid sink (9, 2 words)
“cone fall” — PH (once)* all |
| 8 | RIDENT |
Long to let out private room? Scratch around (6)
“Die rent” — ri(den)t |
| 9 | UVEA (D) |
Centre of round, mostly meat, pie’s art (4)
“eye’s part” — {ro}u{nd} vea{l} |
| 10 | PENNY-ANTES |
See nanny steep muddied girl’s underwear, no matter which (10, 2 words)
“any panties” — (nanny steep)* — I don’t quite understand this since Azed says that Chambers (2014) does not give the noun usage here, which is in Webster’s; but it does: perhaps what he means is that, although it does, what it gives cannot be pluralised. |
| 13 | PATCHOCKES |
As pet poorly, log in songbird disease (the pip) (10)
“chat pox” — (as pet)* round chock [= log] |
| 15 | AFLATOXIN (D) |
Been in some mate’s ace apartment, neat, trendy (9)
“Bane in some meats” — a flat ox in |
| 18 | PIANISTE |
Close to ski run, it’s alpine, wild but short of length (8)
“Near piste” — (it’s alpine – l)* |
| 21 | OPHITIC |
Dodgy sound from ticker? Operation a big success, I see (7)
“Iffy tock” — op hit I c — Azed tells us that the pronunciation of the first syllable of 21 (in the OED) isn’t in Chambers 2014 — not quite sure what he means here but I’m pretty sure it’s the right answer |
| 23 | NORNAS (D) |
Leo determining Trots, disheartened Russian when following drama (6)
“Trio determining lots” — R{ussia}n as following no |
| 24 | ELECTS (D) |
Six for Pete maybe, hoisting handle, century bagged (6)
“Picks for seat maybe” — (stele)rev. round c |
| 27 | ILIAD |
Large marble fish, wide bones, little depth (5)
“Ally id” — ilia d |
| 29 | AIRY (D) |
Whacking late enchantress needing no introduction (4)
“Lacking weight” — {f}airy |
| 30 | PENK (D) |
Piny tar, this serves as lining for open keel (4)
“Tiny parr” — hidden in oPEN Keel |
Thanks for the blog.
In the Spoonerisms:
I had “Sea trap” for 19ac…
… and Nicaean for 16ac (Chambers doesn’t seem to give Nicean as an alternative spelling, and Nicene would rhyme with “My scene” so won’t do.
In 27d I didn’t know ‘alley’ could be spelt without the ‘e’.
And I couldn’t see what Azed meant re 10 down either.
Sorry more haven’t appreciated this one. Thoroughly enjoyed it, though travelling that week was unable even to try to submit a clue. The spoonerisms were all fair and clear-cut once you spotted what was swapped- POST-OP took longer than it should.
Thanks again Azed- coming up to 2250