Azed 2241

1

Scottish gull showing insatiable appetite, after the best bit (7)

PICK (cream; best bit) + MAW (insatiable gulf or ever-open mouth; appetite; insatiable appetite)

PICK MAW

PICKMAW (Scottish word for the blackheaded gull)

6

Severe criticism about second bottle (5)

FLAK (severe criticism) containing (about) S (second)

FLA (S) K

FLASK (bottle)

10

Poser bare in set RA arranged (11)

Anagram of (arranged) BARE IN SET RA|

BRAINTEASER*

BRAINTEASER (difficult puzzle or problem; poser)

11

Basket for fishes in a row (5)

SCULL (shallow basket for fish)

SCULL (to row [a boat]) double definition

13

SE Asian or Japanese fish with hot stuffing (4)

H (hot) contained in (stuffing) TAI (Japanese sea bream)

T (H) AI

THAI (person from Thailand, a country in South East Asia)

14

Space for old geometrician, look, with house servant around (8)

LO (look) contained in (with … around)  (HO [house] + MAID [servant])

(HO MA (LO) ID)

HOMALOID (Euclidean space; space of an old geometrician.  EUCLID, a Greek mathematician is considered to be the ‘Father of Geometry’)

17

Stew, new one with wine a recipe included (7)

N (new) + A (one) + (VIN [wine] containing [included] (A + R [recipe {Latin}])

N A V (A R) IN

NAVARIN (stew of mutton or lamb, with turnip and other root vegetables)

18

Bird fixing stabilizer to small child (5)

FIN (stabilizer) + CH (child)

FINCH (bird)

19

Troy led by tough one – reminiscent of Homer sometimes? (6)

NUT (tough one) + AN (one) + T (troy [weight])

NUTANT (nodding; reference the phrase ‘Even Homer nods’ which means that even the best person sometimes makes a mistake due to a momentary lack of alertness or attention)

21

Measure of wood, fine in short (6)

F (fine) + (AT HOME [in] excluding the last letter [short] E)

FATHOM (timber measure equal to 216 cubic feet.)

23

It’s for beating lead fashioned round head of gargoyle (5)

MADE (fashioned) containing (round) G (first letter of [head of] GARGOYLE)

MAD (G) E

MADGE (lead hammer; it’s for beating lead)

25

A forward, well above average size as is fitting (7)

A + PROP (a forward in Rugby [Union or League]) + OS (outsize; above average size)

APROPOS (for the purpose; fitting)

28

Cooking pot, round as in the classical style, likely to attract tax (8)

DIABLE (unglazed earthenware casserole with a handle and a wide base tapering up to a narrow neck; cooking pot) containing (round) UT (as [in Latin; in the classical style])

D (UT) IABLE

DUTIABLE (subject to custom duty; likely to attract tax)

29

Fragments from Horatio ode years ago, example of asclepiads (4)

HOYA (first letter of [fragments from] each of HORATIO ODE YEARS AGO)

HOYA (a plant of the Australasian HOYA genus of plants of the Asclepiadaceae)

30

Cheer return of drugs agents (5)

NARCS (narcotics agents; drugs agents) reversed (return of)

SCRAN<

SCRAN (food; cheer)

31

Convivial frolic involving large amount getting drunk (11)

ANTIC (frolic) containing (involving) (ACRE [informal word to indicate a large amount] + ON [on the way to being drunk])

AN (ACRE ON) TIC

ANACREONTIC (after the manner of the Greek poet ANACREON, free, convivial or erotic)

32

Neat Scotch?  Amiably disposing of litre (5)

GENTLY (amiably) excluding [disposing of] L (litre)

GENTY (Scottish word for neat)

33

Wounds displayed internally by limbless especially (7)

BLESSES (hidden word in [displayed internally by] LIMBLESS ESPECIALLY)

BLESSES (wounds)

1

Taking to sea, get lost! (7)

PUSH-OFF (the act of pushing a boat off from the shore; taking to sea)

PUSH-OFF (an informal; way of telling people to bet lost!)  double definition

2

Wax-secreting gland in cow’s first stomach (6)

C (first letter of [first] COW) + RUMEN (paunch or first stomach of a ruminant)

CRUMEN (a deer’s tear-pit [gland below the eye secreting a waxy substance])

3

Succulent cabbage wrapped round cooked nacho (9)

KALE (cabbage) containing (wrapped round) an anagram of (cooked) NACHO

KAL (ANCHO*) E

KALANCHOE (a succulent plant which bears red, yellow or pink clusters on long stems)

4

Grand channel getting wheels turning?  RAC drops out (5)

MILLRACE (the current of water that turns a millwheel, or the channel in which it runs) excluding (drops out) RAC

MILLE (thousand; grand)

5

One with talent bagging theatre award, maiden, contrary (10)

(A + NOUS [talent]) containing (bagging) (TONY [an American award for meritorious work in the theatre] + M [maiden, in cricket scoring notation])

A N (TONY M) OUS

ANTONYMOUS (opposite; contrary)

6

Holder having to serve served, holding ball (4)

FED (given as food; served) containing (holding) O (ball shape)

FE (O) D

FEOD (land held on condition of service)  This seems to describe the thing held rather than the holder.

7

Fast-day, universal in hermitage, not quite finished (6)

U (universal) contained in (in) (ASHRAM [usually in India, a hermitage for a holy man] excluding the final letter [not quite finished] M)

ASH (U) RA

ASHURA (a fast-day observed on the tenth day of Moharram, especially among Shiite Muslims, in commemoration of the death of Imam Hosain)

8

Canvas whirls going round waterway (8, 2 words)

SWINGS (whirls) containing (going round) EA (dialect word for river; waterway)

S (EA) WINGS

SEA WINGS (sails; canvas)

9

Waving blade, how HM didn’t address dubbed Branagh, rising! (4)

(SIR [knight; someone who has been dubbed as so by the Monarch [e.g. Her Majesty {HM}] + K [initial of Kenneth, reference Sir Kenneth Branagh, knight of the theatre) all reversed (rising; down clue)  The Queen is  more likely to say arise SIR Kenneth than arise SIR K

(K RIS)<

KRIS (a Malay dagger with a wavy scalloped blade)

12

One supports player on it, as relaxing in group drawn on (10, 2 words)

(Anagram of [relaxing] ON IT AS) contained in (in) POOL (a group of people who may be called upon as required,; group drawn on)

P (IANO ST*) OOL

PIANO STOOL (a seat that supports a [PIANO] player)

15

In musical weight rises or falls (9)

(CARAT [unit of weight used for gems]) reversed [rises; down clue] contained in (in) CATS (musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot)

CA (TARAC)< TS

CATARACTS (waterfalls; falls)

16

Fog signal rendered rising moan (8)

PAID (rendered as a duty of service) reversed (rising ; down clue) + HONE (moan)

DIAP< HONE

DIAPHONE (siren-like fog signal)

20

Rising sound was satisfying in sacred place (7)

(SONE [unit of sound] + MET [was satisfying]) all reversed (rising; down clue)

(TEM ENOS)<

TEMENOS (sacred place)

22

Like Cressida, say, having time on French resort? (6)

T (time) + ROYAN (French resort on the Atlantic coast)

TROYAN (Cressida was a native of Troy)

24

Wreckage, bottom up, coming up half missing (6)

BED (bottom) reversed (up) + (RISING [coming up] excluding the second three letters [of six; half missing])

DEB< RIS

DEBRIS (wreckage)

26

Last of climbers moving to central position as rendezvous (5)

VINES (climbing plant; climber) with the final letter (last of] S moved to the middle [moved to central position]

VISNE

VISNE (venue; rendezvous)

27

Droop around end of lunch?  Long nap required (4)

SAG (droop) containing (round) H (last letter of [end of] LUNCH)

S (H) AG

SHAG (long coarse nap [woolly surface on cloth])

28

Party lines?  One might be caught on end of line (4)

DO (party) + RY (railway [lines])

DORY (fish of the mackerel family that may be caught on the end of a fishing line)