A couple of downright obscure words in here but on the whole quite amenable given enough time to think about it. Thank you AZED.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SCRUBS |
Second-rate US players in theatre get-up? (6)
double definition – mebers of an inferior team in US and surgical scrubs worn by surgeons |
| 6 | CABOBS |
Barbecued items, about two shillings (6)
CA (circa, about) BOB and S (two shillings) |
| 11 | PRIMO |
First love, over-demure to begin with (5)
O (love) coming before (first) PRIM (over-demure) |
| 12 | FLOAT |
Footlights on briefly, bit of stage scenery occupying wings (5)
O (on, briefly) in (with…occupying the wings) FLAT (bit of stage scenery) |
| 13 | PALAFITTE |
Roof’s in good condition within ancient lake dwelling (9)
PALATE (roof, of mouth) contains (has…within) FIT (in good condition) |
| 14 | NEAP |
In grip of hurricane April’s the opposite of spring (4)
found inside hurricaNE APril – tides |
| 16 | GRUMES |
Clots damaged rug with endless gloop (6)
RUG* anagram=damaged with MESs (gloop, endless) |
| 17 | PESANT |
Old rustic, one beset by threat to crops (6)
AN (one) inside (beset by) PEST (threat to crops) – old spelling |
| 18 | ENDARTERITIS |
Archerfish burrows within i.e. isn’t swimming – it affects vessel badly (12)
DARTER (archer fish) in (IE ISNT)* anagram=swimming – disease of the arteries |
| 19 | PERICARDITIS |
Heather often in grip of spirit died horribly – heart inflammation (12)
ERICA (heather) in anagram (horribly) of SPIRIT and D (died) |
| 23 | APEMAN |
It’s retrograde to call dad ~the missing link~? (6)
NAME (to call) PA (dad) reversed (retrograde) |
| 25 | BARONY |
E.g. Blair thus becomes tense – it’s press tycoon’s sphere (6)
TONY (Blair) missing ony (BAR ONY) would become T (tense) |
| 28 | GOER |
I’m energetic, so switching parts (4)
ERGO (so) left and right parts switching places |
| 29 | HUMILIATE |
Pimples, last to wilt in colour and wither (9)
MILIA (pimples) and wilT (last letter of) in HUE (colour) |
| 30 | IMARI |
Fine pottery I presented to amir nervously (5)
anagram (nervously) of I and AMIR – Japanese pottery |
| 31 | RESIN |
See three wise men leaving the East and heading for West with me – possibly e.g. frankincense (5)
anagram (possibly) of thREe wISe meN missing THE E (East) W (heading for West) and ME |
| 32 | MEKONG |
Source of Chinese fish Ken Hom put in stew, not hot but good, … (6)
anagram of KEN HOM (put in stew) with G (good) replacing H (hot) |
| 33 | DENTEX |
… and not this one, found in occident exclusively (6)
found in occiDENT EXclusively – a Mediterranian fish, so not from the Mekong! |
| Down | ||
| 1 | SPONGE |
Nasty smell in the main left by a drunkard (6)
PONG (nasty smell) in SEa (the main) missing A |
| 2 | CRIER |
Mourner making carriage return, coffin bearer having mislaid lid? (5)
CR (carriage return) then bIER (coffin bearer) missing top letter |
| 3 | RIBAUDRED |
Take one old hare, bloodied – it could be obscene (9)
R (recipe, take) I (one) baud (hare, old=archaic) red (bloodied) |
| 4 | BOATER |
Short book, a western, for one who likes messing about? (6)
B (book, short) OATER (a western, slang for film with horses) – messing about in boats |
| 5 | SELF STANDING |
Independent renovated flat??s included in posting (12)
anagram (renovated) of FLATS and POSTING |
| 6 | CLAPPER BOARD |
Some applause for each poet (about nothing) – requirement on film set (12)
CLAP (some applause) PER (for each) BARD (poet) containing O (nothing) |
| 7 | AFFEER |
Assess, as of old, a fine charge with head of regiment (6)
A F (fine) FEE (charge) with Regiment (first letter of) – archaic word for tax assessment |
| 8 | BLIP |
Brown sauce an irregularity? It shouldn’t last long (4)
B (brown) LIP (sauce) |
| 9 | BATON |
Decide against declaration, Billy? (5)
BAT ON (decide against declaration) |
| 10 | STENTS |
Temporary splints dilate in centre of vessel (6)
TENT (to dilate) in veSSel (centre of) |
| 15 | TATTOOIST |
My work’s hard to shift ?? I’m so OTT, at it frantically! (9)
(SO OTT AT IT)* anagram=frantically |
| 19 | PASHIM |
The governor’s your man for soft woolly stuff (6)
PA’S (the governor’s) with HIM (your man) – the underfleece of Himalayan goats. What a great language English is that it includes a word for the underfleece of a Himalayan goat. |
| 20 | CAPLIN |
Little fish covering deep ravine (6)
CAP (covering) LIN (deep ravine) |
| 21 | DARTRE |
Skill retained by doctor gets on top of eastern skin disease (6)
ART (skill) inside DR (doctor) on E (eastern) |
| 22 | SYRINX |
Tomb tunnel, one cut by e.g. Damascene, unknown? (6)
SYRIaN (eg Damascene, from Damascus) missing (cut by) I (one) then X (unknown) |
| 24 | PLUME |
What dresses helmet up? The —, possibly (5)
THE PLUME is an anagram (possibly) of HELMET UP |
| 26 | NEWIE |
Inverted rune – that is a novelty (5)
WEN (a rune) inverted then IE (that is) |
| 27 | BIRO |
Writer born in Romania (4)
B (born) I (in) RO (Romania) |
definitions are underlined
Thnaks Azed and PeeDee
11ac: I parsed this with “First” as the definition, and “to begin with” as the indictor that PRIM goes before O.
… and of course I meant “indicator”.
Hello Pelham, I tried both ways and eventually chose one over the other. At the time I had a reason but now I can’t remember what it was at all.
This was the first Azed I’ve every finished but I had no idea of the parsing of Barony, apart from it being something to do with press barons, of course, so thank-you for that.
For what it’s worth, I parsed 11a the same way as Pelham.