Azed 2247

1

Pale red flower one initially cut for church festival in US once (8)

PINK (pale red) + (ASTER [flower] excluding [cut] the first letter [initially] A))

PINKSTER (old American [US} term for Whitsuntide[church festival])

7

Porridge tasted was leading off (4)

SAMPLED (tasted) excluding (off) LED (was leading)

SAMP (a coarsely ground maize; porridge made from it)

10

Fellow writer combined operations with Thoreau (not English abroad) (8)

CO (combined operations) + (an anagram of [abroad] THOREAU excluding [not] E [English])

CO AUTHOR*

CO-AUTHOR (fellow writer)

12

Article about Ukip’s leader joining left – the absolute limit! (5)

THE (definite article) containing (about) (U [first letter of {leader} UKIP] + L [left])

TH (U L) E

THULE (an island six days north of Orkney discovered by Pytheas (4th century BC), variously identified as Shetland, Iceland, Norway, Jutland; hence ultima Thule the extreme limit, northernmost land)

13

What follows snicker about OT book? It may prompt blessing (5)

SNEE (reference the word SNICKERSNEE where SNEE follows SNICKER) + EZ (Old Testament Book of Ezekiel) reversed (about)

SNEE ZE<

SNEEZE (reference the phrase ‘bless you’ often said when someone SNEEZEs)

14

Old-style belt knocking back soak – sorry (6)

(RET [soak] + SOZ [slang for sorry]) all reversed (knocking back)

(ZOS TER)<

ZOSTER (an ancient Greek waistbelt for men)

15

Holy trees almost entirely surrounded by stones (6)

(ALL [entirely] excluding the final letter [almost] L) contained in (in) PIPS (stones)

PIP (AL) S

PIPALS (holy trees of the Buddhists, under which Buddha found enlightenment, planted close by every temple)

16

Cup left (half ignored) where patient is? (5)

(LEFT  excluding 2 of the 4 letters [half ignored] FT) contained in [in] BED [where patient is] – for completeness in this clue in BED is where the patient is

B (LE) ED

BLEED (one meaning of ‘cup’ is to draw blood [BLEED]))

18

Dad parked at roundabout, with adjustments for poor visibility (11)

Anagram of (roundabout) DAD PARKED AT

DARK-ADAPTED*

DARK-ADAPTED (describing an eyes that  has automatically adjusted to enable it to continue to see in reduced light)

19

Tendrillar plant?  See 50 on rocky face, supple (11)

L (Roman numeral for 50) + an anagram of (rocky) FACE + LIMBER (supple)

L EAFC* LIMBER

LEAFCLIMBER (a plant that climbs by means of its leaves (petioles or tendrils)

23

Mother gripped by indisposition backing blood-sucker (5)

(MA [mother] contained in [gripped by] AIL [indisposition]) all reversed (backing)

(L (AM) IA)<

LAMIA (bloodsucking serpent-with)

26

Antelope, none tailless, in lair (6)

(ZERO [none] excluding the last letter [tailless] O) contained in (in) DEN (lair)

D (ZER) EN

DZEREN (Central Asian antelope)

27

Betting system?  Sound off when two leaders come in last (6)

I’m not sure what the parsing is here.  I think it may be broken into TRIP and LE where LE are two letters of LEADERS.  I can’t relate TRIP to ‘sound off’ so I look forward to reading more sensible suggestions.

TRIPLE (a betting system requiring that the horses which finish first, second and third in a race are selected in correct)

29

Anarchy run amok with rubber (6)

Anagram of (amok) RUN + ULE (crude rubber from a Central American tree of the same name)

UNR* ULE

UNRULE (anarchy)

30

Foreign money (not rupees) backing ‘free’ estate (5)

DOLLAR (foreign [not British] money) excluding (not) R (rupees) reversed (backing)

ALLOD<

ALLOD (an estate not subject to a feudal superior; ‘free’ estate)

31

Fibre used to wrap product of rum?  I’m guessing(8

)

SISAL (agave fibre) containing (used to wrap) and an anagram of (product of) RUM

S (URM*) ISAL

SURMISAL (conjecture; guessing)

32

These occupy young souls initially (4)

TOYS (first letters of [initially] each of THESE OCCUPY YOUNG SOULS)

TOYS (playthings especially for children [young souls])  &Lit clue

33

Church work, but not in street?  Negligent beadles treat their flocks thus (8)

MINISTRY (church work) excluding (not) IN + ST (street)

MISTRYST (disappoint by mot keeping an engagement; could apply to beadles [church officers] failing to meet their congregation [flock])

1

Assign ‘no score’ (in short) for dumbo? (4)

PUT (assign) + Z (abbreviation [in short]  for ZERO [no score])

PUTZ (stupid person; dumbo)

2

Ancient resident showing how one might smoke a cigarette (8)

IN HOLDER (in the past [ancient?], some smokers used a [cigarette] holder to smoke a cigarette)

INHOLDER (obsolete [ancient] Spenserian word for an inhabitant; ancient resident)

3

Endless wobbly unease coming over one? (6)

Anagram of (wobbly) UNEASE excluding the last letter (endless) E containing (coming over) A (one)

N (A) USEA*

NAUSEA (a feeling of sickness; could be described as suffering from  ‘endless wobbly unease’ during the feeling of NAUSEA)

4

Coarse Scottish cloth in good condition (6)

KELTER (coarse cloth usually made of black and white wool mixed and not dyed)

I debated KILTER or KELTER for this one but have gone with KELTER based on it being the only spelling that defines a coarse cloth.  The first E is unchecked.

KELTER (variant spelling of KILTER [good condition])

5

Take a trip round Belgian city for beautiful black stones (11)

TOUR (take a trip round) + MALINES (municipality in Belgium, perhaps better known as MECHELIN)

TOURMALINES ( beautiful mineral of complex and varying composition, usually black or blackish)

6

Garden task, with topping and tailing, causing argument (5)

PRUNING (garden task) excluding the first and last letters (with topping and tailing) P and G

RUN-IN (argument)

7

Creatures brought up without pressure at heart come forward (6, 2 words)

PUPPETS (creatures) reversed (brought up; down clue) excluding [without] the middle letter [at heart] P

(STEP UP)<

STEP UP (come forward

8

Forward?  One such getting tight dropped (5)

A (one) + TIGHT-HEAD (reference TIGHT-HEAD prop forward in Rugby) excluding (dropped) TIGHT

AHEAD (forward)

9

Committees I needed in changing diapers! (8)

I contained in (needed in) an anagram of (changing) DIAPERS

PRES (I) DIA*  Either of the Is could be the one contained

PRESIDIA (standing committees in the former Soviet Union)

11

Snake I madden when replacing act in evergreen plants (11)

ASP (snake) + I + (DISTRACT [madden] with ACT replaced by AS [when])

ASP I DISTR AS

ASPIDISTRAS (evergreen plants)

16

Outback drivers go over this dull ground in course of bender (8)

Anagram of (ground) DULL contained in (in course of) BUST (drinking bout; bender)

BU (LLDU*) ST

BULLDUST (fine dust, as found on outback roads in Australia)

17

Our pile’s unusually hairy (8)

Anagram of (unusually) OUR PILE’S

PERILOUS*

PERILOUS (dangerous; hairy)

20

Diplomats given drinks in discussion meetings (6)

FO (Foreign Office; diplomats) + RUMS (drinks)

FORUMS (discussion meetings)

21

One delivering goods on legal conditions I see among advocates (6)

(I + LO [look; see]) contained in (among) BAR (barristers or advocates collectively)

BA (I LO) R

BAILOR (a person who BAILs goods to a BAILee [one of Chambers more circuitous definitions]; one delivering goods on legal conditions)

22

Occupation: member’s left with nothing in view almost (6)

(MP [Member {of Parliament}] + L [left] + O [nothing]) contained in [in] (EYE [view] excluding the final letter [almost] E)

E (MP L O) Y

EMPLOY (occupation)

23

The old foe of Tom, or of Tommy (5)

JERRY (the name of the mouse that was the foe of Tom the cat in the cartoon series Tom and JERRY)

JERRY (foes in the World Wars; TOMmy was the name for a British soldier and JERRY the name given to a German soldier by the British)

24

Rug taking up two measures, the second short (5)

(MILE [measurement] + K [abbreviation {short} for kilometer, another measurement]) all reversed (taking up; down clue)

(K ELIM)<

KELIM (a pileless woven rug traditionally made in the Middle East)

28

Cook up food selection, first half used as stuffing for the rest (4)

DIET (with DI the first 2 letter of 4 [half] moved to a central position within them two remaining letters [stuffing] ET)

E (DI) T

EDIT (garble or cook up)