No double or cryptic definitions today but that is not unusual for a Beelzebub puzzle. There was the customary hidden, and a handful or so of anagrams, but I do seem to have typed ‘reversed’ and ‘around’ rather a lot whilst writing this post.
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Across
1 Heartbreaking state? Open tissues handed round (11)
PITEOUSNESS – an anagram (handed round) of OPEN TISSUES
11 Evangelical in secret society backing pithy writer (7)
GNOMIST – SIM (evangelical) in TONG (secret society) reversed (backing)
12 Second hour needed to see gazelle (4)
MOHR – MO (second) HR (hour)
13 Arab work mentioned returning people who’ve left the country (8)
DIASPORA – AR (Arab) OP (work) SAID (mentioned) reversed (returning)
14 Get reduction for old convict (6)
ATTAIN – ATTAIN[t] (reduction for old convict)
15 Some acne – an icon of adolescence (6)
NEANIC – hidden in (some) ‘acNE AN ICon’
16 Christmas verse excluded from narrative (4)
NOEL – NO[v]EL (verse excluded from narrative)
18 Cheer first to kick in historic game (5)
GLEEK – GLEE (cheer) K[ick] (first to kick)
20 Brief comment returned about hospital programme on TV (8)
TELETHON – NOTELET (brief comment) reversed (returned) around (about) H (hospital)
23 Women are indulging in more caustic old medicine (3,5)
TAR WATER – W (women) A (are) in (indulging in) TARTER (more caustic)
25 Book Two in religious text? Passed on Latin version (5)
OBIIT – B (book) II (two) in OT (religious text)
27 Endless stink about a simple soul (4)
NAIF – NIF[f] (endless stink) around (about) A
28 Barrel regulation backed type of wood (6)
WALNUT – TUN (barrel) LAW (regulation) reversed (backed)
30 Orange colour, with hint of red, about to be adopted by SA blokes (6)
ROUCOU – R[ed] (hint of red) plus C (about) in (to be adopted by) OU OU (SA blokes)
32 Poet’s abstracted leaf, mud and river, possibly (8)
DREAMFUL – an anagram (possibly) of LEAF MUD R
33 Say a line that’s matched in Shakespeare (4)
EGAL – EG (say) A L (line)
34 Heading off with money, securing computer target alone (7)
UNAIDED – [f]UNDED (heading off with money) around (securing) AI (computer target {Artificial Intelegence})
35 Bad smell recalled – the only smell of declining things? (11)
OBSOLESCENT – BO (bad smell) reversed (recalled) SOLE (the only) SCENT (smell)
Down
2 One with measure of luminance, like a luminary? (2,2)
IN IT – I (one) NIT (measure of luminance)
3 Pasta and cake wrongly served up (8)
TORTELLI – TORTE (cake) ILL (wrongly) reversed (served up)
4 European man catching British in bind (6)
EMBALE – E (European) MALE (man) around (catching) B (British)
5 Help one over picking up aspects of fungi (5)
OIDIA – AID (help) I (one) O (over) reversed (picking up)
6 Position taken about promoting Irish composer (8)
STANFORD – STAND (position taken) around (about) FOR (promoting)
7 Informer’s interference seeing one put away (4)
NOSE – NO[i]SE (interference seeing one put away)
8 Transfix those people looking shocked? (6)
EMPALE – ‘EM (those people) PALE (looking shocked)
9 Poet’s to absolve verse I garbled about hearts (7)
SHRIEVE – an anagram (garbled) of VERSE I around (H (hearts)
10 Silly current fad, holding krona in index-linked investment (7,4)
TRACKER FUND – an anagram (silly) of CURRENT FAD around (holding) K (krona)
11 Grand petard I now exploded – containing this? (5,6)
GIANT POWDER – G (grand) plus an anagram (exploded) of PETARD I NOW
17 No longer dreary: running fast, cornered by heartless fiend (8)
GHASTFUL – an anagram (running) of FAST in (cornered by) GH[o]UL (heartless fiend)
19 Defensive measure ceased working after incursion by soldiers (8)
ESTACADE – an anagram (working) of CEASED around (after incursion by) TA (soldiers)
21 Ban most of board game (7)
EMBARGO – EMBAR[k] (most of board) GO (game)
22 Tailpiece further curtailed in approach to runway? (6)
FINALS – FIN (tailpiece) ALS[o] (further curtailed)
24 Unable to go, I arrange climbing in Alpine Club? (6)
ANURIC – I RUN (I arrange) reversed (climbing) in AC (Alpine Club)
26 Weapon capo mostly carried round US city (5)
BOLAS – BOS[s] (capo mostly) around (carried round) LA (US city)
29 Justice denied to aircraft boss (4)
UMBO – [j]UMBO (justice denied to aircraft)
31 Old plantation without trees (4)
OPEN – O (old) PEN (plantation)
One of those strange coincidences last week. I’d just heard a reference to Stanford on Radio 3 when I picked up the paper for the first time. And the first clue I read was 6dn.
I wasn’t familiar with that meaning of NOSE in 7dn, but I see it’s in Chambers.