A lot of unknown or long-forgotten words for me this week but this did not cause a longer than usual solve due to the accurate wordplay and clear definitions.
I was held up briefly in the NE corner by the enumeration given for 8dn and 9dn, both of which should have been hyphenated according to the usual references.
Across
1 Struggle by stupid person losing pet in practice (4-2)
WARM-UP – WAR (struggle) MUP[pet] (stupid person losing pet)
5 Write with experience and thought (6)
PENSÉE – PEN (write) SEE (experience)
10 Story mostly follows artist in tense area indirectly controlled by government (10)
PARASTATAL – RA (artist) in PAST (tense) A (area) plus TAL[e] (story mostly)
12 Expression of triumph by students getting name for trilobites (6)
OLENUS – OLÉ (expression of triumph) NUS (students)
14 Position of deputy in wild cyclone, ringing number after hesitation (5,7)
LOCUM TENENCY – an anagram (wild) of CYCLONE around (ringing) UM (hesitation) TEN (number)
15 Audibly folds slip (5)
LAPSE – a homophone (audibly) of ‘laps’ (folds)
17 Advance payment to cover first of agony columns (5)
ANTAE – ANTE (advance payment) around (to cover) A[gony] (first of agony)
18 Data cult distorted with five hundred out of touch (7)
TACTUAL – an anagram (distorted) of [d]ATA CULT
21 Albanian buffalo in the field (7)
ARNAOUT – ARNA (buffalo) OUT (in the field)
24 Perennial part of Figaro, ideal (5)
AROID – hidden in (part of) ‘figARO IDeal’
25 Treat provided by spicy dish (5)
CURRY – double def.
26 Apparition very quiet by end of séance left obscured by shadow and incense (12)
DOPPELGANGER – PP (very quiet) [séance]E (end of séance) L (left) in (obscured by) DOG (shadow) ANGER (incense)
28 Like mountains as well as home base (6)
ANDINE – AND (as well as) IN (home) E (base)
29 Lackey no longer in pink kneels awkwardly (4-6)
SKIP-KENNEL – an anagram (awkwardly) of PINK KNEELS
30 Palm in illusion holding firm (6)
MACOYA – MAYA (illusion) around (holding) CO (firm)
31 Tern’s cry mingled with sea (6)
SCRAYE – an anagram (mingled) of CRY SEA
Down
1 Court supporter dismissing answer lacking clarity (6)
WOOLLY – WOO (court) [a]LLY (supporter dismissing answer)
2 Odd components of awful pipe unfixed (6)
AFLOAT – A[w]F[u]L (odd components of awful) OAT (pipe)
3 Version of rustic map including note in handwritten form (10)
MANUSCRIPT – an anagram of (version of) RUSTIC MAP around (including) N (note)
4 While on shift, constrained by boss with no time for dialogue (11)
PASTOURELLE – AS (while) TOUR (shift) in (constrained by) PELLE[t] (boss with no time)
6 Giant, having taken food, less active (4)
ETEN – E[a]TEN (having taken food, less active)
7 Tax assessor turned around outdated probe (8)
STENTOUR – SOUR (turned) around TENT (outdated probe)
8 Flap created by lawman accepting cases (6)
EAR-CAP – EARP (lawman) around (accepting) CA (cases) – according to Chambers the enumeration should have been 3-3
9 On mythical animal, going north in atmospheric region (6)
E-LAYER – RE (on) YALE (mythical animal) reversed (going north) – according to Chambers and Oxford On-line the enumeration should have been 1-5, Collins has it as 1,5
11 Silence on rising problem with senseless mischief (11)
SHENANIGANS – SH (silence) plus SNAG (problem) INANE (senseless) reversed (rising)
13 Voter stirred up on being taken in by proposal (3-7)
TEN-POUNDER – an anagram (stirred) of UP ON in (being taken in by) TENDER (proposal)
16 Decide to stop fear, viewing all aspects (8)
PANOPTIC – OPT (decide) in (to stop) PANIC (fear)
19 King upset about son’s love of cruelty (6)
SADISM – MIDAS (king) reversed (upset) around (about) S (son)
20 Right bloke amid cheers leading team (6)
TROIKA – R (right) OIK (bloke) in (amid) TA (cheers)
22 Shot round object with it (6)
TRENDY – TRY (shot) around END (object)
23 Stone not once at bottom of pile (6)
PYRENE – PYRE (pile) NE (not once)
27 Cooler English weather (4)
ESKY – E (English) SKY (weather)
Thanks for that. I don’t recall having too much trouble with this – did it during the NFL conference final game on Sky.
Not sure what you mean about the enumeration. I think you are slightly confused by having an electronic version of the puzzle. Beelzebub does not usually sub-enumerate hyphenated words and the enumeration you have for 14ac is different to what I see in the paper – (5,7) compared to (12, 2 words).
In fact I have never seen Beelzebub sub-enumerate hyphenated words, or even indicate that there is more than one word – but then I am a dead tree solver too.
Ditto not enumerating multi-word non-hyphenated answers, just giving, as in the example Dormouse gives above, the overall length and the number of words.
For me it is a major part of the joy of solving these small masterpieces.
Hi Dormouse & Conrad
I have to admit that I have never seen the paper version of this puzzle series. The copy I receive, and from which I copy/paste the clues, usually includes hyphens in the enumeration (eg 1ac, 29ac, 13dn) and individual word lengths in multiple word answers (eg 14ac). So, for consistency, I expected 8dn & 9dn to be similar.
Perhaps one or both of the Beelzebubs would like to comment.
Did they know about this dilution of the pleasure?
Well, this is probably something I did, moons ago. Beelzebub used to put things like (9, hyphenated) at the same time as the setters receiving grumbles about taking up too much space. I pointed out that ‘hyphenated’ is a jolly long word, and often pushed clues on to an extra line. Adopting Azed’s practice of only saying (9, 6 words) or whatever, and leaving hyphenation to be deduced elsewhere would save space. So we did. (Azed’s practice seems to be shifting a little of late, though.)
Now, I too get the PDFs that go to Gaufrid and for reasons unclear to me these have (2-6) and (3,2,4) and so on. I also see galleys (which look like the puzzle a couple of redesigns ago – add that to the list of unclear things) and these do not have those, but (8) and (9, 3 words) respectively. So, of course, I knew where Gaufrid was getting his puzzles…