I have not done a Printer’s Devilry before. I like it, great fun!
I started off on the left of the grid and was feeling pretty smug as I rattled the solutions in one after another. Hubris, as I then dried up and was left wondering if I would be in the embarrassing position of not being able to finish at all. Eventually I got going on the right-hand side and all was well.
Thanks AZED for a super puzzle.
| Across | ||
| 1 | OUTHIRE | With holidays imminent, the bad weather is moving, sad (7) |
| With holidays imminent, the bad weather is moving, sOUTH I REad (7) | ||
| 6 | MAVIS | This remote landscape and hill fort a few will enjoy (5) |
| This remote landscape and hill forM A VISta few will enjoy (5) | ||
| 12 | EGAREMENT | Where they’re not permitted to, bold, they must move on (9) |
| Where they’re not permitted to bEG, ARE MEN Told they must move on? (9) | ||
| 13 | ENRAPT | To show that they have rhythm, mime on the pub tables (6) |
| To show that they have rhythm, mEN RAP Time on the pub tables (6) | ||
| 14 | GRANTA | This is a policy the opposition would relish a bit (6) |
| This is a policy the opposition would relish a biG RANT At (6) | ||
| 15 | AGITPROP | What’s a stay? Whatever is starting toss-up (8) |
| What’s a stay? Whatever is starting to sAG IT PROPs up (8) | ||
| 16 | HATHA | You may ask sows that, to do with me (5) |
| You may ask so wHAT HAs that to do with me | ||
| 18 | GERAH | Rumours of business malpractice make me read, ‘Likely to fail’ (5) |
| Rumours of business malpractice make merGER AHead likely to fail (5) | ||
| 20 | UNSTEADY | This group of WI members ring for a cuppa themselves (8) |
| This group of WI members rUNS TEA DYing for a cuppa themselves (8) | ||
| 22 | THORACAL | Reviewer wanting an interview gives aula (this house) (8) |
| Reviewer wanting an interview gives auTHOR A CALl at his house (8) | ||
| 25 | RESIN | Such birds have become race targeted by hunters (5) |
| Such birds have become raRE SINce targeted by hunters (5) | ||
| 27 | APERT | An editor will always maintain that his pries to get at the truth (5) |
| An editor will always maintain that his pAPER Tries to get at the truth (5) | ||
| 29 | STEREOME | The haruspex must sacrifice: the beans can be read (8) |
| The haruspex must sacrifice: the beaST ERE OMEns can be read (8) | ||
| 31 | MINTER | He needs do no vacation work though we’ve lots to give him time (6) |
| He needs do no vacation work though we’ve lots to give hiM IN TERm time (6) | ||
| 32 | Food (canine) on the supermarket shelf (6) | |
| 33 | ANTIDOTES | Being concerned about my health, has met every week (9) |
| Being concerned about my health, has meANT I DO TESt every week (9) | ||
| 34 | EGEST | Is that your maturing? It’s time for you to go (5) |
| Is that your matE GESTuring? It’s time for you to go (5) | ||
| 35 | NACELLE | We’ve assigned prisoners coming to teach (7) |
| We’ve assigned prisoners coming to teN A CELL Each (7) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | OBEAH | As a shrewd investment I bought this tome for my children (5) |
| As a shrewd investment I bought this tO BE A Home for my children (5) | ||
| 2 | TORI | Is she the lass there, another yet to arrive? (4) |
| Is she the lasT OR Is there another yet to arrive? (4) | ||
| 3 | HEATHER | Do rascally buyers, cringers when catches are landed? (7) |
| Do rascally buyers, cHEAT HERringers when catches are landed? (7) | ||
| 4 | RATRUN | In olden days porters were often summoned to beak (6) |
| In olden days porters were often summoned to beaR A TRUNk (6) | ||
| 5 | ERGOTS | He began his career in London but, latent, abroad (6) |
| He began his career in London but latER GOT Sent abroad (6) | ||
| 7 | AMATE | Show argand? He may get interested! (5) |
| Show a rAM A TEg and he may get interested! (5) – a teg is a sheep | ||
| 8 | VENERATE | Breaking the law, gives the contrasting case to answer (8) |
| Breaking the law, gives the contraVENER A TEsting case to answer (8) | ||
| 9 | INTRADERMAL | For any, gratis, a key end-product (11) |
| For any graIN TRADER MALt is a key end-product (11) | ||
| 10 | STACHYS | After a bad fall I felt mood – I’d no exercise for a while (7) |
| After a bad fall I felt moST ACHY So did no exercise for a while (7) | ||
| 11 | INGATHERING | Her gold hoard gave her such a thrill I often saw her chuck lots (11) |
| Her gold hoard gave her such a thrill I often saw her chucklING AT HER INGots (11) | ||
| 17 | TEOSINTE | The RSPB would surely never, let loose, burn sanctuaries (8) |
| The RSPB would surely never, let loose, buTEOS IN TErn sanctuaries (8) – buteos are buzzards | ||
| 19 | STRUMAE | Fine spirits with soda? You surely don’t like drinking berated (7) |
| Fine spirits with soda? You surely don’t like drinking beST RUM AErated (7) | ||
| 21 | EXPENSE | He’s a literary giant at his career apt to gain yet higher honours (7) |
| He’s a literary giant at his career apEX, PEN SEt to gain yet higher honours (7) | ||
| 23 | CITRON | I’m looking to solid Els, wanting harmonious rounds! (6) |
| I’m looking to soliCIT RONdels wanting harmonious rounds! (6) | ||
| *24 | AVESTA | Zoroastrian scripture (6) |
| competition entry | ||
| 26 | INTIS | This is the muck to cleanse my breath (5) |
| This is the mINT I Suck to cleanse my breath (5) | ||
| 28 | TELAE | Anyone wanting to planish as a ready-made source of oil (5) |
| Anyone wanting to planT ELAEis has a ready-made source of oil (5) | ||
| 30 | ODAL | Haute cuisine is a keen passion I like – my foot! (4) |
| Haute cuisine is a keen passion I like – my foOD A Lot! (4) | ||
*anagram
definitions are underlined
Is SENDAL better than SANDAL? Food cans end a line…
I too had sendal.
I failed completely with the top right bit.
Congratulations PeeDee on your first of these, I’ve done rather a lot, not just by Azed and it is remarkably easy to miss what later is obvious. Thank you for the solution.
Although you are undoubtedly right with 6a I am unimpressed by the undevilled sentence, sour grapes possibly.
Thanks rf3435 and sidey. I’d not heard of SENDAL and I doubt I would ever have guessed it.
I agree that SENDAL is better (if hardly inspired) but am now nagged with doubt as to whether I entered that or SANDAL, having failed to keep a copy of my entry. Perhaps Azed will be generous and allow both….
Having spent hours labouring over a clue for AVESTA, I am deeply in awe of Azed’s skill: how long must it have taken him to devise clues for the whole puzzle, I wonder?
I don’t see a problem with 6A: the undevilled sentence reads smoothly enough, certainly more so than 32 across.
For those of us that are just beginning our journey with AZED ( I plan to complete one sometime before my eightieth birthday – I’m now 37, I may have left it too late), please could you explain this one?
As in, explain how it works, let alone parsing the clues.
Hi Al,
Every now and again AZED produces puzzles that are not normal cryptics, this being one example. Printer’s Devilry is a type of puzzle invented by Afrit and continued by AZED.
The idea is that the puzzle has been altered by a devilish printer before publication. The aim is not to solve the clues but to guess what the original clues were. Each clue has had a single word inserted somewhere, this word is to be entered in the grid as the solution. The “rules” for clue alterations are that:
1) the letters of the word will always be in the correct order, but may be broken by spaces or punctuation
2) the printer may have changed the punctuation or added/removed spaces form the original clue when adding the word, but the letters of the original clue will not have been changed and still be in the same order.
Fortunately there is no need to parse the clues. I doubt they make any sense.
More about PD puzzles here. Hope this helps.