AZED 2,318 – transgender

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A fun but hard variant of the typical Azed — we ended up solving as a team (thanks Jutta, Martin, Frank!) — given the title, at first thought that likely theme is Armistice Day (Nov 11) or Guy Fawkes day (Nov 5) — turned out to be the latter — “remember, remember, the fifth of November” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night. To be clear, the theme was basically replace male names in answers with female names (“penny for the guy”) as exemplified by 1A.

 

completed grid

At some point the the male to female name mutation emerged and we realized that 1A was in addition to the 18 other thematic modifications.

  1. 1A: Guy -> Penny — so this means Nov 5 is the theme: “a penny for the Guy”!

  2. 12A: Tom -> Pam

  3. 13A – Sam -> Naomi

  4. 14A – Adam -> Una

  5. 16A – Peter -> Esme

  6. 19A: Carl -> Leah

  7. 31A: Rob -> Greta

  8. 36A: Don -> Rose

  9. 39A – Al -> Ena

  10. 40A – Eric -> Tessa

  11. 1D – Ron -> Ame

  12. 8D – Giles -> Erica

  13. 3D: Alan -> Ann

  14. 6D: Leo -> Marie

  15. 10D – Rick -> Ines

  16. 21D: Tim -> Hattie

  17. 23D – Ned -> Thea

  18. 26D: Ian -> Bess

  19. 29D – Paul -> Mele (Hawaiian “Mary”) // not sure about this yet

Across
*1 TIMENOPENNY A makeshift (11)
Definition is TIMENOGUY – a makeshift (rope presumably) – transformed thematically to TIMENO,PENNY — which leads us thematically to “a penny for the guy“, ref. Guy Fawkes.  Definition-only clue for which we were to supply a thematically consistent clue.
12 ANAPAMY Analysis, no matter which, including a folded chart (7)
Thematic! The definition is ANATOMY so Tom become Pam and the wordplay is AN(A,PAM)Y where some=any and rev(map=chart).
13 NAOMIE Unchanged, that is after complaint is rebuffed (6)
Thematic! Definition is SAME and Sam -> Naomi and for wordplay rev(moan=complaint), IE=that is.
14 MUNA Country fellow accompanied by a lady (4)
Thematic! This was our last clue solved — and a tough nut indeed.  Definition is MADAM and Adam -> Una where wordplay is MUN=dialect man (“country fellow”),A
15 PORISMS Sources of spectrum admitting nothing as geometric corollaries (7)
Ah! a normal clue: P(O)RISMS
16 TRUMESMES Swans turning muter alongside one on board ship (9)
Thematic! This clue was sort of my way in… I immediately thought of trumpeters having seen the anagram potential of “muter”… and then noticed Peter and then… well, I needed corroboration from the Eric and Erica clues but still this clue helped tremendously.  So definition is TRUMPETERS and wordplay is TRUME*,S(ME)S where one=me (ooh… I just realized that I used “tremendous” in the context of Trump… my apologies).
17 CADIZ Judge No. 1 in Zaragoza destination for Spanish tourists (5)
I prematurely alighted upon Ibiza — but was corrected by one of my teammates to CADI=Judge,Z[aragoza].
18 SOREDIA Parts of lichen help back when applied to tender spot (7)
SORE,DIA – rev(aid=help). Lichen parts.  Reverse engineered from wordplay and then checked in the BRB.
19 SLEAHAT Bright red hat tricked out with eels (7)
Thematic! SCARLET = bright red and wordplay is just (hat, eels)* with Carl -> Leah for entry.
22 TILING Wall decoration maybe kept inside until in garden (6)
hidden.
27 ENSATE Long and pointed, growing out round head of stalk (6)
EN(S)ATE – Sword-like=long and pointed. where enate=growing out.
28 REABUSE One in Erebus set free to maltreat again (7)
A=one in Erebus*
31 PGRETAE Investigate backsliding work unit caught by concealed tape (7)
Thematic! PROBE=investigate with wordplay is rev(erg=work) in tape* and  Rob->Greta for entry.
33 SERIN Little bird succeeded with prickly plant? No go (5)
S,ERIN[go] – Eringo=eryngo=thistle.  And serin is a canary.
35 TENNIS NET Nine’s silly under canvas? It’ll divide court (9, 2 words)
nines* in tent where “under canvas” is “in tent” (so mixing cryptic grammar and fodder).
36 AROSEAI Lord reared Japanese fish for the table (7)
Thematic! Definition is ADONAI=Lord and wordplay is AROSE=reared,AI where AI=edible Japanese table (thus “for the table”) and Don -> Rose for the entry.  One of the harder clues for us to untangle.
37 SHOE E.g. Oxford girl bagging second in mods? (4)
SH([m]O[ds])E – Oxford is an example of a SHOE.
38 NICKEL First half of bread’s gone? Only a fifth of a quarter (6)
[pumper]NICKEL – quarter=25c, so a fifth of that is 5c=a nickel.
39 SENDENA Silk garment? Last thing you’ll see in Indian army (7)
Thematic! Definition is SENDAL=thin silk garment, with wordplay S(END)ENA where sena=Indian army and Al -> Ena for entry.
40 HYSTTESSAAL Has let stays burst? Very funny (11)
Thematic! Definition is HYSTERICAL=very funny, with wordplay (has let stays)* with Eric -> Tessa for entry.  One of the early hints that there was something going on with male names.
Down
1 TAMECS Collection of tips dropping? Reverse of that, the writer’s included (6)
Thematic! Definition is TRONCS=tip collection (of waiters), with wordplay me=the writer in rev(scat=dropping) and Ron -> Ame for the entry.
2 INULA Composites to embed endlessly around for all to see (5)
IN(U)La[y] – plants of the composite (variety, family, …). ANd U=universal film rating (“for all to see”)
3 MANNDERS Eruptions died in polite behaviour (8)
Thematic! Definition is MALANDERS=eruptions with wordplay MANN(D)ERS and Alan -> Ann for entry.
4 EPAXIAL Chopper I used to sever left primate upended above second vertebra (7)
ax=chopper,I in rev(L,ape) but I don’t quite see the definition — “the axis” = “second vertebra” given my weak grasp of anatomy.
5 NANTZ Insect found in New Zealand brandy (5)
N(ANT)Z – it’s a brandy.
6 OMARIE Marge? Love her (not good but independent) (6)
Thematic! Definition is marge=OLEO (margarine) with wordplay O=love,Marge=her with the g=good changing to i=independent and Leo -> Marie for entry.
7 ENOMOTY Money splashed out to engage ’ighly charged Spartan troops (7)
[h]ot in money* where [h]ot=[h]ighly charged and enomoty=’smallest subdivision of Spartan army’.
8 NARERICA Hookahs are mostly full-flavoured in North America (8)
Thematic! Definition is NARGILES=hookahs where wordplay is N(ARE,RIC[h])A and Erica -> Giles (combined with Eric from 40A, we started to figure out the theme) for the entry.  This clues confused me at first because I couldn’t shake the notion that the spelling should be nargila (but the BRB clarified).
9 NOISE Interference I detected in one interfering (5)
NO(I)SE
10 LIMEINES Short poem in Middle English, set in lengths of text (8)
Thematic! Definition is LIMERICK=short poem where wordplay is L(I’,ME)INES and Rick -> Ines for entry.
11 MESSAGE Prophetic teaching to confuse a generation (7)
mess,age
18 STYRE Move about as before, part of amnesty regulations (5)
hidden – (rare) move.
20 LINGERIE Fish on lake in underwear (8)
LING,ERIE – ref. Lake Erie.
21 HATTIEES By obligation, is unable to stand around (8)
Thematic! definition is just “by”=TIMES where wordplay is HAT(TIE)ES, hates=is unable to stand, tie=obligation and Tim -> Hattie for entry.
23 INURTHEA I cooked nut with hare, jugged perhaps? (8)
Thematic! Definition is INURNED=”jugged perhaps?” with wordplay just (I, nut, hare)* and Ned -> Thea for entry.  This was a tough nut indeed to crack — because even though it was pretty obvious that the wordplay would be an anagram with obvious fodder, the result isn’t an actual word.
24 REPTANT Squiggly pattern moving over an old wall? (7)
pattern* — the definition is bit vague in my opinion — Chambers has just “creeping” (and indicates archaic) so perhaps ref a creeping plant over a wall? Don’t really like this.
25 SEA SALT Little girl in chair requiring condiment (7, 2 words)
little girl=SAL in SEAT=chair.  This time it’s a girl, so she just stays there non-thematically.
26 VBESSDS See plots filled with extremes of splendiferous food (7)
Thematic! Definition is food=VIANDS where wordplay is V=see,BE(SS)DS and Ian -> Bess for entry.
29 EMELEE Core of enemy explosive meeting shoulder of bastion (6)
Thematic! Definition is EPAULE = “shoulder of bastion” where wordplay is E,MELEE (melee=explosive meeting) and Paul -> Mele for entry.  This clue was a bit frustrating because Mele (Hawaiian name) isn’t in Chambers most useful “Some First Names”).
30 ENSEAL A lens is adjusted to capture Earl close up (6)
E=earl in (A lens)*
32 ENSKY First among early Normans, some kings yearned for place in the firmament once (5)
Shak. (thus “once”) to “place in the sky” where firmament=sky.  first letters.
33 STUNS Time among the stars is dazzling (5)
S(T)UNS
34 ILONA Hungarian girl having little latitude in island (5)
I(L)ONA – the only Ilona I know is Polish though.

*anagram

15 comments on “AZED 2,318 – transgender”

  1. Dashed hard, needed lots of help, although I’ve been doing Azed long enough that I should have gout into the theme faster.

    29d is E (core of enemy) HE (explosive) BEE (meeting, spelling, quilting etc) so HEBE is the lady.

  2. I sometimes use a pencil when doing thematic puzzles, but I decided to do this one in pen because the wordplay leads to the entry so how hard could it be? 6d and 40a were the first thematic clues I solved, but I didn’t write in any thematic entry for a while.

    I agree with sidey about 29d.

    For 1d, I had MY=the writer’s and Ron -> Amy.

  3. Way too gruelling.. esp since the entries are non-words// i tried a bit and gave up 🙂 hats off to your team for piecing together

  4. Yes agree with Sidney that 29d entry should be EHEBEE… Lesson learned: always trust Azed will rely on Chambers. Likewise I suspect Matthew’s parsing of 1D is correct: TAMYCS.

  5. Sidney?

    And today the “typesetter has managed to give us two 31 across clues, ho hum.

    Obviously no connection. 😉

  6. Toughest Azed for a long time, but it’s worth pointing out the generous nature of the grid: SHOE and MUNA are both fully checked, which wouldn’t normally be the case.

    I thought 1 down was a little unfair; a tronc is a collection of tips so the clue should have referred to “collections”.

  8. 19ac is an anagram of hat and eels, so must be sleahEt

    6d is therefore MARIE to OLEO…
    …or MARIE to LIVIO (an Italian first name according to Wiki)

  9. HEBE and AMY here, and I agree with Bridgesong that the clue for 1 down should have read “Collections…” More printer’s devilry?

    Fine clues from Azed as ever, though I confess I found this a bit of a slog because the non-word entries only offered limited help with other crossing entries. Just as well Azed compensated with generous checking!

  10. I’m afraid that I made a start on this, but swiftly gave up when it became clear quite how difficult this was going to be… Well done to anyone who managed to complete this.

  11. Agree with the remarks about Amy and Hebe and Marie. Incredibly difficult and I’m not prepared to admit how long I took to do it.
    It struck me that the anagram indicator for tape in 31ac was a bit lacking: does ‘concealed’ really suggest some sort of jiggling around?

  12. What a treat in a dreary week. Got all the females but satisfying oneself by deciding the original males was not always simple when the residue was one or letters (oLEO, SAMe etc). Azed’s longest embedded male names (Peter and Giles) were fives. Can anyone think of a six-letter one?
    As usual one wonders “How does he do it?”

  13. We spotted the gender changes but fruitlessly hunted to see what it had to do with the title which, in our edition of the Observer was ‘Please to remember…’. Oh well.

  14. “Please to remember the Fifth of November
    Of Gunpowder season and plot
    But I see no reason why Gunpowder season
    Should ever be forgot”

    As an oldie the first reaction on seeing the title was “Penny for the Guy” so the theme didn’t take long to click. HYST(ERIC+TESSA)AL was first in

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