A standard plain puzzle from Azed this week.
I think this would be a good introduction to Azed for anyone who has been hesitant in the past. Yes, many of the entries and the constituent parts are obscure but the constructs of much of the wordplay are no different to a routine national daily puzzle. In the description of the wordplay below I have only used a third or fourth colour in 10 of the 37 clues.
Another statistic, which slightly surprises me, is that 29 clues had the definition at the front with only 8 having the definition at the end. I thought setters tried to balance the location of the definitions but perhaps the surface dictates the positioning. Azed writes particularly good surfaces.
Clues I iked most today were those for JIMP and ETON (both very simple but effective clues)
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Anti-nuclear unit offered bit of cash, corrupt paper hammered (13, 3 words)
|
Anagram of (corrupt) OFFERED and C (first letter of [bit of] CASH) + an anagram of (hammered) PAPER FORCE DE F* RAPPE* |
FORCE DE FRAPPE (a strike force, esp a nuclear one)
|
|
10
|
Volte-face as once leading to receiver of votes? (5) |
UT (Latin for as, used for as in the past; as once) + URN (ballot box; a collection pot for votes) U-T URN |
U-TURN (reversal of direction; volte-face)
|
|
12
|
What’ll fill empty space, acting as ‘Bother! (7)
|
QUA (in the capacity of; acting as) + DRAT (bother!) QUA DRAT |
QUADRAT (piece of type metal less high than the letters, used in spacing between words and filling out blank lines; what’ll fill an empty space)
|
|
14
|
Present time, one’s own always (5)
|
TOD (one’s own) + AY (always) TOD AY |
TODAY (present time)
|
|
15
|
Jog in Scotland, unchallenged (5)
|
DUNCH (hidden word in [in] SCOTLAND UNCHALLENGED) DUNCH |
DUNCH (Scottish word for to jog or nudge)
|
|
17
|
Ideal male? One following wave in fine weather (8)
|
(PERM [long-lasting artificial wave or curl in hair induced by chemical treatment] + A [one]) contained in (in) SUN [fine weather]) SU (PERM A) N |
SUPERMAN (ideal man)
|
|
19
|
Exert pressure on man admitting wild lust (6)
|
HE (man) containing (admitting) an anagram of (wild) LUST H (USTL*) E |
HUSTLE (exert pressure on)
|
|
20
|
Elegant Scot’s colleague of Willie W.? (4)
|
JIM P (JIM Prior) colleague of Willie W (Willie Whitelaw) in the Conservative Party and governments of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s JIM P |
JIMP (Scottish word for elegant)
|
|
22
|
Rock sculpture I cast with eolith (11)
|
Anagram of (sculpture) I CAST and EOLITH CHIASTOLITE* |
CHIASTOLITE (a variety of andalusite with black cruciform inclusions of carbonaceous matter; rock)
|
|
24
|
Page appears thus to audience willingly as before (4)
|
LIEF (sounds like [appears thus to audience] LEAF [page]) LIEF |
LIEF (archaic [as before] word for willingly)
|
|
27
|
Fruit zest favoured with duck (6)
|
PEP (zest) + IN (favoured) + O (zero; duck score in cricket) PEP IN O |
PEPINO (purple-striped pale yellow fruit with sweet flesh)
|
|
28
|
One of a pair closing up cheek in chicken (8)
|
CHOOK (chicken) containing (closing up) LIP (insolence; cheek) C (LIP) HOOK |
CLIPHOOK (sister-hook; one of a pair of hooks that close each other)
|
|
31
|
Tube ends, most of track dismantled round end of line (5)
|
Anagram of (dismantled) TRACK excluding the final letter (most of) K containing (round) E (last letter of [end of] LINE) R (E) CTA* |
RECTA (terminal parts of the large intestine; tube ends)
|
|
32
|
Is involved in harvest toiling without shirt – leaving this? (5)
|
Anagram of (toiling) IS and HARVEST excluding (without) VEST (shirt) ARISH* |
ARISH (stubble field; what is left after a field of grain has been harvested)
|
|
33
|
Generation following the rest? One’s always glum (7)
|
AGE (generation) + LAST (the final one following the rest) AGE LAST |
AGELAST (person who never laughs)
|
|
34
|
Certainly not off? The reverse, foul smelling (5)
|
(YES [certainly] + ON [not, off]) all reversed (the reverse of) (NO SEY)< |
NOSEY (foul smelling)
|
|
35
|
Trained Cairo lady’s pets, not a tapir or rhino (13)
|
Anagram of (trained) CAIRO LADY ‘S PETS excluding (not) A PERISSODACTYL* |
PERISSODACTYL (division of ungulates with an odd number of toes, including the horse, tapir, rhinoceros, and some extinct species)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Bit of supporting timber he cut roughly to insert in floor (7)
|
Anagram of (roughly) HE CUT contained in (to insert in) FL (floor) F (UTCHE*) L |
FUTCHEL (piece of timber lengthwise in a carriage, supporting the splinter bar and the pole)
|
|
2
|
White wine, robust and clear, I’m getting in (11)
|
RUDE (robust [of health]) + (I’M contained in [getting in] SHEER [clear]) RUDE SHE (IM) ER |
RUDESHEIMER (white Rhine wine)
|
|
3
|
Peevish fellow saving cents up (4)
|
(BAR [with the exception of; saving] + C [cents]) all reversed (up; down clue) (C RAB)< |
CRAB (sour-tempered person)
|
|
4
|
What one puts on – not the real thing (4)
|
DUDS (counterfeit articles; not the real thing) DUDS |
DUDS (poor or ragged clothes; examples of things one might put on) double definition
|
|
5
|
Play: ‘The Mad Emperor’s Consul’? (5)
|
EQUUS (genus of animals including horses, asses and zebras; Incitatus was the favoured horse of Roman emperor Caligula (reigned 37–41 AD). According to legend, Caligula planned to make Incitatus a Consul). EQUUS |
EQUUS (play by Peter Shaffer written in
|
|
6
|
NA snake right at the top of a tree (5)
|
R (right) + ACER (type of tree) R ACER |
RACER (any of several non-venomous N American snakes of the genus Coluber)
|
|
7
|
Very simple Christian, stiffly formal, I visit, converted with time (11)
|
PRIM (stiffly formal) + I + an anagram of (converted) VISIT + T (time) PRIM I TIVIS* T |
PRIMITIVIST (very simple Christian)
|
|
8
|
Rich old hanging, one chaps installed in section (8)
|
(A [one] + MEN [chaps]) contained in (installed in) PART (section) PAR (A MEN) T |
PARAMENT (obsolete [old] word meaning rich decoration, hanging, or robe)
|
|
9
|
Where some learn one quarter of full compass (4)
|
E (East) TO N (North) a phrase describing one quarter of the full compass going anticlockwise (E – N – W – S – E) E TO N |
ETON (public school near Windsor / Slough; where some learn)
|
|
11
|
Antelope, second for hyena, trapped in ravine (5)
|
Y (second letter of [second for] HYENA) contained in (trapped in) NALA (variant spelling of NULLA [ravine]) N (Y) ALA |
NYALA (large South African antelope)
|
| 13 | Remove support from some fun properties (6) |
UNPROP (hidden word [some] in FUN PROPERTIES) UNPROP |
UNPROP (remove support from) |
|
16
|
I clue ‘gam’ wrongly for ‘gum‘ (8)
|
Anagram of (wrongly) I CLUE GAM MUCILAGE* |
MUCILAGE (gum used as an adhesive)
|
|
19
|
Not claymores Caledonians raised against English? (6)
|
E (English) + SCOTS (Caledonians) reversed (raised; down clue) E STOCS< |
ESTOCS (short swords; claymores are large swords)
|
|
21
|
Substance chemist once hypothesized lecturer after elusive trophy (7)
|
Anagram of (elusive) TROPHY + L (lecturer) PROTHY* L |
PROTHYL (a name proposed by Sir William Crookes in 1886 for a hypothetical primitive substance from which the chemical elements were thought to have possibly been formed)
|
|
23
|
Fancy women of old? Unproductive when money’s involved (5)
|
M (money) contained in (when … involved) LEAN (unproductive) LE (M) AN |
LEMAN (archaic [of old] word for lover; a sweetheart; a paramour; later chiefly applied derogatorily to women; fancy women of old)
|
| 25 | Hinny concealing her tail in tropical trees (5) |
SHE ASS excluding (concealing) the final letter (tail) S SHEAS Biology was by far my weakest science at school but Chambers tells us that a hinny is the offspring of a stallion and a female ass or donkey. I interpret a hinny therefore to be male or female The clue uses the word ‘her’ thus telling us that we have a female or SHE ASS |
SHEAS (African trees whose seeds yield SHEA butter, used as a food and in soap manufacture. |
|
26
|
House closed, with a large amount on it (5)
|
LOT (large amount) + TO (closed) LOT TO |
LOTTO (bingo; house)
|
| 28 | Fellow giving jaw a crack (4) |
CHAP (chop or jaw) CHAP (crack) CHAP |
CHAP (fellow) triple definition |
|
29
|
Chief providing king with support (4)
|
K (king) + AID (support) K AID |
KAID (North African chief)
|
| 30 | Flowers lacking uses for orderly kids (4) |
CROCUSES (flowers) excluding (lacking) USES CROC |
CROC (short for CROCodile [a double file of school pupils taking a walk; orderly kids]) |
I agree with your comments, Duncan; with help from Chambers I often finish Azed puzzles in less time than it takes to complete a daily cryptic.
I wasn’t particularly keen on the definition in 1ac; the fact that a force de frappe is defined as a nuclear strike force doesn’t make it an anti-nuclear unit. And perhaps the clue could have hinted at the fact that it’s not an Englsh phrase?
Many thanks to Azed and duncanshiell.
I have been doing Azed for some eighteen months now, and really look forward to my Sunday morning workouts. Like bridgesong I sometimes find Azed less challenging than the daily cryptic: his clues are always rigorously logical so that you know you have got there.
I find Bradford’s as useful as Chambers: for example it has both “hinny” and “shea”.
It would be good if more people commented, especially after such a comprehensive blog.
The trouble is, as it is a week between solving the puzzle and the blog appearing, I can usually remember nothing about the solving experience by then.