A lower than usual obscure word count for me this week, but I didn’t find it any easier or less enjoyable for that. Thank you Azed.
| Across | ||
| 3 | POPPETHEAD | Mineshaft device, the one that’s burst at the edges (10) |
| THE A (one) inside (that has…at the edges) POPPED (burst) | ||
| 10 | AIRBRUSHED | After remixing, had bruiser removed from the record (10) |
| anagram (after remixing) of HAD BRUISER | ||
| 11 | SCAPI | Column shafts concealed in bulbous capitals (5) |
| found inside bulbouS CAPItals | ||
| 13 | COSS | Shortish distance in India that is cut from trunks (4) |
| COSSie (trunks, swimming costume) missing (…cut from) IE – an Indian measure of 1 3/4 miles, so shortish? | ||
| 14 | PUNANI | Women collectively (in sexist terms) enjoying a boost? The reverse (6) |
| IN AN UP (enjoying a boost) reversed (the reverse) | ||
| 15 | RETRIM | Steep edge to cut routinely? (6) |
| RET (steep) RIM (edge) | ||
| 18 | TANAGRA | Earthenware statuette, horse in bracken (7) |
| NAG (horse) in TARA (bracken) | ||
| 19 | PEKOE | Keep exercising, taking in nothing for tea (5) |
| anagram (exercising) of KEEP contains O (nothing) | ||
| 20 | JERSEY | Fine fabric often associated with royals (6) |
| double definition – Jersey Royals are potatoes | ||
| 22 | STROWN | Turkey included in spread – made to go a long way? (6) |
| TR (Turkey) inside SOWN (spread) – spread thinly, made to go a long way | ||
| 24 | FENCE | Receiver, brave, missing ace, clutching nut! (5) |
| FaCE (brave)missing A (ace) containing EN (nut, printing) | ||
| 25 | TANTRIC | Worker in a jiffy endlessly recalling Buddhist ritual? (7) |
| ANT (worker) in TRICe (a jiffy, endless) – recalling indicates an adjective | ||
| 28 | ANGLES | Points of view, no good with drinks circulating (6) |
| NG (no good) inside (with…circulating) ALES (drinks) | ||
| 29 | TANDEM | Meant for a spin with Daisy initially on board? It was (6) |
| anagram (for a spin) of MEANT contains (with…on board) Daisy (initially, first letter) – old song about Daisy and “a bicycle made for two” | ||
| 31 | INTI | Close friend losing mate – it had value in Lima once (4) |
| INTImate (close friend) missing MATE – a former currency of Peru | ||
| 32 | CELLO | Boss introduces lines for member of ensemble (5) |
| CEO (boss) contains (introduces) L L (line, twice) | ||
| 33 | INTRORSELY | Tiny sorrel, unusual in the manner of centre-facing anthers (10) |
| anagram (unusual) of TINY SORREL | ||
| 34 | SLIGHTNESS | Second frivolous point showing lack of significance (10) |
| S (second) and LIGHT (frivolous) and NESS (point, headland) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | GASP | Kink in pedal below what driver may step on (4) |
| P (pedal, in music) following (below) GAS (what driver may step on) | ||
| 2 | PICULET | Woody’s ‘cousin’ having line in funny picture, not right? (7) |
| L (line) in anagram (funny) of PICTUrE missing R (right) – a woodpecker, cousin of Woody Woodpecker perhaps | ||
| 3 | PRANA | Essential life force, as replaced by priest in yogic pose (5) |
| P (priest) replacing AS in asANA (yogic pose) | ||
| 4 | PRINCE | Wills e.g. featuring name in quotation maybe (6) |
| N (name) in PRICE (quotation) – Wills is a nickname of Prince William | ||
| * 5 | PURITANISM | Strict morality (10) |
| competition clue | ||
| 6 | THRENE | Trio incorporating new poetic lamentation (6) |
| THREE (trio) contains N (new) | ||
| 7 | HECTARES | Land measures one’s seen in redevelopment of Chester (8) |
| A (one) insdie (is seen in) anagram (redevelopment) of CHESTER | ||
| 8 | AESIR | More than one as ‘s’ in e.g. ‘Greensleeves’? (5) |
| ES (s, name of the letter) in AIR (eg Greensleeves) – the plural of “as” (in the sense of a Norse god) | ||
| 9 | DISMAYED | Confounded tubers coming up, passed round (8) |
| YAMS (tubers) inside (having…round) DIED (passed) | ||
| 12 | TRAJECTION | Join tar etc at sea crossing (10) |
| anagram (at sea) of JOIN TAR ETC | ||
| 16 | UPSTAIRS | Mentally puts off with displays of affectation (8) |
| anagram (off) of PUTS then AIRS (displays of affection) | ||
| 17 | FOOTLING | Rank occupied by lecturer of minor importance (8) |
| FOOTING (rank) contains (occupied by) L (lecturer) | ||
| 21 | ECUELLE | Nameless Parisienne coming round prompt for her bowl of potage (7) |
| ELLE (her, a nameless woman, in French) contains (coming round) CUE (prompt) – a French soup bowl | ||
| 23 | WREATH | On being ushered in thaw melted snowdrift (6) |
| RE (on, regarding) inside (being ushered in) THAW (melted) | ||
| 24 | FIACRE | At some distance regularly giving way to hail cab (6) |
| FAR (at some distance) with with every other letter followed by (regularly giving way to) ICE (hail) | ||
| 26 | ANNUL | Cashier American finally quitting ring? (5) |
| ANNULus (ring) with US (American) missing at the end (finally quitting) | ||
| 27 | IDLES | Daughter taken in by devious lies stays unengaged (5) |
| D (daughter) inside anagram (devious) of LIES | ||
| 30 | MOYA | Mud in crater, none ingested by molluscs (4) |
| O (zero, none) inside (ingested by) MYA (a genus of molluscs) – volcanic mud. I think moya refers to a mud flow down the side of a volcano caused by volcanic ash mixing with water, so probably mud outside the crater rather than in the crater. | ||
definitions are underlined
I write these posts to help people get started with cryptic crosswords. If there is something here you do not understand ask a question; there are probably others wondering the same thing.
A little trickier than par I thought last week, but as good as ever from Azed…
Thak you, Peedee. For WREATH I think re in anag. was intended.
Fixed now. Thanks for pointing that out.