As it was the 2,400th Azed, I was expecting a thematic or more challenging crossword, but instead we were offered a fairly gentle Azed.
I’ve not done a lot of Azeds in my solving career, preferring standard crosswords to barred ones, but this was almost certainly the most straightforward Azed I have come across.
Although there was the usual smattering of unusual entires (CARK, TUMP, GIANT RUDE etc), almost all of them were entirely guessable, and I only had to resort to Chambers to confirm the answers.
Thanks Azed
| Across | ||
| 1 | TUMP | Fox burying head in mound (4) |
| (s)TUMP (“fox” with its head (initial) buried) | ||
| 4 | SCALAWAG | Ne’er-do-well who gets heroin, bypassing a rule (8) |
| SCAG (“heroine”) bypassing A LAW | ||
| 11 | UPAITHRIC | Pastor with peculiar haircut I noted at the sides, and nothing on top! (9) |
| P(astor) with *(haircut i) at the sides.
A new word for me – UPAITHRIC means “having no roof” |
||
| 12 | BANTU | Language group current in Bhutan (not hard) (5) |
| *(butan) (“Bhutan” without the H(ard)) | ||
| 14 | SPAT | Vamp’s covering minor quarrel, and felt furious (4) |
| Triple definition | ||
| 16 | CURRISH | Spicy food, hot and not English – detestable? (7) |
| CURRI(e)S+ H(ot) | ||
| 17 | GREENHEART | One of the hardwood trees, the genera wild rook nests in (10) |
| *(the genera) with R(ook) nested in | ||
| 19 | REDO | Embarrassed by over, have a second try (4) |
| RED (“embarrassed”) by O(ver) | ||
| 20 | MINION | Royal favourite in power cutting do (6) |
| (do)MINION (“power”) | ||
| 21 | INTIMA | Mixed martini, not right for covering of blood vessel? (6) |
| *(matini) | ||
| 23 | ALMA | The essence of Italy, Latin penned by a master (4) |
| L(atin) penned by A M.A. (“master” of arts) | ||
| 25 | CONTRITION | Ruth in corn, to it appearing alien? (10) |
| *(in corn to it) | ||
| 27 | ALLHEAL | Left hour for dipping into a trusty old catholicon? (7) |
| L(eft) H(our) dipped into A LEAL (“old” word for “trusty” or loyal) | ||
| 29 | GIOS | Orcadian gullies, reverse of steep? I’ll plunge in (4) |
| <=SOG (reverse of “steep”) with I plunged in. | ||
| 30 | BAGEL | Ball for Andy, set showing one with no games for opponent? (5) |
| BA’ (Scots word for “ball”) + GEL (“set”)
In tennis, a bagel is the name given to a 6-0 set. |
||
| 31 | GIANT RUDE | Very uncivil in RSC, Ian replaces one queen in part of another in play? (9, 2 words) |
| IAN replaces ER (“queen”) in G(er)TRUDE (“queen” in Hamlet (i.e. “another play”)
The RSC in the clue stands for Royal Shakespeare Company, thus indicating that we’re looking for a Shakespearean term, and “giant rude” fits the bill, having appeared in “As You Like It” although in the version I have, it is hyphenated. |
||
| 32 | DEHUSKED | Shed duke rebuilt, once stripped of outer casing (8) |
| *(shed duke) | ||
| 33 | KAID | African chief, one clad in leather (4) |
| I (“one”) clad in KID (“leather’) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | TUBIGRIP | Bandage that’s elastic I put round large end of oxter (8) |
| *(i put) round BIG (oxte)R | ||
| 2 | MANRED | Soldier joining revolutionary group of vassals (6) |
| MAN (“soldier”) joining RED (“revolutionary”) | ||
| 3 | PITH | Spithead has berth for this core section (4) |
| Hidden in “sPITHead” | ||
| 5 | CHECHIA | Skull-cap: each strangely is inscribed with something like an X (7) |
| *(each) inscribed with CHI (“something like an X”) | ||
| 6 | ARGUE | Object, getting fit, runs included (5) |
| AGUE (“fit”), with R(uns) included | ||
| 7 | LIBRAIRIE | I support inland revenue going into fiction bookselling (9) |
| I + BRA (“support”) + I(nland) R(evenue) going into LIE (“fiction”), so L(I-BRA-I.R.)IE | ||
| 8 | WAPITI | N. American deer making a den in Wisconsin (6) |
| A PIT (“den”) in Wi.(sconsin) | ||
| 9 | ANASTOMOSE | Intercommunicate, like cat with a scent around (10) |
| AS TOM (“like cat”) with A NOSE (“scent”) around | ||
| 10 | GOTH | Rude fellow annoyed husband (4) |
| GOT (“annoyed”) + H(usband) | ||
| 13 | ADRENALINE | A geek coming up interrupts a row? It raises one’s blood pressure (10) |
| <=A NERD (“a geek” coming up) interrupts A LINE (“a row”) | ||
| 15 | ANAMNESIS | Recollection, as in names recollected (9) |
| *(as in names) | ||
| 18 | UNANELED | Without last rites due possibly when Granny L’s interred (8) |
| *(due) when NAN EL (“Granny L) is interred | ||
| 20 | MARLINE | Small winding rope in the sea, short length thrown in (7) |
| MARINE (“in the sea”) with L(ength) thrown in | ||
| 22 | T-CLOTH | Plain cotton for India, quantity in swatch half rejected (6) |
| LOT (“quantity”) in (swa)TCH |
||
| 24 | LINGUA | What gula reveals? It’s not far from it (6) |
| L in GUA = GU(L)A, and the gula (the top of the throat) is indeed not far from the lingua (the tongue) | ||
| 26 | TALAK | Form of divorce? There’s gossip about one (5) |
| TALK (“gossip”) about I (“one”)
Talak or talaq is the formulaic process of divorce in Islam. |
||
| 27 | AGED | Pike follows acting typical of seniors in Dad’s Army? (4) |
| GED (“pike”) follows A(cting) | ||
| 28 | CARK | Care for the old with cold on the chest (4) |
| C(old) on ARK (“chest”)
Cark is an old waord for care, hence the “for the old” in the clue. |
||
*anagram
Thanks to Azed and Loonapick. A fairly gentle Axed, though I held myself up by putting “Thor” in at 1ac.
Currently on holiday in the land of the 29s (though I think “geo” is more usual).
Azed, sorry.