A puzzle where two letters evaded me for a while…
…I completed most of this puzzle at one sitting, but two letters defied me. I had ?EASE at 12ac and CIEL? at 31ac. Had I not been blogging, I’d have shoved in PEASE and CIELS, sent in the puzzle and hoped I’d guessed right, but I had a responsibility to justify the right answers. A bit of digging in the BRB and Bradford’s and I was at last able to justify my solutions. For some reason, I couldn’t see past PEASE pudding, but got there in the end, and I was distracted by cows when I saw Jersey and it wasn’t until I went to Bradford’s that the facepalm of CI for Jersey etc hit me.
But at least it’s done, so I hope my explanations are accurate enough.
Thanks, Azed.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SPATCHCOCKED | Hastily inserted plaster on colt having taken a walloping going round (12) |
| PATCH (“plaster”) on C(olt) having SOCKED (“taken a walloping”) going round | ||
| 10 | PLOUK | Place this country holds ordinary: spot north of the border (5) |
| PL.(ace) + U.K. (“this country”) holds O(rdinary)
in Scotland, a plook or plouk is a pimple. |
||
| 12 | PEASE | The old settle down when entering water (5) |
| AS (“when”) entering PEE (“water”) | ||
| 13 | HEDGEPIG | Urchin? He’s given runny egg-dip (8) |
| HE given to *(eggdip)
Urchin and hedgepig are both alternative names for a hedgehog. |
||
| 14 | ROCHET | Vestment in church, English, consumed by decay (6) |
| CH(urch) + E(nglish) consumed by ROT (“decay”)
A rochet is a surplice-like vestment worn by abbots and bishops. |
||
| 15 | POURER | Childless person cuddling our mum at tea party? (6) |
| PER(son) cuddling OUR | ||
| 18 | POLIS | Athens was one, displaying endless refinement (5) |
| POLIS(h)
A cedula is a South American IOU |
||
| 19 | GREASIES | Turned gassier gobbling second portion of seaside fish and chips (8) |
| *(gassier) gobbling (s)E(aside)
In New Zealand, fish and chips are known as greasies. |
||
| 20 | AGON | Struggle getting female lecturer off the bottle (4) |
| (fl)AGON (“bottle” with F(emale) L(ecturer) off) | ||
| 21 | IAMB | Foot – put iodine on one, then see doctor (4) |
| I(odine) on A (“one”) then MB (“doctor”) | ||
| 23 | LOW-SLUNG | Jock’s flame’s given a breather, needing uplift (8) |
| LOW (Scottish word for “flame”)’S given LUNG (“a breather”) | ||
| 26 | DIALS | Slipped round when one’s in, making calls? (5) |
| <=SLID (“slipped” round) with I (“one”) in | ||
| 28 | TANNIC | Like what’s in some wines? Dispose of tin can (6) |
| *(tin can) | ||
| 29 | FINIAL | Topping decoration I installed in terminal (6) |
| I installed in FINAL (“terminal”)
A finial is a decoration (in the form of a spire) on top of a gable. |
||
| 30 | QUINELLA | Scots lass has everyone turning? Shows what punters may go for, cobber! (8) |
| QUINE (Scots word for “lass”) + <=ALL (“everyone”, turning)
A quinella is a type of bet in Australia, equivalent to a reverse forecast in the UK. |
||
| 31 | CIELS | Jersey etc and other trimmed lines (5) |
| C(hannel) I(slands) (“Jersey etc”) + ELS(e) (“other”, trimmed)
To ciel, or more commonly to ceil, is to line something, such as a wooden ship. |
||
| 32 | GATED | With wicket thus bats on freely – at Edgbaston? (5) |
| *(at edg) (the letters of “bats on” removed from “Edgbaston”) | ||
| 33 | STRATICULATE | I cut art fashioned in rock with thin layers (12) |
| *(i cut art) in SLATE (“rock”) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SPHRAGISTICS | Special focus I see’s involving wild harp seal study (12) |
| S(pecial) + GIST (“focus”) + IC’S (“I see’s”) involving *(harp) | ||
| 2 | PLEON | Part of crab left for menial to consume (5) |
| L(eft) consumed by PEON (“menial”)
The pleon of a crustacean is its abdomen. |
||
| 3 | TUGHRA | Famous initials artist added below representation of thug (6) |
| R.A. (“artist”) added below *(thug)
The tughra was the ornamental signature of the Turkish sultan. |
||
| 4 | HEPT | The waste round middle of compost in an old pile (4) |
| *(the) round (com)P(ost)
cf hept and heaped |
||
| 5 | CHIPPEWA | Native Americans hew seat with head of axe (8) |
| CHIP (“hew”) + PEW (“seat”) with A(xe) | ||
| 6 | CEDULA | Promissory note, a clue strangely involving dinar (6) |
| *(a clue) involving D(inar) | ||
| 7 | KAURI GUM | King’s old charioteer without a show of hesitation getting source of varnish (8, 2 words) |
| K(ing) + AURIG(a) (“charioteer”, without A) + UM (“show of hesitation”)
Kauri gum comes from kauri trees in New Zealand |
||
| 8 | ESSES | Letters used in collaring featured in judge’s sessions (5) |
| Hidden in “judgES SESsions” | ||
| 9 | DEGRINGOLADE | Anglophone abroad, boy diving into river, sinking rapidly (12) |
| GRINGO (“anglophone abroad”) + LAD (“boy”) diving into (river) DEE | ||
| 11 | KEEPS | Guards try holding first letter of password up (5) |
| <=SEEK (“try”) holding P(assword) up | ||
| 16 | REMINDER | Jogger maybe to give up going round major route (8) |
| RENDER (“give up”) going round M1 (“major route”) | ||
| 17 | DIOSCURI | Brothers of Helen and Diana, source mostly varied I’ll follow (8) |
| DI(ana) + *(sourc) + I | ||
| 22 | BANGLA | Language among urban Glaswegians (6) |
| Hidden in “urBAN GLAswegians” | ||
| 24 | SWING | Type of bowling that’s rife, arm free (5) |
| SW(arm)ING (“rife”, free of “arm”) | ||
| 25 | LINEAL | It’s true about one small number of legitimate descent (6) |
| LEAL (“true”) about I (“one”) N(umber) | ||
| 26 | DAVIT | Derrick died before start of Azed, one departing life (5) |
| D(ied) before A(zed) + VIT(a) (“life” with A (“one”) departing) | ||
| 27 | SALET | Light helmet one left in position (5) |
| A (“one”) + L(eft) in SET (“position”) | ||
| 29 | FISC | Treasury falls if this creates names? (4) |
| <=IF + sc. (namely) | ||
*anagram
29d
‘This’ in the clue is a reference to the answer.
if F is C falls becomes calls (= names)
In 26a I think you need A not I for “one”.
I couldn’t work out the wordplay for a few of these, particularly 29a, but enjoyed it anyway. I can’t usually finish Azed (or don’t have the time it would take), but this time I just about got there with some help from Chambers.
Thanks Azed and loonapick.
For the benefit of younger solvers, the reference in 26d is to Derrick Macnutt, who as Ximenes set barred puzzles in The Observer between 1945 and his death in 1971; Azed took up the reins in 1972.
A bit late in commenting. Thanks, loonapick. Shouldn’t 19a have an indication that it’s an NZ term, similar to the “cobber” in 30a? (Although surely the NZ term for fish and chips is fush and chups.)
I suspect that Azed may not have noticed that the ‘(Aust and NZ inf)’ in Chambers is applied to the noun ‘greasy’ itself and therefore to all definitions rather than just one.
Thanks loonapick. This did have rather more than usually many oddities. Fewer than a dozen everyday words. Fortunately the clueing is always spot-on in Azed so the struggle is fair.
Re FISC. This is a form which Azed often uses, always with his usual elegance. Any word with IS, ARE, BE, AND can be broken down and become a description of a replacement.
It was, as DRC says, good to note the reference to X in 26d.
Now wondering what he’ll choose to ask us to clue next week.