Azed 2459

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I took a while to get going on this one, but once I had a few entries in I had a sudden flurry of successes, and most of the rest went in fairly easily. As usual there’s little new I can say, so thanks as ever to Azed.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
1. PREDICAMENTAL Colour in photo of catkin presenting dilemma (13)
RED in PIC + AMENTAL (from amentum, a catkin)
10. HAFIZ One who’s memorized major text has short, then champers (5)
HA[s] + FIZ (alternative spelling of “fizz” = Champagne). A hafiz is a Muslim who has memorised the Koran
13. PEEPE Spot of Shakespeare? Had a glimpse, cut short (5)
PEEPE[D] – Shakespearian form of “pip”
14. ASTEROID Starfish I roasted alive? (8)
(I ROASTED)*
15. TITMOSE Little old bird tom’s sneakily trapped in trough (7)
TOMS* in TIE (“an enclosed trough for wasking ore”)
16. IMAGER One records pictures from the marriage of Jemima and Gerald (6)
Hidden in jemIMA GERald
17. VOCAL Outspoken little book about cases (5)
CA in VOL
18. TALESMAN One making up jury changed last name (8)
(LAST NAME)*
23. CATENATE Dainty old pieces from Etna after eruption, in a chain (8)
CATE (archaic word for a dainty – related to “cater”) + ETNA* – catenate is probably more familiar in the compound “concatenate” (chain together)
24. BEDAD A bit of publicity from Dreamland? Golly! (5)
BED (“dreamland”) + AD
25. ARMADA Would-be abstainers, including marines, notice, in naval engagement (6)
RM + AD (again!) in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous)
28. PLATANE Tree, one featured in engraving (7)
AN in PLATE
30. SAGITTAL Droop, vaguely atilt, like a missile (8)
SAG + ATILT*
31. CAROB Locust from Arabia tucked into core of maize (5)
AR (Arab) in COB
32. EISEL What chippie once offered is wrapped in fish? (5)
IS in EEL. Old word for vinegar
33. ENDEARINGNESS Genders smitten with insane loveability (13)
(GENDERS INSANE)*
Down
1. PHOT Light unit installed in cheap hotels (4)
Hidden in cheaP HOTels
2. RADIOLARIAN Primitive sea creature: set rope for catching tailless number (11)
RADIO (set) + LARIA[T] + N
3. DISMAN Remove crew from island, damn disgruntled about it (6)
IS in DAMN*
4. CHESTY Pompous company with old-style order where its heart should be (6)
HEST (old word for command, order – cf “behest”) replacing the middle of COMPANY
5. MOOI In Cape Town uncle set up institute, fine for locals (4)
Reverse of OOM (uncle in South Africa) + I
6. EPIMER English school book, second mislaid in compound (6)
E + PRIMER less its second letter
7. TEGG Fleece? Mine gets temperature hoisted (4)
T[emperature] + EGG (slang for a bomb or mine)
8. APPEARANCES Panacea reps flogged? Many try to keep them up (11)
(PANACEA REPS)*
9. LEARNED To make stuffing went first for sage (7)
EARN (to make) in LED (went first)
11. FAT CAT Minutes written up in financial paper, one detested by have-nots? (6, 2 words)
Reverse of ACTA in F[inancial] T[imes]
12. BREASTPIN Brooch from Paris, bent out of shape (9)
(PARIS BENT)*
17. VACANCE Holiday for Stuart and Virginia to call off? Almost (7)
VA (state of Virginia) + CANCE[L]. Vacance (or its plural) is familiar as the French word for a holiday, but its also a Scots word for one, hence “for Stuart”
19. MEDALS Awards marks art school’s come up with (6)
M (marks) + reverse of SLADE (art school, now part of UCL)
20. INDABA Conference – international one coming up includes expert (6)
I + DAB (expert) in reverse of AN
21. MELTON Blend worn as material for overcoats (6)
MELT (blend) + ON (worn, as in clothes)
22. DETAIN Keep fish in private room (6)
TAI (fish) in DEN
26. MARD Once injured in play one’s taken off, given up (4)
Reverse of DRAM[A]
27. AGAR Seaweed forming a festoon away from land (4)
A GAR[LAND]
29. ELLS Lengths of cloth I cut from island ‘label’ (4)
ELLIS (island, former site of immigration station in New York)

6 comments on “Azed 2459”

  1. This seemed easier than usual to me, but I think degrees of difficulty – in Plain puzzles at least – are usually subjective, depending on one’s mood and levels of concentration at the time.

    9d LEARNED was my favourite. You’d normally expect a comma after ‘stuffing’ in the surface, but obviously that would have undone the clue. And still some people say that punctuation in a cryptic clues is neither here nor there!

    7d TEGG had me stymied for a while. It seemed to imply that T was already there to be hoisted. No complaints though, I just misread it.

    Thank you to Azed and Andrew.

  2. Can’t remember how long this took, but I’m sure I finished it fairly quickly Sunday evening.  I made a note to check the parsing of 7dn as it eluded me.  Thanks, didn’t know (or had forgotten) that meaning of “egg”.

  4. As a matter of interest, how often do we get this 13 by 11 form of grid, as against 12 by 12? It makes a pleasant variation.

    I had doubts about 11d FAT CAT, “one detested by have-nots”. This makes it seem like a narrow issue of resentment and envy. I am lucky enough not to be destitute (at least pending 31 October), but I still share the detestation.

  5. Gonzo, I agree about the ‘label’ – and why is it in single quotes other than to fool the solver we are talking about a clothes manufacturer?

    It certainly is redundant in the curptic reading.

    A better clue might have read (though not very PC):

    A length of cloth I removed from hanger (4)

    Ref. Ruth.

    Nick

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