Azed’s Christmas special…
… I wasn’t sure, even with two weeks to solve this, that I was going to complete this puzzle (and I’m not 100% sure I have done – see 11 ac).
On my first sitting, I had all but seven solutions in place, and all of the missing ones were interconnected.
Thankfully, I stuck with it, and got there in the end. I really enjoyed the solving process though.
Thanks Azed.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | POTLATSUGATCH | See preamble (13) |
| POTLATCH (“present” – a gift named after a Native American festival) around TSUGA (“tree” – Hemlock spruce)
Azed wanted solvers to come up with their own clue for this one. |
||
| 11 | OLEA | Some shrubs displaying no leaves, outer parts stripped (4) |
| Not sure I’m right about this one, as OLEA is a genus of small trees (“shrubs”?), but I can’t find a word with OLEA in the middle as the rest of the clue seems to want me to find. | ||
| 12 | URTICA | Weed: a vineyard infested with it suffers reverse (6) |
| <=(A CRU (“vineyard”) infested with IT) [suffers reverse] | ||
| 14 | ADSTIUM | Notices belly having swallowed one (7) |
| ADS (“notices”) + TUM (“belly”) having swallowed I (one)
ADSUM (“here” – I am here in Latin) around TI (“tree”) |
||
| 15 | COTTAS | Ecclesiastical garb to cast out (6) |
| *(to cast) [anag:out] | ||
| 16 | RACKETS | Dodges game (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 17 | ENEMAS | Fellows rolling in sea tossing purges (6) |
| <=MEN (“fellows”, rolling) in *(sea) [anag:tossing] | ||
| 19 | SIENESE | Typical of artistic school that is found in fuzzy (not cloudy) scenes (7) |
| I.E. (id est, so “that is”) found in *(senes) where SENES is S(c)ENES without the C (cloudy) | ||
| 21 | TRUANTS | Absentees, not fully reliable workers (7) |
| [not fully] TRU(e) (“reliable”) + ANTS (“workers”) | ||
| 23 | DEANTIARODATE | Against being hugged by beloved on shortened engagement (13) |
| ANTI (“against”) being hugged by DEAR (“beloved”) + O(n) [shortened] + DATE (“engagement”)
DEODATE (“present” – a gift to God) around ANTIAR (upas “tree”) |
||
| 27 | GIVITAE | Life in judo get-up (7) |
| VITA (“life”) in GIE (“judo” costume, so “get-up”)
GIVE (“present”) around ITA (a palm “tree”) |
||
| 29 | MISRATE | Wrongly value stinker in adjustment of old dispute (7) |
| RAT (“stinker”) in MISE (“adjustment of old dispute”) | ||
| 31 | SETUPS | US pest spreading abroad – arrangements needed (6) |
| *(us pest) [anag:spreading around] | ||
| 33 | BERTRAM | Circus owner maybe introduced to rubber trampolines (7) |
| Hidden in [introduced to] “rubBER TRAMpolines”
Probably refers to Bertram Mills, who was a British cinema owner. |
||
| 35 | ROBERT | Name giving promise of payment involved in rowdy party in Perth? (6) |
| BE (bill of exchange, so “promise of payment”) involved in RORT (Australian (so Perth) word for a rowdy path) | ||
| 36 | RETINAE | Eye liners always recalled when taking a Turner? (7) |
| <=E’ER (“always”) [recalled] when taking TINA (a Turner) | ||
| 37 | STASIS | Dreaded police before second arrest (6) |
| STASI (“dreaded police” of East Germany) before S (second) | ||
| 38 | VEIN | Streak? Sounds like showing off (4) |
| Homophone of [sounds like] VAIN (“showing off”) | ||
| 39 | ETRSTYRAXENNE | Tenser, quaking, about war god with cleaver, new (13) |
| *(tenser) [anag:quaking] about TYR (a Norse “god”) with AXE (“cleaver”) + N (new)
ETRENNE (New Year’s “gift”) about STYRAX (a tropical and subtropical “tree”) |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | POAKET | Shakespearean pouch over middle of costume (6) |
| POAKE (“Shakespearean” word for “pouch”) over [middle of] (cos)T(Ume)
PET (potentially exempt transfer – “present”) about OAK (“tree”) |
||
| 2 | OLDEN | Dead being interred, mostly smelly, rarely age (5) |
| [mostly] OLEN(t) (“smelly”) with D (dead) being interred | ||
| 3 | LATAMANURGESS | A chap with promptings, entering privies (13) |
| A MAN (“chap”) with URGES (“promptings”) entering LATS (latrines, so “privies”)
LARGESS (distribution of “presents”) around TAMANU (East Indian/Pacific “tree”) |
||
| 4 | ALICANT | Wine one’s drunk clutching drinking- mug (7) |
| A (one) + LIT (“drunk”) clutching CAN (“drinking-cup”) | ||
| 5 | TOUK | With no special attachment this is how anti-union Scot feels in his beat? (4) |
| An “anti-union Scot” would have “no special attachment” TO the UK, and TOUK (or tuck) is a Scots word for “beat” | ||
| 6 | SAMES | Twins rarely like conjoined ones, i.e. separated (5) |
| S(i)AMES(e) (“like conjoined ones”) with I and E separated | ||
| 7 | GROSET | Got up in coating of gilt I can be made a fool of (6) |
| ROSE (“got up”) in [coating of] G(il)T
A groset is a gooseberry, as in a gooseberry fool |
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| 8 | ATTENTDITAIVE | Occupied with red wine reputed (French) one I have (13) |
| AT (“occupied”) with TENT (“red wine”) + DIT (“reputed” in “French”) + A (“one”) + I’VE (“I have”)
ATTENTIVE (“present”) around DITA (an Asian “tree”) |
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| 9 | TITLED | Like lords in headgear around closure of parliament (6) |
| TILED (“in headgear”) around [closure of] (parliament)T | ||
| 10 | HASHERE | Woman given run around (7) |
| SHE (“woman”) given HARE (“run”) around
HERE (“present”) around ASH (“tree”) |
||
| 13 | CASSATA | Gelato was fitting in Italian house (7) |
| SAT (“was fitting”) in CASA (“Italian” for “house”) | ||
| 18 | STINT | Shift cycling shades (5) |
| TINTS (“shades” cycling) | ||
| 20 | IDRIS | Elba? Italy’s mostly arid island (5) |
| I (Italy) + [mostly] DR(y) (“arid”) + Is. (island)
Refers to Idris Elba, the actor. |
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| 22 | REMIBOT | Replaced X-ray unit, Nigerian, on time (7) |
| REM (an old unit of radiation, so “replaced X-ray unit”) + IBO (“Nigerian”) on T (time)
REMIT (“present”) around BO (a “tree” from India and Sri Lanka) |
||
| 23 | DEMERSE | Sea cast up sort of Irish sink, obsolete (7) |
| <=MED (“sea” cast up) + ERSE (“sort of Irish”) | ||
| 24 | OVERTAX | Ask too much of public chopper (7) |
| OVERT (“public”) + AX (“chopper”) | ||
| 25 | ISOBAR | Feature of weather map noodle placed in Iran (6) |
| SOBA (“noodle”) in IR (Iran) | ||
| 26 | CABRIT | American ruminant ruined rabi in Connecticut (6) |
| *(rabi) [anag:ruined] in Ct. (Connecticut) | ||
| 28 | ESSENE | Member of ascetic fraternity in reduced numbers, forsaking extremes (6) |
| (l)ESSENE(d) (“in reduced numbers” forsaking extremes) | ||
| 30 | ERROR | Slip creating fright with top removed (5) |
| (t)ERROR (“fright” with top removed) | ||
| 32 | PLAIN | Not what this is, clearly (5) |
| This is not a PLAIN crossword | ||
| 34 | TELA | Tangled tale? It suggests a number of lies (4) |
| *(tale) [anag:tangled]
A tela is a web, as in a “web of lies”? |
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Thanks loonapick. I saw OLEA in ‘no leaves’ and was satisfied.
A fun solve, thanks as ever to Azed and felicitations to all bloggers and contributors.
Did have to use electronic aids though, this being Azed they weren’t all going to be common trees 🙂
For instance, I didn’t know TAMANU or LATS in 3 (was trying LAVS for a while).
I completed the bottom half, got a few answers on the top half, and then completely lost interest in working this one out, once I realized that the solutions were going to be some tree (that I probably never heard of) wedged somewhere inside some present (that I probably never heard of). The theme clues, to my taste, were less like word-play and more like word-salad. Ugh. But de gustibus etc. Out of curiosity, I did finish out the grid, after availing myself of some very generous hints from another blog, and honestly, I do not believe that I would have finished this one on my own even if I had persevered with it. Of course, someone will comment, “an easy and pleasant (or, per Gonzo ‘fun’) solve.” I intuited correctly that GIFT and HERE were probably going to have to appear somewhere, but I was kind of disappointed not to find PARTPEARRIDGE anywhere.
Thought this was a lot of fun, though it took a while. Not as long as it took me to write a disappointing clue for Potlatsugatch though!
I’m another who needed help. I got most of it done but still couldn’t get 1 Across. 5 Dn just had to be WAUK (qv). And that meant the tree was almost certainly LOWAN. So what was 6 Dn? But that meant ALICANT was wrong.
I got really frustrated with this one and I’m sure Azed knew exactly what he was doing sending us up garden paths. Even when I’d cheated and found POTLATCH online, I managed to stuff things up. I got the T’s the wrong way round and I was playing with ALMUG and ARENG. Then it was obviously MULGA or WILGA.
I think this was definitely Azed having a chuckle. Dare I say it was a cracker? I hope he had a good long chew on his wishbone.
I thought 5 Dn had to be “NO’S TO UK”, else it’s not a proper clue.
Stefan
And I forgot to point out that 18 Dn is an indirect anagram, definitely un-Azed, and he would himself have railed only a few years ago.
Stefan
I know it’s not good form to comment on the puzzle of the current day, but today (3/1/20) there’s a competition puzzle, but no posting instructions, and a note saying the monthly clue-writing competition is unaffected. So do we post to the address previously listed or not?
In fairness to Azed, 18 down is a “last letter first” clue. Technically that makes it an anagram too, but I don’t think it qualifies as forbidden indirect anagram in the way that a complete jumbling of the letters would.
A bit like Cineria@3, I got about a third done in the first couple of days and then ground to a halt. After that, well it was Christmas and too much other stuff to do to return to it. Looking at the answers, I don’t think I’d ever have completed it.
Oh aye? And since when did “cycle” mean “put things back to front”? I’ve just spent quite a while in various dictionaries and it’s a load of old crock. Setters’ and other apologists’ contributions invited… My wife has more than one blouse I have to button up for her. I should just tell her to “cycle” them and she can do them up herself. Of course, she’ll look stupid. So does Azed.
Why did he not write: “Shift shades back to front”?
Stefan
Marmite Smuggler
If you draw a circle and write the word TINTS around the circumference with the first T at the top and then “cycle” it 72 degrees, the S will be at the top, and starting from there, you get STINT – this is quite a common device – not sure I like it, but it’s fairly standard in crosswords.
Stefan–I agree with Loonapick. Even though I bailed on the puzzle as a whole, I have seen that “cycle/cycling” contrivance enough in puzzles past to have instantly known what Azed was getting at on that clue. Not one of my favorite artifices, but it is certainly familiar to me. And my cavils above notwithstanding, hats off to those who polished this puzzle off.
Look, this is getting bizarre. I love our dear Azed as much as anyone but “cycle” just plainly does NOT mean “put the back at the front”. Remember when you got your first Rudge? What if you’d put the wheels on back’ards?
This is getting daft now because somebody is trying to tell us that “cycle” means rotate 72º! I devour dictionaries but I challenge all on this site to find the reference to a word meaning “rotate 72º.” And it certainly isn’t “cycle”!
Let us calm down. Back to Ximenes. Ommmmm.
Stefan
Azed clued UTOPIA with ‘cycling’ wordplay of PI AUTO in 1999, so it doesn’t necessarily mean ‘back to front’. I’m not sure when the device was first used.
I don’t much like the cycling device either, but as others have pointed out, it’s quite common these days. It’s based on the idea that if the letters of TINTS are cycled, you get INTST, NTSTI, TSTIN or STINT before coming back to TINTS. As Blorenge says, it doesn’t necessarily mean back to front, but it does happen to be that in this case.
Whether one likes this trick or not, and I repeat I’m not keen, the clue isn’t an indirect anagram, which wass my original point.
Another issue with that clue is it’s ambiguous:
SHIFT = STINT cycling = TINTS
SHADES = TINTS cycling = STINT
Which one is it?
Skinny @7: it looks like an error by The Observer. The &lit site has tweeted that you should submit entries to the usual address.
I thought this one left too many degrees of freedom. I get the most satisfaction on constructing something from the wordplay then finding it in the dictionary, with a definition that confirms it *must* be that. So this was fine for the longer presents (ADSIUM, DEODATE) but nigh-impossible when any pronounceable pair of letters can turn out to be the tree… or even just the single letter “T” (in ADSIUM again).
It made it far too easy to take a wrong path and not spot your mistake until much later. For example, with only one crosser missing, I managed “REMIKAT” for 22d: IKA being another Nigerian ethnic group; and KA, “terminalia carolinensis”.
That single wrong crosser led me to SABERS: Saberious, a name I can only find in works of fantasy, giving up “IOU”; and the kind of parties where sabres are used to open champagne bottles, which requires the Perth to be one of those in the USA for the -ER spelling.
And finally to DEMISSE, old spelling of “demiss”, cast down, leaving just ISSE unexplained.
By then I was sick of that corner and not going to try to backtrack for one unconfirmed half-word.
As well as that mistake, DNF because I didn’t have a hope of finding the three missing letters for 1a.
“Cycling” to mean revolving or rotating worked for me. For example, the “rotate” instruction in computing involves taking something off one end of a word and putting it on the other, moving the rest along. Yes, it needs a crosser to work out which part of the clue it applies to, but that’s quite common with eg. short homophones in regular cryptics, and both 17 and 23 were straightforward.
…17 and *21 were straightforward.
BiglyNifty – if a clue is ambiguous, then it’s wrong! It might well appear in double definitions, but they do not follow the rules and are poor:
A clue may not say what it means, but it must mean what it says.
An ambiguous clue doesn’t do that.
Nick @21: it’s the other way round “you need not mean what you say but you must say what you mean” i.e. some reasonable reading of the clue must be the instructions to get the answer. That one is ambiguous, I grant. You just have to cycle through the combinations.