Azed presents us with a plain puzzle this week.
Of course, Azed plain puzzles are not as easy as other setters’ plain puzzles.
There were quite a few French references this week or use of the French language. I could cope with most of them, but the reference to bonnes bouches in 29 across was a bit beyond me.
There was a good mix of arts and science this week though any mix of ancient and modern in Azed puzzles tends to favour the ancient. Having said that it was good to see LUCAN clues as an ancient author and a biblical reference rather by an allusion to the missing Lord.
New solvers should study Azed’s clues to see how any word can be clued by breaking the entry down into various constituent parts and bringing those parts together by a variety of precisely described constructions.
Most of the parsing is clear to me, but I can’t determine the anagram indicator at 6 down in the clue for THREE-DECKERS
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
Dancing adepts incorporating half of dance leap on stage (9, 3 words) PAS DE CHAT (ballet leap in which each foot is raised in turn to the opposite knee) Anagram of (dancing) ADEPTS containing (incorporating) CHA (half of CHA–CHA [dance of Latin American origin] – the dance can be referred to as CHA–CHA or CHA-CHA-CHA) PAS DE (CHA) T* |
| 10 |
Ancient author describing portion of holy scripture (5) LUCAN (reference Marcus Annaeus Lucanus, better known in English as LUCAN [39 – 65], was a Roman poet and author) LUCAN (descriptive of the Gospel of Luke) double definition LUCAN |
| 12 |
Love child I enveloped in all liquid of post-partum discharge (7) LOCHIAL (descriptive of a discharge from the uterus after childbirth [post-partum]) (O [zero; love score in tennis] + CH [child] + I) contained in (in) an anagram of (liquid) ALL L (O CH I) AL* |
| 13 |
Oriental porcelain damage has cracked classical pair (5) IMARI (type of Japanese porcelain, richly decorated in red, green and blue; oriental porcelain) MAR (damage) contained in (has cracked) II (Roman [classical] numerals for two [pair]) I (MAR) I |
| 14 |
Director’s leading part for comic (5) DROLE (amusing; comic) D (first letter of [leading part] DIRECTOR) + ROLE (part) D ROLE |
| 15 |
Special crumpet, showing beginning of new florescence (8) SPIKELET (in grasses, etc, a small crowded ear, itself forming part of a greater inflorescence crating a blossoming onto flower or florescence) S (special) + PIKELET (kind of teacake, or crumpet, or muffin) S PIKELET |
| 16 |
Compound, robust, I had installed (6) HALIDE (a compound of a halogen with a metal or radical) I’D (I had) contained in (installed) HALE (robust) HAL (ID) E |
| 17 |
Handled containers of stone as sent for repackaging (6) STEANS (stone or earthenware containers with two handles; handled stones) Anagram of (for repackaging) AS SENT STEANS* |
| 19 |
Slim and lively for US hootenanny (8) THINGAMY (alternative spelling of THINGUMMY, a US hootenanny, defined in Chambers under hootenanny rather than THIMGUMMY) THIN (slim) + GAMY (informal term for lively) THIN GAMY |
| 22 |
Gets together before food, unravelling secret (8) ACCRETES (grows or gets together) AC (medical abbreviation for anti cebum indicating that a medicine should be taken before food) + an anagram of (unravelling) SECRET AC CRETES* |
| 25 |
It’s red at sea (or sort of red, bow to stern and vice versa) (6) DUSTER (reference RED DUSTER [also known as the Red Ensign] a red flag with the Union Jack in the top left corner, until 1864 the flag of Red Squadron, now flown by British merchant ships) RUSTED (showing a sort of red colour) with the first (bow) letter R moved to the end (stern) and the stern letter D moved to the bow to form DUSTER) DUSTER |
| 27 |
Mysterious chapters ingested, lout reformed (6) OCCULT (mysterious) Anagram of (reformed) LOUT containing (ingested) CC (chapters) O (CC) ULT* |
| 29 |
Bonnes bouches maybe for being served in French city, not English (8) ORTOLANS (types of bunting, common in Europe and eaten as a delicacy – my French is not good enough to translate bouche properly to get the right sense. Bonnes I know is good or very good) TO (for) contained in (being served in) ORLEANS (French city) excluding (not) E (English) OR (TO) LANS |
| 30 |
It may reveal catch of grilse I net (5) SEINE (large vertical fishing-net whose ends are brought together and hauled) Presumably grilse are caught in a seine net. SEINE (hidden word in [it may reveal] GRILSE I NET) SEINE |
| 31 |
Boss rival disheartened? He was free but lowly (5) CEORL (in England before the Norman Conquest, an ordinary freeman of the lowest rank) CEO (Chief Executive Officer; the boss) + RL (letters remaining in RIVAL when the central letters IVA are removed [dis-heartened]) CEO RL |
| 32 |
Skirl I reck, upset, penetrating silence (7) SKRIECH (screech or shriek. SKIRL is defined in a similar way) Anagram of (upset) I RECK contained in (penetrating) SH (be quiet!; silence!) S (KRIEC*) H |
| 33 |
Head of state’s partner, so she’s un-Boris in a way (5) BRUNI (reference Carla BRUNI [born 1967], wife of the former President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy) UN-BORIS is an anagram [in a way] of SO [a word in the clue] and BRUNI [the entry] BRUNI |
| 34 |
I act uneasily about robbery, being sceptical (9) ATHEISTIC (in a disbelieving or sceptical way) Anagram of (uneasily) I ACT containing (about) HEIST (robbery) AT (HEIST) IC* |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Folded what’s delicate in hamper (8) PLIGHTED (plaited, woven or folded) LIGHT (delicate) contained in (in) PED (pannier or hamper) P (LIGHT) ED |
| 2 |
Sardinia’s capital – large part of that’s limestone (7) SCAGLIA (Italian limestone) S (first letter of [capital] SARDINIA) + CAGLIARI (capital city of Sardinia) ignoring the final two letters (most of) RI S CAGLIA |
| 3 |
US plant needing help raised round cemetery near Washington (12) DARLINGTONIA (a Californian [US] pitcher plant of the Sarracenia family) AID (help) reversed (raised; down entry) containing (round) ARLINGTON (American military cemetery near Washington DC) D (ARLINGTON) IA< |
| 4 |
What’s this, one containing soft herrings? (6) CLUPEA (the herring genus) (CLUE [what this is)]+ A [one]) containing (containing) P (piano; soft) CLU (P) E A |
| 5 |
Spring festival’s attended by millions in all-embracing philosophy (6) HOLISM (the theory that the fundamental principle of the universe is the creation of wholes, ie complete and self-contained systems from the atom and the cell by evolution to the most complex forms of life and mind) HOLI’S (Hindus’ Spring Festival’s) + M (millions) HOLIS M |
| 6 |
Energy lost in trek replaced with red cheese sandwiches (bulky) (12) THREE-DECKERS (double sandwich, with two layers of filling and three layers of bread; bulky sandwiches) Anagram of (but I’m not sure what the anagram indicator is, [lost?, bulky?]) TREK excluding [lost] E [energy] and RED CHEESE THREE–DECKERS* |
| 7 |
Flower I held in palm (5) VIOLA (any plant of the violet and pansy genus; flower) I contained in (held in) VOLA (hollow of the hand; palm) V (I) OLA |
| 8 |
Car panel, French article fitted in Packard? (7) VALENCE (alternative spelling of VALANCE [hinged panel on the side of a vehicle allowing access to the engine]) LE (one of the French forms of the definite article) contained in (fitted in) VANCE (reference VANCE Packard [1914 – 1966], American journalist) VA (LE) NCE |
| 9 |
Succumb to sleepiness, an inevitable part of table talk (4) BLET (of fruit, to become soft or sleepy) BLET (hidden word in [an inevitable part of] TABLE TALK) BLET |
| 11 |
You aim for Mecca, every last one – in this? (4) UMRA (The lesser Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca) UMRA (final letters of each of [every last one] YOU, AIM, FOR and MECCA) UMRA |
| 18 |
Loss City’s suffering, denoting a certain physical collapse (8) SYSTOLIC (descriptive of contraction, especially of the heart; collapse of the nucleus in mitosis) Anagram of (suffering) LOSS CITY SYSTOLIC* |
| 20 |
Explosive carbamide containing potassium, a brilliant invention (7) HEUREKA (a brilliant discovery or invention) HE (high explosive) + (UREA [a carbamide] containing [containing] K [chemical symbol for potassium]) HE URE (K) A |
| 21 |
Guy in tutu’s distributed snuff? (7, 2 words) STUB OUT (extinguish; snuff) BO (in America, a familiar term of address for a man; guy) contained in (in) an anagram of (distributed) TUTUs STU (BO) UT* |
| 23 |
Manger to come upon, containing last of fodder (6) CRATCH (crib to hold hay for cattle, a manger) CATCH (come upon) containing (containing) R (final letter of [last of] FODDER C (R) ATCH |
| 24 |
Mix new chocolate? A lot we ——, possibly (6) CONCHE (knead and mix [chocolate] during manufacture) This is another compound anagram (possibly) of N new] and CHOCOLATE formed from the entry CONCHE and A LOT CONCHE |
| 26 |
Sensation over source of poodle pedigree (5) STIRP (pedigree) STIR (sensation) + P (first letter of [source] POODLE) ‘over’ is used in the clue as this is a down entry and the letters in STIR are placed ‘over’ the P STIR P |
| 28 |
Receive education in local school in Killarney (4) LARN (dialect [local] word for teach or learn; receive education in local school) LARN (hidden word in [in] KILLARNEY) LARN |
| 29 |
E.g. Leipziger half set firmly in his ways? (4) OSSI (an East German. Leipzig is a town which was part of East Germany during the period of separate East and West states) OSSIFIED (become rigid, hardened, inflexible or set into a conventional pattern [set firmly in its ways]) excluding 4 of the 8 [half] letters FIED) OSSI |
Thanks duncanshiell. It’s just ‘re-placed’ as the anagrind in 6, surely?
Thanks as ever to Azed for a knotty puzzle.
chambers gives ‘bonne bouche’ as a ‘delicious morsel’ – i think ortolan would fall under this (not my kind of thing!)
I got DUSTER, and understood “rusted,” but had never heard of Red Duster, so was very confused by the clue, and kept trying to make an anagram of “It’s red . . . .” being “at sea.” There is a word “dister,” but that did not work in any way. Thanks for the clarification.
As a North Carolina native, I am familiar with Appalachian dialect, but I have never seen or heard that usage of hootenanny, although according to Wikipedia, that attribution is apparently correct.
BTW, I could make no headway at all with Azed 2539–zero answers–, but I have not looked at any blogs or solutions yet, so still plan to attempt it. I suspect that my brain does not work that way, and feel like a complete dunderhead staring at the clues.
Thanks for all the explanations Duncan. I’m with Gonzo@1 for the 6d anagrind – it was the only thing there that suggested any sort of movement.
The thing I like about Azed puzzles is that you arrive at an answer and find, on checking, the word exists. Every puzzle is an exploration. Great fun.
Cineraria@3 I love the Azed crossword in all of the many different forms except for the Printer’s Devilry.
It is simply not my thing because you do not have to solve any actual clues so I never attempt it.
I think I’m getting the hang of these having successfully completed four out of the last five AZEDs (2539 being exception, where my experience was just like Cineraria@3). As Mystogre@4 points out, it’s the “parse then solve” aspect which makes them most enjoyable. Thanks to duncanshiel and the other regular AZED bloggers. The blogs have helped me develop from a complete numpty into someone with a modicum of competence, greatly improving my solving enjoyment as a result.
Great blog, thank you. One very minor quibble, 24Down, the “new” stays intact and it is – a lot WE plus conche.
I completely forgot about Vance Packard, so left 8d unfinished – silly me; and didn’t parse 10a as connected with Luke. An enjoyable puzzle as ever. Many thanks to Azed and duncanshiell.
This was my first attempt at an Azed since being released from hospital last month. Didn’t finish it but I did better than many daily crosswords I’ve attempted since then.
Thank you Azed and duncanshiell.
I managed this one fairly quickly – completing it before the previous day’s Guardian Prize. It always helps to get a couple of long answers quickly – in my case 1ac and 3dn.
Like others, I get enormous satisfaction from constructing the answer from the wordplay, and then looking it up to find the word exists (though quite often you have to chase it round Chambers since Azed picks so many variant spellings).
Ortolans came up in a recent Guardian puzzle. I learned from the blog that you are supposed to eat them whole with a cloth over your head – though whether that is to capture the full savour, or merely to hide embarrassment at eating a tiny bird, is not revealed. President Mitterrand allegedly ate ortolans for his last meal.
Thanks Azed and Duncan
14ac: I think “Director” on it own is the indication for the D – it is given as an abbreviation in Chambers – with “leading” simply indicating “followed by” and “part” cluing role. Otherwise “part” would be doing double duty.
Words I’d never heard of before seeing in this puzzle:
PAS DE CHAT,LUCAN,LOCHIAL,IMARI,PIKELET,STEANS,DUSTER(in this context),SKRIECH,SCAGLIA,DARLINGTONIA,CLUPEA,BLET,UMRA,HEUREKA(not spelled with leading H),BO(not a term in current use in America, if ever),CRATCH,CONCHE,STIRP,OSSI.
I believe that a cryptic crossword is not the place to force solvers to learn new words. That is the bailiwick of the standard crossword. Cryptic crosswords are tough enough without throwing a lot of arcane words into the mix.
Les @ 12
I’ll think you will find that the crosswords of Azed and his predecessors Torquemada and Ximenes are always a mix of both common and obscure words throughout the whole series dating back to 1926.
The puzzle blogged today is Azed 2540, the first was published in 1972 and Azed’s grids have always included words of the type that you highlight., with a few foreign and dialect words thrown in for good measure. Azed shows great skill in writing clues that are eminently fair with building blocks in the wordplay within the clues helping you towards the solution.
More obscure words of this nature are common as entries in many barred crosswords, such as The Listener series in the Times, the Inquisitor series (latterly in the i newspaper) and the Enigmatic Variations series in The Telegraph.
Even in blocked cryptic crossowrds these days, you will find some obscure or lesser known words, particularly if the crossword has a theme.
Many cryptic crossword solvers will argue that cryptics are easier than standard definition crosswords are there are two routes to the solutions – definition and wordplay. My own experience is that I struggle a lot with definition crosswords with fairly common words and even more so if the entries are obscure or arcane.
Didn’t want to be left out of the blog. This was a pleasure- but then so is every Azed. Thanks to him and to duncanshiel for the colourful breakdown. I do agree that, with a bit of practice, the unknwn words can be teased out and simple definitions-only crosswords can be equally hard. Exploring the remote corners of Chambers is part of the fun. .My current 2008 edition is, I think, my fifth.. Recent gems included a Welsh word, I forget which and wonder how many such words are in C. I await next weekends revelation re the February first Sunday PD.
I think duncanshiell speaks eloquently for most of us here. I think also the “Welsh word” would have been cynghanedd. If Azed didn’t come up with these monstrosities I don’t think I’d bother solving at all. And it’s not just Azed and the words: we must thank the team behind Chambers as well—reading the dictionary would not be the same without them. Chambers gigglossary (2008) is recommended for all who haven’t read it but there is wealth for a Vol. 2, 3 and 4 in Chambers itself. An Azed puzzle takes me twice as long as it ought to because Chambers sidetracks me. Exactly why is a rave-up a wild, uninhibited, thoroughly enjoyable party? Most of us are still mystified by what “a normal drowned valley is”. Are the women on the team having a bit of giggle themselves here: beefcake brawn as distinct from brain? [All my italics.] The Scots, and lexicographers, know how to enjoy themselves; they want us to, too. Azed is a superb facilitator.
Stefan
Marmite Smuggler, I have looked into ‘a normal drowned valley’.
It appears it is just a river valley near the coast that the sea erodes into and floods it – as opposed to a drowned valley caused by a man made dam etc.