Azed 2549

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I found this not too hard, though somewhat less easy to decode in detail, not helped by an initial wrong guess at 32a. I believe there’s a small slip in 20a, but otherwise full of the usual high quality stuff. Thanks to Azed,

 
Across
1 EXTRADOS Architectural curve, wide maybe, diameter unusually large (8)
EXTRA (e.g. a wide, in cricket) + D + OS (outsize)
7 SANS Bar? Better rooms therein but lacking inside toilet (4)
SALOONS (better class of bar, as opposed to the public bar) less LOO. For the definition I assume it’s “bar” in the prepositional sense of “except”, but I’m not sure it quite equates to SANS = “without”
10 HEMICHORDA Fore-runners of vertebrates possibly had me puzzled about colourless ooze (10)
ICHOR in (HAD ME)*
11 ON ICE Nothing delightful postponed (5, 2 words)
O + NICE
12 SNAFU Fauns dancing all over the place (5)
FAUNS* – an acronym (as opposed to the “abbreviation” mentioned in the rubric), standing for “Situation Normal, All Fouled Up” (other words beginning with F are available)
14 STROUT Bulge in some places? It’s showing bulge round centre of midriff (6)
Middle letter of midRiff in STOUT (showing bulge)
15 ANEMIC Chaps in US intelligence organization turned washed-out at home (6)
Reverse of MEN in CIA – “at home” to indicate the US spelling
17 FAN Team supporter flourishes with fares cut (3)
FAN[fares]
19 COMPUTERISES Working micros, see? Place inside processes for them (12)
PUT in (MICROS SEE)*
20 EMPEROR MOTHS The room’s excited with perm, large fluttery thing (12, 2 words)
(THE ROOMS PERM)* – presumably the definition should read “large fluttery things”. though that would make the surface a bit odd
24 RAY Charles as king? For sure (3)
R + AY (yes, for sure) – Ray Charles, singer/songwriter and pianist
26 OTHERS Bass opening being absent flusters the rest (6)
BOTHERS (flusters) less B[ass]
27 TRIPLE Peal of bells, stuff holding line? (6)
L in TRIPE (stuff=nonsense)
29 RAINY Tory? Only 50%, on the fringes, one I name ‘wet’ (5)
A (one) I N[ame] in half of toRY
30 TERMS Language generally, riddle involving legal rule (5)
R – “Rule (law)” says Chambers – in TEMS: “sieve or strainer”, i.e. a riddle (as used by gardeners)
31 MAZARINADE Satire getting me briefly in a pickle? (10)
AZ[ed] in MARINADE
32 SMOS Those above junior doctors requiring orderly system without company (4)
COSMOS (orderly system) less CO. This is the abbreviation, for Senior Medical OfficerS. I originally guessed SHOS (Senior House Officers) for this, but of course couldn’t parse it; and anyway it’s not in Chambers, nor is it a current grade, at least in the UK.
33 UPGROWTH Development I missed with group that’s mismanaged (8)
Anagram of (WITH GROUP) less I
Down
1 EPOS Major work poet’s wrought spending time (4)
POETS* less T
2 XANTHOMATA Yellow growths that a man with ox ploughed up (10)
(THAT A MAN OX)* – knowing that XANTH- is a prefix meaning “yellow” was a big help with the anagram
3 THIRL Vassal e.g. the young lady’s sacked (5)
THE GIRL less EG
4 RECOUP Make good pickled produce, taking day (6)
PRODUCE* less D
5 DICTATORSHIP Richard Murphy (or so it’s said) replaced his president in senior post (12)
Homophone of “Dick tater” + HIS* + P[resident]
6 OCTANE RATING Measure for fuel quality? It varies with car tonnage (12, 2 words)
(IT CAR TONNAGE)*
7 SONERI Richly woven fabric is got up to clothe a certain king (6)
ONE (a certain) R in reverse of IS
8 ARAME Japanese delicacy coated in caramel (5)
Hidden in cARAMEl
9 SAUCISSE Fuse is beginning to spark inside dressing (8)
IS + S[park] in SAUCE
13 FIRE HELMET Barrage he encountered catching line? Cover for brigade needed (10, 2 words)
FIRE (barrage) + L in HE MET
16 ICE WORMS Chaetopods identified with Neapolitan diet venue? (8, 2 words)
ICE (Neapolitan ice cream) + WORMS, as in the Diet of Worms
17 FURY Woman scorned tail of tabby after mink? (4)
FUR + [tabb]Y – “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”
18 ARMY Not a bit of beer fermenting for host (4)
BARMY (fermenting) less B[eer]
21 EVEN AS At the moment when one enters anything but long shot (6, 2 words)
A in EVENS (an evens bet is not a long shot)
22 OVIEDO Was striving to get between two loves somewhere on the Bay of Biscay (6)
VIED in O O – Oviedo is in northern Spain, but it’s at least 20km from the sea, so it’s a bit of a stretch to say it’s “on the Bay of Biscay”. It also gives its name to one of the comarcas that make up the province of Asturias, but even that doesn’t reach to the sea.
23 RHIZO Rooty in partnership, cross after right hand is in contact with Ishant’s first (5)
RH + I[shant] + ZO (cow-yak hybrid, popular with setters because of its many variant spellings). This is the “prefix”, as indicated by “in partnership”, meaning related to roots, or “rooty”. The surface refers to cricket – for those as uninterested in the game as I am, Joe Root is the current captain of England, and Ishant Sharma plays for India
25 SPREW Inferior veg recipe fed to cat (5)
R in SPEW (to cat is to vomit)
28 ESTH Inhabitant of Baltic region east of Italy and Hungary (4)
EST (Italian “east”) + H[ungary]

14 comments on “Azed 2549”

  1. Thank you, Andrew.
    When I worked it out, we had one prefix and two abbreviations. I’m not too bothered about it: I think Azed is entitled to clue both, as long as they’re in Chambers and it is revealed to us in the explanation. Emperor moths was obviously an error but you are allowed one every now and again.
    For me, this was a very quick Azed.
    Stefan

  2. Thanks, Andrew. I made exactly the same mistake on 32A. I knew that “coshos,” or whatever, was wrong, but could not work my way around to “cosmos,” even though that is fairly clued. Is S.M.O. a commonly-known abbreviation anywhere? Unknown to me in the US.

  3. Thanks for the blog, as mentioned two abbreviations/ acronyms and the missing plural but did not affect the solve. A rare finish without Chambers, and not too many to check afterwards. Quite a scientific theme really especially biology.

  4. I also had SHOS for 32a; couldn’t parse SANS (thanks, Andrew); and couldn’t find SPREW in my Chambers. Thanks to Azed and Andrew.

  5. drofle @4 CAT to mean vomit or spew was in the Guardian very recently. SPREW is in Chambers 93 under SPRUE.

  6. Couldn’t parse 3dn. Obvious now you’ve explained it, thanks. Apart from that, seemed to go in quickly.

  7. Thanks Azed and Andrew.
    Agreeing with Andrew’s remarks in the blog, and disagreeing with Marmite Smuggler and Roz, SMO is marked abbrev in Chambers (2014, p.1471), while snafu is not so marked on page 1473. I can see no justification for the claim that the puzzle contains two abbreviations, although you could perhaps say that there are three. After all, fan is an abbreviation of fanatic.

  8. Roz @5 – Yes, I now know that cat = vomit; it was the SPREW I couldn’t find. My Chambers is the 1972 edition and doesn’t have SPRUE either.

  9. Apologies both to Azed and Pelham Barton. My two abbrevs were SMOs and Esth. I check now that Esth is a word. Snafu has long been a word: acronyms have a habit of doing things like that. Sorry.
    Stefan

  10. Drofle@8, 1972 wow! I thought mine was old. It has lost the hardboard cover and I have to be careful using it.

  11. One of the joys of Chambers is that they don’t teach you as much as they could. I am grateful that I have no idea how to pronounce “Esth”. OED advises me but I am still thpitting how to get it out. Are the Esths happy to be Esths? I am grateful also to “Nick” who recently revealed what a “normal” drowned valley is.
    Stefan

  12. Roz@10, I have several versions of Chambers, but the one I treasure most is the New Mid-Century Edition, “Latest Reprint 1955”.

  13. That is very old. I have only had one copy but I do not want to change, Fortunately the binding is very high quality on the spine.

  14. The last two paper editions of Chambers I bought, the boards fell off with overuse. I now have the electronic version on my computer.

    Seven years since the last paper edition. I wonder if there’ll ever be another.

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