Azed 2,580 Plain

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A gentle Azed.

When speaking to crossword solvers, I often find that they are happy to have a go at the dailies and eventually master them, but find the prospects of a barred grid daunting, especially because of the vocabulary used. I point out that once you have learned the “rules of the game” a plain barred puzzle such as today’s can sometimes be easier than a normal prize crossword, because in most cases, you only have a maximum of 3-4 unchecked letters in a long word or phrase and 1-2 in a shorter word, so as long as you don’t mind using a dictionary to check or discover rarer words (and thus enhance your vocabulary), you should have a go.

 

Today’s puzzle would be an ideal introduction. The two long anagrams in the first and last rows give an excellent, not too challenging start, as do the ones in the first and last columns. The clues for some of the others would not be out of place in a daily puzzle (SAMOYED, TOLTEC, PICA, SOYA, REVEILLE, SWING, for example).

 

If you know someone who is nervous about “dipping their toe” into barred puzzles, I would heartily recommend that you point them in the direction of this Azed, and maybe even take the time to help them.

 

Thanks Azed.

ACROSS
1 ARDENT SPIRITS
Hard liquor out of order in driest parts (13, 2 words)
*(in driest parts) [anag:out of order]
11 GUACO
Possible treatment for snakebite from Antigua cobra (5)
Hidden in [from] “antiGUA CObra”

 

Guaco is a tropical plant that reputedly can be used as an antidote to the bites of certain snakes.
12 HORSE HOE
It’s dragged round field (lucky thing with abandonment of spades) (8, 2 words)
HORSE(s)HOE (“lucky thing” with S (spades) abandoned)
13 LAGUNE
Lake? Dip a rod in its fringes (6)
Dip A GUN in [fringes of] L(ak)E
15 VERA
TV recorder in truth requiring outlay of capital? (4)
VERA(city) (“truth” requiring outlay of CITY (“capital”))

 

VERA stands for Vision Electronic Recording Apparatus
17 ATHENA
Olympian? First-class, followed by another such? (6)
A THEN (“followed by”) A (“another such” (A))
18 SAMOYED
Dog some day needs training (7)
*(some day) [anag:needs training]
19 SOIGNE
‘Love’ inscribed in ring, mostly with simple elegance (6)
O (love) inscribed in SIGNE(t) (“ring”, mostly)
21 CADDISHLY
Sort of insect, female going for husband like a rotter! (9)
CADDIS (f>H)LY (“sort of insect” with F (female) going for (i.e. being replaced by) H (husband))
24 POM-POM
Repeating Brit ack-ack gun (6)
[repeating] POM (“Brit”)
26 NOBLEST
One from among notables worsted – such as Brutus? (7)
*(notbles) [anag:worsted] where NOTBLES is NOT(a)BLES with A (“one”) removed

 

In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Marc Anthony describes Brutus as “the noblest Roman of them all”.
29 TOLTEC
Central American closed left eye (6)
TO (“closed”) + L (left) + TEC (short for detective, so (private) “eye”)

 

Toltecs were a Central American people who were defeated by the Aztecs.
32 PICA
Craving what’s bad for you, not entirely atypical (4)
Hidden in [not entirely] “atyPICAl”
33 ALCAIC
Typical of Greek poet, one of the people, college ingested (6)
A (“one”) + LAIC (“of the people”) with C (college) ingested

 

Alcaeus was an Ancient Greek lyric poet.
34 EVENSONG
I cut cooked meat in e.g. service (8)
I cut (from) VEN(i)SON (“cooked meat”) in E.G.
35 GERNE
Minimum from relative in what you inherit, making you sneer? (5)
[minimum from] R(elative) in GENE (“what you inherit”)
36 READY STEADY GO
Pistol could have done for this yesterday, a dog running wild (13, 3 words)
*(yesterday a dog) [anag:running wild]
DOWN
2 RUANA
Something like a poncho, in Peru an ‘anorak’ (5)
Hidden [in] “peRU AN Anorak”

 

A ruana is a woollen outer garment worn in South America.
3 DAGS
Clippings of dishevelled and grubby sheep, what shearer removes? (4)
[clippings of] D(ishevelled) A(nd) G(rubby) S(heep)

 

A dag is a dirty clot of wool in a sheep’s fleece.
4 NONNY
It was used to disguise obscenity applied to noun in US city (5)
ON (“applied to”) + N (noun) in NY (New York, so “US city”)
5 THEWED
Those who’ve tied the knot, unnatural in poetic language (6)
THE WED are “those who have tied the knot”
6 SOYA
Versatile cookery ingredient, what lumberjack suggests to audience (4)
Homophone [suggests to audience] of SAWYER (“lumberjack”)
7 PRATS
First in perspicacity? Nonsense! (5)
[first in] P(erspicacity) + RATS (“nonsense”) and &lit.
8 REVEILLE
Vicar getting Helen up – it signals break of day (8)
Rev. (reverend, so “vicar”) getting <=ELLIE (“Helen”, up)
9 TORANA
One entering ripped a hanging garland (6)
A (“one”) entering TORN (“ripped”) + A
10 SEA LETTUCE
Type of laver to observe round a minced cutlet (10, 2 words)
SEE (“to observe”) round A + *(cutlet) [anag:minced]
11 GLASSPAPER
One showing astonishment about girl on piano, producer of polished finish (10)
GAPER (“one showing astonishment”) about LASS (“girl”) on P (piano, in music notation)
14 PHOH
ARA dismissed by old king? That’s disgusting (4)
PH(ara)OH (“old king” dismissing ARA)
16 SOAPLAND
Obnoxious fellow protecting a scheme for red-light district (8)
SOD (“obnoxious fellow”) protecting A PLAN (“a scheme”)
20 MOTIVE
Exercising veto I’m showing purpose (6)
*(veto im) [anag:exercising]
22 DOTE
Decay? Counteracting treatment’s anti this (4)
A “counteracting treatment” would be an antiDOTE
23 SORAGE
Fierce bird’s youth, accordingly accompanied by temper (6)
SO (“accordingly”) accompanied by RAGE (“temper”)

 

Sorage is a word for the first year of a hawk.
25 MEBOS
Dried fruit, some in pie including dash of booze (5)
*(some) [anag:in pie] including [dash of] B(ooze)

 

Mebos are dried apricots
27 BELGA
British composer failing to finish piece no longer current (5)
B (British) + ELGA(r) (“composer” failing to finish)

 

A belga was a 5-franc coin in Belgium used between 1926 and 1945.
28 SWING
Number in grip of drink move with tottering gait (5)
N (number) in grip of SWIG (“drink”)
30 CANT
Lively Scottish slang (4)
Double definition
31 WARY
Deploying weather eye could make one this (tee-hee!) (4)
*(weather eye) [anag:deploying] would give (tee hee) WARY and semi &lit.

17 comments on “Azed 2,580 Plain”

  1. Thanks for the blog and I agree with every word, I have had a little success encouraging people from the Guardian blogs to try the Azed.
    This was very swift until I got a bit held up by PRATS, PHOH and SOIGNE. Should have got SOIGNE straight away and would have had my record time.
    CADDISHLY and ATHENA were the pick for me.

  2. Yes definitely on the gentle side. In fact probably the easiest Azed I’ve yet seen, but no less enjoyable for that. Far fewer obscurities in the word play ingredients than usual, making for a steady solve with only a few double checks in Chambers during solving.

    Thanks loonapick and Azed.

  3. Thanks loonapick. I can only echo what has already been said – Azed in very solver-friendly mode.

    Much to enjoy as well. I thought CADDISHLY was a lovely clue. Also liked “in pie” as an anagram indicator for MEBOS. Novel.

  4. I made better progress this week. All but seven done. I feel I should have got ATHENA, SOIGNE and PRATS, and possibly RUANA (hidden word, staring me in the face!) and TORANA. I don’t think I would have got TOLTEC or PHOH though.
    On the other hand, I was very pleased to get lots of others, like the grin-inducing NONNY and the nho THEWED and SORAGE (lovely words).
    I agree absolutely with loonapick’s summation of most people’s approach to the AZED. It describes exactly how I was feeling before I decided to try my first one last week. And yes, it was as a result of Roz’s obvious enjoyment of them and encouragement to others on the Guardian blog.
    I’m still not entirely converted though. I like to do the dailies and prize without aids as far as possible, which is not possible for me here, and it can become a bit of a grind, tortuously working out the cryptic part and then having to check, but then it is certainly satisfying to learn new words.
    I will keep on for now, although after two gentle ones, there is probably a shock coming my way.

  5. A few weeks ago, after I mentioned that an Independent puzzle had completely stumped me, someone asked how that could be so given I often complete Azed. I, too, said that as there were so many crossing letters, Azed I found easier.

    As I recall, I first tried Azed in 1979 when The Sunday Times went on strike and I started taking The Observer. I think in those days the puzzle was in the colour supplement and I gave it a go and after a few weeks often finished it. Then the Independent on Sunday started and I moved to Beelzebub.

    All that said, I couldn’t get 6 and 7dn last week. I did think of SOYA but couldn’t parse it. I don’t pronounce “sawyer” like that. And I still don’t see how PRATS means nonsense.

  6. Agree with the blog comments – this was gentle. I would add MOTIVE and EVENSONG to the list of clues that might appear in a daily puzzle. And then there was CADDISHLY which, like others, I thought was a wonderful clue. I’ve been doing AZEDs since my teens and still enjoy them as much as ever.

  7. Dormouse @5 – RATS is nonsense. PRATS is defined by the whole clue – people who are not first in perspicacity.

  9. But RATS doesn’t mean nonsense, does it? Chambers and OED give it as an expression of annoyance or irritation. Nonsense, as an interjection implying strong disagreement, fits with the &lit, but to me doesn’t define RATS.

  10. My Chambers 93 gives – contemptuous incredulity – which is good enough for nonsense for me.
    trish@4 it can be a bit of a slog, can get totally stuck in a corner. I used to spend all week on it off and on, you definitely improve with practice.

  11. We’ve had rats as nonsense not so long ago in Azed and there was a similar discussion then.
    I don’t think the current Chambers can justify it – its only definition is the equivalent of Curses! or similar.
    However, the OED has:
    “Expressing frustration, disappointment, or annoyance; ‘drat’, ‘blast’; (also) expressing incredulity or disagreement; ‘rubbish’, ‘nonsense’”

  12. If you scroll to the bottom the Chambers app it gives rat used in imprecations for rot which does have nonsense as a sense. Not 100% certain all the parts of speech match up exactly though.

  14. Tackling an AZED without knowing this blog would be there to fill in the gaps would be hard. As someone who has only tried a few AZEDs and only having GUACO on a first run through I was thrilled to find most things falling into place as the week progressed. I think I need a better dictionary! Some words I wanted to check weren’t there (sorage, dote as rubbish, phoh, nonny ) some I boldly wrote in anyway but some I hesitated.

    Thanks for the explanations and encouragement loonapick (and others).

  15. CanberraGirl, (and Trish)

    After advice from PeeDee and Dormouse several weeks ago I took the plunge and got the Chambers app. It’s been invaluable since and not just for Azed. If you prefer a print copy there are both new and second hand copies available on eBay and amazon.

    If you’re going to continue with Azed (and I hope you do) I can’t recommend getting Chambers enough. I’ve had any number of what Eileen calls jorums since!

  16. CanberraGirl@14 I did buy a Chambers when I started doing Azed, 93 edition and falling to bits but still using it . It is very similar to the 2014.
    These days I do not use it for the solve, just write things in and check afterwards. As you say , boldly write things in, they are usually correct because the word play is so clear for Azed.

  17. Sorry to be joining in late. Yes, Barred crosswords can be easier than “ordinary” ones. I may not be the only person who can claim to have done every Azed but my experience when I took Ximenes up in the mid-fifties was much as some are now expressing. Like most my last in was PHOH, the shortest often being the hardest.
    When I retired I managed every “Listener” in my first year though I gave up when it transferred after that jewel’s sad demise and because my mental energy flagged.
    My first Chambers, now long-gone, would have looked pocket-sized by comparison with the 2014. But aren’t the weirder words refreshing?
    Many thanks to Azed- hope his postal troubles are soon fixed- and to loonapick, especially for hi comments.

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