A even-handed mix of the common and the obscure today. Thank you Azed.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SCHAPSKA |
Blokes in musical genre displaying military headgear (8)
|
| CHAPS (blokes) inside SKA (musical genre) | ||
| 7 | GLUM |
Face reverse, left trapped, feeling low (4)
|
| MUG (face) containing (with…trapped) L (left) | ||
| 10 | ALLARGANDO |
Broadening on each side, timber tree to work at (10)
|
| ALL (on each side, a tied score) ARGAN (timber tree) then DO (to work at) | ||
| 11 | JORDAN |
Death? Saint accepts short way (6)
|
| JOAN (Saint Joan) contains RD (abbreviation for road, way) | ||
| 12 | ENTAIL |
At standing in chain of command returned for settlement (6)
|
| AT inside LINE (chain of command) all reversed (returned) | ||
| 14 | MAMA |
Spiritual leader removing hat for mature lady (in US) (4)
|
| MAhatMA (spiritual leader) missing HAT | ||
| 15 | TIN TERNE |
Abbey, English, displaying blend of metals (8, 2 words)
|
| TINTERN (Tintern Abbey in Monmouthshire) and E (English) | ||
| 19 | PANIM |
A devil, back to front, appearing as heathen in poetry (5)
|
| AN IMP (a devil) with last letter (back) moved to the front – as spelled by Milton, the poet | ||
| 20 | SEPIOST |
Feature of cage for budgie adjusting its pose (7)
|
| anagram (adjusting) ITS POSE – cuttlefish bones are traditionally put in cages for budgerigars to gnaw on as source of calcium | ||
| 22 | ALICANT |
Wine? One’s drunk about a mug (7)
|
| A (one) with (‘s, has) LIT (drunk) containing (about) CAN (a mug) | ||
| 24 | ANGLE |
Cast point of view that may be acute (5)
|
| triple definition – to angle is to fish (cast) | ||
| 27 | THEOSOPH |
The inducement that includes love and opening to heaven for believer in karma? (8)
|
| THE SOP (inducement) contains O (love) then first letter (opening to) Heaven | ||
| 28 | STIE |
Path no longer in use: it is heading west and east (4)
|
| IT’S (it is) reversed (heading west, as on a map) then E (east) | ||
| 30 | HARBOR |
Pearl oyster has borne? Could be this stone, yes? (6)
|
| OYSTER HAS BORNE is an anagram (could be) of HARBOR (this, the solution) STONE YES – Pearl Harbor in the USA perhaps | ||
| 31 | POLING |
Burning green logs, nip one of them in pieces (6)
|
| anagram (in pieces) of NIP LOG (one of them, the logs) | ||
| 32 | ENGARRISON |
Organise RN at sea fit for defence (10)
|
| anagram (at sea) of ORGANISE RN – to provide (fit) a defensive force | ||
| 33 | SKYR |
Something like yoghurt to lift recipe? (4)
|
| SKY (to lift) R (recipe) | ||
| 34 | DETERGED |
Prevent freshwater fish being wiped out (rare) (8)
|
| DETER (prevent) then GED (the pike, a freshwater fish) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SEJM |
House in Warsaw Susan and James briefly vacated (4)
|
| SuE (Susan, briefly) and JiM (James, briefly) both missing middle letters (vacated) | ||
| 2 | CLOACAL |
WC avoided by women, one in pub like a sewer? (7)
|
| wC missing W (women) then A (one) inside LOCAL (pub) | ||
| 3 | HARMONISER |
Creator of music composing minor share (10)
|
| anagram (composing) MINOR SHARE | ||
| 4 | PLATEMAN |
See me going up in plane, one responsible for silverware (8)
|
| ME reversed (going up) inside PLATAN (plane, tree) | ||
| 5 | SANIES |
Unpleasant ooze from Pret à Manger fare, ignoring recipe (6)
|
| SArNIES (Pret-a-Manger fare) missing R (recipe) | ||
| 6 | KRENG |
Tail of Moby-Dick and ray no good as source of whalebone? (5)
|
| last letter (tail) of moby-dicK then RE (ray, note of the scale) and NG (no good) | ||
| 7 | GATE-FINE |
Giant fee, misplaced penalty for disobedience (8)
|
| anagram (misplaced) of GIANT FEE | ||
| 8 | UDINE |
Naked figure, head out of position, in Italian tourist town (5)
|
| NUDIE (naked figure) with first letter (head) moved to a new position. I had a look in Wikipedia it makes no particular mention of tourism, but then so many places in Italy count as tourist destinations that perhaps this is just taken for granted. | ||
| 9 | MOLESTED |
Some spies put out to dry, as victims of hostility (8)
|
| MOLES (some spies) TED (put out to dry, of grass) | ||
| 13 | ARROGATING |
Mistaken in grog a tar’s laying claim to (10)
|
| anagram (mistaken) of IN GROG A TAR | ||
| 16 | SPARTHES |
Old weapons right inside sheaths (8)
|
| R (right) inside SPATHES (sheaths) | ||
| 17 | MICROBAR |
Very small amount of pressure curtailed bacterium, mark shaved at edges? (8)
|
| MICROBe (bacterium, curtailed) then mARk missing outer letters (shaved at edges) | ||
| 18 | SPATHOSE |
Gaiter and what it’s part of, forming a thin layer (8)
|
| SPAT (gaiter) and HOSE (legwear, what a gaiter is part of) | ||
| 21 | SLAINTE |
Prelude to downing of Guinness entails getting tipsy? (7)
|
| anagram (getting tipsy) of ENTAILS – an Irish toast | ||
| 23 | TAPPIT |
Jock’s crested tuft, very soft within (6)
|
| TAIT (tuft) contains (with…within) PP (pianissimo, very soft) – Jock’s indicates that both tappit and tait are Scottish words | ||
| 25 | CHANK |
Nach dancing before king displaying part of girl’s adornment (5)
|
| anagram (dancing) of NACH then K (king) | ||
| 26 | LORRE |
Vehicle, we hear, for one-time star of silver screen (5)
|
| sounds like (we hear) “lorry” (vehicle) – actor Peter Lorre (1904-1964) | ||
| 29 | EGAD |
Following rising generation daughter produces swearword (not too offensive) (4)
|
| AGE (generation) reversed (rising) then (following…is…) D (daughter) |
Thanks PeeDee. Favourite here was the cuttlefish bone.
There’s an article on 50 Years of Azed on the Guardian site, linked from the online Azed puzzle index.
Thanks for the blog, I saw the article from Gonzo @ 1 in the Observer review this weekend, I suspect it is the same one online.
POLING was not in my Chambers 93 and I have not heard this term for burning green wood but the clue was very clear. I remembered CHANK that was in very recently. HARBOR was very neat and clever use of PEARL to indicate the US spelling.
Very minor typo for JORDAN, it is St Joan.
POLING is in Chambers 2014 Roz@2, but I’m surprised that it’s not in Chambers 93 (or in my copy of Chambers 83) given that it is specific to an old process (producing copper from the ore and using the wood smoke from green logs as a reducing agent) which is no longer in use.
The last part of MOLESTED and its meaning (new I think for me) will now always come to mind if and when I watch a Ted Talk in future.
I did like JORDAN and the memories of hymns from the past which it stirred.
Isn’t annoying when you think you’ve finished a crossword and you come here and find you missed out one letter. I’ve just noticed that I’m missing the final letter in 14ac. And after nine days, I can’t remember if I missed the clue or just failed to answer it.
Thanks for the parsing of SEJM. It turned up in a Phi crossword in the Indie a couple of months ago but I still had to look it up to check it.
Thanks for spotting that Roz. Fixed now.
Thanks TimC @3 for the poling . Ted, tedding , tedder turn up now and then in puzzles . I have used a tedder, it is like a wooden rake with teeth far apart.
Just popped in to say “hello”. A good mix of “newbies and “normals”. Can’t remember it all but did finish on the day.
Thanks to Azed & PeeDee