A typical Azed plain
Nothing too difficult or contentious here as long as you have basic general knowledge and access to Chambers. The only minor quibble I had was with 15 across where I don’t believe AYE and I are interchangeable.
Thanks, Azed.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MATACHIN |
Historical dance with swords mostly fitting involving adult (8)
|
| [mostly] MATCHIN(g) (“fitting”) involving A (adult) | ||
| 7 | MAZY |
Your setter’s accepting what may represent himself, confused (4)
|
| MY (“your setter’s”) accepting AZ (“what may repress himself” (Azed)) | ||
| 10 | EPOXY |
Resin, last from tree, rotten (5)
|
| [last from] (tre)E + POXY (“rotten”) | ||
| 11 | BRAIDE |
Deceitful old newly-wed, taking one in (6)
|
| BRIDE (“newly-wed”) taking A (“one”) in | ||
| 13 | DONENESS |
Cook goose with steamer, being ready for eating? (8)
|
| DO (“cook”) + NENE (“goose”) + SS (steamship, so “steamer”) | ||
| 14 | PLEONAST |
A poet’s line recast, i.e. put out ? he uses too many words (8)
|
| *(apotslne) [anag:recast] where APOTSLNE is A PO(e)T”S L(i)NE with I & E put out | ||
| 15 | CLAIM |
Assertion aye held by one divulging little (5)
|
| I (aye (homophone?)) held by CLAM (“one divulging little”) | ||
| 16 | TUNER |
TV control turning on head? (5)
|
| [turning] <=(RE (“on”) + NUT (“head”)) | ||
| 17 | CONCLAVIST |
Calvin’s upset when going into price for cardinal’s aide (10)
|
| *(Calvins) [anag:upset] when going into COST (“price”) | ||
| 19 | STIPELLATE |
Like leafy growth, star-shaped, I observed on centre of poppy inside (10)
|
| STELLATE (“star-shaped”) with I observed on [centre of] (po)P(py) inside | ||
| 22 | PIPAL |
Sanctimonious person’s friend ? it’s revered by Buddhists (5)
|
| PI (“sanctimonious person”) + PAL (“friend”)
Pipal is another name for the bo tree, which is a holy tree to Buddhists |
||
| 24 | KISAN |
Indian peasant when retiring sheltered by family (5)
|
| <=AS (“when”, retiring) sheltered by KIN (“family”)
Kasin is a Hindi word for peasant. |
||
| 27 | SCARMOGE |
Cat trapped in alarm creating minor set-to once (8)
|
| MOG (“cat”) trapped in SCARE (“alarm”)
Scarmoge is an older version of skirmish |
||
| 28 | SOLFEGGI |
Fine Easter feature in unaccompanied pieces ? vocal exercises required (8)
|
| F (fine) + EGG (“Easter feature”) in SOLI (“unaccompanied pieces”) | ||
| 29 | ANTICS |
Cast in assorted capers (6)
|
| *(cast in) [anag:assorted] | ||
| 30 | PROLL |
Veteran’s move stealthily opposite to con lines (5)
|
| PRO (“opposite to con”) + LL (lines)
Proll is an older form of prowl |
||
| 31 | NYAS |
Occupant of many a school, one’s not yet flown the nest (4)
|
| Hidden in [occupant of] “maNY A School”
Nyas (or eyas) is an unfledged hawk
|
||
| 32 | RESTYLES |
Changes name of uneasy Dennis? (8)
|
| RESTY (“uneasy”) + LES (Dennis) (English comedian and actor) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MEDOC |
Wine I objectively preferred with fish served up (5)
|
| ME (“I objectively”) preferred (i.e. above) + <=COD (“fish”, served up) | ||
| 2 | APOLLONICON |
A parrot surmounting picture showing huge barrel organ (11)
|
| A + POLL (“parrot”) + ON (“surmounting”) + ICON (“picture”) | ||
| 3 | TONGA |
Two-wheeler carried on board boat on Ganges? (5)
|
| Hidden in [carried on board] “boaT ON GAnges”
A tonga is a light two-wheeled vehicle in India |
||
| 4 | AXENIC |
Chop, delicious without last dash of spice, uncontaminated (6)
|
| AXE (“chop”) + NIC(e) (“delicious” without last dash of (spic)E) | ||
| 5 | HEELTAP |
The ale drunk on pub’s opening? There’s a bit left in glass (7)
|
| *(the ale) [anag:drunk] on P(ub) [‘s opening] | ||
| 6 | IBSEN |
Brand’s original source detectable in cribs, endlessly (5)
|
| Hidden [detectable] in “crIBS ENdlessly”
Brand is a play written by Henrik Ibsen |
||
| 7 | MAGNUS |
German scientist, wise man accepting ‘first’ from Nobel (6)
|
| MAGUS (“wise man”) accepting [first from] N(obel)
Refers to Albertus Magnus, a 13th century Dominican friar who wrote many scientific treatises |
||
| 8 | AIDANT |
Old-fashioned helping? I had one after dividing e.g pork? Not me (6)
|
| I’D (I had) + AN (“one”) dividing (me)AT (“e.g. pork”, not ME) | ||
| 9 | YEW TREE |
Archers’ favourite? Yet we’ll be upset about being kept in (7, 2 words)
|
| *(yet we) [anag:‘ll be uspset] with RE (“about”) being kept in
Bows were often made of wood from the yew tree |
||
| 12 | DISENTANGLE |
Tides changing about noon, fish free from intermingling (11)
|
| *(tides) [anag:changing] about N (noon) + ANGLE (“fish”) | ||
| 17 | CAPSIAN |
A Greek letter inscribed in container of Mesolithic era (7)
|
| A + PSI (“Greek letter”) inscribed in CAN (“container”) | ||
| 18 | VERGLAS |
Crumbly gravel’s what makes rock slippery (7)
|
| *(gravels) [anag:crumbly]
Verglas is a layer of ice. |
||
| 19 | SPARTA |
My young had a tough upbringing, showing interest in it? (6)
|
| PART (“interest”) in SA (sex appeal, so “it”) | ||
| 20 | TARDIS |
It’s a newly-built bordering road ? it’s more spacious than it looks (6)
|
| *(its a) [anag:newly-built] bordering Rd. (road)
For those who may not be familiar with Dr Who, the TARDIS is Dr Who’s time-travelling “ship”, which from the outside has the dimensions of a police box, but is considerably larger on the inside. |
||
| 21 | LIVERY |
Uniform, vivid, length made right? (6)
|
| LIVE(l>R)Y (“vivid” with L (length) made (into) R (right)) | ||
| 23 | BOOSE |
Vintage drink? Sounds of disapproval accompanying last in store (5)
|
| BOOS (“sounds of disapproval”) accompanying [last in] (stor)E
Boose is an archaic form of booze. |
||
| 25 | SEGOL |
Vocalic sign I found in margins of scroll (5)
|
| EGO (“I”) found in [margins of] S(crol)L
A segol is an ‘E’ sound in Hebrew |
||
| 26 | NAILS |
They get driven in smart Lancia with no car mat, all over the place (5)
|
| *(slani) [anag:all over the place] where SLANI is S(mart) LAN(c)I(a) with no CAR MAT |
I didn’t parse RESTYLES, not having heard of Les Dennis, but probably could have done so with some googling. I also didn’t connect Brand with IBSEN although the answer was obvious from the inclusion.
I also questioned “aye” in CLAIM, but Chambers has “I3 adv same as aye1” where aye1 is the sense of yes,indeed.
Favourites were TARDIS and LIVERY.
Thanks for the blog, could not find AXONIC in my Chambers 93 but I do know the word and the clue is clear,
I took AYE to be the spelling of the letter I , Chambers has one for every letter , AITCH is the most famous. I have not checked this and I do not have time now.
My memory is that I completed this fairly quickly on Sunday evening before preparing dinner. Don’t think I even thought about “aye”, it was so obvious it went straight in.
@2 Roz, AXENIC isn’t in my C98, either, but I reckoned a-xenic sounded right for uncontaminated (benefit of a classical education!). Chambers (98, at least) doesn’t give AYE as a spelling for I, but does give I = AY, as Tim C @1 suggests. I liked the definition for SPARTA at 19dn.
Hello early birds. Just adding my pennorth. Thanks to Azed and loonapick. The 9-day gap since doing this means I haven’t much recollection, though I did finish it fairly smartly. As ever the clueing was precise and often witty. MATACHIN was my last in. DONENESS was a really odd find. The Nene was once on the brink of extinction but rescued by Slimbridge. Hope to meet some at Oxford next week.
Thank you MunroMaiden @4 , I did mean AXENIC of course. I know the word from botany and surprised it is not in the early Chambers.
Keith @5 I have seen the NENE at Slimbridge , they are now doing better in hawaii thanks to the breeding programme.
My weekly dose of “is that really a word” – enjoyable as ever. I really needed your explanations this week Loonapick, so thanks.
I wondered if “Assertion” was doing double duty
Agh – dyslexic fingers.
Thanks for the challenge Azed.