Not very many obscure words this week. Thank you Azed.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | COSMOPLASTIC |
Comical spots, very funny, setting the world in order? (12)
|
| anagram (very funny) of COMICAL SPOTS | ||
| 9 | HAMAS |
What they would never eat because fundamentalists (5)
|
| HAM (what Hamas members would never eat) then AS (because) – does this surface reading make sense to anyone? | ||
| 11 | PAUSE |
Breather the old man’s taken before exercise (5)
|
| PA (old man) then USE (exercise) | ||
| 13 | MINSTREL |
Dim listener chattering might make such a troubadour die (8)
|
| an anagram (chattering, shaking) of DIM LISTENER might be MINSTREL (the answer, such a troubadour) DIE | ||
| 14 | PALACE |
China, top quality in grand dwelling (6)
|
| PAL (china, rhyming slang) and ace (top quality) | ||
| 15 | GINN |
Grand hostelry providing spirits (often enormous) (4)
|
| G (grand) INN (hostelry) – c.f. singular genie | ||
| 16 | SET-TO |
Fiercest backs avoiding wingers in intense contest (5)
|
| hOTTESt (fiercest) reversed (backs) missing the outer letters (wingers) | ||
| 17 | DUMAIST |
Russian parliamentarian excited stadium (7)
|
| anagram (excited) of STADIUM | ||
| 19 | HOOK SHOT |
Skilful performer, OK for ton? One may get caught at long leg (8, 2 words)
|
| HOtSHOT (skilful performer) with OK replacing (for) T (ton) | ||
| 23 | SIRVENTE |
Lord accepts opening for what 13 may offer (8)
|
| SIRE (lord) containing VENT (opening) | ||
| 25 | PEANUTS |
A paltry sum (7)
|
| the competition clue | ||
| 27 | STOIT |
Drams knocked back including starter of Irnbru? What fou fellow may do (5)
|
| TOTS (drams) reversed (knocked back) contains (including) first letters (starter) of Irnbru | ||
| 30 | TIED |
Restricted flow, by the sound of it (4)
|
| sounds like (by the sound of it) “tide” (flow) | ||
| 31 | PERUSE |
Having entered university blue’s required to study (6)
|
| PERSE (blue) containing (having entered, used transitively here) U (university) | ||
| 32 | CENTUPLE |
Add a couple of ducks to pet uncle exercised (8)
|
| anagram (exercised) of PET UNCLE – ducks are zeros | ||
| 33 | ARTIC |
Vehicle I must shift front to back? It has excellent turning circle (5)
|
| CART (vehicle) I with the first letter moved form the front to the back | ||
| 34 | TEADE |
Torch once appearing regularly among the candles (5)
|
| every other letter (appearing regularly among) ThE cAnDlEs | ||
| 35 | DISCONTENTED |
Dance club ten twice styled ‘dead’, browned off (12)
|
| DISCO (dance club) then anagram (styled) of TEN twice followed by D (dead) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CHIP SHOP |
Cuts dance for simple eaterie (8, 2 words)
|
| CHIPS (cuts) HOP (dance) | ||
| 2 | SMALTO |
Baptismal togs will envelop this bit of mosaic (6)
|
| found inside (…will envelop this) baptiSMAL TOgs | ||
| 3 | MANAT |
Bit of foreign money an ATM changes (5)
|
| anagram (changes) of AN ATM | ||
| 4 | PRIED |
Tooted once like a famous piper welcoming queen? (5)
|
| PIED (like the Pied Piper of Hamlyn) containing (welcoming) R (regina, queen) | ||
| 5 | LANGUOR |
Monkey should be fed nothing yielding inertia (7)
|
| LANGUR (monkey) containing (should be fed…) O (nothing) | ||
| 6 | SATIATE |
Suicide swallowed stuff (7)
|
| SATI (suicide) then ATE (stuff) | ||
| 7 | TURNIP |
Blockhead upset after imbibing supply of tea? (6)
|
| TIP (upset) containing (after imbibing…) URN (a supply of tea perhaps) | ||
| 8 | CELT |
Very old chopper found in capsized battle-cruiser (4)
|
| found reversed (capsized) inside batTLE Cruiser | ||
| 10 | ARAEOMETER |
Area meteor’s ruined ? one’ll measure relative density (10)
|
| anagram (is ruined) of AREA METEOR | ||
| 12 | SENSITISED |
Made to feel old since one’s put on strange diets (10)
|
| SENS (since, old) I’S (one’s) then anagram (strange) of DIETS | ||
| 18 | TEETERED |
With little support around misshapen tree was wobbly (8)
|
| TEE’D (with little support, like a golf ball) containing (around) anagram (misshapen) of TREE | ||
| 20 | KINETIC |
Like some art related to name on the way up (7)
|
| KIN (related to) then CITE (name) reversed (on the way up) | ||
| 21 | HIT UPON |
Discover bum exchanging cap for heroin (7, 2 words)
|
| SIT-UPON (bum, euphemism) with first letter (cap) exchanged for H (heroin) | ||
| 22 | TAINTS |
Boxed statin goes off (6)
|
| anagram (boxed, punched? or the Aus/NZ mixed, like sheep?) of STATIN | ||
| 24 | NOUGAT |
Sundae, middle of sweet stuff, not going round (6)
|
| middle letters of sUGAr (sweet stuff) inside (with…going round) NOT | ||
| 26 | SPLAT |
After climbing mountains, start of thunder indicated sound of downpour? (5)
|
| ALPS (mountains) reversed (after climbing) then first letter (start) of Thunder | ||
| 28 | TREEN |
Wooden cutlery, two separate pieces from accoutrements (5)
|
| two pieces from accouTREmENts | ||
| 29 | SCAD |
Some Muscadet suitable for fish (4)
|
| found inside (some pieces of…suitable for) muSCADet |
Thanks for the blog, hard to imagine how Azed can fill this type of grid with so few real obscurities. There are not even many Scottish or archaic words in the answers or even the word play.
MANAT not in my Chambers 93 but the clue was very clear. I spent a long time trying to look up CHOP SHOP before reconsidering and feeling very stupid.
SIRVENTE is rare Azed reference to another clue. SENSITISED was put together very nicely and deceptively. HIT UPON was very neat.
Not as stupid as I was Roz, interrupted by a phone call in the middle of writing in chip shop, I returned to the puzzle wondered what could finish off the entry chipsho and confidently put T without re-reading the clue. Only realised my mistake yesterday too late to complete and submit. Probably for the best I don’t think I could have resisted trying a Paul/Hoskins style clue for peanuts.
Thanks PeeDee and Azed.
Like you Roz I got stuck in the loop of Chop Shop, thinking it would be equivalent to a chop-house, so when chip shop finally dawned I was miffed given my upbringing. The local one nearby had opening times of Breakfast, Dinner, Tea and Supper, and I’ve always wondered what people bought for breakfast there.
I spent a long time trying to work Snoopy, Linus, Charlie Brown et al into the clue for peanuts but couldn’t make anything work so ended up with a composite anagram.
I have a horrible feeling that I bunged in CHOP SHOP, assuming that it was an alternative form of CHOP HOUSE, never pausing to consider the obvious alternative,
I agree about the surface reading of HAMAS. It would read better with “like” instead of “because”.
Another CHOP SHOP here. It seemed so obvious an answer I didn’t even bother to look it up as I was sure I’d heard the term. Indeed, according to Google there are a number of restaurants with that name in London but I see from Wikipedia that a CHOP SHOP is an illegal operation that cannibalises stolen motor cars.
Chop shop , like above, went in because I had heard of chop houses and they were quite basic I believe.
I like to check everything when I have finished , not in Chambers 93 so I even checked 2014 in the library and not there, also no note from Azed.
Back to the grid, two Os unchecked. Hop must be right. Chap, chep , chip , oh dear stupid Roslyn.
Another marvellous vocabulary expander. Thanks Azed.
HAMAS was a bung and hope as I couldn’t really make sense of the surface, but I did see the HAM bit.
Road, my eChambers here on the iPad has CHIP SHOP and I think it is based on the 2014 edition.
Thanks for the untangling Peedee.
Um, Roz, not road – darn autocorrect.
I, too, went from CHOP to CHIP when I remembered that a chop shop is frequented by car thieves (in the US, anyway). I guess “chips” means “cuts,” in a sense, but that is not the best clue, IMHO.
Does anyone have a source for 4D PRIED? The solution is obvious enough, but the closest I could find was pryse/pryce–not really the same thing. Somewhere in Chambers, I guess??? Thanks.
Cineraria @9 It’s a tricky one. Normally when you see something like “tooted once” you’re looking for an archaic or obsolete word that means to toot. In this case you’re actually looking for a current word that means the same as an old meaning for toot. So in C2014 the entry is under toot as “toot 2 vi to pry, peer, peep about (Spenser)”
Ah, yes, Tim C @10. It is listed that way in my old Oxford Universal, too. Thx.
Thanks Azed and PeeDee
5ac: I had the same doubts about the surface meaning. I think I persuaded myself that we can assume “they are” before “fundamentalists”, but I would not like to have to argue for that against any sort of strong opposition.
1dn: I see I had CHOP SHOP for this one. I really have nothing to add to the points made earlier about the meaning of that phrase, but it will be interesting to see if Azed allows it as a valid alternative for competition entrants.
I had chip shop, but those who submitted chop shop can hope that Azed double-checks OED, whose first entry for ‘chop shop’ (ahead of the garage meaning) is:
“1. A restaurant that serves chops, steaks, and similar fare, typically in an informal setting; = chop-house n.
In quot. 1733 figurative with humorous reference to a bookseller.
1733 St. James Evening Post 21 July Sold by Mrs. Dodd, at Temple-Bar;..Mr. Chrichley, Mr. Jolliffe, and all the Literary Chop-Shops.
1835 Essex Standard 10 Apr. The Son of Neptune mollifying himself with sixpenny goes of grog, at some cheap chop shop.
1933 Manch. Guardian 10 Mar. 9/7 Punctually at four o’clock every afternoon he would arrive at Dolly’s Chop Shop, Paternoster Row, and apply himself to soup, fish, half a capon, a pound and a half of rump steak,..and a bottle of port.
2002 WorldView Summer 11/1 No frills, but plenty of hospitality, laughter and fuul, make al-Khartoum a true Sudanese chop shop.”
Just for he record: I don’t know for a fact that CHIP SHOP is definitely the right answer. CHOP SHOP may yet turn out to be the correct solution and CHIP SHOP to be the alternative.
I suspect that CHIP SHOP is the right answer, CHOP SHOP is not in Chambers and Azed usually informs us along with the recommendation, he does not have to of course.
The Azed Slip now out doesn’t refer to the Chip/Chop ambiguity, but says “178 entries and no mistakes”. Did any of the above chopshoppers send entries in? (For what it’s worth I scraped a HC and had chip shop, so at least we know that was okay!)