A typical Azed plain puzzle.
I took a while to get started with this, but gradually, the bottom half exposed itself. I was sitting staring at a blank top half for a while before inspiration struck on BLACK DRAUGHT, and the rest slotted in nicely, although I had to reference Chambers a fair bit.
Thanks, Azed.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BLACKDRAUGHT |
One of twelve on the board, maybe ? should purge the system (12. 2 words) (12)
|
| Double definition, the first referring to the board game, the second to a purgative medicine (although that is two words). | ||
| 10 | RUTACEOUS |
Like shrubby plant, as of old in a course sown wild (9)
|
| UT (“as” of old) in *(a course) [anag:sown wild] | ||
| 11 | OP-ED |
Personal article? Fool’s beginning at the end (4)
|
| (d)OPE with it’s beginning at the end becomes OP-E(D) | ||
| 12 | DING |
Keep on about repair, men needed (4)
|
| (men)DING (“repair”) | ||
| 13 | HERR |
Hamburger’s additive often, rather rare in the middle (4)
|
| Hidden [in the middle] in “ratHER Rare” | ||
| 14 | SUFIC |
Like devout Muslim, endlessly, if such after conversion (5)
|
| *(if suc) [anag:after conversion] where SUC is SUC(h) [endlessly] | ||
| 16 | RISER |
After regular cutbacks armies rearm for a bit of a step up (5)
|
| [after regular cutbacks] “aRmIeS rEaRm” | ||
| 18 | TOASTIE |
Sandwich made with e.g. kipper involving oven (7)
|
| TIE (“kipper, e.g”) involving OAST (“oven”) | ||
| 20 | FIGURANTE |
Not a prima ballerina, have great fun dancing round fringe of Bolshoi (9)
|
| *(great fun) [anag:dancing] round [fringe of] (bolsho)I | ||
| 21 | MENTICIDE |
People I see in flood of feeling demonstrating psychological breakdown (9)
|
| MEN (“people”) + I + C (see) in TIDE (“flood of feeling”) | ||
| 23 | SET FOOT |
Enter (dropping in), frequently breaking extremities from behind (7, 2 words)
|
| OFT (“frequently”) breaking <=TOES (“extremities”, from behind) | ||
| 27 | HATER |
One nurses phobia in such a terror (5)
|
| Hidden [in] “sucH A TERror” | ||
| 29 | PRESA |
Opera’s broadcast, not over? See symbol in vocal score (5)
|
| *(peras) [anag:broadcast] where PERAS is (o)PERAS without O (over) | ||
| 30 | GRIT |
African minstrel expending love within? It was true on screen (4)
|
| GRI(o)T (“African minstrel”) expending O (love, in tennis) | ||
| 31 | DINT |
Depression shown by end of passion in old poem (4)
|
| [end of] (passio)N in DIT (old “poem”) | ||
| 32 | EVIL |
Volume in fiction about vice (4)
|
| <=(V (volume) in LIE (“fiction”)) | ||
| 33 | VESTIGIAL |
Regarding scraps left, I give last out (9)
|
| *(I give last) [anag:out] | ||
| 34 | DETERMINEDLY |
Maid, around end, awfully lined, showing resolve (12)
|
| DEY (“maid”) around TERM (“end”) + *(lined) [anag:awfully] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BROSE |
British wine, seasoned brew (5)
|
| B (Britsh) + ROSE (“wine”) | ||
| 2 | LUPULINE |
Spun pulu found in flax, yielding sedative (8)
|
| *(pulu) [anag:spun] in LINE (old name for “flax”) | ||
| 3 | CADIE |
Old Scottish porter judge preferred to English (5)
|
| CADI (Islamic “judge”) + E (English) | ||
| 4 | DEIST |
Non-religious believer avoiding our circuitous path round lives (5)
|
| DET(our) (“circuitous path”, avoiding OUR) round IS (“lives”) | ||
| 5 | RONYON |
Wry humour I dropped describing unappealing old woman (6)
|
| (i)RONY (“wry humour” with I dropped) + ON (“describing”) | ||
| 6 | AU GRATIN |
A ragu cooked with a container with chef’s coating (8, 2 words)
|
| A + *(ragu) [anag:cooked] with TIN (“container”) | ||
| 7 | GUESTWISE |
How visitors behaved, stew being ruined in appearance (9)
|
| *(stew) [anag:being ruined] in GUISE (“appearance”) | ||
| 8 | HORE |
Mouldy old tart woman scrapped (4)
|
| (w)HORE (“tart”) with W (woman) scrapped
HORE or HOAR is an obsolete word for “mouldy”, hence the “old” in the clue. |
||
| 9 | TERRENE |
Mundane lapse in the midst of grief as of old (7)
|
| ERR (“lapse”) in the midst of TENE (“grief”, as of old) | ||
| 15 | FAGOTTIST |
Member of wind section hit seventh note in vivace (9)
|
| GOT (“hit”) + TI (“seventh note”) in FAST (“vivace”) | ||
| 17 | PREORDER |
Reserve pedrero fired with entry of king (8)
|
| *(pedrero) [anag:fired] with entry of R (Rex, so “king) | ||
| 19 | INDUSIAL |
Showing fossilized insect bits in mug, us included (8)
|
| IN + DIAL (“mug”, as in face) with US included | ||
| 20 | FISH-GOD |
Mercury in form of Fido’s deity such as Dagon (7)
|
| Hg (chemical symbol for “mercury”) in *(fidos) [anag:form of]
Dagon is a Philippine deity who appears as a merman. |
||
| 22 | NOMISM |
Writing I’m assigned to brought up what links religion and the law (6)
|
| <=(MS (manuscript, so “writing”) + IM + ON (“to”), brought up) | ||
| 24 | TANTI |
Opposed to going after tons ? it’s no longer worthwhile (5)
|
| ANTI (“opposed to”) going after T (tons)
Tanti is an archaic word for worthwhile. |
||
| 25 | GREGE |
Like old undyed cloth, say, in mostly pale or dull (5)
|
| e.g. (“say”) in [mostly] GRE(y) (“pale or dull”) | ||
| 26 | WALLY |
Where was he? Laying lines in track (5)
|
| LL (lines) laid in WAY (“track”)
Where’s Wally? (or Where’s Waldo? if you’re in the US or Canada) is a series of picture puzzle books created by Martin Handford. |
||
| 28 | ARLE |
Put down-payment on grass by outside shed (4)
|
| (b)ARLE(y) with BY shed |
Thanks for the blog, spent too long on 10AC thinking “as of old” with the definition, “in a course” being an anagram for RACINEOUS with racine being a plant. Glad I did not put it in, I am more cautious now I send them off, when the prizes were suspended I did not mind messing up my grid.
I liked FIGURANTE.
Roz@1, “as of old” in a crossword always sparks UT in my mind – I get caught out when it refers to the definition! It’s one of those triggers, like “say” being EG or Flower being flow-er for a river. I’ve clearly spent too much of my life doing crosswords….
The smallness of this blog so far suggests that, like most of the nation, there’s a lot of catching up to do today after a long tele-goggle.
Thanks to Azed & loonapick. I seem to recall this as a straightforward solve with a short checking session in Chambers.
MunroMaiden’s comment on flow-er suggests too many other inferior setters. Azed would never use such a monstrous stretching of English usage.
Well I haven’t commented so far as, apart from not quite seeing how to parse 15dn, I have no memory of completing this, but I have a filled-in grid, so I know I did.
MunroMaiden@2 I just got distracted by the nine letters of “in a course”. UT and something else are very common in Azed, I will mention the other one next week.
Keith@3 , Azed may not use flower for river but he really does need someone to tell him when he is being offensive.
6D was easy for Guardian solvers as a very similar clue appeared there recently.
Roz@5, is 5D your concern this time? C defines “ronyon” as “a terrm of reproach for a woman” and Shakespeare uses it in Macbeth as an epithet for a woman who has been uncharitable, so “unappealing old” seems to be solely Azed’s responsibility. I agree that his sensibilities can be of his era, despite last week’s puzzle.
Tim@6 I am referring to the current puzzle so say nothing until next Tuesday. Recently we had skolly which is a an ugly , offensive term.