Azed No. 2,732 – Plain

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A 13 x 11 grid this week.

Apologies for the delay in posting this blog, and for any typos. I had to solve and create the blog in something of a rush!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1 CUSUM
Way of analysing a person’s speech? Copper’s given chief points (5)
CU (copper) + SUM (chief points).
5 ALCATRAS
Large sea bird acts with alar flapping (8)
*(ACTS ALAR).
12 RAPTURE
Transport missing last bend in part of Sussex (7)
TUR(n) inside RAPE (an old division of Sussex).
13 WEET
No longer recognize Tiny Tim? I’m excluded (4)
WEE T(im). It’s an old form of the verb “wit”.
15 CHANTAGE
Cheers amid transfer – it’s extortionate (8)
TA (cheers) inside CHANGE. It’s an old word for blackmail.
16 PROSIT
Cheers speedster at the wheel I lapped? (6)
I inside (Alain) Prost (racing driver).
17 TING
Problem striking hour? It’s not typical of Big Ben (4)
T(h)ING (problem). By definition, a ting is the sound of a small bell.
18 DISPLANTATION
Eviction, at island point that’s remote? (13)
*(AT ISLAND POINT).
21 REJOICE
Most again connect with Church to celebrate? (7)
REJOI(n) CE (Church of England).
24 SALE-CATALOGUE
At e.g. a local use varied list of stuff to bid for (13)
*(AT EG A LOCAL USE).
27 SPAM
Junk requiring charts, westward-bound (4)
MAPS (rev).
29 YODLER
To perform turns in lyre being played, one making alps echo? (6)
DO (rev) in *LYRE.
31 INTREPID
In the mood for the highlands traveller enters, resolute (8)
REP (traveller) inside IN TID (a Scots word meaning a mood).
32 NIEF
Old duke? This duke misbehaving may be fined (4)
Compound anagram: D(uke) + NIEF makes an anagram of FINED. It’s an old word for a fist.
33 PREDATE
Raven, bloodied, tucking into pastry (7)
RED (bloodied) inside PATE (pastry). This exploits the verb sense of “raven”, meaning to prey upon.
34 GARGANEY
A grey nag startled small duck (8)
*(A GREY NAG).

 
35 TATAR
One meandering widely in Asia cheers king (5)
TATA (cheers) R(ex).
DOWN
1 CROPDUSTING
Job of spraying from above – work day’s involved in coating? (11)
OP (work) D(ay) inside CRUSTING.
2 SPEOS
Venomous snake turning up fed on duck in cavernous tomb (5)
O (duck) inside SEPS (venomous snake).
3 UTAS
Half a day given over for follow-up to festival (4)
SATU(rday) (rev). An octave is the eighth day from a church festival.
4 MUTILE
Money useful for competitor in Parisian paralympics? (6)
M (oney) UTILE (useful in French). This is the French word mutilé, meaning disabled.
6 LEHR
Glazier’s oven rendering extremes of Lalique harder (4)
L(aliqu)E H(arde)R.
7 CHATTI
Water pot in India, inclined to crack, so it’s said (6)
Sounds like “chatty”.
8 AMNIA
Embryonic membranes? Damaged main one (5)
*MAIN, A.
9 REAGIN
Antibody active in connection with cells on gettin’ older (6)
RE AGIN(g),
10 AEGLOGUES
For instance record university kept in the main turned up pastoral poems (9)
EG LOG U in SEA (rev).
11 STEINBERGER
White wine TV chef preferred to ale, reverse of gross bottled (11)
(Rick) STEIN (TV chef) GR(oss) inside BEER. I’m not sure what “preferred” signifies.
14 BRITANNIA
This metal’s like pewter, a battered tin in a bar (9)
*(TIN IN A BAR).
19 NOT
Following a close trim, rising fashion (3)
TON reversed; apparently NOT can mean with close-cut hair.
20 ULSTER
Rule broken going round street in long coat (6)
ST(reet) in *RULE.
22 JAMPAN
Conserve container for litter (6)
JAM PAN: it’s a sedan chair.
23 CLOSET
Privy? See line in Tesco, bursting (6)
L(ine) inside *TESCO.
25 CAECA
Drug kept in heroin pouches (5)
E(cstasy) inside CACA (heroin).
26 GLOAT
Display schadenfreude, a feature of smug loathing (5)
Hidden in “smug loathing” and & lit.
28 KIPE
Fish basket made of young animal skin on edge of watercourse (4)
KIP (young animal skin) (watercours)E.
30 DADA
Pater associated with a short-lived art movement (4)
DAD A.

12 comments on “Azed No. 2,732 – Plain”

  1. I’m grateful that this was a relatively easy puzzle! I woke at about 6.30 and checked the site to look at the Genius blog. I noticed that the Azed blog was missing, checked my calendar and realised that it had been my turn to blog! I hadn’t even solved the puzzle and my paper copy was in the recycling bin, so I had to print out a copy, solve the puzzle and then do the blog – all before my first cup of tea!

  2. This is the definition of CUSUM in Chambers 2016: A statistical technique that attempts to identify individuals by their characteristic use of language.

  3. I wasn’t sure about sale catalogue not being two separate words but otherwise a very fair and solvable crossword. Enjoyed immensely. I checked a lot of places for Kide ie Kid (young animal skin) plus E, eventually light dawned with Kipe

    Thanks Azed and Bridgesong

  4. Just read Bridgesong №4. I have trouble finding my own feet let alone solving crosswords prior first tea / coffee – so kudos and yr efforts most appreciated

  5. Re 11dn: I think the “preferred” is being used in the sense of coming first. It doesn’t really add anything to the wordplay, but makes the surface work.
    I was surprised SALE-CATALOGUE was hyphenated, as opposed to two words, but there it is in Chambers.
    CUSUM @ 1ac: I found a reference online for cumulative sum charts, but no mention of speech analysis – perhaps someone can enlighten me?

  7. Thanks Azed and bridgesong.

    I knew the meaning of cusum mentioned by MM@5, but Azed is using the definition in the recommended edition of Chambers quoted by bridgesong@2. I often find that I am reluctant to consider an answer because I know a meaning which Azed is not using. 19dn was a noteworthy case: I only knew not¹ but Azed has used not².

  8. Thanks, bridgesong@6. For some reason, when I posted there were no other comments showing. And thanks for your rapid solving and posting!

  9. Hello everyone!
    Someone in a weekday Guardian blog said they had decided to skip the usual thanks but I really appreciate Azed’s years of weekly wonders and also bridgesong’s careful blog.
    I’m surprised that no-one mentioned MUTILE. My efforts to understand were FUTILE until my ancient brain became MOBILE and more ACUTE. Then I recalled the signs in the Paris metro in the 1950s which designated some seats as reserved for “femmes enceintes” and “Mutilés de guerre”. These must have gone back to the aftermath of WWI when one met many lacking an eye, an arm or a leg.
    Now to getting down to 2733.
    Bonne chance a tous!

  10. Keith, my mind recalled those Metro signs as well.

    Have you had access to the slip for last month’s competition yet? The winners’ names are in today’s paper, but the slip hasn’t yet appeared on the Crossword Centre website.

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