Azed No. 2,769 Plain – Competition Puzzle

As much as I have enjoyed the fresh challenge of the new Gemelo puzzles, I felt as though I was back on more familiar ground with this Azed.

Overall I think this was about average difficulty, with a few “toughies” tossed in to keep us on our toes.

I could not fully account for 6D, so either I am missing something or there was an editing goof.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1	ECBLASTESIS	* Flowery proliferation (11)
		The competition word
11	PHLEGM	Husband on stage in afternoon, displaying calmness (6)
		{H (husband) + LEG (stage)} inside (in) PM (afternoon)
12	INCH	Nip power off edge (4)
		[P]INCH (nip) minus (off) P (power)
13	RIOTISE	Former extravagance – or is it misplaced energy? (7)
		Anagram of (misplaced) {OR IS IT} + E (energy)
14	ACCRA	Accountants as a group gathering SA currency as capital (5)
		ACCA (accountants as a group, i.e., Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) around (gathering) R (S[outh] A[frican] currency, i.e., rand), referring to the capital of Ghana
16	CORAL	Teething toy, see, to do with the mouth (5)
		C (see) + ORAL (to do with the mouth)
17	CATHEAD	Errand boy once pocketing two articles in lathe accessory (7)
		CAD (errand boy once, listed in Chambers as “obsolete”) around (pocketing) {A + THE} (two articles)
18	HUMA	Fabulous bird, tailless kind (4)
		HUMA[N] (kind) minus last letter (tailless)
19	RED MULLET	Deter wandering round island for fish to eat (9, 2 words)
		Anagram of (wandering) DETER around (round) MULL (island)
23	ANTIDOTES	Remedies one restricts swallowing very small amount (9)
		AN (one) + TIES (restricts) around (swallowing) DOT (very small amount)
24	SPUD	S-sweet local chat? (4)
		S-PUD (S-sweet), “chat” listed in Chambers as “dialect,” thus “local,” for “a small potato of poor quality”
25	INSTANT	This month is soaking up sun in a flash (7)
		INST. (this month) around (is soaking up) TAN (sun)
28	TIBIA	Pipe I’ll fill a little? Reverse of that (5)
		I inside ([will] fill) A BIT (a little) all reversed (reverse of that)
31	ELLIS	Measure island denied land for island (5)
		ELL (measure) + IS[LAND] minus (denied) LAND
32	OPEN-AIR	Playing in opera alfresco (7)
		Anagram of (playing) IN OPERA
33	ALEC	Guinness? One served by clubs (4)
		ALE (one served, i.e., a Guinness) + C (clubs), referring to the actor. Not being a beer aficionado, I understand that Guinness is a stout, and stout is a dark type of ale.
34	FEEBLY	One insect devouring another from behind in ineffective style (6)
		FLY (one insect) around (devouring) BEE (another [insect]) reversed (from behind)
35	STREET STYLE	Shifting settlers yet influenced by urban culture (11, 2 words)
		Anagram of (shifting) SETTLERS YET
DOWN
2	CHID	Ticked off youngster giving up Latin (4)
		CHI[L]D (youngster) minus (giving up) L (Latin)
3	BLOAT	Swell without a blemish (5)
		Something of a reverse clue: BLO[A]T minus (without) A = BLOT (blemish). In the alternative, this might parse as: BLOT (blemish) around (without) A
4	LETCH	Boggy tract, bit of land to eat away (5)
		First letter of (bit of) L[AND] + ETCH (eat away)
5	AGIO	Exchanging money, being absorbed by the Mona Lisa? (4)
		Hidden in (being absorbed by) [L]A GIO[CONDA] ([the Italian name for] the Mona Lisa)
6	TREADLING	Using pedals, long involved in awkward gradient (9)
		I think this is supposed parse as: L (long) inside (involved in) anagram of (awkward) GRADIENT. I cannot find a listing in Chambers for “long” under the entries for “L,” although “length” does appear.
7	EXACTED	Forced out, extra was member of cast (7)
		EX. (extra) + ACTED (was [a] member of [the] cast)
8	INCRUST	Leg trapped in twisted tin case (7)
		CRUS (leg) inside (trapped in) anagram of (twisted) TIN
9	SCRAMB	Scratch regional runner such as S.Ovett, black (6)
		S. CRAM (runner such as S. Ovett, referring to Steve Cram and Steve Ovett, respectively, both British track champions) + B (black), listed in Chambers as “dialect,” thus “regional”
10	PHALANSTERY	Group of cooperative communities designed from earthy plans (11)
		Anagram of (designed from) EARTHY PLANS
11	PROCRUSTEAN	Forced to fit vineyards in assuming various shapes (11)
		CRUS (vineyards) inside (in) PROTEAN (assuming various shapes)
15	BALTIMORE	Oriole of a kind from a Southeast Asian island in a package of goods (9)
		TIMOR (a Southeast Asian island) inside (in) BALE (a package of goods)
20	DOUBLET	Feature of culottes that often accompanies hose (7)
		DOUBLE T (feature of [the word] culottes), “doublet and hose” being the predominant form of men’s clothing for several centuries
21	UNLASTE	Unruly sultan, eastern, once free of bounds (7)
		Anagram of (unruly) SULTAN + E (eastern), attributed to Spenser, thus “once”
22	SPILLS	Is shed what may start a blaze? (6)
		Double definition
26	TENET	Creed forming closure of discourse in temporary pulpit (5)
		Last letter of (closure of) [DISCOURS]E inside (in) TENT (temporary pulpit)
27	ARABY	Source of middle eastern verse, say, to continue once the sun goes in (5)
		RA (the sun, i.e., “the ancient Egyptian sun-god”) inside (goes in) ABY (to continue once, listed in Chambers as “archaic”), referring to “a poetical name for Arabia”
29	LEES	Sediment that’s formed in double espresso (4)
		Hidden in (that’s formed in) [DOUB]LE ES[PRESSO]
30	YILL	Scots ale making one sick, finishing off yard (4)
		Y (yard) + ILL (sick)

12 comments on “Azed No. 2,769 Plain – Competition Puzzle”

Tim C

#1 - Sat 9th Aug 25, 23:53

I hadn’t noticed the “L for Long” in TREADLING, but it’s also not in Collins or the ODE. I think it’s probably found in the wild in things like trousers L-Long, R-Regular, S-Short. I found the crossword easier than usual, I think possibly because of a higher proportion of more common words.
The only strange thing was that this time it didn’t ask for an address on the submission form, so I don’t know how they will be able to tell that I’m non-UK.

Dormouse

#2 - Sun 10th Aug 25, 08:27

I hadn’t thought about at the time, but how about LW is Long Wave?

MunroMaiden

#3 - Sun 10th Aug 25, 09:05

I didn’t have any particular difficulty with 5dn, but is it quite “fair”? I thought a clue within the wordplay (in this case, you need to solve Mona Lisa = La Gioconda before tackling “being absorbed by”) was frowned upon. I also wasn’t too taken with “kind” as a definition for human in 18ac. Otherwise, an enjoyable puzzle and, as you say, average difficulty.
Interesting that CRUS appeared as an element of two answers, once clued as “leg” (8dn) and once as “vineyards” (11dn).

bridgesong

#4 - Sun 10th Aug 25, 10:41

I was rather concerned about the delay in publication of last month’s slip, but Derek Harrison has explained in his newsletter that it is a result of Jonathan being away on holiday in France. The winners and VHC nominees were listed in the paper on the usual date. I am interested to know if the new submission method has had any effect on numbers.

Babbler

#5 - Sun 10th Aug 25, 10:55

I have spent my adult life drinking beer/ale/stout without ever really knowing (or caring) what the difference is. Chambers suggests that beer is flavoured ale whereas, if my memory serves me correctly, Kingsley Amis maintained that ale was flavoured beer. I’m not convinced that Guinness is an ale; off-licences and pubs often used to advertise “Ales. Stout.” implying that they are two different things.
However, I got the answer without difficulty so will leave the debate to others whilst continuing to enjoy a pint.

Tim C

#6 - Sun 10th Aug 25, 11:04

Babbler @5, the main difference between ale and beer in the main is that ale is without hops and beer includes hops, as the first definitions of the two words in Chambers demonstrate, although the words are also used interchangeably commonly.

bridgesong

#7 - Sun 10th Aug 25, 11:12

Off-topic, but worth mentioning that there is (again) an enumeration error in the online version of today’s Gemelo puzzle: 11 across should be 4 words, not 2.

Phil K

#8 - Mon 11th Aug 25, 01:37

Thanks Cineraria for post. This is the first Azed I’ve managed to complete in an afternoon so small steps. Entered Agio and Procrustean easily enough but didn’t get the La Gioconda connection and got thrown by Chambers 11 Edition entry for CRU as both a vineyard AND a group of vineyards whilst not giving the plural entry for CRU(S). Anyhow, I’m off to enjoy a well earnt Guinness!

Keith

#9 - Mon 11th Aug 25, 05:43

Reference to the use of the word ale. In Aberdeen where I live, ale is also used to describe a non-alcoholic fizzy drink, not just for beer. For example, lemonade.

Mike

#10 - Mon 11th Aug 25, 07:55

Much as I’ve enjoyed G’s crosswords it’s good to be back on familiar territory! Dare I say it, easier than Gemelo but I suppose I’ve been doing Azed since the early 1980s. I knew the definition of AGIO and realised it was hidden in La Gioconda but I think it’s unfair to give hidden words without giving them in the clue. I guess he judged that most solvers would be familiar with the alternate name.