I found this Azed carte-blanche variant (a “jigsaw”) in which clues are given in alphabetical order of answers rather difficult — mainly, because I pecked at it sporadically throughout the week without a concerted burst of concentration which would have helped. Vocabulary not that unusual for Azed and once a few of the longer answers were entered, it became easier and easier. The answers to 7 and 8 are out of order lexicographically but that didn’t really matter.
1 The accused not being present, one’s rebate is disposed of (10, 2 words)
ABSENTE REO – (one’s rebate)*
2 Parrots, quiet in the main? Reverse of that (4)
A(P)ES – p in rev(sea=main)
3 Some banks are situated in the centre of Basra (4)
AS(A)R – kames. A=abbrev(are) in [b]ASR[a]. Which are ridges. Struggled with this since didn’t associate ridges with banks.
4 Tax calculation an awful mess? Compliance limits that (10)
ASS(ESSM*)ENT – mess* in ASSENT
5 Asian satin of old, one sailor’s coming up with (5)
A,TLAS – obs. Asian satin. rev(salt=sailor)
6 Gossip once frequent the East End? (4)
[h]AUNT – obs. gossip
7 Tinder material from British plane (nothing wasted) (5)
B,AVI[o]N – brushwood
8 Ill mated, person in bed becoming cross (11)
B(AD-TEM,PER)ED – mated*,per=person in bed.
9 A selection of medical questions requiring literal translation (6)
CALQUE – hidden. Actually “loan translation” which is a literal translation from another language (e.g. autobahn -> motorway)
10 Common SA bird a bigger one seizes to copy rail (11, 2 words)
C(APE,SPAR)ROW – ape=copy,rail=spar in CROW (which is bigger than a sparrow)
11 Retired to one’s lair, whichever way one looks at it (6)
DENNED – palindrome.
12 Treatment for leprosy, cube a child swallowed (7)
DI(A,SON)E – sulphonamide to treat leprosy.
13 Devious types, head to tail besides (4)
ELSE – take head of “eels=devious types” and move to end.
14 Prepare to defend yourself, having angered rough (7, 2 words)
EN GARDE – angered*
15 To glamorize prince of old one must turn around (6)
EN(HAL)O – [Prince] Hal in rev(one)
16 Carve in kitchen distractedly, leaving family outside (4)
ETCH – [ki]TCHE*[n]
17 Make a complete end to Shakespearian words, not the first one on recto page (6)
[t]EXT,I,R,P – exterminate for Shak. — ro=abbrev(recto) but I guess recto -> right -> r makes this… well, right.
18 Old-fashioned winks exciting lady, I see (8)
EYELIADS – (lady, I see)* – Shak. (again) winks.
19 Rule man’s broken displaying regimental badge (8)
NUMERALS – [big jump from E to N] (rule man’s)* — turns out that in the plural indeed singular badge.
20 Seniors love stories containing little depth (6)
O,L(D)IES
21 Dance hall, excellent with friends around (6)
PAL(AI)S
22 Stalk: I cheer following dog perhaps (7)
PET,I,OLE
23 Troublesome nipper nothing got off narcotic (4)
[o]PIUM – our nipper is the biting fly variety.
24 Propitiate goddess after stone in Ireland’s set up (7)
PLAC,ATE – rev(calp=Irish limestone). Ate is Greek goddess of mischief.
25 What’s last to appear in superior tea break (chanoyu)?
(4) RAKU – &lit last letters. Where chanoyu is conveniently a tea ceremony in which the tea bowls eventually appear.
26 Atingle, wearing not a thing, in stream (4)
RILL – remove thing from thrilling=atingle for a stream. I guess the indefinite “a” is there for the surface alone?
27 Chopper transported a patrol north-east (9)
ROTAPLANE – (a patrol, NE)*
28 Stanzas hinge around fashionable French art (8)
SIXA,IN,ES – type of stanzas. rev(axis),IN=fashionable,ES=art (from the French for “thou art”=tu es).
29 Abuse put on list (5)
SLATE – two meanings
30 Sharp-eyed dog I found behind shed (7)
SLOUGH,I – African dog with excellent vision.
31 Apply slap to face? I’m addicted (9)
SMACK,HEAD
32 Old-fashioned circle box man’s entered (6)
SP(HE)AR – obs. sphere.
33 Religious teaching got from important rabbis (6)
TANTRA – hidden
34 Tidy stocking page brought back, rarely of material strips (5)
TA(P)EN – P in rev(neat) — “stocking” is containment indicator. Rare “made of tape”.
35 Wretched loveless oread in wine recalled Niobean speciality (8, 2 words)
T(EAR D)ROP – ([o]READ)* in rev(port). My Greek mythology is sub-par — took me ages to think of the reference to Niobe and rustle up the Hamlet quote: “Like Niobe, all tears.” (Act I, Scene 2).
36 Carrier giving RN treat after refurbishment (7)
TRANTER – (RN treat)* – dialect carrier or hawker.
Thanks Azed and ilancaron.
Perhaps I was lucky, but I finished this just within my normal range of finishing time for a plain puzzle – I was actually held up at the end by the fact that BAVIN was out of sequence.
I assume Azed was deliberately giving us 18 answers beginning A-E and another 18 beginning N-T. The jump from E to N alone fixed the positions of the two 10-letter answers (as there is no answer beginning with M). It also meant that, once one had solved two clues within each half, the answers to clues between them were constrained within a narrower part of the alphabet than would have been the case had the answers been spread more uniformly through the alphabet.
Not sure if it took longer than usual. I was out Sunday evening. I’d taken a look before going out and got a couple of clues. I got back about eleven and got a few more clues, including 1. As this could only go in a couple of places, I tried one to see if that went anywhere and it proved fruitful. Then, in a fit of enthusiasm, I got most of it out and then noticed it was half past midnight and decided I needed some sleep. Finished it off quickly Monday. BAVIN was my LOI but I never noticed it was out of order.
Can’t agree that 7 & 8 being out of order “really didn’t matter” .Because I was expecting everything to be in alphabetical order I worked out that the 3rd letter in 7 had to be an a, b, c or d, consequently couldn’t find any word to fit and didn’t finish the puzzle. Very frustrating.