A very straightforward Azed.
A few archaic meanings, but nothing that could not be found or confirmed in Chambers. The definition for 11ac is a bit loose, but apart from taht, no quibbles.
Thanks, Azed.
| Across | ||
| 2 | MERCAPTAN | It’s analogous to alcohol – tamper with can drunk (9) |
| *(tamper can)
A mercaptan is a substance analagous to alcohol, with sulphur instead of oxygen |
||
| 11 | GUYOT | Fellow, before turning over, rises from bed (5) |
| GUY (“fellow”) + <=TO (“before”, turning over)
A guyot is an flat-topped underwater mountain, so it “rises from (the sea-)bed”. The definition is not precise enough, in my opinion. |
||
| 12 | LARMIER | One prone to protect limb – it deflects raindrops (7) |
| LIER (“one prone”) to protect ARM (“limb”) | ||
| 13 | GLEDE | Smaller raptor in grip of eagle, dead (5) |
| Hidden in [in grip of] “eaGLE DEad”
A glede is a kite. |
||
| 14 | EBOLA | Congo river: a broad segment flowing east-west (5) |
| <=A LOBE (“a broad segment”, flowing from east to west, i.e from right to left) | ||
| 15 | PRESSMEN | Journos show off about writings being circulated (8) |
| PREEN (“show off”) about <=MSS. (manuscripts, so “writings” being circulated) | ||
| 16 | NERONIC | Tyrannical – and no nicer after reforming (7) |
| *(no nicer) | ||
| 17 | ARCS | Battle almost over – discharges required (4) |
| <=SCRA(p) (“battle”, almost over) | ||
| 18 | DROPWORT | One of the spiraeas: doctor top row in arrangement (8) |
| Dr. (doctor) + *(top row) | ||
| 23 | ANALEMMA | Obsessively obstinate heroine in the solarium? (8) |
| ANAL (“obsessively”) + EMMA (“obstinate heroine”)
Analemma is a loose definition of sundial and solarium is also another word for a sundial, hence the question mark. |
||
| 24 | NAIR | Believer in polyandry out of order in Iran (4) |
| *(iran)
The Nair were a people from Kerala who practiced polyandry. |
||
| 26 | AMATEUR | Partner captivated by distinctive character, not a dilettante (7) |
| MATE (“partner”) captivated by AUR(a) (“distinctive character”, not “a”) | ||
| *29 | CLERIHEW | Short humorous poem (8) |
| Azed invites us to come up with our own clue for this. | ||
| 31 | HASID | Pious Jew took refuge, when given shelter (5) |
| HID (“took refuge”) with AS (“when”) given shelter | ||
| 32 | STARN | Position for helmsman, sailor midway between poles (5) |
| TAR (“sialor”) midway between N & S (North and South “Poles”)
Starn is an alternative to stern. |
||
| 33 | OLIGIST | Soil I got riddled, extracting old form of haematite (7) |
| *(soil i gt), where GT is G(o)T (“old” extracted) | ||
| 34 | LOGIC | Latin? Progress being retrograde I’ll attend college for science (5) |
| L (latin) + <=GO (“progress”, being retrograde) + I + C (college) | ||
| 35 | CO-STARRED | Apple, mostly rosy, shared billing (9) |
| COSTAR(d) (“apple” mostly) + RED (“rosy”) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | EGG-AND-ANCHOR | Architectural decoration such as flying dragon round a new church (12) |
| E.G. (“such as”) + *(dragon) round A N (new) CH (church) | ||
| 2 | MULSE | Cross about dash of scotch in honeyed drink (5) |
| MULE (“cross”) about [dash of] S(cotch)
Mulse is boile wine mixed with honey. |
||
| 3 | EYEDROP | Milkmaid involved in opening up what used to be shed, sadly (7) |
| YED (“milkmaid”) in <=PORE (“opening”, up)
Eyedrop is an old word for tear. |
||
| 4 | RODEO | Weathered Ring? You’d need a good seat for that! (5) |
| RODE (“weathered”) + O (“ring”) | ||
| 5 | ALERION | Royal initials flanked by a kingly beast and a heraldic bird (7) |
| E.R. (“royal initials”) flanked by A LION (“kingly beast”)
In heraldry, an alerion is an eagle with no feet or beak. |
||
| 6 | PACE | Rate of progress one’s shown at foot of page (4) |
| ACE (“one”) shown at foot of P (page) | ||
| 7 | TREST | Antique braced framework, post-Restoration in part (5) |
| Hidden in [in part] “posT-RESToration” | ||
| 8 | AMBSACE | A club admits balance sheet being worthless (7) |
| A MACE (“club”) admits BS (balance sheet) | ||
| 9 | TELECOM | E.g. radio contact ‘unmasked’ mole, etc (7) |
| *(mole etc) | ||
| 10 | TRANSPARENCY | Slide flat board round shifting scanner, patient’s head involved (12) |
| TRAY (“flat board”) round *(scanner) + P(atient’s) [head] | ||
| 19 | REAL ALE | What discerning pubs offer on everything English one’s tucked into (7, 2 words) |
| RE (“on”) + ALL (“everything”) + E (English) with A (“one”) tucked in | ||
| 20 | PORRIGO | Set up poor rickety houses, causing head complaint (7) |
| RIG (“set up”) housed by *(poor)
Porrigo is a scalp disease. |
||
| 21 | RAMENTA | Artist almost touched ferny scales (7) |
| R.A. (“artist”) + MENTA(l) (almost “touched) | ||
| 22 | AMENAGE | Adult chaps mature, tame no longer (7) |
| A (adult) + MEN (“chaps”) + AGE (“mature”) | ||
| 25 | BIDIS | Cheap fags offer a price on lives (5) |
| BID (“offer a price”) on IS (“lives”) | ||
| 27 | TUTOR | Instruction manual? Time put in reversed major setback (5) |
| T (time) put in <=ROUT (reversed “major setback”) | ||
| 28 | UNRID | Like a wild horse, old, a broken ruin, died (5) |
| *(ruin) + D (died) | ||
| 30 | HIST | In Wandsworth I stay, shut up (4) |
| Hidden in “wandsowrtH I STay” | ||
*anagram
Thanks, Loonapick. I agree about 11 ac.
What about 32 ac? STARN is a variant of the third meaning of STERN, namely a star, but the clue seems to treat it as though it was the second one, which Chambers defines as “the helmsman’s place”.
Thanks Azed and loonapick.
32ac is fine, bridgesong. It is true that the entry in Chambers for stern[2] does not give the alternative spelling, but the entry for starn gives “also (naut or dialect) for stern[2]“.
Pelham, I see that you are right. I was misled by my electronic version of Chambers, which for some reason does not have the separate entry for STARN that appears in the paper version. I should have known better than to assume Azed would make such an elementary error!
GUYOT is a noun, but “rises from bed” indicates a verb. Azed would never allow such a misdirected definition in a clueing competition, and I was shocked to see it here.
Chris: I’m not sure you’re right about that. In his book, A-Z of Crosswords, Azed says this:
“I make an exception in the case of verb phrases as clues to nouns that could stand as their subjects: ‘wags its tail and is man’s best friend’ is therefore acceptable in defining DOG”.
In 1972, Azed awarded first prize for competition 27 (VINEGAR) to J. P. H. Hirst’s splendid “Given unconventionally for Jack’s head”, but in 1987 he made it clear in a couple of slips that he no longer accepted that a past participle (or adjective) could be used to indicate a noun or noun phrase. To my mind, however, Mr Hirst’s clue better indicates VINEGAR than Azed’s indicates GUYOT.
Bridgesong, #3 – it isn’t in my electronic Android version either. I have Wordweb software app, what one do you have? Maybe the database Chambers offers for app developers is a fault?
Nick @7: I have the same version on an iPad. I have come across similar discrepancies in the past, although not very often.
I thought ‘rises’ was being used as a plural noun. Obviously guyot is singular, but I guess a guyot could be said to consist of more than one rise.
I did consider that, but ‘[it] rises from bottom’, ie ‘[it] extends upwards from the bed of the sea’, is a reasonable definition. Interpreting ‘rises’ as a plural noun would give us something like ‘upward slopes springing out of the sea bed’, which, not least because the principal feature of a guyot is its flat top, seems wholly inadequate,
Dispense with erstwhile saint, making way for constant witticism.