This weeks puzzle from Azed is a plain puzzle. Of course, a plain Azed puzzle involves more unusual words as entries and parts of the wordplay, than you find in national daily crosswords.
I reckon there were about 16 of the 35 entries that don’t feature in my regular vocabulary. However, one of the joys of Azed crosswords lies in learning new words and seeing how Azed creates very fair clues that lead you to entry.
I liked the clue for ALPENHORN at 2 down. I am never sure of all the requirements of an &Lit clue, but it seemed to me that this one fitted the bill where the whole clue could be seen as the definition as well as containing the description of the wordplay.
I also liked the surface of the clue for PLUMP with its reference to an actor and his/her art.
It’s well known that Azed likes his Scottish words, but he also dips into legal terms some weeks. Today we had the well hidden definition ‘He in court’ for CESTUI at 13 across.
Azed also enjoys his plants and shrubs with a HOLODISCUS coming out this week.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
It should fetch plenty at auction – free bag circulated (7) FABERGE (delicate gold and enamel ware made in Russia in the 19th and early 20th centuries Products tend to be worth a lot of money) Anagram of (circulated) FREE BAG FABERGE* |
| 6 |
What actor hopes to get, dispensing art without hesitation (5) PLUMP (without hesitation, reserve, or qualification) PLUM PART (what an actor hopes to get) excluding (dispensing) ART PLUM P |
| 10 |
Mythical creatures going ‘Plop’, energy filled, in lake? (9) MERPEOPLE (mythical creatures with a woman’s upper body and a fish’s tail) (Anagram of [going] PLOP containing [filled] E [energy]) all contained in (in) MERE (lake) MER (P (E) OPL*) E |
| 11 |
Junk plans travelling from the east (4) SPAM (junk [electronic mail]) MAPS (plans) reversed (travelling from the east) SPAM< |
| 12 |
Reindeer, young male, galloped in harness (6) TARAND (reindeer) TAD (little lad; young male) containing (in harness) RAN (galloped) TA (RAN) D |
| 13 |
In court he managed suit following extremes of correctitude (6) CESTUI (a legal term [in court] he, that one, used in such phrases as ‘CESTUI que trust’ a person entitled to the benefit of a trust) CE (first and last letters of [extremes of] CORRECTITUDE) + an anagram of (managed) SUIT CE STUI* |
| 15 |
Being cack-handed, it holds writer back (5) INEPT (clumsy; cack-handed) IT containing (holds) PEN (writer) reversed (back) I (NEP<) T |
| 16 |
Hairline cracks, not i.e. to do with old gnomon (6) RHINAL (of the nose. GNOMON is an obsolete jocular term for the nose) Anagram of (cracks) HAIRLINE excluding (not) I.E. RHINAL* |
| 18 |
Pudding consumed? In place of second you’ll see I hold forth rarely (10) DISSERTATE (archaic [rarely] term for ‘to discourse’ or hold forth) DESSERT (pudding) + ATE (consumed) with E the second letter of DESSERT replaced by (in place of second you’ll see) I DISSERT ATE |
| 19 |
Summer-flowering shrubs neglected locus hid so (10) HOLODISCUS (genus of deciduous shrubs grown for their summer flowers) Anagram of (neglected) LOCUS HID SO HOLODISCUS* |
| 23 |
A crop one locally divides in a circle (6) AROUND (in a circle) A + (UN [dialect {locally} term for one] contained in [divides] ROD [riding crop]) A RO (UN) D |
| 25 |
Émigré, cross, having to stick around when returning (5) EXPAT (person settled in a different country from his/her native country) X (shape of a cross) contained in (having … around) TAPE (fasten; stick) reversed (when returning) E (X) PAT< |
| 28 |
Lewd arbitrator switching one character with another (6) IMPURE (lewd) UMPIRE (arbitrator) with the characters U and I swapped (switching one character with another) to form IMPURE IMPURE |
| 29 |
Marshy ground gunners’ll get stuck in? Maybe (6) MORASS (marshy ground) RA (Royal Artillery; Gunners) contained in (get stuck in) MOSS (mass of small plants with no woody material usually found in boggy ground) MO (RA) SS |
| 30 |
Racket in Shakespeare, curtains being regularly drawn (4) UTIS (Shakespearean word for clamour or din; racket) UTIS (letters 2, 4, 6 and 8 [letters regularly drawn) from CURTAINS) UTIS |
| 31 |
English Conservative holds seat endlessly, rarely speaking fluently (9) ELOCUTORY (rare term for the art of effective speaking; rarely speaking fluently) (E [English] + TORY [Conservative]) containing (holds) LOCUS (place; spot; seat) excluding the final letter (endlessly) S E (LOCU) TORY |
| 32 |
Turns out there’s some tension in the lines (5) ROWTS (alternative spelling of ROUTS [hollows; turns out]) T (first letter of [some] TENSION) contained in (in) ROWS (lines) ROW (T) S |
| 33 |
Transpose headword right to left, a hindrance (7) TRAMMEL (a hindrance) TR (transpose) + LEMMA (theme, argument, heading or headword) reversed (right to left) TR AMMEL< |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Nation lost being intrigued in political groups (5) FASCI (organized political groups or clubs) FASCINATION (state of being intrigued) excluding (lost) NATION FASCI |
| 2 |
You might find one I’d blown mustering herd on plain? Wrong (9) ALPENHORN (long powerful HORN made of wood and bark, used chiefly by Alpine cowherds [used in the mountains, not the plains]) Anagram of (mustering) HERD ON PLAIN excluding (blown) I’D ALPENHORN* |
| 3 |
I like getting between the sheets, showing predilection (6) BIASED (showing prejudice or special liking) (I + AS [like]) contained in (getting between the sheets of a BED) BED B (I AS) ED |
| 4 |
Argues against time put into word puzzle (6) REBUTS (argues against) T (time) contained in (put into) REBUS (enigmatical representation of a word or name by pictures representing the component parts of the word, as in a puzzle) REBU (T) S |
| 5 |
Rag treated entrails and parts of pelts rendered smooth (10) GRAINSIDES (leather which has the side with the hair removed facing outwards; hides or pelts rendered smooth) Anagram of (treated) RAG + INSIDES (internal organs; entrails) GRA* INSIDES |
| 6 |
Corker accounting for contents of grape (a Chablis) (5) PEACH (anything regarded as a very choice example of its kind; corker) PEACH (hidden word in [contents for] GRAPE A CHABLIS) PEACH |
| 7 |
Act the tyrant loaded with flexed rod in grip (6, 2 words) LORD IT (act like the master of; act the tyrant) LIT (drunk; loaded) containing (with … in grip) an anagram of (flexed) ROD L (ORD*) IT |
| 8 |
As a student attending university, at the right place (4, 2 words) UP AT (as a student attending) U (university) + PAT (at the right place) U P AT |
| 9 |
Duffer, one on a bike by the sound of it (7) PEDDLER (duffer [PEDDLER of sham jewellery]) PEDDLER (sounds like [by the sound of it] PEDALLER [one on a bike]) PEDDLER |
| 12 |
Muscle working miners tore (10, 2 words) TERES MINOR (one of the two muscles of the shoulder blade) Anagram of (working) MINERS TORE TERES MINOR* |
| 14 |
Thoroughly cleanse improper chat that’s come into view (9) CATHARISE (render absolutely clean) Anagram of (improper) CHAT + ARISE (come into view) CATH* ARISE |
| 17 |
Dormitory for Scottish farm hands bird’s turned up in daily (7) CHAUMER (an old Scottish word for a room or building in which male farm workers slept) EMU (flightless bird) reversed (turned up) and contained in (in) CHAR (daily cleaner) CHA (UME<) R |
| 20 |
Varsity with delicacy excel in play (6) OUTACT (perform better than in a play) OU (Open University; varsity) + TACT (diplomacy; delicacy) OU TACT |
| 21 |
Pine to be enfolded in erotic embraces (6) CEMBRA (the Swiss stonepine) CEMBRA (hidden word in [to be enfolded in] EROTIC EMBRACES) CEMBRA |
| 22 |
Subject filling tot’s gob? (6) SPUTUM (matter coughed up and spat out; gob) PUT (to subject) contained in (filling) SUM (add up; tot) S (PUT) UM |
| 24 |
Effort is put into rising source of energy (5) NISUS (effort) IS contained in (put into) SUN (source of energy) reversed (rising; down entry) N (IS) US< |
| 26 |
Private room set up, not the first, for the promotion of language study (5) TESOL (Teaching [of] English to Speakers of Other Languages; promotion of language study) CLOSET (small private room) reversed (set up; down entry) excluding the initial letter (not the first) C TESOL< |
| 27 |
Boarders ready or waiting? See those heading for gangway (4) BROW (ship’s gangway) BROW (first letters of each of [heading for] BOARDERS READY OR and WAITING) BROW |
With a nudge from Roz, I completed 80% of an Azed so felt I should make 80% of a comme..
Thanks for the blog , ALPENHORN was my favourite too . HOLODISCUS is one of those words you do not believe exists and there it is in Chambers . GRAINSIDES not in my Chambers 93 but I did know the word.
Very minor typo for SPUTUM , sums and tots mixed up.
Well done MrPostMark@1 , 80% is a lot more than I would complete when I first started Azed.
Your comment only works if OF is doing double duty and that is frowned on here.
Roz, I appreciate every word is loaded with weight in a puzzle such as this; my comment wasn’t at that level. ‘Comme’ is approx 80% of comment so will have to do.
Thanks for the suggestion and DISSERTATE was a lovely first solution. Which led to solving the NW, SW and then gradually working eastwards before running out of steam with a few to go. And I see, now, I was not far off the right track – couldn’t parse UP AT, nho TESOL and didn’t equate PEDDLER with duffer (though, irritatingly, made use of the peddler/pedlar homophone very recently, myself!)
Enjoyable though painfully slow for me with a lot of turning to the dictionary …
I had a question mark against the clue for GRAIN SIDES, because it is two words, according to Chambers. And I thought 8 down was a little weak, with AT appearing both in the clue and the answer. But I liked PLUMP once the penny dropped.
I was able to attend the lunch at Wolfson College on Saturday to celebrate 50 years of Azed crosswords; I’ll have more to say about that in my blog for the current puzzle next week.
Roz @ 2
Thanks – typo corrected now
Agreed about GRAIN SIDES being 2 words in C2014. Can I offer to buy you a present of the latest version Roz? 🙂
ALPENHORN was good. I got it early on but it took me far too long to get the wordplay. I also liked IMPURE. It seems very simple and the sort of clue that must have been done before, but I’m a fan of shifting letters clues.
TimC @ 7 thanks for the thought. The sprogs offer to buy me a new dictionary but I tell them I would prefer new children before that.
PM@4 my advice would be to just put words in even if you are not totally sure , TESOL is a good example , it has to be right , and also PEDDLER. I usually do the whole puzzle without Chambers but I do like to check each word afterwards , even small bits in constructions.
Next week will be a special prize, we have to send off our own clue to a specified answer.
I know this is very late and no-one will read it but Hello all who do. Much enjoyed the “do” in North Oxford but a bit shattered after the journey. Glad to be on the same table as birdsong. Had to leave this Sunday’s till Monday but completed it in one sitting, not always the case. ALPENHORN was particularly elegant with not a wasted word. Now preparing for the task of creating a half-decent clue for June.
Keith Thomas @ 9
Your comment hasn’t fallen on deaf ears. Bloggers always get an e-mail from fifteensquared whenever there is a comment on a puzzle they have blogged. Good to hear you enjoyed the Azed event.
Thanks for the blog and intro Duncan.
The thing I really like about Azed is how, when you get the answer, there is absolutely no doubt it is correct. That helps me immensely.
My eChambers only has GRAIN SIDE, but the plural can easily be inferred. The one or two word thing did give me pause for thought though.
As always, thanks for the rummage through the dictionary Azed.
Keith@9 I always check back on the Azed blog and always enjoy your comments so they do get read by someone as well as the blogger.