Azed 2609

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I found this mostly straightforward, though the two 12-letter down answers held out almost to the end, and I can’t fully explain 6 down: no doubt I’ll soon be enlightened. Thanks to Azed.

(Apologies for the slightly late appearance of this blog – I had mostly written it up soon after finishing the puzzle, and then forgot to complete and publish it.)

 
Across
1 WAGE Women, mature, for hire (4)
W + AGE
4 SPÄTLESE Wine the French bottled in torrent (8)
LES in SPATE
11 EVANGELIAR Service book, one lying behind e.g. main part of church, from east to west (10)
Reverse of E. GAVE + LIAR (one lying)
12 THROB Bobby on Thursday beat (5)
TH + ROB (short for Robert, as is Bobby)
14 DIRAM Bit of foreign money I put into drink (5)
I in DRAM
15 DIATRIBE Speech, a hit with bride, thrilled, husband delivered (8)
Anagram of A HIT BRIDE less H[usband]
16 ARAME Edible weed, sweet, removed from wrapping (5)
[c]ARAME[l] edible seaweed – arame, aka sea oak, is a type of seaweed used in Japanese cuisine
17 CAN IT Shut up in prison, one given time (5, 2 words)
CAN (prison) + I + T
18 CRISPATE Carpet is woven with wavy edge (8)
(CARPET IS)*
22 TRIPE-MAN One dressing offal having to call back after lapse (8)
TRIP (lapse) + reverse of NAME
24 CHEEK One of a pair connected in vice, creating frightful noise behind church (5)
CH + EEK – “frightful” because eek is a sound “denoting fright”
25 COATS Clothes shown off in Ascot (5)
ASCOT*
27 LUTENIST Musician transcribed tune found in catalogue (8)
TUNE* in LIST
28 ATAPS Afternoon song by the camp fire? We’ll provide leafy cover (5)
A[fternoon] + TAPS (campfire song for Girl Guides)
29 MAISE Sea I’m plying for lots of herring (5)
(SEA I’M)*
30 REGIMENTAL Soldiers in unusually large unit reduced by 50%, like one such (10)
MEN in anagram of LARGE + [un]IT
31 GRANDSON Nogs drunk were flowing with daughter welcomed as one of the family (8)
RAN + D in NOGS*
32 GOEL Ball penetrating one side of wicket, turning ? I must get even (4)
O in reverse of LEG (cricket side)
Down
1 WETBACK One lacking entry permit we support when it’s shortly acquired (7)
‘T (shortened “it”) in WE BACK – derogatory US term for an illegal immigrant, usually from Mexico, presumably because they would get wet crossing the Rio Grande
2 GARDAI Police abroad, ideal when following car or lorry up (6)
Reverse of DRAG (slang for a car or lorry) + A1
3 ENORM Giant of old among men or mice (5)
Hidden in mEN OR Mice
5 PERICARDITIS English Pernod I spit out swallowing it ? it’s bad for the heart (12)
E RICARD in (I SPIT)* – I thought Pernod and Ricard were different brands of the disgusting aniseed drink, but it seems that Pernod Ricard is a single company. The PER at the start was a bit deceptive.
6 ALTALTISSIMO Matlo sails it at sea – masthead flies from this? (12)
Clearly an anagram of (MATLO SAILS IT)*, but I’m at a loss to understand the definition: Chambers defines the word as “the very highest summit”, which I suppose roughly relates to a masthead, but it doesn’t seem very convincing,
7 LAIRAGE Where cattle are kept warm and dry, gale swirling outside (7)
AIR (to warm and dry) in GALE*
8 ERRING Brit leader’s abandoned, astray? (6)
HERRING less its first letter – a brit is a young herring
9 STABILATES Wherein biological populations are preserved – conditions including lab I fitted out (10)
(LAB I)* in STATES (conditions)
10 EMMET Cornish visitor, one with good vision letting go of rope (5)
EMMETROPE (someone with normal sight) less ROPE
13 HERRNHUTER Moravian, German gent, Jaeger, name becoming leader (10)
HERR (German man) + HUNTER (Jaeger) with the N moved to the front
19 STEEPEN Show more inclination to guide writer having run away (7)
STEER PEN (guide writer) less R
20 UNSHELL Hull? That’s involved with North Sea mostly (7)
Anagram of HULL N SE[a]
21 PETARA Travelling box one’s packed in Jordanian destination? (6)
A in PETRA (Jordanian city)
23 MANITO Object of worship I wrapped in loose gown (6)
I in MANTO (anglicised version of French manteau, a loose gown)
24 CLANG Tolling sound, a complex tone (5)
Double definition
26 OBANG Old gold coin, disc cut square across (5)
O (disc) + BANG (hair cut straight across)

18 comments on “Azed 2609”

  1. The Collins online dictionary gives altaltissimo as “the apex of something” so I guess it works.

  2. Thanks for the blog, 6D is a bit of a puzzle unless there is some nautical meaning that Chambers does not mention.
    I liked CHEEK , I remember EEK from comics and did not know the vice reference but it does make sense.
    HERRNHUTER is one of those words you work out, cannot believe it exists and then there it is.
    GOEL had a good definition.

  3. I’ve just had an idle look as the Guardian blog hasn’t appeared yet (I’m beginning to doubt if it will!), and noticed the clue for PERICARDITIS. In all the puzzles I attempt, this would be a blatant indirect anagram. Are those fair game in Azed?

  4. Just popped in to say “Hello”. Not surprised that Andrew (to whom many thanks) posted late- the Tuesday deadline is tough to remember. Thanks as always to the master for finding the far regions of Chambers-land. I seem to recall I actually finished this on the day.
    Hope everyone enjoyed the “Eightsome Reels” this weekend, Azed’s own addition to the “specials”.

  6. Keith@4 yes an Azed invention I believe , discuss it next Tuesday. Must be very hard to set but quite easy to do once you get started, you get so many letters to help.

  7. Thanks Azed and Andrew
    muffin @3: Further to Roz@5, you might compare 5dn with 27ac. Each is a “container and contents” clue using an anagram for one of the two parts.

  8. RICARD does not appear in the clue? You have to substitute RICARD for PERNOD. Surely that’s indirect?

  9. muffin@8 the whole thing is NOT an anagram . Only the container, the rest is substitution, this is very common.

  11. It is not so common in the dailies which often use a full anagram for the entry. Sometimes a substitute word(s) at the start or end plus anagram for the other half, Paul does this a lot.
    As Pelham says @7 look at 27Ac , same idea.

  12. Re 6dn, I thought masthead meant the top of the mast (when it’s not part of a publication), so I didn’t understand how it could fly from anywhere. I liked CHEEK and the secondary definition of CLANG. Thanks for the blog and to Azed.

  13. I wonder if masthead refers to a masthead rig, where, according to Wikipedia, the forestay and the backstay both are attached to the top of the mast. Although “flies” doesn’t quite make sense in that case.

  14. 1D transitioned from being merely “derogatory” to extremely offensive about 40 years ago, and I say this as someone who is not especially tolerant of PC speech-policing. This is one of those words that may not appear in polite company in the US, so it is jarring, to say the least, to see it appear in the jovial context of a crossword, even allowing for philological curiosities. Otherwise, a fine puzzle and a fine blog. Thanks.

  15. I share your misgivings about 5d. Pernod and Ricard are different drinks, although made by the same company. One wouldn’t expect Fiesta in a clue to lead to Focus in the solution, just because they are both cars made by Ford!

  16. I too have no real idea about the definition in ALTALTISSIMO. It doesn’t even seem to make sense as the masthead is the highest point, not something that flies from it or maybe I’m just being thick. The OED doesn’t add any essentially more than is in Chambers.
    I thought UNSHELL was a neat clue.

  18. It struck me that, in sailing, “flies” might refer to ropes or, say, the top of a sail, in which case “masthead flies”, ie flies attached to the masthead, might be said to be from the apex or highest summit. However, I can’t find any definition of fly/flies that would fit with that.

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