Maybe I’ve only just noticed, but Azed’s crosswords nowadays frequently have two or three subtraction clues, as here. These are often quite difficult, and I didn’t find this crossword all that easy, with so many crazy words that had to be looked up in Chambers. But otherwise it was much as usual, with its sound clueing. The doubts I have expressed below may well be down to me, not to Azed.
Definitions in blue, underlined (the rest of the clues are in crimson). Anagram indicators in italics. Anagrams indicated (like this)* or *(this).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | FAIENCE |
Pottery that is new in appearance (7)
|
| fa(i.e. n)ce | ||
| 7 | CRUE |
Poet’s company, sad excluded from romantic enterprising (4)
|
| cru[sad]e | ||
| 10 | DREARIHEAD |
Daughter to bring up, I face gloom as of old (10)
|
| d rear I head — head = face is in Chambers, but as a verb, not obviously a noun, although there is head = cape = headland = head, and also head = headache | ||
| 11 | ICE DANCE |
Performance on rink? I give up if old and cold inside (8, 2 words)
|
| I ced(an c)e | ||
| 13 | SHAD |
Fish obtained on ship’s bow (4)
|
| s[hip] had | ||
| 14 | REFLEX |
Expression from arbitrator and what he administers? (6)
|
| ref[eree] lex | ||
| 15 | KEEKER |
Mouse producing squeak between King and Queen? (6)
|
| K(eek!)ER | ||
| 17 | FISC |
Purse firm becomes cast if this (4)
|
| To get cast you have to pick the synonym of firm, fast. Then, if the f becomes a c you get cast. A device that Azed regularly uses. | ||
| 19 | STAGE NAME |
Manage plays with set? One featuring in dramatis personae (9, 2 words)
|
| *(manage set) | ||
| 21 | WITHWINDS |
Types of convolvulus afflicted by gusts? (9)
|
| with winds — with = afflicted by (go down with/afflicted by flu) | ||
| 24 | ENOW |
Scotch immediately? Single knocked back with a dash of water (4)
|
| (one)rev. w[ater] — the wordplay is easy enough but the definition? Immediately doesn’t mean either of the two Chambers definitions, ‘a moment ago’ and ‘presently’. The first one says that it’s already been done and the second one means ‘in due course’. Unless the increasingly prevalent meaning of ‘presently’ as ‘at the present time’ is being used. But that’s just me being an old diehard. It’s there in Chambers so Azed is off the hook. | ||
| 25 | ARIOSO |
The plash of oars I love, easy on the ears (6)
|
| *(oars I 0) — a musical term | ||
| 28 | AGAPES |
Love feasts dad’s back occupying a long time (6)
|
| (Pa)rev. in ages | ||
| 30 | DSOS |
Crosses road finally before call for help (4)
|
| [roa]d S.O.S. — a variant spelling of zhos | ||
| 31 | TRILEMMA |
I’m alert, puzzled about bit of magic – it offers three possible solutions (8)
|
| (I’m alert)* round m[agic] | ||
| 32 | TRADE-FALNE |
Bust of Shakespeare fan altered mistakenly (10)
|
| (fan altered)* — bankrupt | ||
| 33 | OWNS |
Recognizes what’s broadcast, start to finish (4)
|
| sown with its first letter moved to the end — another device popular with Azed | ||
| 34 | UNSCALE |
To prepare e.g. fish in kitchen, see e.g. Sam as cutting back here and there (7)
|
| Sam is an example of an uncle, and this is cut by the two letters of ‘as’ (reversed) separately — I found this hard and at the end of it wondered why we had ‘in kitchen’ — also it seems better if ‘see’ can be avoided, which perhaps it could have been | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FLISK |
Flank is replacing one for groin (5)
|
| Start with flank and replace its two letters ‘an’ by ‘is’ — well that’s the wordplay, easy enough, but the definition? The only thing I can see is that to flisk is to be restive and to groin is to grumble (obsolete) — if that’s so then should ‘obsolete’ not have been indicated? [a misprint/mistake for lisk, as some suggest in the comments? I always wonder how Azed produces these words, since he doesn’t I think use computer assistance. Perhaps here his memory failed him.] | ||
| 2 | ALCHERINGA |
Where some believe the world began, half of it seen in creation of archangel (10)
|
| i[t] in *(archangel) | ||
| 3 | IDEAED |
Having some notion I act accepting answer (6)
|
| I de(a)ed | ||
| 4 | NEAFE |
Vintage pud that could provide stuffing for beanfeast (5)
|
| If you take the letters ‘eanfe’ out of ‘beanfeast’ and anagram then you get this answer, but it does seem rather loose — why these particular letters (perhaps Azed meant to be tighter and wanted the solver to choose ‘anfea’, which is properly at the centre of ‘beanfeast’, but this doesn’t seem to work, so was this a mistake?)? And the anagram indicator also seems a bit weak. A vintage pud give you fist, which is pud, a black eye … | ||
| 5 | CANT-RAIL |
Carriage support has enough power to drag behind (8)
|
| can trail | ||
| 6 | PIE-EYED |
Drunk in confusion, grabbing attention (7)
|
| pie(eye)d — Chambers has as its main meaning ‘pie’ for ‘confusion’, not ‘pied’, which means something else, but it has ‘to reduce to pie’ for ‘pied’ | ||
| 7 | CHEF |
Head of cuisine, male preferred to female? (4)
|
| c[uisine] he f — ‘preferred to’? — &lit. | ||
| 8 | REALIA |
I learn, mostly active after changing teaching aids (6)
|
| (I lear[n] a)* | ||
| 9 | EDEXCEL |
Examiners led astray about leaving out less PT (7)
|
| (led)* round exce[PT] | ||
| 12 | DESMOSOMAL |
What’ll alter males’ moods regarding membranous patches? (10)
|
| *(males moods) | ||
| 16 | IGNATIAN |
Typical of early bishop, mounting funeral with Gaelic John (8)
|
| (tangi)rev. Ian — the Scottish/Gaelic name ‘Ian’ is a form of ‘John’ | ||
| 18 | SWEAR TO |
To affirm on oath thus, we finesse within (7, 2 words)
|
| s(we art)o | ||
| 20 | TWEETER |
Loudspeaker to waver with being installed (7)
|
| t(w)eeter | ||
| 22 | TO A MAN |
One among 10,000, without exception (6, 3 words)
|
| to(a)man | ||
| 23 | COSMEA |
Flowering plant: chance upon one when sun’s in (6)
|
| (come a) round s — come as in come across, but I can’t find anything in Chambers which supports come = chance upon | ||
| 26 | ROLLS |
Registers in desks, top removed (5)
|
| roll(top)s | ||
| 27 | OSAGE |
This orange is inedible, round and green (5)
|
| O sage | ||
| 29 | PADS |
Day in action requiring protective gear (4)
|
| pa(d)s — cricket |
Thanks John. I too found FLISK unconvincing and NEAFE loose in the wordplay. ‘To happen’ is given under both ‘chance’ and ‘come’ in Chambers, so OK I think in 23 – the ‘upon’ indicating the order of parts.
‘Pied’=’in confusion’ for 6.
Thanks as ever to Azed.
…23 though of course ‘chance/happen/come upon’ is where the synonymy lies.
I suspect FLISK is an error and the word “Lisk” was in mind somehow.
Thanks for the blog, a lot of annotation of my clues , I thought it was just Chambers 93.
FLISK I do not think groin works at all and agree with Tim@3 , a slip for LISK.
AGAPES – C93 only gives AGAPAE as the plural.
NEAFE is either weak or a slip, I think it is reasonable to assume the stuffing is in the middle,
“some stuffing” would have been better.
A few other points cleared up by John or Gonzo.
Roz, C2016 has “agapes or agapae” as the plural.
Thanks Tim@5 , I thought it must be the case .
Quite a few dubious definitions/wordplays this week. Apart from those already mentioned, I frowned at “Gaelic John” for Ian in 16dn – Scottish I would have accepted, but I believe IAIN would be the usual Gaelic spelling.
19ac – I think there’s a typo in the blog: the anagram is of manage and set, with ‘plays’ being the indicator. Also perhaps some confusion between 4dn and 15ac: NEAFE is a vintage word for fist and pud (colloquially) also means fist, while KEEKER and Mouse can both mean black eye.
Not done one of these for a couple of years. Couldn’t get into it all. His plain competition puzzles often seem more approachable. Had forgotten that ‘one’ can equal ‘a’ in his puzzles (but not in The Times).
Thanks MunroMaiden@7 re 19ac. Blog corrected now.
I don’t like to be left out so greetings all. Fortunately finished today’s by 5 p.m. a record in recent years of failing sight.
The blog is headed 2021, pinching 700 from Azed’s tremendous achievement.
I seem to remember 2721 taking me into Monday so I agree with John, to whom many thanks. FLISK definition did puzzle me. The replacement gadget is an Azed regular. I remember STOA (S-TO-A from Athens to Athena)
I do hope Dr Kitching doesn’t give up on Azed- much more satisfying than the Times and with a superior history.
Thanks Keith @10. Title corrected to 2721 now.
Today’s Observer carries this entry in its “For the Record” column: The clue for 1 down in our Azed crossword 2,721 on 11 August … contained an incorrect definition and so were ignored when judging entries. We regret any frustration caused to solvers”.
Presumably there will now be an entry in next week’s column apologising for the grammatical error in this apology!