Beelzebub 1,101 (27/03/11)

by

[New comment layout] - details here

This one, though not unduly tough, kept me busy for some time as I picked at it over the course of the week. I think this is the highest number of clues I’ve ever seen in a Beelzebub, so that might have had something to do with it.

I wonder if the juxtaposition of FIVE and HUNDRED across the top row is mere coincidence, or perhaps an anniversary of some kind?

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.

Across
1 FIVE – V (“two fingers”) in FIE.
5 HUNDRED – H + UND[e]R + ED. As in the Chiltern Hundreds – being a division of a county intended to contain a hundred families.
11 ADWARE – D in AWARE.
12 NERUDA – (DURE in AN)<. Pablo Neruda was a Chilean poet.
13 DESTABILISED – (DISABLED SITE)*.
14 ECLAIR – EC + LAIR.
18 AMITY – IT in [g]AMY.
20 DANAIDES – AID in DANES.
21 DARD – R in DAD.
22 DREY – D[ive]R E[asil]Y.
23 NEATENED – EATEN in DEN<.
24 DELVE – D + ( in EVE).
29 ELINOR – NO (Japanese drama) in RILE<.
30 RECUPERATORY – (UP + ERA) in RECTORY.
31 ARENAS – (SANE + RA)<.
32 ONEIDA – ONE ID[e]A.
33 DESIRED – SIR in DEED. The “next” in the clue refers to the solution to 34ac – the next clue.
34 DEED – dd. From the Scots pronuciation of “dead”.
Down
1 FADED – FAD[g]ED.
2 I DECLARE – IDE + CLARE.
3 EAT AWAY – [verg]E + AT + A WAY.
4 DRAISINES – (RIDES AS IN)*. A very old type of bicycle.
5 HEBRIDES – (E + BR) in HIDES.
6 UNIT – UN[f]IT.
7 DRIP – D + R.I.P.
8 RUSSIANS – (SS + I + A) in RUNS.
9 EDEN – D in E’EN.
10 DADDY – D + ADD + [tapestr]Y.
15 WASTELAND – STELA in WAND.
16 ANELACES – ANE[w] + LACES.
17 LEASE-ROD – (REED ALSO)*.
19 TRECORDE – RECORD in (T + E). Helpfully, the word was slightly familiar, having popped up in a recent Inquisitor.
21 DEBITED – BIT in DEED.
24 DORAD – DO + RAD. DO is “ditto”, thus “the same”.
25 DRYAD – DRY + AD[o].
26 WERE – R in WEE.
27 ZUNI – Z IN UNI[on].
28 MESE – [the]ME SE[t].

2 comments on “Beelzebub 1,101 (27/03/11)”

  1. Beelzebub
    @1
    April 4, 2011 at 1:57 am

    There were also a lot of Ds scattered about the grid – an indulgence to indicate that it’s the 500th Beelzebub by this half of the team.

  2. Simon Harris
    @2
    April 4, 2011 at 12:32 pm

    Ah, thanks – I did wonder. Congratulations, and here’s hoping for many more!

Comments are closed.