Nick: A toughy from Azed this week, which I give 8/10 on the Azedian hardness scale.
As usual for Azed, some good stuff going on (13ac, 4dn, 28dn), but I do feel it’s slightly unfair on the solver who reads ‘The Chambers Dictionary (2011) is recommended‘ when 18ac isn’t in there, and the subsidiary indication in 23dn isn’t either – normally if a word isn’t in C, then the source is stated (SOED, Collins etc.).
Google came to the rescue twice for me and I have put Internet links in the comments to these two clues.
| Across | |||
| 1. | Rental mishaps spoilt ideal social system (13) | ||
| PHALANSTERISM | (RENTAL MISHAPS)* | ||
| 10. | Wild flower speeds section of verse (9) | ||
| HARESFOOT | HARES+FOOT | ||
| 13. | Language, one that’s taught in school but not at work (5) | ||
| LINGO | L(at)IN+GO | ||
| 14. | ‘Dark lady’ for Shakespeare to court – disappointment follows (7) | ||
| WOOSELL | WOO+SELL | ||
| 16. | Paintings to preserve with containers (8) | ||
| CANVASES | CAN+VASES | ||
| 17. | ‘Tar-clad’ etc, this could be cleanly extracted (6) | ||
| XYLENE | composite anagram: CLEANLY EXTRACTED minus TAR-CLAD ETC=(NLYEXE*) | ||
| 18. | US novel, fifth print? (5) | ||
| TYPEE | TYPE (the 5th letter)E see this BOOK I have never heard of it |
||
| 19. | Trader’s seductive plan: spot includes devious shtick mostly (13, 2 words) | ||
| SWITCH SELLING | (SHTIC(k)*) in SWELLING | ||
| 22. | Clothing ultimate in tastelessness, dull and dowdy (5) | ||
| MOPSY | MOPY around S | ||
| 25. | Showing reluctance that shaver seldom admits (6) | ||
| AVERSE | hidden: shAVER SEldom | ||
| 27. | Ancient aristocrat, wildly irate about rising, died (8) | ||
| EUPATRID | ((IRATE*) around UP)+D | ||
| 29. | A governor, industrious one temporarily inactive (7) | ||
| ABEYANT | A+BEY+ANT | ||
| 30. | Where students gather, almost half intoxicated over liqueurs (5) | ||
| OUZOS | OU+(SOZ(zle)<) | ||
| 31. | Foppish dresser (50s style) returned fur, showing resolve (9) | ||
| DETERMINE | (TED<)+ERMINE | ||
| 32. | Council vehicle? Dodging tester, one patrolling boundary (13, 2 words) | ||
| STREET SWEEPER | (TESTER*)+SWEEPER | ||
| Down | |||
| 1. | Garden plants? Nasty disease enveloping odd ones in Hull (5) | ||
| PHLOX | POX around H(u)L(l) | ||
| 2. | Your WI oddly appearing in dress as a caterpillar? (11, 2 words) | ||
| HAIRY WOUBIT | (YOUR WI*) in HABIT | ||
| 3. | E.g. garter, as in elevated count (6) | ||
| LEGLET | E.G. in (TELL<) | ||
| 4. | From Chesterfield perhaps, last achieving dominance? (4, 2 words) | ||
| AS OF | SOFA (Chesterfield) with the A moved to the front definition here is ‘FROM’ |
||
| 5. | Trooper abroad in due course joining conflict (5) | ||
| SOWAR | SO+WAR | ||
| 6. | Two Canadian bucks? Front of hoof is round on one (6) | ||
| TOONIE | TOE around (ON+I) | ||
| 7. | Many a series turning up includes this repeat (5) | ||
| RESAY | hidden reverse: manY A SERies | ||
| 8. | Old jade I abandoned stole pennies at random (11) | ||
| SPLEENSTONE | (STOLE PENN(i)ES)* | ||
| 9. | Sweetened wine, once a source of inspiration when penning line (5) | ||
| MULSE | L in MUSE | ||
| 11. | Trim beard, fine one (4) | ||
| FACE | F+ACE | ||
| 12. | Sigh maybe as Special gets involved in rule over Ireland? (7) | ||
| RESPIRE | SP in (R+EIRE) | ||
| 15. | Runner, once unpredictable (7) | ||
| SLIPPER | dd | ||
| 20. | Large stinger? Drunk another, first polished off (6) | ||
| HORNET | (a)NOTHER* | ||
| 21. | E.g. pea stick stuck in meadow (6) | ||
| LEGUME | GUM in LEE | ||
| 22. | Designs requirement for comfortable life (5) | ||
| MEANS | dd | ||
| 23. | Rand maybe in south-eastern state discontinued (5) | ||
| SAYNE | AYN (RAND) in SE see this woman I have never heard of her |
||
| 24. | String in past times run up to make baseball equipment (5) | ||
| MITTS | hidden reverse: paST TIMes | ||
| 25. | Chopper makes basic calculation for those listening (4) | ||
| ADZE | homophone: ADDS | ||
| 26. | Festival? Take time out for one offering relaxation (5) | ||
| EASER | EAS(t)ER | ||
| 28. | Passage (small) or one end of it? (4 | ||
| PORE | P or E (i.e. either end of the word PassagE) best of the bunch! |
||
| … | |||
31ac has to be OU + soz(zled) to account for the ‘almost’ in the clue.
I had heard of Ayn Rand but not of Typee.
I don’t think it is reasonable to interpret ‘The Chambers Dictionary (2011) is recommended‘ as meaning that every answer and element of subsidiary indication is in Chambers, and I don’t think that Azed normally gives a source when an answer is a proper name not in Chambers. For example, last week we were warned about APOLAR but not about MOORE, unless you want to argue that Moore’s law (referring to a different Moore) being a headword in Chambers makes this acceptable.
I enjoyed this – except that for longer than was comfortable I thought 1ac was PLANET-SHARISM which was disturbing, but not altogether implausible.
Thanks all
Thanks all
Ayn Rand was quite familiar (it is the sort of name you do not forget).
The novel ‘typee’ was completely unknown to me and although the cryptic left little doubt it took me quite a while to confirm it.
30(?) ac I agree must be sozzled to comply with intoxicateD. It still took me time because my low view of students (?) kept me trying NUS or bar.
I cannot take either side in the ‘ Chambers recommended’ dispute, I certainly due assume I can find a word in C. if it has not been mentioned but do not feel too bad when it isn’t. I usually assume that it is there, obscurely, and I have failed to find it!
Sorry. due!! do?