A plain competition Azed this week.
I enjoyed this, especially the two clues where there were two sets of wordplay leading to the entry – SCANDAL SHEETS (34 across) and LIND (27 down). In one of those odd co-incidences I was listening to my Ipod in shuffle mode when writing this blog and a track by Gordon Lightfoot came up that referred to Jenny LIND in the lyrics. Given that there are over 15,000 tracks on the Ipod I was a bit surprised.
As ever there are a few obscure words in the puzzle, but this time I felt that I had come across a number of them before, but only in crosswords.
I liked the homophone at 17 across, ENNEADS.
When writing the blog, I nearly got the wrong TRENTON (6 down) as the one that came to my mind was in Ohio. I discovered that it wasn’t the State Capital there so I had to track down the right one in New Jersey
I’ve got one query in the parsing of 5 down BOWR where I can’t fit ‘Stewart into the word play. BOWR is a Spenserian word not a Scottish [Stewart] one.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
English habit with pal from abroad – like letters (13)
|
Anagram of (abroad) E [English) and HABIT and PAL FROM
|
ALPHABETIFORM (shaped like letters)
|
|
11
|
Native American piranha, tailless (5)
|
CARIBE (South American piranha fish) excluding the final letter (tailless) E
|
CARIB (a member of a race of Native Americans)
|
|
13
|
Down on ducks, dead (5)
|
NAP (a downy covering or surface on anything; bedding or a bedroll) + (O [zero; duck score in cricket] + O [zero; duck score in cricket] giving ducks)
|
NAPOO (dead)
|
|
14
|
Chirrup about withers, like most hearty outdoor types (9)
|
TWEET (chirrup) containing (about) DIES (withers) TWEE (DIES) T |
TWEEDIEST (most hearty outdoor types)
|
|
15
|
Like decayed old trees, not even protected by Pakistani possibly (7)
|
ODD (not even) contained in (protected by) DARD ( person belonging to any of the peoples who speak local languages in parts of Northern India, Pakistan and Afghanistan D (ODD) ARD |
DODDARD (of trees decayed with loss of branches)
|
|
17
|
Baseball teams? BBC rarely shows such, we hear (7)
|
ENNEADS (sounds like [we hear] ANY ADS) The BBC in the UK rarely shows adverts except for its own programmes. BBC transmissions received overseas sometimes show adverts, in my experience predominantly for national tourism authorities.
|
ENNEADS (set of nine. There are nine players on the field in a baseball team)
|
|
19
|
Article about cheer our age lost – and after that? (6)
|
THE (definite article) containing (about) (ENCOURAGE [cheer] excluding [lost] OUR AGE) TH (ENC) E |
THENCE (from that time; after that)
|
|
20
|
Fibre requiring one to travel speedily from east to west (6)
|
(A [one] + VROOM [travel speedily]) all reversed (from east to west; across clue) (MOORV A)< |
MOORVA (bowstring-hemp; fibre)
|
|
22
|
Being dispossessed one has to change routes (6)
|
Anagram of (has to change) ROUTES
|
OUSTER (ejection or dispossession; being dispossessed)
|
|
24
|
Capital cast by Epstein remoulded for arch (6)
|
Anagram of (remoulded) EPSTEIN excluding the initial capital letter [capital cast] E
|
INSTEP (the prominent arched part of the human foot)
|
|
26
|
More than one confluence is including northern and southern river length (7)
|
IS containing (including) (N [northern] + FAL [river in the South of England; southern river] + L [length]) I (N FAL L) S |
INFALLS (confluences)
|
|
28
|
It’s damaged her shin, or possibly hock (7)
|
Anagram of (damaged) HER SHIN
|
RHENISH (Rhine wine, of which Hock is a variety)
|
|
31
|
Primate holding tiptop position? He’s got the job (9)
|
APE (primate) containing (holding) (POINTE [the extreme tip of the toe, or the position of standing on it; tiptop position]) AP (POINTE) E |
APPOINTEE (the person chosen for the job)
|
|
32
|
Master Edward by name? (5)
|
LEAR (reference Edward LEAR [1812 – 1888] English poet) + N (name)
|
LEARN (master)
|
|
33
|
Canter nag, mounted (5)
|
TIT (nag) + UP (mounted)
|
TITUP (canter)
|
| 34 | Yellow press, unbridled and scatheless, scents lead and has broadcast (13, 2 words) |
Anagram of (unbridled) AND SCATHELESS Also anagram of (broadcast) SCENTS LEAD and HAS |
SCANDAL SHEETS (newspapers with a reputation for publishing SCANDAL or gossip) Yellow press is defined as ‘newspapers abounding in exaggerated, sensational articles’)
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
E.g. Hamilton, with special gown, cap, etc (11)
|
ACADEMICAL (reference the Scottish Football Club Hamilton ACADEMICAL [note the singular] The Club will play in the Scottish Premier League in season 2014/ 15) + S (special)
|
ACADEMICALS (formal university dress, caps gowns etc)
|
|
2
|
Llama’s head has me round? Well, possibly (4)
|
L (first letter of [head] LLAMA) + AZ (Azed; me) + O (round shape)
|
LAZO (lasso – may be used for herding llamas)
|
|
3
|
Morse, say, writing about crooked don (8)
|
PROSE (writing) containing (about) (an anagram of [crooked] DON) PRO (ODN*) SE or PR (ODN*) OSE |
PRODNOSE (detective, e.g. Inspector Morse)
|
|
4
|
Back block (6)
|
HINDER (last; back)
|
HINDER be an obstacle; block) double definition |
|
5
|
Stewart’s motor maybe requiring some elbow-room (4)
|
BOWR (hidden word in some] ELBOW-ROOM)
|
BOWR (Spenserian word for muscle; motor can also be defined as muscle) I am not sure where Stewart fits into this clue, as the poet is Edmund Spenser.
|
|
6
|
River beside state capital (7)
|
TRENT (reference River TRENT) + ON (beside)
|
TRENTON (reference TRENTON, State Capital of New Jersey)
|
|
7
|
Motor race creating row, quiet banished from the start (4)
|
SHINDY (row) excluding (banished) the first two letters (start) SH (quiet!)
|
INDY (reference Indianapolis 500 motor race)
|
|
8
|
The old pretend being sensitive about acting (5)
|
FINE (sensitive) containing (about) A (acting) F (A) INE |
FAINE (Spenserian [old] word for ‘to make a pretence of’)
|
|
9
|
Prize badge like this is held up in contest (6)
|
(SO [like this] reversed [up; down clue]) contained in (held … in) RACE (contest) R (OS)< ACE |
ROSACE (rosette; prize badge)
|
|
10
|
Supply craft most deployed when bagging plunder in Scotland (11)
|
Anagram of (deployed) MOST containing (bagging) HERSHIP (Scottish word for plunder) MOT (HERSHIP) S* |
MOTHERSHIPS (supply craft)
|
|
12
|
College sportsmen (selection deferred) managed thirds in residence (9)
|
Anagram of [managed] THIRDS contained in (in) RES (residence) RE (DSHIRT*) S |
REDSHIRTS (in American collegiate sport, players who are not selected for a representative team for one year in order to prolong their period of eligibility)
|
|
16
|
Insect item (not head), turned up proboscis-like (8)
|
ANT (insect) + ([DETAIL {item} excluding {not} the first letter {head} D] reversed [turned up; down clue]) ANT LIATE< |
ANTLIATE (like the suctorial proboscis of insects of the Lepidoptera order) |
|
18
|
Had a nip after fiddling with water fleas (7)
|
Anagram of (fiddling) HAD A NIP
|
DAPHNIA (a genus of water flea)
|
|
21
|
Somebody seizing odds on colt, as a gamble (6, 2 words)
|
(ONE [somebody] containing [seizing] SP [starting price; odds]) + C (colt) ON (SP) E C |
ON SPEC (as a gamble)
|
|
23
|
Famous orphan after special bit of beachwear in Largs? (6)
|
S (special) + ANNIE (reference Little Orphan ANNIE, an American comic strip)
|
SANNIE (Scottish word for sandshoe – beachwear in Largs [Scottish seaside town])
|
|
25
|
Letter penned by author (Norse) (5)
|
THORN (hidden word in [penned] AUTHOR NORSE)
|
THORN (the Old English and Old Norse letter p)
|
| 27 | Nightingale (so-called) in Tilia tree, first to fly off in dark (4) |
LIND (lime or linden tree; tilia is similarly defined) BLIND (dark) excluding (fly off) the first letter (first) B |
LIND (reference Jenny LIND [1820 -1887], Swedish opera singer known as the Swedish nightingale) |
| 29 |
Hacks: ten staggered away from what dailies serve up? (4)
|
THE NEWS (what dailies serve up) excluding (away) an anagram of (staggered) TEN
|
HEWS (hacks)
|
|
30
|
Black spot? One of two in smash belly up (4)
|
S (there are two occurrences of the letter S in SMASH, we are asked to take one of them) + (TUM [belly] reversed [up; down clue]) S MUT< |
SMUT (black spot)
|
Found it tough, but completed it in small increments ( the marginal gains of Sir Dave Brailsford come to mind).
Unless I can find an Observer in this part of France, will have to skip azed 2200. I have to solve on paper.
Thanks Azed and Duncan.
29dn: I read this slightly differently, taking “staggered” as merely indicating that the letters TEN were not consecutive letters of THE NEWS, but there is no need for an anagram if you take it as [T]H[E N]EWS.