As usual with an Azed, I came across some words I had not met before, though all could be readily determined from the wordplay and a little help from Chambers. It took me a short while to see the definition in 10d as we only covered Henry IV Part 1 at school but fortunately the ‘fellow cast member’ made it perfectly clear as to what I was looking for. I still don’t see why ‘omo was used in this clue rather than homo, assuming I have parsed it correctly and that “not ‘omo” is supposed to indicate extraterrestrial. Edit: Richard’s comment #2 has reminded me of how I parsed the clue last Sunday (I would have made notes if I had known I was going to write the blog today). Thanks Richard.
Across
1 CONSOCIES SO (very) C (constant) in CONIES (rabbits)
11 SOUT S (section) OUT (dismissed)
12 CONSPIRE [f]O[e] in *(PINCERS)
13 STROBIC BORT (rough diamond) reversed in SIC (so)
14 BINCA *(a scarf v binca) = canvas fabric
16 STENTOUR STEN (bound in Scotland) TOUR (do the rounds)
17 A DEMI *(MEDIA) &lit – reference to Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President
18 ATLAS AT LAS[t] (finally curtailed)
19 PROTOSTELE *(SETTER POOL) – clued=clewed=fixed up
21 TRANSFEREE RAN (managed) in *(SET FREE)
24 ETHOS THOSE (that plurally) with the E moved to the front
25 CHODE CH (child) ODE (vocal verses)
28 MAROQUIN O (love) in MARQU[e] (brand endlessly) IN (fashionable)
29 OKAPI hidden in ‘bOK A PIty’
30 STRUMAE STRU (homophone of ‘strew’, rarely spread) MAE (West)
31 NEVELLED DELL (glen) EVEN (fair) reversed
32 SEKT K[edgeree] in SET (put on eggs)
33 RE-ENTERED *(TREE) in REED (grass)
Down
2 OOTID DIT (named) OO (ducks) reversed
3 NURSE NURS (knots) [lin]E
4 STORM TROOPER ROTS (jokes) reversed *(MOTOR) PER (for each)
5 COITUS CO (officer commanding) IT US (American)
6 INCEST INSECT (bug) with c changed to S S and C interchanged Edit: thanks Matthew. see comment #8
7 SPITTLEHOUSE *(IT HELPS TO SUE)
8 PINOLE NO (not) in PILE (large amount)
9 ARCUATE CU (copper) in A RATE (a standard)
10 TEARSHEET TEARS (quickly goes) HE (man) [h]ET (not ‘omo) – Doll Tearsheet (a prostitute and Falstaff’s mistress) and Mistress Quickly are both characters in Henry IV Part 2 Edit: ET changed to [h]ET, see comment #2
15 MAPPEMOND M (millions) MO (more) in APPEND (add)
20 RETAKEN E (East) in *(TANKER)
21 THRAVE TH[e] (no end of pleasure in the) RAVE (hoe-down)
22 NOUSLE hidden in ‘libidiNOUS LEchers’
23 SEITEN IT in SEEN (recognised)
26 ORMER [f]ORMER (past appearing topless)
27 DRAKE dd
Thanks for the blog Sir,
Is this puzzle above difficulty on AZED’s usual? It felt like a different setter…..
I found this puzzle extremely difficult. I only managed half a dozen clues (with help) !
I couldn’t work out these clues fully, not enough to enter them anyway.
So thanks for the explanations, my mind is now at ease.
In 10 D “not ’omo” is “’et” – Chambers gives het = heterosexual. I got the wordplay but thanks for explaining the definition. I had never heard of this minor Shakespearean character. I finished most of the puzzle on holiday without Chambers but had to wait until I got home to finish the top-right corner.
Thanks Gaufrid, I share your puzzlement re ‘omo, although I’m sure it made sense last week. A better definition would have been the printing version but would have ruined a too clever clue.
Jake, yes, more difficult than usual IMHO. The Guardian site http://www.guardian.co.uk/crossword/ has a few years worth of Azeds to practice with. Today’s is well worth a go (in pencil) and shows the occasional naughty side of Azed.
14 is, of course, a composite anagram, a bit of an Azed speciality.
Richard
Thanks for reminding me about 10d. That was how I parsed it last Sunday but a lot has happened since then and when I came to write a blog today, at short notice, I completely forgot ‘het’.
I found it a toughie. I really liked 10 dn. Had to wait for blog for 15 dn.
Drat! Put Soot instead of Sout
I thought 7dn was made much easier by last week’s 17ac.
Surely the wordplay for 6dn is INSECT with S and C exchanged.
Matthew
You are perfectly correct re 6d. Again it is a case of the time delay between solving and blogging (too much alcohol, and too many other puzzles, between the two events).
Thanks to Gaufrid for blogging this at short notice – I’d forgotten that I was down for blogging both the Mephisto and Azed from last week, and he offered to help out with the Azed. (Posted while doing my best not to read anything else so that I can complete my solution unaided.)