Azed 2274

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A gentle start to the Azed year: I don’t time myself, but I think I finished this (apart from checking a couple of stragglers in Chambers) in less than half an hour. As always, identifying the fine details of the parsing took rather longer. Thanks to Azed, and Happy New Year to all Azedians.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
1. WRITER’S CRAMP Term linked to endless scrawl, and RIP possibly? It’s not so terminal! (12, 2 words, apostrophe)
Anagram of TERM SCRAW[L] RIP, with a kind of extended definition
10. HAIRCUT E.g. fringe publish campaign’s opener in shed (7)
AIR + C[ampaign] in HUT
11. HYPOS Syringes creating nervy attitude, we hear? (5)
Homophone of “high pose”
12. I CHING System to aid future planning? Irritation when time is lost (6, 2 words)
ITCHING less T
14. RADE Pa quitting procession travelled up north (4)
[PA]RADE – “rade” is a Scottish or Northern variant of “rode”
16. GRIP Ditch job in Oz, good split (4)
G + RIP, with two definitions, both a bit obscure: a small ditch, and an Australian word for a job
17. KENTLEDGE Anchor securing net at sea with line as ballast (9)
NET* + L in KEDGE (anchor)
18. YAGGER A grey gee transported Scottish pedlar (6)
(A GREY G)*
20. SEDUCE Allure and experience surrounding Wellington, according to Boney? (6)
DUC (French for Duke) in SEE
21. FEMORA Bones: look for them buried in Roman marketplaces (6)
‘EM in FORA
24. SCAZON Metrical form, hybrid, having to conform to its rules outwardly? (6)
ZO (the famous and cruciverbially useful hybrid cattle) in SCAN (to follow prosodic rules). A Scazon is also known as a choliamb, whose definition will test your knowledge of poetical terminology: “a variety of iambic trimeter having a spondee for an imabus at the sixth foot”. The names come from the Greek for “limping” or “lame”.
*26. SIMPATICO Congenial (9)
The competition word
28. ICON Magic one conceals this sprite maybe (4)
Hidden in magIC ONe, the definition relating to computer animation
30. NAIN Scots own highland region whence river emerges (4)
NAIRN less R
31. CHAINÉ Polished ——? May be seen in Daphnis and Chloe, i.e. spinning (6)
Composite anagram – (DAPHNIS CHLOE IE)* = POLISHED CHAINE – &lit, because chainé is a ballet term, and D&C is a ballet (by Ravel)
32. KNELT Herd drunk? Not I. I deferred maybe (5)
KINE LIT less I twice
33. TEXT-MEN Adherents of the Good Book garbled extent, introducing mass (7)
M in EXTENT*
34. YADA YADA YADA Tiresome chat recalling one period over and over again (12, 3 words)
Reverse of A DAY, three times
Down
1. WHISKY-FRISKY Maybe Scotch day shortened, weather fickle? (12)
WHISKY (Scotch, maybe) + FRI[day] + SKY (weather)
2. RACHE E.g. old bloodhound, hot in pursuit? (5)
H in RACE
3. TRIO Small group, a real laugh with last going to No. 1 (4)
RIOT (as in “he’s a riot”) with the T moved to the front
4. RUGGER King off the fizz, King retaining energy for sport (6)
E in KRUG (champagne) less K + K
5. STRADS Fine instruments? Composer must have died for us (6)
STRAUSS (take your pick from several composers) with D replacing US
6. CHARGE-CAP Fix upper limit on e.g. car modelled with bloke around (9)
(EG CAR)* in CHAP
7. APERÇU Glimpse person collared by a copper (6)
PER in A CU
8. MORISCO Arabesque is caught in dancing room (7)
IS C in ROOM*
9. PSI PHENOMENA All women getting happiest (mostly) when excited about features of parapsychology (12, 2 words)
NO MEN (i.e. all women) in HAPPIES[T]*
13. HANG Knack, one which anglers have at heart (4)
Hidden in whicH ANGlers – hang=knack as in “get the hang of..”
15. CLERICITY What ministers show: latitude, fine in business centre (9)
L + ERIC (an old blood-fine in Ireland) in CITY
19. AESCHNA Some dragonflies chase flies – name one (7)
CHASE* + N A
22. MOONED Individual in Highland festival with lunar decoration? (6)
ONE in MOD (a kind of Highland festival)
23. AMENTA Chaps in ’eadgear, one displaying tufty parts (6)
MEN in [H]AT + A, plural of “amentum”, a catkin
24. SPICED One colt has raced round, given a kick? (6)
I C in SPED
25. ZITI On quitting Jerusalem, Italian consumed pasta (4)
IT in ZI[ON]
27. CONED Give way, almost, on cutting in, indicating diversion? (5)
ON in CED[E]. I found it mildly interesting that the wordplay in this clue and the previous one involves ON, given literally in the clue both times
29. MATY Starts to mature after teenage years – too familiar? (4)
Initial letters of Mature After Teenage Years

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