An Azed plain puzzle this week
I got a surprisingly long way through this before reaching for Chambers, so either I’m getting better or the clues were slightly easier this week or there were fewer obscure words in the wordplay this week. I suspect one or both of the latter two thoughts.
I got a foothold on the right hand side of the grid and then moved left.
As ever, Azed’s clues provide a lesson in writing smooth surfaces. I liked the HAAR and the trawlermen at 11 across and the use of the RSC at 13 across.
Having sad the clues were excellent, there is one I can’t parse and that’s the one 6 down leading to GOUT. I will be interested to learn how the wordplay works.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
What develops from spawn – twitching proleg? Scratch inside maybe (9)
|
WIG (reference scratch-WIG [a WIG that covers only part of the head.] contained in (inside) an anagram of (twitching) PROLEG POR (WIG) GLE* |
PORWIGGLE (tadpole; something that develops from frog spawn)
|
|
11
|
Bad news for trawlermen? Cheer when it recedes about one (4)
|
RAH (short form of hurrah; cheer) reversed (when it recedes) containing (about) A (one) HA (A) R< |
HAAR (raw sea mist; something that trawlermen consider to be bad news at it brings cold and poor visibility especially on the East Coast of Scotland)
|
|
12
|
Plentiful Scotch? Debauchee consumes this endlessly (7)
|
ROUÉ (debauchee) containing (consumes) THIS excluding the final letter (endlessly) S ROU (THI) E |
ROUTHIE (Scottish word for plentiful)
|
|
13
|
Riot at the RSC? Fury about rerun of Othello half cut (6)
|
RAGE (fury) containing (about) (MOOR [Othello was a MOOR] excluding OR [two of the four letters of {half cut} reversed [rerun]) R (OM)< AGE |
ROMAGE (Shakespearean word for tumult [riot], presumably a word well known to members of the Royal Shakespeare Company[RSC])
|
|
14
|
Dyestuff used in monarchic apparel (5)
|
CHICA (hidden word in [used in] MONARCHIC APPAREL)
|
CHICA (an orange-red dyestuff, used by S Americans as a stain for the skin, and obtained by boiling the leaves of bignoni)
|
|
16
|
Aerials not available in Nantes oddly (8)
|
NA [not available] contained in (in) an anagram of NANTES ANTEN (NA) S* |
ANTENNAS (aerials)
|
|
17
|
Is it turning out as old-style element? (5)
|
(NOT IN) (out) reversed (turning) (NI TON)< |
NITON (a former name for the chemical element radon; old-style element)
|
| 19 | Palace officer Hal got rid of calling for damages (5) |
MARSHAL (office in a royal household; palace officer) excluding (got rid of) HAL I assume that ‘calling for’ are link words as I can’t see how else they are used in the clue. |
MARS (damages) |
|
20
|
Rise above one in theatre company and mind about that (9)
|
TEND (care for; mind) containing (about) (AN [one] contained in [in] RSC [Royal Shakespeare Company ]) T (R (AN) SC) END |
TRANSCEND (rise above)
|
|
22
|
Host with banjo developed craft on US waterways (9, 2 words)
|
Anagram of (developed) HOST and BANJO JOHN BOATS* |
JOHN BOATS (In America [on US waterways], light flat-bottomed boats with square ends)
|
|
25
|
Grand title denotes a Manchu? Some (4)
|
SAMA (hidden word [some] in DENOTES A MANCHU)
|
SAMA (title given to an exalted or distinguished person in Japan)
|
|
27
|
Composition of blue square in oils (5)
|
Anagram of (composition) BLUE + S (square) LUBE* S |
LUBES (lubricants; oils)
|
|
28
|
Treatise to flog in outline (8)
|
TAT (flog) contained in (in) TRACE (outline) TRAC (TAT) E |
TRACTATE (treatise)
|
|
31
|
What a doctor hopes to effect backing herbs (5)
|
(A CURE) (what a doctor hopes to effect) all reversed (backing) (ERUC A)< |
ERUCA (genus of herbs of the family Cruciferae)
|
|
32
|
Hillary seen upset? Could be this that Bill didn’t do, slyer possibly! (6)
|
HILLARY SEEN is an anagram of (could be) SLYER and INHALE
|
INHALE (what Bill Clinton said he didn’t do that might have made Hillary upset if he had – this could be referring to one more incidents the life of the Clintons, choose the scenario you wish to believe)
|
|
33
|
Locust, something charming in swirling rain (7)
|
OBI (fetish or charm in West Indian witchcraft; something charming) contained in (in) an anagram of (swirling) RAIN R (OBI) NIA* |
ROBINIA (any plant of the locust or false acacia genus)
|
|
34
|
Face-to-face, virago polishing off dram (4)
|
DRAGON (fierce or intimidating woman; virago) excluding (polishing off) DR (dram)
|
AGON (in ancient Greece, a conflict between two protagonists; in confrontation; face-to-face)
|
|
35
|
Statesmen messed up form of assessment (9, 2 words)
|
Anagram of (messed up) STATESMEN MEANS TEST* |
MEANS TEST (form of assessment of resources)
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Place to contemplate story H Pinter contrived (12)
|
Anagram of (contrived) STORY H PINTER PHRONTISTERY* |
PHRONTISTERY (thinking-place)
|
|
2
|
Scots at full speed take east road out of capital (7)
|
R (recipe [latin]; take) + AMSTERDAM (capital of The Netherlands) excluding (take out) (E [east] + RD [road])
|
RAMSTAM (Scottish word for headlong; Scots at full speed)
|
|
3
|
Women grab a snack (4)
|
W (women) + RAP (grab [4th meaning in Chambers])
|
WRAP (snack popular in sandwich bars and on supermarket chilled shelves)
|
|
4
|
Which Scottish bulbs appear in spring? Answer: ___
|
INGANS (hidden word in [appear in] SPRING ANSWER)
|
INGANS (Scottish word for onions; Scottish bulbs)
|
|
5
|
Measure introduced, abnormal charge for wine (8)
|
EN (printer’s measure) contained in (introduced) an anagram of (abnormal) CHARGE GR (EN) ACHE* |
GRENACHE (full-bodied red wine produced from a grape of the same name)
|
|
6
|
Made for the open? Bar inside to taste (4)
|
I can’t see the wordplay here – sorry!
|
GOUT (taste)
|
|
7
|
Fodder: 50 head of cattle devouring universal old make? (6)
|
(L [Roman numeral for 50] + C [first letter of {head of} CATTLE] containing [devouring] U [universal [film certificate]]) + ERN (old spelling of [old] EARN [make]) L (U) C ERN |
LUCERN (plant resembling clover providing fodder for cattle)
|
|
8
|
Bit of a jaw with a mate (5)
|
CHIN (front of the lower jaw) + A
|
CHINA (mate, from CHINA plate [Cockney rhyming slang])
|
|
9
|
Bad habits a wretch introduced in parish offices (9)
|
(A + RAT [wretch]) contained in (introduced) VICES (bad habits) VIC (A RAT) ES |
VICARATES (parish offices)
|
|
10
|
Fresh calculation about Roman coins granted, millions included (12)
|
RE (about) + ASSES (Roman copper coins) + (M [millions] contained in [included] SENT [granted]) RE ASSES S (M) ENT |
REASSESSMENT (fresh calculation)
|
|
15
|
Incendiary missile creating heat in litter (9)
|
IRE (anger; heat) contained in (in) FARROW (litter) F (IRE) ARROW |
FIREARROW (incendiary missile)
|
|
18
|
Polo, e.g., an event broadcast I’ll enter (8)
|
I contained in (enter) an anagram of (broadcast) AN EVENT VENET (I) AN* |
VENETIAN (reference VENETIAN explorer Marco POLO [1254 – 1324)]
|
|
21
|
Yarn in prison, what US bank-robbers’ll be after? (7)
|
ABB (properly, woof- or weft-yarn, but sometimes warp yarn) contained in (in) CAGE (prison) C (ABB) AGE |
CABBAGE (American slang for banknotes or paper money; something American bank=-robbers will be after)
|
|
23
|
Hydrocarbon – chemist gutted over one found in unit (6)
|
(CT [first and last letters remaining after the word CHEMIST is gutted of all its internal letters HEMIS] + A [one]) contained in (found in) ONE (unit). As this is a down entry, CT is located over A O (CT A) NE |
OCTANE (an example of a hydrocarbon)
|
|
24
|
Goes left in dog-legs? (6)
|
L (left) contained in (in) BENDS (dog-legs) B (L) ENDS |
BLENDS (complements; goes with)
|
|
26
|
A bum, crazy with yen for bitter tipple (5)
|
Anagram of (crazy) A BUM + Y (yen) MAUB* Y |
MAUBY (drink made from the bitter-tasting bark of a Caribbean tree)
|
|
29
|
What’ll begin Alto Rhapsody is ‘Aber … ‘ melody
|
ARIA (first letters of [what’ll begin] each of ALTO RHAPSODY IS ABER)
|
ARIA (ar or melody)
|
|
30
|
Rebel receiving Henry’s pardon? (4)
|
WAT (reference WAT Tyler, leader of the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt; rebel) containing (receiving) H (Henry) W (H) AT |
WHAT (pardon)
|
6 d is GO[T O]UT. Made for the open = got out. Bar the TO inside.
Thanks for the log, Duncan. I agree that this was on the easy side by Azed standards.
I had a problem with AGON, which Chambers defines as a noun, meaning a fight or struggle. But “face-to-face” is clearly marked as an adjective. The wordplay was clear enough, of course.
32a
Wasn’t Bill Clinton asked if he had smoked pot?
Didn’t he say “Yes but I didn’t inhale”?
22a
Is John-boats hyphenated in Chambers 2014? (i.e. one word sensu Azed)
Norman @3: Johnboat is one word, but with a stress mark before the second syllable, which may have misled Azed into thinking it was two words.
Sidey @ 1
Thanks for that. I don’t think however I would put that clue in Azed’s Hall of Fame. I can see that ‘Got out’ and ‘Made for the open’ are describing something similar, but ‘Bar inside to’ to indicate the exclusion of ‘to’ seems a bit tortuous.
Bridgesong @ 2
I’m afraid I don’t look closely at parts of speech. I started off initially thinking of AGIN which I see is listed as a preposition which wouldn’t have been right either. I gave up on AGIN when I couldn’t make it fit the clue.
Face-to-face is also a noun according to the OED as in Thatcher had a face-to-face with Reagan. I’m slightly surprised it seems to be the only dictionary with the usage.