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1. Retroussé noses in funny panto
mask a lost party game. POSTMAN’S KNOCK (conks (rev.) in anag.
less a) Let us begin with a fun and
easy clue to solve. Those who might ‘sniff’ at ‘retroussé’
(q.v.) being used to indicate reversal in an across clue will have failed to notice Azed’s
gentle tease. The phrase ‘noses out of joint’ comes to mind.
13. Spicy
sandwich? Beginning one gets parts wrong way round. ROTI (Ti/ro, parts
rev.) Much simpler than Dr Watson at
first thought, ‘beginning one’, meaning a novice (TIRO), is key to the correct reading of this clue. His first
attempt involved OR3 and IT, i.e. ‘before it’, with each half
separately reversed, so literally getting his ‘parts wrong way round’.
16. What’ll
follow porridge of grey lumps (serving of regulars)? FRY-UP (alternate (even?) letters) Chambers is not at all helpful in confirming
the equivalence, intuitively understood, of ‘even’ and ‘regular’, although that
precise interpretation is not strictly necessary, since, at all events, the
required letters appear at regular intervals.
18. Telling
of wandering days one’s at sea. ODYSSEAN (anag. &
lit.) At the entry for ‘Odyssey’, after a description
of Homer’s epic, Chambers adds the definition: ‘(also without cap) a long wandering, or a tale of
wandering.’ Compilers of dictionaries and crosswords may have their poetic
moments, too.
20. Choice
of (short) times in lower baseball leagues.
MINORS (i.e. min(utes)
or s(econds)) New solvers may find clues such as this
somewhat perplexing. Their correct parsing
– and hence their true understanding – is found, not in the clues
themselves, but in their solutions. This begs the question ‘How is it possible
to solve them without cross-checking letters in place?’ For his part Dr Watson
would not be without them as they bring refreshing variety and delight. Moreover,
they do not appear too often, although in this
puzzle, 25 down (ALARM) requires a similar approach . At
all events they may be solved readily towards the end of completing a puzzle. Solvers
should be aware of this possibility, particularly in the case of seemingly
impossible clues.
31. Copy
old Trueman’s
bowling. TRANSUME (anag.) Those
who query the use of ‘bowling’ to indicate an anagram should consider the use
of the verb in the sense of disturbing a batsman’s wicket so as to dismiss him,
and, particularly, as in those glorious instances when all the stumps are
indecorously splayed. Perhaps, even then, one remains unconvinced.
32. Starting-point
for crusade Britain’s not on? ALBI (Albi(on)) This clue refers to the Albigensian
Crusade ordered by Pope
Innocent III against the heretical Cathars in
1208. Dr Watson leaves the questions whether Albi was
the starting-point, or whether Britain was involved in it, to those prepared to
browse the links shown.
33. A
musical monk’s song, new, about English greens.
ARETINIAN (E
+ tin, all in aria + n) The
apostrophe is used here to indicate that an adjective is sought which means ‘of,
or relating to’ (in this case) ‘a musical monk’, Guido of Arezzo,
otherwise known as Aretinus. ‘Tin’ and ‘greens’
(green-backs) are informal terms for ‘money’.
DOWN
1. Fabric
from Australia arrived, one with rough surface packed by aide. PARRAMATTA (arr. + a + matt, all in PA) This cloth was first made at Parramatta in New
South Wales by female convicts and used for prisoners’ and soldiers’ clothing,
etc. Rough, indeed.
3. Bit
of old gold I had, pocketed by devious Romeo.
MOIDORE (I’d in anag.) Our solution means literally ‘money of gold’,
and is a former gold coin from Portugal.
4. A
love note penned in indisposition – it makes one blue. ANIL (2 subsidiaries: a + nil; n in ail) Offerings from Azed formed
as two or more definitions together with a cryptic indication appear from time
to time. Much rarer are clues like this having two subsidiaries (cryptic parts) and a definition. Invariably one
finds, as here, that the device adds to the solver’s pleasure when
contemplating the whole. A brilliant and very sweet clue.
7. This
gunpowder component a lamp lit might have accounted for Parliament. NITRE (compound anagram) The
allusion in this clue is to The Gunpowder Plot. The
solution, when added to ‘a lamp’, then ‘lit’ (the word indicating the anagram),
may be found to form ‘Parliament’. Some American solvers may have erred at this
clue by entering NITER, the US spelling, which, if so, is regrettable, and
perhaps an oversight on Azed’s part.
8. Year
in foreign capital (not the first) reading up language. ORIYA (y in (C)airo (rev.)) A clue with a very apt surface reading,
perhaps evoking fond memories for many solvers. The reversal indicator for a
down clue is subtly integrated, a nice feature. Our solution is the language of
Orissa.
9. One
in pursuit formerly lost fortune.
CHAUNCE (un in chace)
Dr Watson found this clue the least
convincing, especially in its surface reading. It is otherwise notable for two
indicators for an old word placed together, ‘formerly’ referring back to ‘pursuit’
(CHACE), and ‘lost’ qualifying ‘fortune’ (CHAUNCE).
17. Old
military hat carried round in charge. BICORNE (i/c
in borne) The fun for solvers in
this clue is to be found in choosing whether to untangle ‘round’ from ‘carried’
or else ‘in’ from ‘charge’. Eventually the former approach is found to be more
appropriate, ‘round’ being the placement indicator, although wearing a bicorne is definitely the mark of a soldier in charge. A
near & lit, perhaps the nearest of several near misses in this puzzle.
23. Dog
tailing mine-worker. COLLIE (collie(r)) Even charming and witty clues such as this one may
have a ‘sting in its tail’. Dr Watson has a great fondness for collies. The
thought that any might have its tail docked appals him.
25. It
summoned men to fight, marine-style? ALARM (i.e. à la RM(Royal
Marines)) This is the second of two
clues (with 20 Across, MINORS) in which the solution is needed before its parsing can be found. Dr
Watson’s comments there apply here also.
26. Short time in opposition? It was worthwhile. TANTI (t + anti) Our solution is an old term meaning ‘worthwhile’ and derived from Latin. That root survives in the Italian word, with various meanings including ‘so much’. It seems an appropriate point on which to finish and one might well say ‘So much for that, It. was great while it lasted’.
Other solutions:
Across: 10. AMAZONITE (am + a + it in
zone) 14. INERTIAL (anag.) 15. ROUND (2 defs. of
round1) 21. STUCCO (O + c-cuts
(all rev.)) 24. CATENATE (The
competition word) 27.
TOLAR (a lot (all rev.) + R)
30 ALLIS (hidden, s.v. allice) 34. DEMICARACTÈRE (anag. less a).
Down:
2. SATURN (sat + urn; ref. alchemy) 5. NINNYHAMMER (inn in NY + hammer) 6. STEY (e in sty3) 11. ZINCO (hidden) 12. ALPHONSINE (anag.) 19. STEARIC (anag.
+ ric(h);
s.v stear-) 22. UHLAN (h + la2, all in un) 28. DURA (dura(men); s.v. durra) 29. ZETA (i.e. at Ez(ra) (rev.)).
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