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6. Gap-filler
in (fleeting) fashion? Scotch preferred. FAURD (ur in
fad; s.v. fa’ard) The first of three Scottish words in this
puzzle indicated with invention, here gently disguising it in a surface about a
tipple of whisky, the first whiff of this puzzle’s boozy tone. The variant of ‘fa’ard’, meaning ‘favoured’, is fixed as our solution by
reference to ‘ur’ (q.v.).
11. Mull,
according to the locals? Some nonsense about loch.
BLUNK (L in bunk3; s.v. mull7)
This witty surface is obtained by the chance coincidence
of a definition (mull7) for ‘to bungle’ with the name of a famous
Scottish location, the Isle
of Mull. Thus Azed combines the functions of
defining our solution and of hinting that a Scottish word is needed.
12. Topers’ll get drunk thus? PRESTO (anag. & lit.) With some of that
Italian at Mistress Quickly’s, perhaps.
19. Platform’s
humourless face. PODIAL (po, dial) ‘Platform’s’
is the definition. See ‘podium’.
23. Chap
having to work with a head covering. MANTILLA (man, till3, a) The surface is taken as meaning that our chap is
obliged to work under close supervision. Whilst the solution is defined firstly
as ‘a small cloak’ in Chambers, it is better known as the headgear depicted here.
28. Early
Catholic hymn, half cut but with melody included. MARIAN (aria in (hy)mn) Even the hymns have been at the booze,
seemingly. A Marian was a Catholic supporter of Queen Mary Tudor.
29. Brendan’s
fellow was such a conventional type, without front. QUARE ((s)quare) A
reference to Brendan Behan’s
play: The Quare
Fellow. Notably, in the context of this puzzle, Behan was a legendary
drinker.
30. Vocalize
about about Group Four’s underwater activity. SKIN
DIVING (kind, IV, all in sing) Group Four was one of the security companies
now merged as G4S of happy
renown.
1. Junior
teacher, might one suppose? Somewhat restrained formerly SUBMISS (i.e. sub-miss) Our solution is listed as ‘archaic’ at the entry for
‘submit’.
3. Male
binding bird by way of thin cord. HOUSE-LINE (ousel,
in, all in he) ‘By way of’ may be found amongst
the many listed definitions of ‘in’.
5. Part
of shell structure - study feature primed with runny oil. CONCHIOLIN (con, anag. in chin) This clue
provided Dr Watson with an early long light in the grid. The likelihood that
‘study’ would indicate ‘con’ led directly to a word likely to be listed under
‘conch’.
7. Desert
dunes? There’s a sense of sad loss with soak absent. AREG (i.e. a reg(ret);
s.v. erg2 ) Azed
may be hinting here that the boozers are drying out - in the ‘downs’, at least.
8. Nothing
in arręt
moved court to apply to the past. RETROACT (0 in anag., ct) Azed has provided
an amusingly apt surface context here.
15. Lassie’s
to assume a married alias: Balm of Gilead? TAKAMAKA (tak,
a, m, aka) This clue contains the third of
the Scottish hints, albeit confined to the cryptic part of the clue. Azed makes use of the ambiguity of “ ’s
” to disguise our lassie’s function of indicating that a Scottish word (tak) meaning ‘to assume’ is needed. Solvers, including
Watson, may have struggled to verify Azed’s
definition: ‘Balm of Gilead?’ Our prime reference source defines TAKAMAKA (via Tacamahac) as ‘a gum resin yielded by several tropical
trees; the balsam poplar, or its resin’. The latter definition is defined in
turn as ‘an American species of Poplar’, not very helpful. Our tormentor may
have turned to Webster’s Dictionary to find this:
Balsam
Poplar: a North American poplar (Populus balsamifera) that is often cultivated as a shade tree and
has buds thickly coated with an aromatic resin —called also balm of Gilead, tacamahac.
20. Playing
e.g. L. Hoad he wouldn’t have a clue. LOG-HEAD) A reference to a tennis champion of yesteryear: Lew Hoad.
24. Chow
may end up in this batter. POUND (2 meanings) Our solution may mean batter
for frying and savoury puddings, etc, or else
(amongst others) a village lock-up for stray animals, including, possibly, her
ladyship’s pet chow, along with the odd drunk.
25. See
Women in Love for this alcoholic.
WINO (i.e. W in 0) The hair of the dog. A
reference to D. H.
Lawrence’s Women in Love, but
perhaps more aptly to the 1969 film version, starring, among others, the late Oliver Reed.
Other solutions:
Across:
1. SCHMOCK (Sch., mock) 10. OUT OF ORDER (The
Competition Phrase) 13. MASTIC (m, a, stic(k)) 16. SHOT-CLOG (anag. in sog)
17. SALT (odd letters) 21. SKIDOO (kid in so, o’) 22. SECO (hidden) 26. SCOTCH ((ma)scot,
ch., s.v. scotch1)
31. YABOO (0 in anag.) 32.
DEAD-END (den in dead)
Down: 2. COLA (col, a) 4. MUNTU
(hidden) 6. FORETOP (re., to, all in fop) 9. DROOG (r.o. in dog1) 12.
PROPULSIVE (anag.) 14.
CLIENTAGE (lien1, tag1, all in c, e) 18. POINADO (po., in,
ado) 23. MUMSY (anag. in my!)
27. CRAN (cran(age))