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1. Again, host subtly exceeded / mutton
broth, cold, with warm round bit of polenta. OVERSHOT hotCHPOT
(over, anag. / c, p in hot) The
reader is drawn to the natural divide in the surface of this clue, between
praise for the host and the description of the fare. Adding some suitable
punctuation mark there would have been too much of a giveaway.
11. Fit to function after visit to theatre, a
rebel reread / church extract, fine following page. PERICope
OPERABLE (p, eric / op, anag; in reverse
order) All solvers will know the feeling.
14. Destination for junk star guided by height
/ the moon turned in about star. TRASHcan CANICULA (anag, h / Lucina (rev.) in ca)
Dr Watson has tried without success to find
any sensible meaning in the surface of this clue, although the reference to
‘height’ would appear to refer to the orbital distance of the ‘moon’ from the
‘star’, if that were possible. Some encouragement for competitors, perhaps.
16. Earliest stirring in workshops / to adjust
subject of painting for all to see shifting base? MODULate
ATELIERS (U for e in model / anag; in reverse order) ‘Earliest
stirring’ is best read as meaning ‘Those stirring earliest’. When this is done
the clue makes perfect sense as a request to others to attend to the
adjustments stated.
18. Forbidden meal interrupted by
whistle-blower – last, for sure. YESter TEREFA (yes /
ref in tea; in reverse order) A fine example of concision in a complex
clue. Azed has allowed solvers the luxury of the
dividing dash, here, at least
23. Commercial bush, petal trained by worker, /
reverse of ideal alongside border plant-forms in art. TEAPLANT antHEMIA (anag, ant / hem, A1
(rev.)) Our
references are to the teaplant and
anthemion.
29. Like e.g. Cameron once welcoming southern
European national, / perhaps warn one going after bit of ice creamier than the
rest. IVORIest ESTONIAN (i(ce),
vor, i / S in Etonian; in reverse
order) Watson doubts whether Mr Cameron could
slip into Buckinghamshire dialect as
readily as Edgar (of Gloucester) in King Lear IV.6.247, ref. vor (q.v.).
31. Overwhelmed ,
nursing damaged lung, I took food / making slow progress with date in fruit
basket. TRUDGing INGULFED (d in trug
/ anag. in I, fed; in reverse order) Snap
out of it! They weren’t so very difficult, solvers.
1. Work on volume once causing grief for eye
expert. OPTOMETRIST (op, tome, trist)
‘Once causing grief’ is the indication leading to the archaic
adjective ‘trist’. This type of clue involving a
series of elements is known as a charade.
8. Pick mercenary, but lacking old gun. HACK
(2 defs: hack1 & 2; hack(but))
Azed has chosen to double
up on cryptic indications here, perhaps trying to improve the clue’s surface. Take
your pick.
10. Wretchedly triste, Danaë
may appear so? TEAR-STAINED (anag. &lit) This clue jumps out at the solver as an
immediate way into the puzzle, an obvious anagram.
12. Tomboy exhibiting extremes of roguery.
RANDY (i.e. ‘r’ and ‘y’) The
first (and, perhaps, the more readily spotted) of two clues (with that for
RUINATE) in which the solution may be read as the device used to indicate it
cryptically.
13. Evidence of horse-doping? Objection leading
to end of licence. BUTE (but, e) From the British Horseracing Authority’s
website, it is stated under Dope
Testing: “With the exception of
racing in the USA, where many states permit the use of substances such as bute (painkiller) and lasix/salix (stops internal bleeding), all recognised racing
countries aim to run their sport completely drug free”.
17. By implication, a
true Shakespearean smash? RUINATE (i.e. ‘ru’ in
‘ate’) The second of
the two solutions which may be read as explaining the cryptic device employed. The
focus here is on the phrase: ‘a true’.
20. Rabbit from part of SE Asia that’s indulged
in. TAPETI (pet in Tai) This clue
exploits the ambiguity of the apostrophe, so meaning ‘... from part ... that has ‘indulged’ in (it)’. The adjectival
‘Tai’ is obtained from ‘from part of SE Asia’.
24. Anything tiny, of matter principally. ATOM
(initial letters, &lit)
Everything
one needs to know about an atom in five words, up to a point.
28. Cross male, Unionist sketch writer sent up.
ZOBU (U, Boz, all rev; s.v.
zho) Zho
– every crossword solver’s favourite ‘cross’ word − rounding off a very
enjoyable puzzle, not forgetting Boz,
too.
Other solutions:
Across: 30.
SEMANTRA, TRABEATE (The Competition overlap)
Down: 2. VERBOSE (bo(ok) in
verse) 3. RISQUE (Qu in rise; s.v. risk) 4. SCHI (inits.) 5. HOCK ((s)hock) 6.
TENDER (hidden) 7.
CRIBLÉ (crib, le) 9. OLLA (’Allo, (’Allo) rev.)) 15. ATTENDS
(TT, (win)e, all in ‘and S’) 19. SLUING (‘in’ in slug)
21. FENNEL (n,n in feel) 22.
AMNIA (mania, with 1st 2 letters switched) 25. AVER (aver(age))
26. GRAD (darg (rev.)) 27. STAG (’t in sag; s.v. saag).