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11. Slight speech defect SLUR (2 mngs) It’s pleasure to see
two different meanings (albeit from the same headword) combined quite so
deftly.
13. Precautionary parade getting back up STAND-TO (stand +
to)
The definition ‘precautionary parade’ is straight from Chambers. Azed
selects less obvious meanings of ‘stand’ and ‘to’ to create the charade.
14. Pope, maybe? If I can’t he may modify pontificate POET
(comp anag.) It’s a word that Azed
has clued many times over the years, so the allure of a comp. anag. to create something new is
understandable. ‘He’ in the wordplay stands for the solution – women poets are
also available of course, though a female pope is more of a
rarity.
21. A doctor taking time in circumlocution AMBAGE (a MB age) The solution is
interesting mainly for appearing under the headword for its plural ‘ambages’ in Chambers…
30. Recipe with offal – shows one’s
hungry! RUMBLES (r + umbles) … is and followed shortly by a clue
involving another plural headword ‘umbles’. There
doesn’t appear to be a singular form ‘umble’ except
in compounds like ‘umble-pie’, which elicited some
tortuous clues when Ximenes set it as a competition word in 1949.
4. One embraced by muscular Christianity THE
WAY (a in thewy) Very neat wordplay and vivid surface make
this Dr Watson’s favourite clue of the puzzle.
6. A lough that’s e.g. pine-fringed? Roses
are famous here TRALEE
(a L in tree) A
reference to the 19c ballad ‘The Rose of Tralee’, which gave rise more recently
to the annual Rose
of Tralee Festival.
20. Final, with captain miffed NETTLED (nett + led) ‘With captain’ provides
‘led’ to the charade, so there are no wasted joining words in this short clue.
22. Battalion includes regiment going aboard in
seaport BREMEN
(REME in Bn) Dr
Watson struggled a bit with the wordplay and definition here. If ‘going aboard’
is not part of the definition of REME
(and there’s no apparent reason why it should be), there appear to be two
contents indicators in the clue. Perhaps ‘includes … going aboard’ can be
counted as a single indicator, but it’s unusual if so. And Bremen the city is
surely some way inland from Bremerhaven, the North Sea port.
25. What’ll be needed to be got through, a
helping of Häagen-Dazs AGENDA (hidden) The improbably-named
ice cream seems to have a hidden agenda.
27. What’ll give a bird, clipped and trussed,
little latitude? BRAIL (anag. of a bir(d) +
l) ‘Truss’ used here in
the sense of ‘bundle up’.
Other solutions:
Across: 1. CAPSTAN TABLE (st
ant in capable); 10.
EARTHWORK (anag.); 13. TANIWHA (win, rev. in taha); 16. ANNEXURE
(Anne + ux, rev. + re); 17. DISHY (d + I shy); 19. DENTIN (hidden); 24. CRATE (comp. anag. & lit.); 26. SARPANCH (s + pan in arch); 28. PREX (p + rex;
see reak1);
29. DEAREST ((i)dea rest); 31.
ANIL (hidden); 32.
HEN-PAIDLE (anag.); 33. GANGSTERLAND.
Down: 1. CESTODA (hidden); 2. PRUNUS (r in
sun-up, rev.); 3.
STRIM ((ala)strim); 5. NOTANDA (no. tan DA); 7. BED OUT (ode in tub, all rev.); 8.
LATERITE (it for r in la terre); 9. EMOTE (E tome, rev.); 15. SIMARUBA (amis, rev. + rub + a); 18. PENDENT (end in pent); 23. GABLES (B in
gales); 24. CHADAR
(had in car); 26.
SPRUG (spru(n)g).