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12. Island record producers hope to achieve
this with backing IONA
(a no. I, rev.) A
reference perhaps to the legendary Island Records label.
The clue is no worse for the slightly indirect indication of the reversed letters
– in fact it creates a nice penny-drop. The logic is the same as that by which
MI = M1 = motorway has been used in clues pretty
much ever since the road opened.
16. Stallion, as once, learning to take
exercise initially LORETTE (lore + t, t,
e) The definition makes use
of the much more interesting stallion2, meaning a courtesan, and
derived from stale3, a decoy, possibly in the form of a prostitute
used as a honey-trap. The temptation for the solver is to look for something to
add an E to – a deliberate red herring from the look of
it.
18. Solicitor making millions, gripped by disgust PIMP (m in
pip) A
suitable companion clue to 16 across, and also perhaps to competition clues
seeking to exploit the Bar + gain charade.
20. Woggle, might one suppose? It’s creating a row TIERING (i.e. tie
ring) Dr
Watson would argue, for all the neatness of the clue, that Scouts’ woggles hold
neckerchiefs in place and not ties.
22. Unable to play in key series
, i.e. put out breaking record CUP-TIED (anag. in
CD) The
addition of ‘key’ to the definition cleverly creates the misleading context.
27. Crown jewel maybe consisting of less than
half a precious stone
INDIA (in dia(mond)) A reference of course to the former ‘Jewel in
the Crown’ of the British Empire.
28. Money on eBay squandered, perhaps MAYBE (M + anag.)
The opportunity to hide a definition in plain sight is not squandered.
2. Foreign duck, name applied to foreign
goose leaving California NADA ((Ca)nada) A duck only in the sense of nothing.
4. Like clean sheets, classically, as penned
by artist, English RASAE
(as in RA E) The
solution (a Latin adjective) can be found in Chambers under tabula, where ‘tablulae
rasae’ is the plural of ‘tabula rasa’.
7. Element lacking any surrounding for misanthrope TIMON ((an)timon(y)) It’s unusual for Azed
to use ‘element’ as a definition, since it leaves the solver over a hundred to
choose from. In this case the rest of the clue leads readily to the solution, referring
to Shakespeare’s eponymous
character, who takes a journey that is the reverse of Scrooge’s.
9. It has no place in adulthood, changing
since one ages CAENOGENESIS
(anag.) Azed finds the perfect anagram for the rather
specialised definition.
25. Cat, black, on top of tree
BOAK (B oak) Regular solvers will be
well aware of the favourite alternative meaning of ‘cat, viz. ‘to vomit’.
29. Club ungraciously accepts such a tip BUNG (hidden) There’s surely an & lit. opportunity here with ‘ungloriously’
or similar?
Other solutions:
Across: 1. ANDROCENTRIC (anag.); 10. PARADOS (do in
Paras); 13. SCARMOGE
(c arm in anag.); 14. PAPAW (pa in
paw); 15. CODON
(co(r)don); 23.
NONG (hidden); 25.
BARGAIN; 30. CONTRAIR
(art, rev., in anag. + R); 31. ASTI (comp. anag.
& lit.); 32.
KARENNI (are n. in ink, rev.); 33. LEADS AND LAGS (anag.).
Down: 1. APOPLECTICAL (pop in
ale + anag.); 3. DROP-RIPE (Dr + anag.
inc. O); 5. COCOTTE (cot in cote); 6. NARCEEN (C in nare + en); 8. INGOING (O in ing,
ing; reveal2); 11. SANE (san + E); 17. HINAYANA (I nay in Han a); 18. PUG NOSE (E
song up, rev.); 19.
PITARAS (pita ras); 21. IDALIAN (Ida + lian(a)); 24. NITID (nit + ID); 26. GAVEL (gave L).