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HERE’S much to enjoy in Azed’s clue-writing for this puzzle, especially in the
downs. He seems to have been enjoying a purple patch for several weeks, not
only with the recent ‘anagrams’ grid, but also with witty wordplay and
unexpected references, such as Len and Cyril at 23 across and Sigmund at 8
down, and with some very appealing surfaces like the one at 7 down. Long may it
continue. Competitors have their own chance to demonstrate clue-writing flair
with a rather daunting competition word..
11. Steepish turns? Partly – this helps with road-holding SIPE (hidden
rev.).
A nicely hidden solution with nicely disguised wordplay. A sipe is a groove in a tyre that helps expel water.
12. Love
following e.g. Queen around – star group
DRACO (card, rev. + 0) Draco is the
dragon constellation seen around the North Pole.
23. Cyril’s partner
often succeeded, making contact? LENS
(Len + s). Any solver lacking a long cricketing memory
or knowledge will have needed to Google this one. The more famous Sir Len Hutton made many
opening partnerships for England with Lancashire’s Cyril Washbrook
in the 1940s. The definition refers to a contact lens.
27. River with
‘pain’ applied about it
ACHERON (R in ache on, & lit.). Acheron in Greek mythology was
one of the five rivers of Hades, known as the ‘river of woe’. Azed crafts a decent & lit. clue from it.
32. Scots down:
no score, and English accordingly making comeback OOSE (0 + E so, rev.). Down here means
feathers. The part-reversed charade, though short, is a challenge to piece
together.
1. Two-master,
British/American ship
BUSS (B US S). ‘Ship’ is more commonly SS in crosswords, so
solvers might have looked for a solution in BASS before the correct
interpretation came to light.
2. Found
everywhere UBIQUARIAN. The
competition word looks a bit of a nightmare at first sight. Solvers who found
the first two or three letters and confidently entered UBIQUITOUS will have
regretted their haste. It appears there was an 18c Order of Ubiquarians,
similar to Freemasons, who based their constitution on
ancient Roman government, and styled their leader the Dictator.
5. A glitch,
this, one’s lot in life
HICCUP (hic2 cup). Dr Watson’s joint favourite clue of the
puzzle, a clever charade from an unobvious definition of ‘cup’.
6. Fish
– a shop serves more than one, battered OPAH (anag.
less s). A definition to strike gloom into the solver,
but followed by some interesting wordplay. If ‘opahs’
and not ‘opah’ is the accepted plural
then ‘a shop’ provides the anagram material for more than one of them.
7. Warm crumbs
on one’s face CORDIAL
(cor! dial). Another beautiful surface makes this Dr
Watson’s other joint favourite.
8. Uptight, as
identified by first half of session on couch?
ANAL (anal(ysis)). This too is very
clever with its reference to Freud’s psychoanalysis and psychosexual stages.
22. Fellow over a
barrel? That’s what the world sees FACADE (F a cade). And the roll
continues with a fine definition.
26. China etc with
time assuming dominance in the Orient TEAS (t to start in East). The wordplay here
is difficult to see until you’ve solved it.
28. Head twice (at
least) catches a person absent after noon NABS (n + abs, 3 defs.) The extended
triple definition makes the wordplay that bit harder to pin down. ‘Nab’ is an
old slang term for the (anatomical) head, and a verb meaning catch. ‘Nabs’ is
also old slang for a person, related to e.g. ‘his Nibs’.
Other solutions:
Across: 1. BULLSHOT (bull shot); 7. CALP (C + alp); 10. ANTIPHONER (anag.); 14. SQUITCH (quit in Sch.); 17. STURNIDAE (nid
in anag.); 18.
CARB (car + b.); 20. STADIA (st + Aïda, rev.); 21. ORDURE (Rd in (p)oure(d)); 24. RIDGEBACK (anag.
less s); 29.
ANEAR (an + ear); 30. TOLA (a lot,
rev.); 31. TRANCED-OUT (anag. in tout); 33. CLERKESS (anag.).
Down: 3. LAP UP (pupal, rev.); 4. STUTTERED (utter in sted); 9. PROTEASE (rot in pease); 13. CHAIN BOLTS (bolt ‘in chains’); 15. ANTICHLOR (anag.); 16. SCORTADO (ord
in anag.); 19.
BUGGANE (ug in anag.); 25. WROTE (w + rote); 27. AXEL (X in lea, rev.).
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