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7. Cure
(by the sound of it?) displaying devotional headgear. KIPPA (“kipper”) A reference to the Kippah,
the cap, also known as the yamulka, required to be
worn by Jewish men whilst at prayer. It is notable that Wikipedia’s article
advises browsers not to confuse the Kippah with a
kipper, as bizarre a circumstance as the surface of Azed’s
clue.
13. Article
about regime’s extremes did, when shortened, with added depth? THREE-D (r,e in the, ’d) This is one of the more complex of this
puzzle’s clues. It has a definition that looks more like part of the subsidiary
indication, and if one had the ‘d’ in place, ‘with
added depth’ would seem to be a reasonable indicator. The shortened ‘did’ is
worth a mention, indicating what is more familiar as a shortened ‘had’.
15. Stick
around thorny plant. WAIT-A-BIT (i.e ‘wait a bit’, s.v. wait1) Not
quite a clue based on two definitions or meanings, in the usual sense. Azed has chosen ‘8’ as the numeration, and not ‘8, 3 words’
(in his customary style), so our solution must be the South African thorny
plant.
17. One
side in legendary encounter hit out in circuits. LAPITHS (anag.
in laps) The reference for this transparent
clue is the wedding feast of Pirithous at which the oft-depicted Battle of
Centaurs and Lapiths took place.
22. Card
game for gamblers specifically addressed to holding queen? FARO (R in fao) If there is a link between
the rules of Faro
and the surface of this clue, Watson cannot find it. Azed
may have had Pushkin’s
short story The Queen of
Spades in mind.
23. Slimy
sediment: it appears alongside drive. SAPROPEL (SA, propel) A
return of ‘it’ as meaning ‘sex appeal’ in this quickly solved clue for an
unfamiliar word: SAPROPEL.
26. Clan
chiefs having decisive clout among Masai? Wrong. AMAKOSI (k.o. in anag.)
Our solution is the plural of Inkosi or Inkhosi, which is a
chief of a Zulu clan. The
whole clue is a true statement about such clan chiefs in that they have no
clout among Masai.
32. Cry,
‘O for a bit of peace in gaol!’ ORISON (‘o’ for ‘p’ in prison; s.v. cry) At the
entry for ‘cry’ one finds ‘prayer’ among the list of meanings as a noun.
33. Foundry
channel essential for casting a template. INGATE (hidden) Our
solution is the duct by which molten metal or other plastic material is poured
into a mould.
1. Good
throw that’s undone fine player - it influences development. GROWTH FACTOR (g, anag, f, actor) More
than a plain charade, with an anagram inserted, but also capable of more than
one surface reading. The sporting reference is obvious but other
interpretations seem possible.
3. Levelling material I refuse once stuffed
with force. INFILL (f in I, nill) The
main interest here is in the use of the word: nill,
or n’ill (q.v.). For the surface, one may imagine a bodger (does he mean blogger?) angrily packing substandard
material into a void.
8. Fury
over new symbol in opening of Greek liturgy. IRENICON (ire, n, icon; s.v. eirenicon) At
its entry for ‘eirenicon’ Chambers includes the
definition: ‘the deacon’s litany at the beginning of the Greek liturgy, from
its opening petitions for peace’.
10. Navigation
mark maybe forming part of paper chase. PERCH (hidden, s.v.
perch1) This solution refers to channel
marks in some small estuaries. They may be painted red or green for starboard-
and port-hand limits (of navigable water), or, in some remoter parts, left
completely bare. For the latter, visiting sailors have to rely on their
experience, especially at sharp bends and where channels converge.
11. A
girl brought round tart, note, for shepherd’s club. ADAM’S FLANNEL (flan, n,
all in ‘a damsel’) A clue, racily
linking two fanciful common names for mullein: ‘shepherd’s
club’ and our solution, ‘Adam’s Flannel’. Other names listed by Chambers at its
entry for ‘mullein’ (tellingly following that for ‘mullarky’)
are ‘hag-taper’ and ‘Aaron’s Rod’. Azed has swung into
appropriate mode for this witty clue.
21. A
target at sea for which yachts may compete. REGATTA (anag.) One
for the diary, perhaps or the weather mark, say, the buoy furthest towards the
wind on a marked sailing course and always the most hotly contested point. Dr
Watson was first at this clue, a stand-out anagram.
28. Score
marker as soprano I found round end of repetition. SEGNO (S + n in ego) It might have been embarrassing for our soprano had
she not noticed the mark! The task for solvers was to spot the ‘ego’.
29. Pin
brought out, nicking a mouthful? SWIG (swi(pin)g) The most
testing clue in this puzzle for inexperienced solvers and those who are not
just content to know the solution. How is it indicated, is it a swig (mouthful)
or can a pin be a twig? One twigs it eventually, either way.
Other solutions:
Across: 1. GLIFT (l in gift; s.v. gliff) 12. RANDIE (anag.) 14. STERNEBRA
(stern, anag; s.v. sternum)
18. HILLIEST (lies in hilt) 20. CORF
(cor! f) 30. HERDSMAN (DSM
in ‘he ran’) 31. TOWING NET (anag.) 34. RIGHT
(2 meanings) 35. TOTAL (to, tal(k))
Down:
2. LATAKIA (kata in ail (all rev.)) 4. TITANIS
(ani in tits) 5. FEEBLE (beef
(rev.) le) 6. STRIA (anag. less w) 9. PEBA (b in pea) 16. BLOKEISH (The
competition word) 19. TRIDENT (ride in TNT) 24.
PIRNIT (tin, rip, all rev.) 25. PAMYAT (Mya in pat) 27. MAORI (roam (rev.) + I)