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ZED usually starts the new
year with slightly easier puzzle and a more pliable competition word, to help
solvers whose brains have been fuddled by Christmas excesses (or in Dr Watson’s
case, by a Christmas lurgy). This puzzle opens the new decade in a more
challenging way, with some tricky wordplay and a quite fiendish competition
phrase, that will stubbornly resist the favourite fallback of an anagram.
Mentally it’s more like hitting the gym for the new year than peeping out from
under the covers.
11. Public opinion VOX POP There it is. 20
Scrabble points in six letters. A great opportunity for competitors to try somethng new.
16. Scottish
region that has group almost open-mouthed
LOTHIAN (lot hian(t)) One of three
clues that calls for knowledge outside of Chambers, though Lothian region, which includes
Edinburgh, will be more familiar to most than ‘hiant’.
Dr Watson spent a while looking for something that contains ‘agape’.
18. One millions
held in dreadful esteem
ADMIRE (a + m in dire) A classy surface showing Azed’s
special touch.
22. Hammer or
punch idiot TOOL
(2 mngs.) The double option
in the first definition adds a tricky fillip.
28. Santa’s
helpers – seamen might one suppose TARANDS (i.e. tar and s = tars) Three problems to
overcome here: first it’s not elves but reindeer; second they’re Greek mythical
colour-shifting reindeer; and third, the wordplay hints rather than points at
the answer.
33. Fires up
superstar on the pitch? STOKES (2 mngs.) Ok, you barely need to be
acquainted with cricket to have heard of Ben Stokes, but Azed
assumes you’ll know which pitch he has in mind – otherwise it would surely have
to be Bobby Stokes, the
hero of Southampton’s victorious 1976 FA Cup run.
2. Short-story
writer, after taking year out, carried over
RUN-ON (Run(y)on) Those of a more literary bent may have
spotted Damon Runyon
faster than Ben Stokes.
3. Cars
out of order – lubricate one on account (joint) SACROILIAC (anag.
+ oil + I + a/c) Just about squeezing the definition in at the end of some hard-won
wordplay.
5. Surrendered
garland swept up in swirling eddy YIELDED (lei, rev., in anag.) Dr Watson decided early on that this must be
one of those Spenserian past tenses like ‘yclept’, and spent some time looking
for it, but the answer was altogether simpler.
12. Author
with little to do and year left, having standard quota on hand PENTADACTYL (pen tad act y l) A classic charade leading to a very clever
definition.
16. Circus
performer behaving hilariously with applause all around CHARIOTEER (a riot in cheer) Another smooth surface distracting solvers
from the intended type of circus.
26. Take
care of house that’s all right inside LOOK TO (ok in loto) Possibly not the
house you were expecting.
27. Treated
this tooth so I’ll get no caries CRENA (comp. anag.) The composite
anagram doesn’t jump out from the clue, but crena
with ‘so I’ can give ‘no caries’.
29. What’s
fizzing? This, right! ASTI (asti(r), & lit.)
It’s hard to know where to start
when solving this concise & lit., but guessing the answer is something fizzy
certainly helps.
Other solutions:
Across: 1. PRESBYACUSIS (anag.); 10. RUBAI (ruba(to) + I); 13.
ON-SCREEN (anag.);
15. SOUR (savour less a, v); 17.
FOEDERATI (foe + anag. + i(f)); 21. RUTA (rut a); 24. ALIPED (a + PE in lid); 26. BRIER-ROOT (R I err in boot); 30. TORC (hidden); 31. SPIKELET (s + pikelet); 34. TENNY (t + (p)enny); 35. SINISTRORSAL (anag.
in s, l).
Down: 1. PROSTATITIS (I in anag.);
4. BIRDER (de(ad) in birr);
6. AVE (i.e. abbrev. for average); 7. CONTRA (Contra(ct Bridge)); 8.
SPLIT-UP (lit in pups, rev.); 9. IOTA (0
in ita); 19.
MORRION (Ir. rom, rev. + on); 20.
TARSIER (anag.);
23. MENSES (esne, rev., in MS); 32. PST (hidden).
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