AZED 2,224

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A harder than usual puzzle from Azed this week, with a 13 by 11 grid, including a higher than average number of & lit clues.

The grid enabled Azed to include the delightfully obscure term PUSS-GENTLEMAN at 1 across.  Two clues, 5 and 15, were said to appear in earlier editions of Chambers rather than the current edition; both were easy to work out from the wordplay and the crossing letters.  I do have doubts about 5 down, for reasons expressed below.

completed grid
Across
1 PUSS-GENTLEMAN
Old dandy gets spun, dancing with former lover (13)
*(GETS SPUN), LEMAN.  LEMAN is an archaic word for a lover.
10 ALIYA
One not born in N. African country entering Israel as immigrant (5)
A LI(b)YA.
12 STOUR
Battle shifts, rear moving to front (5)
TOURS, with the last letter moving to the front.
14 LEG SPIN
Tweaks take shape from right to left – in this? (7, 2 words)
NIPS GEL (all rev).  Also it refers to the fact that from a bowler’s perspective, the ball bowled this way should move from right to left.
15 SCRUTO
What with a bit of panache may get actors up? (6)
A compound anagram explained by *(ACTORS UP) minus A and P.  The second & lit clue in today’s puzzle.  SCRUTO is one of those words that was, for some reason, highlighted in the last edition of Chambers, but then omitted in error from the current edition.  As it means a trapdoor, it may get actors down rather than up.
17 PILE IT ON
Exaggerate, close to following wreath laid in grave (8, 3 words)
LEI in PIT, ON.
18 GULPH
Draught, hot, in ancient abyss (5)
GULP H.
19 AMAH
She’ll give a mother a bit of help (4)
A MA H(elp).  Another & lit clue for this Asian wet nurse.
20 INCLINATORIUM
Dipping-needle: I see to mini lunar shifts (13)
*(I SEE TO MINI LUNAR).  *(I C TO MINI LUNAR).  SEE has been used as a homophone for C in the anagram.  Apparently it’s an instrument for determining magnetic dip.
26 FILO
Pastry one’s consumed in Florence (4)
I in FLO.  Sometimes Azed throws in a really easy clue.
28 BUTEA
Shoot not dead on Asian tree, source of astringent resin (5)
BU(d) TEA.
31 EROTESIS
In love, I deliberate being taken back – I don’t expect a response (8)
I SET(all rev) in EROS.  It’s a rhetorical question.
33 SEDENT
Study in group taking exam? (6)
DEN in SET.  It just means “sitting”, hence the question mark, I suppose.
34 SEA TERM
What blows east, mer ruffled? Sailors will understand it (7, 2 words)
*(EAST MER).  Another very easy clue, if an unfamiliar phrase.
35 T-BONE
In quality slice of beef – you may find this (5)
B in TONE.  Another & lit clue.
36 KEEVE
Lake: everyone’s got on board this large tub (5)
Hidden in “lake everyone”.
37 BESTSELLERDOM
Will belters seldom need to be rewritten for this? (13)
*(BELTERS SELDOM).  Yet another & lit clue.
Down
1 PALAGI
Foreigner in South Sea island, one long immured in confusion (6)
A LAG in PI.  An utterly obscure term (to me, anyway) but perfectly fairly clued.
2 SIGIL
Magic mark, one left after design lacks study at edges (5)
SIG(n) 1 L(eft).
3 SYSOP
Small bouquet’s ordered up for mainframe maestro? (5)
POSY’S (rev).  Nicely misleading definition referring to computers, not pianos.
4 GAPO
One’s trunks are regularly soaked – draining a pond involves this (4)
Hidden in “draining a pond”.  It means an area of riverside forest that’s regularly flooded.
5 EVIPAN
Short sleep I have after shooting up anaesthetic drug (6)
NAP I’VE (all rev).  This is a brand name for a now outdated drug; Azed last used it in puzzle 2145 when it was clued in a very similar way.  It is not in the 11th, 12th, or 13th (current) editions of Chambers, so there must be a question about how fair it is to solvers to rely on a word which can only be found in older reference books (or online, of course).
6 TESLA
What does T stand for? Start to search in web (5)
S in TELA.  Not much of a definition, unless I’m missing something.
7 ÉTRIER
East German city providing some gear for mountaineers (6)
E TRIER.
8 MOUTH
Potential diner making a wry face (5)
Double definition.
9 AUTOCUES
Incautious Ed M: ~I mind these after mess-up!~ (8)
Another compound anagram (and another & lit clue): take the letters of I MIND from INCAUTIOUS ED M and rearrange what’s left (“mess up) to get the answer.  A reference to that infamous party conference speech when Mr Miliband chose not to rely on an autocue.
11 ANIMALIST
A fool engaging gardeners, one with no lofty ideas about mankind (9)
MALIS (a gardening caste, apparently) in A NIT.
13 RONG
A predecessor of Roy H sounded old-fashioned (4)
RON G(reeenwood).  The reference is to Roy Hodgson, the current England football manager, not to Roy Hattersley.
16 SUNGREBE
Tropical diver, celebrated bolshy? No end (8)
SUNG REBE(l).
21 LATENT
Concealed former home of Olivier as it was (6)
LATE NT.  The late Lord Olivier was the founding director of the National Theatre.
22 TO SELL
Page missing, mad poet’s lines for sale (6, 2 words)
*((p)OETS) LL.
23 MARMEM
~This alloy’s not constant~ – schoolmistress has me enthralled (6)
ME in MARM.  It’s an alloy which can change with temperature.
24 VEST
Drape central feature of gravestone (4)
Hidden in “gravestone”.
25 TO-DOS
Stirs sponge up, to cook inside (5)
DO in SOT(rev).
27 ISTLE
Son in book decapitated? We may have to thank Agave for this! (5)
S in (t)ITLE.  It’s a fibre obtained from the Agave genus.
29 UTTER
Voice impediment? Ignore initial hush (5)
(st)UTTER.  ”Voice” seems to be doing double duty here, as the definition and as part of the wordplay.
30 TREED
King in awaiting first shot maybe hid in oak? (5)
R in TEED (a golfing reference).
32 BAKE
Fire in home of tarts, well off (4)
BAKE(well) tarts are justifiably famous.
*anagram

11 comments on “AZED 2,224”

  1. Inclinatorium is an anagram of i c to mini lunar, so I guess ‘see’ in the clue is c spelled out? Searching in the web one finds that Tesla (symbol T) is a unit of magnetic something or other.

  4. Terencep @1: thanks for pointing out the error. I’ve amended the blog. I agree that TESLA is an SI unit and is found in Chambers, it was the definition (or lack of it) that bothered me.

    Norman @2 and 3: your explanation would avoid VOICE doing double duty, but I think that “impediment” for “shutter” is a bit of a stretch.

  5. Thanks Bridgesong

    I had forgotten that ST is in Chambers as an interjection meaning ‘hush’; SHUTTER was too much of a stretch (i.e. completely wrong)

    But my main point was that VOICE need not be considered as doing double duty.

    VOICE is a free-standing definition
    STUTTER is the impediment
    ST is hush

  6. Bridgesong @ 4: not so much pointing out an error, more clearing up a point.

    Many thanks for the blog and your reply.

  7. Thanks Azed and bridgesong.

    20ac: Further to Terencep@1, see³ is in Chambers 2014 as the name of the letter C.

  11. I see that Andrew has already solved the problem of finding Azed 2225 for us – but for future reference, you should know that if the direct link to the crossword has not been updated, the link from the archive data may have been.

    So when Azed 2224 appeared this morning you could have clicked on ‘Find a crossword’ above the heading to Azed 2224, then put 2225 in the box asking for the number of the puzzle you want (no need to alter anything else) and it will find 2225 for you if THAT link has been updated (as it was this morning).

    If both links haven’t been updated, I have to wait for help from the likes of Andrew.

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