A fine selection of obscure words from AZED, very enjoyable to track them all down.
I knew only 18 of the 36 of the entries in the grid. Fortunately the clues for those that I did know were not too hard, otherwise I might never have gotten started. Thank you AZED.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SERDAB |
Daughter entering from the back uncovers mummy’s hiding-place (6)
D (daughter) in BARES (uncovers) reversed (from the back)
|
| 6 | SIPPET |
Something to accompany soup course in uni? It’s distributed around (6)
PPE (Philisophy, Politics and Economics, course in Univeristy) inside (with…around) ITS* anagram=distributed
|
| 11 | CUERPO |
Orchestra after signal to begin in this is not dressed up (6)
RPO (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) following CUE (signal to begin) – to be ‘en cuerpo’ is to be in shirt sleeves
|
| 12 | CURULE |
Copper introducing standard of high authority (6)
CU (copper) coming before (introducing) RULE (standard)
|
| 13 | ATREMBLE |
Balm tree dispersed in the manner of poet’s aspen (8)
(BALM TREE)* anagram=dispersed – aspen trees ‘tremble’. At last, a word that I know!
|
| 14 | ABESSIVE |
One’s against being taken in by Liz, indicating lack (8)
A (one) has V (against) inside (being taken in by) BESSIE (Liz)
|
| 15 | LONGA |
Note once used in revolutionary carmagnole (5)
found in carmAGNOLe reversed (revolutionary)
|
| 16 | DALEK |
Famous doctor up against first of killers – this? (5)
DALE (famous doctor)
|
| 17 | OPTIONALLY |
Ordinary poly with Latin in translation according to choice (10)
anagram (intranslation) of O (ordinary) POLY with LATIN
|
| 20 | SNOWWREATH |
See melting thaw worsen result of blizzard? (10)
(THAW WORSEN)* anagram=melting
|
| 23 | WINGE |
Complaint from side of pitch against English! (5)
WING (side of pitch) with E (English)
|
| 24 | RATHA |
Indian chariot, one found beside ancient hill fort (5)
A (one) with (found beside) RATH (ancient hill fort)
|
| 26 | ACARIDAN |
Like mites etc, dry, kept in a tin (8)
ARID (dry) in A CAN (tin)
|
| 28 | VENATION |
Mood lacking in people for traditional hunt (8)
VEin (mood) missing IN then NATION (people) – I’m not sure about ’traditional’ here, it might mean ‘rare’ or it may traditional refers to ‘venatio’ – traditional hunts staged for entertainment in Roman amphitheaters
|
| 29 | STATER |
Old Greek coin, one affirms (6)
double definition
|
| 30 | ECONUT |
One strongly against chemical sprays wanting one cut out? (6)
(ONE CUT)* anagram=out
|
| 31 | TETHYS |
Planet’s satellite: it’s not one containing C2H5 for the most part (6)
iT’S missing I (one) containing ETHYl (formula of chemical group) unfinished (for the most part)
|
| 32 | LOSERS |
Less resolution after setback? They’ll show that in part (6)
found inside (they’ll show that in part) lesS RESOLution reversed (after setback) – definition is &lit
|
| Down | ||
| 1 | SCALLOP |
Berry about to summon baking dish (7)
SOP (berry, eg the sweet-sop or sour-sop) containing CALL (to summon)
|
| 2 | EUTROPHICATE |
Become over-rich in nutrients, Hopi eructate wildly (12)
(HOPE ERUCTATE)* anagram=wildly
|
| 3 | RERUN |
Some cellarer uncorked what’s judged worth a second sampling (5)
found in cellaRER UNcorked
|
| 4 | DREDGING |
Sprinkling derris root initially on border (8)
Derris Root (initial letters of) on EDGING (border)
|
| 5 | BOBBIN |
Narrow cord jerkin, might one suppose? (6)
BOBBIN’ (bobbing, like jerkin’)
|
| 6 | SCLERA |
Clears damaged optic membrane (6)
CLEARS* anagram=damaged
|
| 7 | PRESA |
Mark in score Monteux’s following top to bottom (5)
APRES (following as Monteux,a frenchman, would say) with top letter moved to the bottom
|
| 8 | PUNILY |
Follow course colleges as a group introduced in feeble fashion (6)
PLY (follow course) containing (with…introduced) UNI (colleges, as a group)
|
| 9 | ELEVENTH HOUR |
The last moment, when conflict ended? (12, 2 words)
double definition – WWI ceasefire began at 11am 11/11/1918
|
| 10 | TEREK |
Long journey requiring inner energy for river bird (5)
TREK (long journey) containing E (energy)
|
| 18 | LEAN-TOS |
E.g. greenhouses, lot with panes (not the first) broken (7)
anagram (broken) of LOT and pANES missing first letter
|
| 19 | CHAUNTS |
Songs rarely found … but frequent in Christian Science (7)
HAUNT (frequent) in C (christian) S (science)
|
| 20 | SNAP AT |
Grab forty winks in part of w/e? (6, 2 words)
NAP (forty winks) in SAT (part of weekend)
|
| 21 | WADERS |
Boots for birds, spotted with scarlet lining, pulled up (6)
SAW (spotted) contains (with…lining) RED (scarlet) all reversed (pulled up) – a double definition
|
| 22 | WEANEL |
Babe once ready for solids, tiny learner, one held (6)
WEE (tiny) containing (with…held) L (learner) AN (one)
|
| 23 | WAIST |
Granny’s girdle lying unused by the sound of it (5)
sounds like WASTE (lying unused)
|
| 25 | TWINE |
Snake, what you’ll find in the centre of Greece? (5)
the centre of Greece is ee, or TWIN E
|
| 27 | RATH |
No longer eager to remove stone from Scottish valley (4)
stRATH (Scottish valley) with ST (stone) removed
|
*anagram
definitions are underlined
definitions are underlined
Thanks Azed and PeeDee
16ac: There is no reversal here. In the wordplay, “up against” just means “next to”.
Thanks Pelham, fixed now. I must be so conditioned to writing up (reversed) every week that I’ve started to do it automatically.