Beelzebub 1295

This one struck me as being something of a mixed bag, some very easy clues along with some very unfamiliar answers.

Most of the entries I had come across before but some (31ac, 11dn & 16dn to name but three) were new to me (and, I suspect, to most other solvers).

Across
1 Hardening resistance, though repressed by sulk, liable to erupt (12)
PETRIFACTIVE – R (resistance) IF (though) in (repressed by) PET (sulk) ACTIVE (liable to erupt)

9 Foolish once in middle of stunt near whirlpool, ignoring depth (6)
UNREDY – [st]U[nt] (middle of stunt) NR (near) ED[d]Y (whirlpool, ignoring depth)

10 Increasing strength and weight in command (5)
TONIC – TON (weight) IC (in command)

13 Stop constant liar, disturbed by denial (7)
CLARINO – C (constant) plus an anagram (disturbed) of LIAR plus NO (denial)

14 Record corruption in little league (8)
PROTOCOL – ROT (corruption) in POCO (little) L (league)

15 Bar to get round in rapid movement (6)
LOUNGE – O (round) in LUNGE (rapid movement)

17 Tattered clothing in riotous festivities (4)
RAGS – double def.

19 Verses oddly airy about losing love (8)
RUBAIYAT – an anagram (oddly) of AIRY AB[o]UT

20 Bitterness reflected in support for plunderer (8)
PILLAGER – GALL (bitterness) reversed (reflected) in PIER (support)

23 Add, apart from kiss, woman’s name (4)
ANNE – ANNE[x] (add, apart from kiss)

24 Turned about with particular energy, causing vomiting (6)
EMETIC – C (about) ITEM (particular) E (energy) reversed (turned)

26 Case disrupted by further caprice (8)
HUMORESK – HUSK (case) around (disrupted by) MORE (further)

28 Grass mostly around shrub with tendrils (7)
CIRROSE – RIC[e] (grass mostly) reversed (around) ROSE (shrub)

29 Experienced American lecturer of great depth (5)
HADAL – HAD (experienced) A (American) L (lecturer)

30 Sun lotion for habitual user (6)
STONER – S (sun) TONER (lotion)

31 Poor one, say, merely dependent on charity (12)
ELEEMOSYNARY – an anagram (poor) of ONE SAY MERELY

Down
1 Fine passage in place breaking bad chapter up (6,5)
PURPLE PATCH – PL (place) in (breaking) an anagram (bad) of CHAPTER UP

2 Test performance in yacht initially surrounded by fish (6)
TRY-OUT – Y[acht] (yacht initially) in (surrounded by) TROUT (fish)

3 Settle scores through cases (4)
REST – hidden in (cases) ‘scoRES Through’

4 Symbolic character frenzied amid gore (8)
IDEOGRAM – an anagram (frenzied) of AMID GORE

5 Apparently see doctor for assurance (6)
APLOMB – AP (apparently) LO (see) MB (doctor)

6 Dry river I cross to catch yellow moth (7)
TORTRIX – TT (dry) R (river) I X (cross) around (to catch) OR (yellow)

7 Protuberances coming from odd parts of aliens if overturned (4)
INIA – A[l]I[e]N[s] I[f] (odd parts of aliens if) reversed (overturned)

8 Rather sour knight in struggle glaring (10)
VINEGARISH – N (knight) in VIE (struggle) GARISH (glaring)

11 Saint beset by ridicule supporting firm censorship (11)
COMSTOCKERY – CO (firm) plus ST (saint) in MOCKERY (ridicule)

12 Local itinerant endlessly restricted by secular power from the south (10)
PROVINCIAL – ROVIN[g] (itinerant endlessly) in (restricted by) LAIC (secular) P (power) reversed (from the south)

16 Damage old pen in office of governor (8)
HARMOSTY – HARM (damage) O (old) STY (pen)

18 Regret going up in aircraft without new side-pieces (7)
PLEURAE – RUE (regret) reversed (going up) in PLA[n]E (aircraft without new)

21 Strict one stops exuberant enjoyment (6)
GIUSTO – I (one) in (stops) GUSTO (exuberant enjoyment)

22 Bones in tail absent (6)
STERNA – STERN (tail) A (absent)

25 Seed, European having points (4)
URDΙ – URD (seed) E (European)

27 Strip in Scotland? Putting tee on it could make golf course there (4)
ROON – adding a T (tee) to the front gives Troon (a golf course in Scotland)

3 comments on “Beelzebub 1295”

  1. Can’t remember much about this, but 31ac was an early one in for me as I recalled it from earlier encounters in crosswords. Couldn’t remember how to spell it, though.

    19ac amused me as I’d just been listening to Sir Granville Bantock’s massive setting of The Rubaiyat of Omar Kayyam.

  2. Part of the joy of these puzzles is of course the number of unfamiliar words they throw up. However in the case of 31 and 11, as I dredged them up, I had a distant recollection of having seen them used before. Araucaria, possibly, a long time ago, but I have no means of proving it.

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