AZED 2,221

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Something very odd has happened this week. The paper and originally the website printed a totally irrelevant clue for 20ac, with Azed’s clue provided (hastily?) after a day or two. Also the website had some extraordinary glitches: it put (5) (5) after 25ac, (7) (7) after 18dn, and (6) (6) after 22dn. Also, 10dn was given as (7) instead of (5), and — at any rate by Tuesday — this hadn’t been corrected.

Which didn’t detract from the usual pleasant solving experience. Everything was straightforward enough and it was obvious what the mistakes were. Azed’s clues are in retrospect nearly always easy to solve: they are difficult simply because they use words that are, to say the least, outside one’s normal experience. This doesn’t take away from their quality, though.

As usual some dictionary research will be needed by you, dear reader, if you are to understand eveything about all the clues. I have underlined the definitions.

Across

1 Bishop’s vestment, second buttonhole short? (6)
SACCOS
s accos{t}
6 Receptacle for food, like hotchpot, is hot (7)
PIEDISH
pied [= like hotchpot] is h
11 Bit part in lodging-house, reversing foundations (8)
PILEWORK
(k(rowel)ip)rev. — a bit part here is a part of a bit
13 Prat getting less than halfway through philosopher (4)
ARIS
Aris{totle}
14 Ball in middle of green rolled over? Trouble (7)
EMBROIL
(li(orb)me)rev. — trouble is a verb here
15 Gutter beginning to rust without tenants (6)
RUNLET
r{ust} unlet
16 Old chestnut to cut down bordering avenue (6)
FAVELL
f(av)ell
17 See elm rise with this oddly? It’s a palm tree maybe (5)
ATTAP
Comp. anag. &lit. with [elm rise attap] … [it’s a palm tree]
19 Posh (old-fashioned) lounge adjacent to yard (5)
LOLLY
loll y — an old word for money is posh
20 Like the deepest sea beds, wherein to find a special goby’s swimming (13)
ABYSSELOPELAGIC
Originally both newspaper and website had a quite different clue that even I could see had no connection with this answer, got by electronic means and the only word that fit. Now the site has this clue (and even now there is something like a rogue apostrophe at the beginning, which I have deleted): (a special goby’s)*
23 In-group lingo, once current fashion in trade (5)
ARGOT
ar(go)t
25 Tree fern, no good among meadow grass (5)
PONGA
po(ng)a
28 Space separatin’ lines of type in introduction (6)
LEAD-IN
leadin{g}
30 Bend (go right for north) – it may follow blow-out (6)
TURGOR
turn with ‘n’ [= north] replaced by ‘go r’
31 Nasty discoloration in firs, trouble to deal with (7)
BLUE-ROT
(trouble)*
32 Top class Latin and English? Not good at all (4)
VILE
VI [the sixth form, the top class] L E
33 Molluscs, some suspect, in estuaries (8)
PECTINES
Hidden in susPECT IN EStuaries
34 Indian fish has relocated in old lake (7)
MAHSEER
(has)* in meer
35 Road surface to discern whereon magpie’s seen? (6)
TARGET
tar get — a magpie is a hit on the outermost division of a target

Down

1 Electrician positioning front of spotlights above pitch (5)
SPARK
s{potlights} park
2 Strong liquor in bar i.e. all drunk – such strength is sky-high! (11)
AIR-UMBRELLA
rum in (bar i.e. all)*
3 Sticky fish caught in Cyprus (6)
CLINGY
C(ling)y
4 Moth trapped by hotel workers in lift (5)
OWLET
Hidden reversed in hoTEL WOrkers
5 Convertible frequently parked in halt (7, 2 words)
SOFT TOP
s(oft)top
6 Bellboy takes dad up takeaway? (11)
PRÊT-À-PORTER
(pater)rev. in porter
7 Roll up minced lamb in centre of omelet (6)
EMBALL
(lamb)* in {om}el{et}
8 Fuel oil under van (middle part thereof) (4)
DERV
Hidden in unDER Van — indeed hidden in the very middle part
9 Oil e.g. sizzling in small pan reduced to make thin soup (11)
SKILLIGOLEE
(oil e.g.)* in skille{t}
10 Striking head cold that makes one very up and down (5)
HILLY
{c}hilly — the paper said, and the website still (as of Tuesday) says, that this is (7)
12 One exacting blood vengeance set about start of ordeal (4)
GOEL
g(o{rdeal})el
18 Like some stars, exercise complete I left off (7)
PENTACT
PE {i}ntact
21 Possible misprint in Shakespeare was disturbing? Not quite (6)
STIRRE
stirre{d}
22 Wagering, lost? Hoax includes snare (6)
GAGING
ga(gin)g — the word “lost” indicates the out-of-date usage
23 A chimney, black inside – it may contain scraps (5)
ALBUM
a l(b)um
24 Bit of ornamentation essential for impressing audience (4)
GAUD
Hidden in impressinG AUDience
26 Ancient golf ball a p-pull’s lofted (5)
GUTTA
(a t-tug)rev.
27 Braced framework, support under it shortened (5)
TREST
‘t rest
29 Mercury, say, alight but not brown inside (4)
DEUS
de{b}us if b = brown, which it doesn’t, so what am I missing?
*anagram

3 comments on “AZED 2,221”

  3. I completed this with the rogue clue and like you could only find the one word that fitted so I filled it in and moved on. Nice to see the correct clue.

    Thanks.

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