Azed No 2148 Plain (4 Aug 2013)

reviewed by Dr Watson for & lit. – The Azed Slip Archive

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D

R WATSON expects that this was a breezy, down-wind sort of Sunday challenge for most experienced solvers.  Several clues had Watson purring with delight, first among them that for ZOUAVE.

Notes to the clues:

ACROSS

1.       Twits we maltreated in quarrel? It’s difficult to say. JAW-TWISTER (anag. in jar2; s.v. jaw-breaker)  More from The Bloggers? - it must have been the omnibus edition.

12.     Coal fires may generate small fluid bits of slag. SCORIAE (compound anagram incl. fl.)  Our solution, when taken with the abbreviation for ‘fluid’, is found to be an anagram of ‘coal fires’.

13.     Her embroidered jacket girl displayed see gold lining from rear. ZOUAVE (v(ide), au, (all rev.) in Zoe)  This is a delightful clue having its surface and cryptic parts tailored in sweet harmony. In that respect it matches the style and panache of its subject.

15.     My nest is large (depending) though it’s quiet inside. BUSH-TIT (sh! in but,it)  This appears to be the species cited in Chambers’ entry.

18.     They’re (excessively?) liberal, last to be worried about boundary set back. LAXISTS (six (rev.) in anag.)  A blast perhaps from the Ximenean redoubt.

24.     Ceanothus to procure through Amazon? Send it back. REDROOT (to, order, all rev.)  Azed has chosen one of his odder indications by example (of the subsidiary element: ‘order’), that of ‘procure through Amazon’. Perhaps setters should explore the potential in planting sponsor’s names within their clues. The precedent set here might not seem quite right from Amazon’s point of view, linked as it is to the thought that the customer might be dissatisfied. See here lovely pictures, etc of Ceanothus.

25.     Ponder this at large it could create bane with torpedo. E-BOAT (compound anagram)  In the second of this puzzle’s two compound anagrams ‘ponder, E-boat’ is found to be an anagram of ‘bane, torpedo’.

29.     Penny, old one being eclipsed by (relatively) new. RED CENT (d. in recent) Regular competitors may remember their research into old pennies when wrestling with the 2010 Christmas special puzzle No 2012.

32.     With a good lather? Not so one’s rolling in tub, the indirect way. BYPATH ((so,a)py (rev.) in bath; s.v. by-)  Azed seems to have chosen an appropriately indirect means of indicating our solution. He takes the element ‘soapy’, indicates two elements of that to be removed, reverses what’s left, and then places that within ‘bath’. A sense of irritation warring with enlightenment is felt. Understanding the surface may not come readily to those unfamiliar with sailing. The good lather refers to what might be expected in a near gale or stronger wind.

35.     High retro flat, needs changing inside. ELATEDNESS (anag. in stale (rev.))  Azed revisits the retro theme. Stale? Too chuffed to notice.

DOWN

2.       Concerning estate owned outright, a look on face says it all! ALODIAL (a, lo! dial)  This Wikipedia article shows that land tenure free of the prerogative of the state is extremely rare, and does not exist in mainland Britain. It is surprising, indeed, that it exists at all.

6.       Exchange old recipe used in cheap stew, special part of meal. SCOURSE (two indications: r in scouse; s, course; s.v. Scouse & scourse2) The extra subsidiary indication compounds the misdirection.

7.       No longer relished receiving ball like one treated to bumper? TOASTED (O in tasted)  ‘Taste’, meaning ‘to relish’, is listed in Chambers as archaic. The same might be said of ‘bumper’ as meaning ‘bouncer’ in the modern parlance of cricket afficionados. One of the many listed definitions (q.v.) of ‘bumper’ is ‘anything large or generous in measure’. Long may our tormentor serve ’em up.

8.       One in grip of retro, going wild? RIOTER (i in anag. &lit.)  Read all about Riot Grrrls (or Grrls) here.

9.       I am attached to pagan deity or was. PANIM (Pan, I’m; s.v. paynim)  Our solution is listed under the headword ‘paynim’, given as obsolete, but in our version, peculiar to Milton, and therefor surviving in his work.  

19.     Aussie bird displaying sexiness I recount being entrapped by that. SITELLA (I tell, all in SA)  Watson was very amused by this clue, and particularly in its parsing - ‘I tell all in South Australia’. Well, that’s how it looks.

23.     Finish making incision in part of face affected by rhinophyma? NODOSE (do in nose) One of the possible causes of a nodose hooter is Rhynophyma Azed has been careful to suggest that other conditions may be the cause.

26.     Hill maybe getting e.g. Jack warm? BENNY (3 meanings; s.v. benny2)  References to Benny Hill and Jack Benny are followed by ‘warm’, which is an abbreviated form of ‘British warm’, a specific style of overcoat, and thus a possible instance of benny. Azed has indicated this by use of the question mar k also.

30.     Dark plain? That of Flanders was spoken ill of. MARE (2 meanings)  It would be interesting to know how many of our fellows thought first of Belgian chocolate on reading this clue, rather than the place of countless wars and battles. The two meanings of our solution are firstly, any of the seas (maria) of the Moon, and secondly, Anne of Cleves, otherwise known as ‘The Mare of Flanders’.

Other solutions:

Across:  11. CLARO (c, oral (rev.)) 14. CONN (con, N) 16. LIVENER (LI, vener(able)) 17. THEMA (m in Thea) 27. APPALTI (appal, t, I) 31. ENOW (E, won (rev.); enow2) 33. INSULIN (insul(t), in) 34. SOREX (sore, x)

Down:  3. WAUR (U in war1; s.v. war2) 4. TRADE-IN (de(al) in train) 5. WOVEN (w, oven) 10. PENTASTICH (n in anag.) 13. ZOLLVEREIN (The Competition word) 20. TRANSIT (RA in anag.) 21. CRAMPON (ramp in con) 22. ROTATES (r.o., anag.) 28. PAYSD (pays, D) 

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