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6. Mosque: its leader is a DJ alternatively MASJID
(m + anag.) Here
the definition ‘mosque’ contributes its first letter to the wordplay, but the
clue isn’t in any sense ‘& lit.’, as the definition is specific and the rest
of the wordplay doesn’t add to it.
12. Antelope that we have just swallowed back? SUNI (in us, rev.) The wordplay requires some extra thought, but
the surface is rather bizarre. Did the Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly fit in an
extra course?
16. Artist secure about fast time and likewise
reverse – in these? RALLENTANDOS (RA +
Lent in land + so, rev., & lit.) Quite a few components to fit together in this
& lit. clue. A rallentando
movement in music moves from faster to slower time, and the use of ‘fast time’
for ‘Lent’ is especially neat. It took Dr Watson a while to work out that the ‘and’
in the clue doesn’t correspond to the ‘and’ in the solution.
30. Where one feels specially
at home? Therein I go BRIO
(I in bro2) Probably
the trickiest clue in the puzzle with the first letter unchecked. It looks like
it might be an & lit., or the first sentence could
be the definition. But it’s the innocuous ‘go’ that holds the key. ‘Bro’ is a
Welsh word meaning a place one’s especially attached to.
32. Wordless sounds, backing music-making time (heartless) NOISES (ses(s)ion, rev.) Neither
of the two definitions, for the solution and ‘session’, is all that obvious.
1. Polo-style lozenge, sort of red? Mostly that RUSTRE (rust + re(d)) ‘That’ refers back to ‘red’ in the first part
of the clue. A rustre may be Polo-style in the sense
of having a hole in it, but it’s a heraldic device and certainly not for
consumption.
6. May, in the past hot, in gym it boiled –
very! MIGHTY (h in anag., 2 defs.?) The surface reading all
sounds rather flustered, as Azed tacks a definition on
to the end, but it’s the first four words that lead Dr Watson to suspect a
transcription error. ‘May, in the past’ leads through may1 to ‘might’ but not ‘mighty’. It’s
possible Azed intended something like ‘May, in the
last year’ to provide might + y as the first of two wordplays.
9. Loads cars or carts JAGS (3 mngs.) Jags as cars may be
familiar, but jag2 also
contains the meanings ‘load’ as a noun and ‘cart’ as a verb.
11. Wobbly steed round midpoint of Aintree
can’t stand DETEST
(t in anag.) A
lovely misleading context for the definition ‘can’t stand’, which has to be
understood in the first or second person, or third person plural.
20. Book of old jokes to beguile when in hospital SCOGAN (cog2
in san1) The
solution is the name of a book of jokes attributed to John Scogan,
supposedly the jester to King Edward IV.
23. Showy bird in garland interwoven with seaweed LOERIE (alternating
letters of lei1 and ore2) A rarely used device in which the letters of two
different words are alternated.
28. Soon cut short? Wild perhaps EARL (earl(y)) The definition refers
to the US classical and jazz pianist Earl Wild.
Other solutions:
Across: 1. REPAST (P in reast;
see reest2);
11. STAIRCASE (a in stir3 + case2); 13. GORGET (g + or2
+ get); 14. TRIARCH
(t, r, I arch2); 17.
ETYMON (my in note, all rev.); 19. TINT (2 mngs.; see tine2); 20. SIKA (hidden rev.); 22. CHYLDE (anag.
less a in che(at)); 25. CONCHIFEROUS
(I in anag. less E); 27. PERFECT; 29. GUACOS (anag.
less Sue); 31. ALLOMORPH
(promo, rev., in anag.); 32 LYCÉES (L + CE in yes).
Down: 2. EPURATION (anag.);
3. PUNILY (nil in puy; zip2); 4. STEREOCHROME (anag. incl. r(oo)m); 5. TALC (hidden); 7. AROMATHERAPY (ma + anag.,
all in a ropy); 8. SCRUNTY (c. run in
sty); 15. CONDUCIVE
(duc in anag.); 18. MACACOS (anag. in MS); 21. DIPSOS (dip SOS); 24. ESTOPS (anag.); 26. WALI (law,
rev., + I).