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C |
OMPETITORS who spent ages
getting their VOX POP clue together last month have their work cut out again
with BRUHAHA. Happily the grid is a little less
challenging than the competition. Not too much needs to be found outside
Chambers, but one contemporary politician puts in an
appearance, and a memory of an electronics brand from the mid 20th century will help.
13. Musical as of
old that’s returned to Broadway location TUNY (ut, rev. + NY) The disguised
wordplay here is ‘as of old’ standing for ‘ut2’, and not indicating
an obsolete word in the definition.
14. José’s
informally clad when in this (prompt, in front of orchestra) CUERPO (cue RPO) Solvers will need
to show they’ve fully understood the clue by not entering QUERPO, which is also
given in Chambers. The solution is found under ‘en cuerpo’. The anglicised forms ‘in cuerpo’
and ‘in querpo’ are what’s hinted at in the
definition, and the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra’s abbreviation is given in Chambers.
17. Where stars
such as Leo may be seen almost every day
DÁIL (dail(y)) Very easy
wordplay, but the definition may be a head-scratcher if you haven’t been
following the progress of Brexit and other affairs in Dublin under Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
23. Coffee
avoided by those trying to give up, frenzied in a way RABIC ((A)rabic(A)) The AA that’s removed is Alcoholics
Anonymous. The definition is qualified ‘in a way’ because ‘rabic’
means, of a disease, ‘rabies-like’, and not ‘affected by rabies’, which would
be ‘rabid’.
24. Carriage, one
protected by soldiers MIEN
(I in men) A nice double entendre
for ‘carriage’, referring in the definition to one’s bearing.
33. Running leet, sited where it runs and was running BEETLED (anag.
in bed) A leet
is a millstream or similar channel that runs in its bed, and to beetle also
means to run.
2. Fuss BRUHAHA Another
challenging comp word to follow January’s VOX POP. It’s not clear where
Chambers found this alternative spelling, that isn’t in OED.
4. US
party in tart’s place, well away BAKE (Bake(well)) A
transatlantic clue combining a US institution with a very British one.
6. Without
admission Christian died having gone round in it UNINITIATED (in it in Uniate + d) Solvers may
remember Uniate Christians (which Wikipedia notes is
considered a pejorative
term) from the Christmas comp, where it appeared differently spelt in the solution UNIATS.
21. Firework
to get going inside picnic basket? PETARD (tar in ped) Ped1
is a dialect term for a hamper or basket, and tar3, a Shakespearian word
meaning to incite. ‘Petard’ is one of those words often used without knowing
its meaning, after the line from Hamlet ‘… the enginer
/ Hoist with his own petard’.
26. The
old want former radio company (see name inside)
PYNE (n in Pye) Pye
radios (though perhaps not their turntables, TVs and record label) can still be
found on the shelves as a retro brand.
Other solutions:
Across: 1. ABDABS (AB + dabs); 6. UP-TEMPO (anag. + anag.); 11. FREDAINE (anag.
in fine); 15. STEINBERGER (e in anag.); 16. RAKU ((bun)raku); 18. MEARD (anag.); 25. HAUL (a in hul(l)); 26. APOCOPATION (poco
(It.) + patio, all in an); 30. SYRINX (Syri(a)n + X); 31. LADE
(‘laid’); 32. BERLINER (line in berr(y)); 34. DECALS
(C in deals).
Down: 1. AFTERGRASS (after grass); 3. ADYTUM ((l)ady tum); 5. SIMIAN (aim, rev., in sin); 7. TRUEMAN (anag. less I); 8. EGER (g in e’er); 9. MARGAY (marg(arine) ay); 10. POPE
(2 mngs.); 12.
CORDELIERS (lie in C orders); 17. DICONAL
(con in dial); 19. ROUNDEL (undé in rol(e)); 20. ABORNE (anag. +
E); 22. CHOLIC
(H in colic); 28. CIST (anag. less he and on); 29. IDLE ((pa)id le(ss)).
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