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1. Establishing trade etc
across ‘closed’ border? It took Pils abroad, maybe OSTPOLITIK (anag.) The first part of the clue reads like
wordplay, and the redundant ‘maybe’ at the end makes the second part read like
a definition. But ‘abroad’ is the anagram indicator. It’s not clear if the
practice of Ostpolitik really opened up the export market for the
breweries of Plzen.
12. Like sweet wine?
I’ll open can AMABILE
(I in am able) The
punning opportunity of ‘can’ is readily grasped.
14. Refuse, old litter, card disposed of BRAN (bran(card)) Solvers need to look one entry down from the
solution in Chambers for an explanation.
A brancard is a horse-drawn litter.
19. Deserter, first quitting trench shelter for
Belgium BUG-OUT
(B for d in dugout) Azed gets the wordplay spot on to indicate
the letter substitution.
25. Debauchees finding love in Parisian streets ROUÉS (0 in rues)
You can bet this idea has been used a few
times before, but it’s too convenient to pass up.
31. Wherein you’d find Columbus giving cries of
sorrow and joy? OHIO (oh! io!) You either spot the
state capital straight away or kick yourself after protracted head-scratching.
Dr Watson is in the latter category.
32. Without bandages i.e. yielding pus? SANIES (i.e. in sans) The
omission of a comma before ‘i.e.’ is a subtle hint to the clever wordplay.
35. ‘Man’s dirt’ is broadcast – by one
such? MISANDRIST (anag.
& lit.) A
straight anag. & lit. is
a rare find amongst the more common comp. anags., and
worth celebrating.
1. Red stone arid waste in southern States SARDIUS (anag. in S US) ‘Waste’
looks suspiciously like the nounal anagram indicator
that Azed is normally averse to.
5. They may result when a shot’s miscued OATHS (anag. & lit.) Slightly
more straightforward to spot than 35 across’s
anagram, but this calls for a double celebration!
18. There’s money in skin lotion – it’s better
for me the longer I live TONTINER (tin
in toner) A
tontine scheme rewards the
last surviving member so disproportionately that it provides a strong incentive
to ensure the other tontiners die first, and so makes
a great plot device for a murder story.
21. Basketball team on the up look for yet more YANKEES (seek
nay, all rev.) Solvers
scrabbling around the internet’s sports pages in search of a Yankees basketball
team can probably reassure themselves that Azed has
mixed up the Yankees
with the Knicks and
should have specified ‘baseball team’. Hopefully all we be explained in the
next Slip.
29. Concluding bits of airport trash you
purchased – it’s often dull
THUD (last letters) An inspired definition, that perhaps deserved
a slightly more interesting phrase to provide the last letters.
30. ‘Our gods wrong one’ – how Cicero finished
speech? DIXI (di X I)
“I have spoken”. An appropriate solution to close the puzzle. ‘Di’ is the latin plural of ‘deus’ and this makes a welcome change from the usual
setter’s choice of ‘girl’.
Other solutions:
Across: 11. VARA (vara(n)); 13. CRYPTO (cry PTO); 15. HELMETED (mete in held); 16. MIMOSAE (I’m in mo
+ SAE); 17.
ÉTAPE (hidden); 24.
BENGAL (BEng al(l));
26. SISTINE (anag.); 28. STRAICHT (anag.
in tarts, rev.); 33.
MUSTELA (anag.); 34. EXEC (X in EEC).
Down: 3. TRYP (hidden); 4. PAPPOOSE (poos
in pape(r)); 6. IMPLEX (imp lex); 7. TAGMEME (tag me
me); 8. KIRTAN
(ta in kirn); 9. SLAE (s + anag.);
10. GENDERLESS (anag. less I)); 13. CUMBERSOME; 20. UPSIDES (up
side’s); 23.
OSCULA (scul in o/a); 27. STAID (‘stayed’).