I hope this works, I’m writing the blog up in advance and setting it to show up on Sunday, by which time I will be on a plane heading out of the country, so I hope I have everything correctly parsed. I found this on the gentler side of Mephisto.
My fascination with grid symmetry continues – I thought this was a 90-degree symmetry grid at first, but it is 180 degree, and there are some generous 3×3 and 3×4 fully checked regions that might contribute to a relatively quick solve.
Definitions are underlined in the clues
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Diplomat’s residence offers a parlour treatment — bishop enters (9) |
| AMBASSAGE – A MASSAGE(parlour treatment) with B inside | |
| 11 | Mali, a country awfully scandalous (12) |
| CALUMNIATORY – anagram of MALI,A,COUNTRY | |
| 12 | Curve round, taking age (being old) to settle back in bed (6) |
| CRADLE – ARC(curve) reversed, then ELD(age) reversed | |
| 13 | Old relations looking embarrassed by ruler no good (6) |
| KINRED – RED(looking embarrassed) next to KING missing G | |
| 14 | At home wearing dull fabric (6) |
| TAMINE – IN(at home) inside TAME | |
| 15 | Bore entertained by the German (4) |
| EGER – hidden in thE GERman | |
| 17 | Albanian in a brawl crossing North America (7) |
| ARNAOUT – A ROUT(brawl) containing NA | |
| 19 | Boy given order to return as auxiliary (5) |
| MODAL – LAD(boy) and OM(order) all reversed | |
| 20 | Notice archdeacon getting tense when candles are lit in church (6) |
| ADVENT – AD(notice), VEN(archdeacon), T(tense) | |
| 22 | Expression of surprise on Scottish island when there’s murder (6) |
| MULLAH – AH(expression of surprise) next to MULL(Scottish island) | |
| 26 | Some moment when socialite meets you (5) |
| DEBYE – DEB(socialite), YE(you) – the name given to the unit of dipole moment | |
| 28 | Judge agrees about those who go on hunt (7) |
| JAEGERS – J(Judge) then an anagram of AGREES | |
| 30 | Snake once more retreating, one not seen (4) |
| NAGA – AGAIN(once more) reversed missing I | |
| 32 | Seal so big swimming with any number (6) |
| OBSIGN – anagram of SO,BIG with N | |
| 33 | Old uncle and another relation finding problem after bad meal? (6) |
| EMESIS – EME(uncle), SIS(sister) | |
| 34 | Expression of surprise after fool gets goddess (6) |
| CLOTHO – OH(expression of surprise) after CLOT(fool) | |
| 35 | Lo, a Dante hell differs from this blessed territory! (12, four words) |
| LAND O’ THE LEAL – anagram of LO,A,ANTE,HELL | |
| 36 | Sound of Rob — band’s latest member with strange instrument (9, two words) |
|
STEEL DRUM – STEEL(sounds like STEAL, rob), |
|
| Down | |
| 2 | Bird getting damage, nearly losing tail (7) |
|
MARABOU – MAR(damage), then ABOU |
|
| 3 | Scottish bit about this person being censured (6) |
| BLAMED – BLAD(bit) surrounding ME | |
| 4 | Drink maybe at Oxford, providing a story about university girl (8, two words) |
| AUDIT ALE – A, TALE(story) around U, DI(girl) | |
| 5 | With hearts lost, never, say, turning nasty, showing contempt (6) |
|
SNEERY – anagram of NE |
|
| 6 | A religious symbol met with a negative reaction in Africa (6) |
| AIKONA – A, IKON(religious symbol), A | |
| 7 | Style of walking that’s needed with a bagpipe (5) |
| GAITA – GAIT(style of walking), A | |
| 8 | Doctor, loveless rascal in a gloomy place (6) |
| MORGUE – MO(medical officer), then remove the O from ROGUE(rascal) | |
| 9 | Member of tribe to soften (4) |
| CREE – double definition | |
| 10 | Dry death possibly — not if one’s this? (8) |
| HYDRATED – anagram of DRY,DEATH | |
| 16 | Your setter’s self-revelation, slightly twisted in a cruel way! (8) |
| IMMANELY – I’M (Don) MANLEY with twist of the L and E | |
| 18 | Series of deliveries out of date and provided at too high a price (8) |
| OVERSOLD – OVERS(series of deliveries in cricket), OLD(out of date) | |
| 21 | Antelope with an ugly bit of hair coming loose (7) |
|
NYLGHAU – anagram of AN,UGLY,H |
|
| 23 | Bottle? There’s some spillage, naturally (6) |
| LAGENA – hidden in spilLAGE NAturally | |
| 24 | Command once given in hurry, ending in brigade being trapped (6) |
|
HEASTE – HASTE(hurry) containing |
|
| 25 | Fabric of black vestment cut short (6) |
|
BROCHE – B, ROCHE |
|
| 27 | One provides article for hungry fish to get hold of? (6) |
| BAITER – A(article) inside BITER(hungry fish) | |
| 29 | Troubadour is very amusing person after end of song (5) |
|
GRIOT – RIOT(amusing person) after |
|
| 31 | Nurse offering warm bath regularly (4) |
| AMAH – alternating letters in wArM bAtH | |
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