Been kind of busy these last few weeks with the end of semester, a move and a play, so I didn’t solve this one until just now. Had to laugh that my last entry involved a piece of wordplay I believe I have been called out on twice (Imperator for emperor)
Since this is Paul McKenna, a pun is to be expected across the first row, and there it is, for INTERVIEWS.
Definitions, which are underlined, can be confirmed in Chambers, so this blog will focus on wordplay.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Stimulate pub, perhaps, by ever changing (7) |
| INNERVE – INN(pub, perhaps), next to an anagram of EVER | |
| 6 | Pronoun for some informally here in US service (5) |
| YOUSE – YO(informally “here” in the US), USE(service) | |
| 10 | He favours flesh wobble, we hear, following excellent cut (9) |
| MEATEATER – sounds like TEETER(wobble) after MEAN(excellent) missing the last letter | |
| 11 | Very good Latin for one who wasn’t amused, an old monarch (6) |
| SOVRAN – SO(very good), VR(the Latin for Queen Victoria), AN | |
| 12 | Fine deer coming back finding land given to servicemen? (4) |
| FEOD – F(fine) then DOE(deer, a female deer) reversed | |
| 14 | El Papa is one right into delegate in Rome finally (9) |
| ARGENTINE – R(right) inside AGENT(delegate) then IN, and the last letter of romE. Reference to Pope Francis who is from Argentina | |
| 16 | I know beforehand I’m admired without judgement (4) |
| ICON – I, then CON(old world for know) | |
| 18 | She lectures on fieldwork, mostly going west (6) |
| READER – RE(on) then the fieldwork is REDAN – remove the last letter and reverse it | |
| 19 | Fast track career from GP beginning with absolute kindness (8, two words) |
| DRAG RACE – DR(GP), first letter in Absolute, then GRACE(kindness) | |
| 21 | Religious jurisdiction is cautious about what spell contains (8) |
| CHAPELRY – CHARY(cautious) surrounding the middle letters in sPELl | |
| 23 | Italian copper, antimony, and iridium run out (6) |
| SBIRRO – SB(antimony), IR(iridium), RO(run out in cricket) | |
| 24 | Para Handy’s incandescent in the hold perhaps (4) |
| ALOW – double definition, Scots for ablze – in the hold of a ship | |
| 26 | Employee’s final cutting fluke with my mere profile (9, two words) |
| BARE BONES – last letter in employeE inside BARB(a fluke is the BARB of an anchor), ONES(my) | |
| 29 | Grampa Simpson, among others, died laid up (4) |
| ABED – In the long-running animated TV show, the grandfather is ABE Simpson, then D(died) | |
| 30 | What tops espresso but a gold liquid which is thick? (6) |
| CREMOR – a philistine may put CREAM on top to make an espresso con panna. Remove the A, then add OR(gold) | |
| 31 | Firmly question murderer about quiet American nut (9) |
| CHINCAPIN – CHIN(firmly question), then CAIN(murderer) surrounding P(quiet) | |
| 32 | Japanese art’s purpose? Slashing a winning blow (5) |
| KENDO – END(purpose) inside KO(winning blow) | |
| 33 | These are chunderous tourists one month off entering inch (7) |
| EMETINS – the tourists are EMMETS, remove one M and insert IN(inch) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Ego upsetting one hard sergeant-major may get you this! (5) |
| IMSHI – I(ego) then a reversal of I(one), H(hard), SM(sargeant-major) | |
| 2 | Service digger wanting third (4) |
| NAVY – NAVVY(hole digger) missing the third letter | |
| 3 | Somehow get nearer outsider from Rouen? (9) |
| ETRANGERE – anagram of GET,NEARER | |
| 4 | Take cap discarded from more posh parent (6) |
| REARER – R(recipe, take), then DEARER(more posh) missing the first letter | |
| 5 | Crabbit sort’s preferable twa-handed drinker with no breadth (8) |
| ETTERCAP – BETTER(preferable), CAP(two-handed cup) missing B(breadth) | |
| 6 | Yes voter with term for Remain breed (4) |
| YEAN – YEA(yes voter), then the last letter in remaiN | |
| 7 | You’re ideally stopping waste (6) |
| UREIDE – hidden in yoURE IDEally | |
| 8 | Wallflower I caught in flipping harbour towns (9) |
| STONECROP – ONE(I), C(caught) inside PORTS(harbour towns) reversed | |
| 9 | Silver tree borders on lovely (7) |
| ELDERLY – ELDER(tree) then the outside letters in LovelY | |
| 13 | Card containing area suited to scoring? (9) |
| SCRIBABLE – SCRIBBLE(card, comb wool) containing A(area) | |
| 15 | Rest a steak transforming taste? (9, three words) |
| TAKE A SEAT – anagram of A,STEAK, then EAT(taste) | |
| 17 | Airline attraction that is behind in Bannockburn (8) |
| BAHOOKIE – BA(British Airways), then HOOK(attraction), IE(that is) | |
| 19 | Ship to where Charon takes you? Forgotten land (7) |
| DISBARK – Charon’s ship could be the DIS BARK | |
| 20 | Old slave women’s anger during work (6, two words) |
| WIRE IN – W(women), IRE(anger), IN(during work) | |
| 22 | Thrust pawn, say, to capture rook (6) |
| PIERCE – the pawn is a chess PIECE, insert R(rook) | |
| 25 | Tips off before going into branch of the wartime Navy (5) |
| WARNS – A(before) inside WRNS(Women’s Royal Navy Service) | |
| 27 | Fashion-eschewing itinerant trading odd bits (4) |
| BOHO – HOBO(itinerant) with the first two and last two letters swapped | |
| 28 | Roman emperor shortly back from Dobunni fighters (4) |
| IMPI – IMP(Imperator, emperor), then the last letter in dobunnI | |
Jeremy