This one was definitely on the tougher side, and I was please to be able to finish after considerable struggle. I did biff quite a few, and the pun was very helpful. However, as often happens with this level of puzzle, I sometimes found it difficult to parse the evident correct answer.
As I wrote the blog I researched the more obscure ones, and I think I have come close to completeness. A couple of them are still a bit obscure, so comments are invited. Anyone who managed to complete this puzzle is probably pretty skilled at this sort of thing.
| Across | |
| 1 | Stonkered due to bangin’ hamper found locally (6) |
| TOPPED – TOP + PED, an obscure dialect word for a hamper or basket. The first element could probable use more elucidation. | |
| 5 | Learner in shtook? Having resistance to shriek (6) |
| HOLLER – HO(L)LE + R for resistance. | |
| 10 | Still to be fixed so returned having been repackaged (10) |
| UNRESTORED – Anagram of SO RETURNED, one I biffed and then saw. | |
| 12 | As was neat undertaking by African men (7) |
| FEATOUS – FEAT + OUS. Yes, ou is South African slang for a chap or a bloke. | |
| 13 | Reservation with mere pier? (7) |
| RESPOND – RES + POND. “A respond is a half-pier or half-pillar that is bonded into a wall…”, in case you were wondering. | |
| 14 | Loadsamoney for Indian creditor facing tangle (5) |
| CRORE – CR + ORE, another biffable one. Ore is tangled seaweed. | |
| 15 | Bygone bearing in each matter that’s discharged (6) |
| EGESTA – E(GEST)A. | |
| 16 | You may not pass this being juiced — I’m in (5) |
| LIMIT – L(I’M)IT. | |
| 17 | Goombah wasting time with multi-cutter? (7, two words) |
| GANGSAW – GANGS[t]A + W. | |
| 23 | Start of epic where natural order is subsequent to reason (7) |
| INFERNO – INFER + N.O. I was looking for the first word, not the first volume! | |
| 25 | You’ll get strop with gardener’s tool as ’istoric ’awthorn runs (5) |
| EDGER – [h]EDGE + R for runs, giving the barber’s tool. | |
| 26 | Hold back for husband halfway through the seafood (6) |
| TWAITE – T(-h,+WAIT)E, a clever substitution clue operating on what seems like a mere filler word. | |
| 29 | Every English eccentricity is an avenue for French to explore (5) |
| ALLEE – ALL + E + E. | |
| 30 | Patchy priest that is left among poor (7) |
| PIEBALD – P + I.E. + BA(L)D. | |
| 31 | Kick back getting into fat dancer’s outfit (7) |
| LEOTARD – L(TOE backwards)ARD. | |
| 32 | Memories unsettling Sergeant-Major’s resonance (10) |
| MESOMERISM – Anagram of MEMORIES + S.M. | |
| 33 | Academician is translator with extra rabbit (6) |
| ASTREX – A’S + TR + EX. A curly-haired rabbit, to be exact. | |
| 34 | American spots honey-trap — face without any lines (6) |
| UREDIA – [l]URE, DIA[l]. The American version is uredia, and the British is uredinia – I say aluminum, you say aluminium. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Different tongues are possibly one’s language (6) |
| TUAREG – Compound anagram, where TONGUES ARE make ONE’S TUAREG. Biffed by me. | |
| 2 | Put up some of jockey’s pot now (7) |
| PRESENT – A triple definition, I believe; the one in the middle is a bit obscure, but it’s right there in Chambers. | |
| 3 | One’s friends giving sly looks (5) |
| PEEPS – Double definition, one contemporary slang. | |
| 4 | Dramatically maintain combined operations in estuary (5) |
| ESCOT – ES(C.O)T. Dramatically because this word only occurs in Shakespeare. | |
| 5 | Dictionary cracks that name for hillbilly (7) |
| HOEDOWN – H(O.E.D)OW + N, where both hillbilly and hoedown are adjectives. | |
| 6 | Sure-fire indication of cut including Latin (6) |
| ORACLE – O’ RAC(L)E, where race is an obsolete derivative of raze, meaning a cut or a scratch. | |
| 7 | Don’t try to contain obscenity climbing into shelter (7, two words) |
| LET RIDE – LE(DIRT upside-down)E. | |
| 8 | Avidly erect one stall and then moderately good to go (10) |
| ESURIENTLY – I RUSE upside-down + [g]ENTLY. | |
| 9 | Old Scots harbours concerned with rates (6) |
| RESETS – RE SETS. | |
| 11 | Reduced large dress anyway (10) |
| REGARDLESS – Anagram of LARGE DRESS, with a novel anagram indicator – reduced as in cooked down. | |
| 18 | Old fashioned favour to soften up commissionaire (7) |
| GREETER – GREE + RET upside-down. | |
| 19 | “A Close Shave” could be broadcast next month (7) |
| AIRPROX – AIR + PROX. | |
| 20 | Mostly suffering hero is able to replace a prial of small units (7) |
| TRIACID – TRIA[l] + CID. | |
| 21 | Teaching aids pretty nearly behind rising trouble (6) |
| REALIA – REA[r] + AIL upside-down. | |
| 22 | You will get hamper from Greece — relax (6) |
| GREASE – GR + EASE. Both hamper and grease have a slang meaning of giving presents in return for favors. | |
| 24 | Bloated mass upset French soul with god (6) |
| OEDEMA – AME + DEO upside down. | |
| 27 | Unit is weak and practically paramilitary preposterously (5) |
| WEBER – W + REBE[l], where the R is moved to the bottom, which is what preposterously literally means – the first is last. | |
| 28 | No longer behaved per drill (5) |
| ABORE – A + BORE. | |
Many thanks to both setter and blogger.
On 1 ac. – bangin’ (sic) is in Chambers meaning great, very good (sl.), i.e. top.
On 25 ac. – just to clarify (my understanding at least). A strop is a leather strap which is used to sharpen (put an edge on) a blade. (H)edger is the cryptic part of the clue.
Yes this was tricky.
In 25ac ‘hawthorn’ is a historical word for a hedge, so ‘istoric ‘awthorn give ‘edge, and the ‘runs’ gives the R at the end.
Re 11dn, one of the meanings of ‘reduce’ in Chambers is ‘to change to another form’, which seems more precise as an anagram indicator than the cooking sense.
I actually understood the parsing of edger as I solved, but by the time the blog came around it was forgotten. Blog emended.
A tricky one – the top row pun did not help me out much as I started in the bottom half and worked my way up.