I didn’t find this particularly hard, and I was able to use Paul’s pun to help me finish. Once again, the percentage of obscure words in the answers was not that high, although the cryptics used a more difficult vocabulary. I was left with a few rather picky questions about a couple of clues, although their general thrust was completely clear. I’m sure that if you were just solving the puzzle, and didn’t have to blog it, you wouldn’t encounter much difficulty.
| Across | |
| 1 | Lose one’s way with a new German article (6) |
| WANDER – W + A + N + DER, an easy way to start. | |
| 6 | Being genial in the old way applaud a number (5) |
| HUMAN – HUM + A + N. The archaic sense of genial is pertaining to marriage and procreation, so I’m not entirely sure how this means human. | |
| 10 | Reform completely agree and enter anew (10) |
| REGENERATE – Anagram of AGREE + ENTER. | |
| 12 | Avant-garde apothecaries with this treacle pose preposterously (8) |
| THERIACA – Anagram of APOTHECARIES – POSE. A rare inner literal, which is typical of compound anagrams. | |
| 13 | By way of response attractive husband ditched aromatics (5) |
| TOLUS – TO LUS[h] – yes, one of the meanings of lush is attractive. I’m not so sure the literal is strictly correct; since tolu is a substance it may not have a plural. | |
| 14 | In return some casino’s leniency shows restraint (6) |
| NELSON – Backwards hidden in [casi]NO’S LEN[iency], a Nelson as a wrestling hold. | |
| 15 | Centres accommodating lavish dips? (7, two words) |
| HOT TUBS – H(OTT)UBS. OTT = over the top. | |
| 18 | Take in heaven’s vault to set about divination (4) |
| SKRY – SK(R)Y, more usually spelt scry. | |
| 19 | Elderly relative effects anger (8) |
| GOODSIRE – GOODS + IRE, elderly as a word, that is, although the relative is elderly as well. | |
| 20 | Saul blew up puritanic precepts (8, two words) |
| BLUE LAWS – Anagram of SAUL BLEW. | |
| 21 | Concerning public area before going west? (4, two words) |
| AS TO – STOA with the A moved to the front. | |
| 23 | Bleat about cold church in shrubby Mediterranean area (7) |
| MACCHIA – MA(C,CH, I’)A. | |
| 25 | A very free rein forms French future (6) |
| AVENIR – A + V + anagram of REIN. | |
| 27 | Shipyard wood put back — not specified for building block’s parts? (5) |
| KAONS – OAK backwards + N/S. Building blocks of atoms, that is. | |
| 28 | Rum Greek township returned tree (8) |
| DEMERARA – DEME + ARAR backwards. | |
| 29 | Southern tree to shape simple organism on rotting flora (10, two words) |
| SLIME MOULD – S + LIME + MOULD. | |
| 30 | On being into synonym for nymph (5) |
| SYREN – SY(RE)N. | |
| 31 | Luke cracked up in centre to keep old African notes (6) |
| EKUELE – E(anagram of LUKE)E, where the enclosing letters come from [k]EE[p]. Former folding money from Equatorial Guinea. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Stormy women banter with Henry (5) |
| WROTH -W + ROT + H. Often waxed! | |
| 2 | Bhutanese bread is no good, ultimately strange (8) |
| NGULTRUM – N.G. + ULT + RUM. | |
| 3 | Secondary job European Parliament admitted (6) |
| DEPUTY – D(E.P)UTY. | |
| 4 | In Scotland skim round vagrant vessel (8) |
| REHOBOAM – RE(HOBO)AM, a rather large vessel indeed. | |
| 5 | I was with energy in senior service initially? (4) |
| WREN – W + R(E)N, a nice &lit. | |
| 6 | Timid mammal avoiding running water guides ducks (7) |
| HARELDS – HARE + L[ea]DS. | |
| 7 | Profitable mineral water’s last to go (5) |
| UTILE -[r]UTILE, where [wate]R is removed. | |
| 8 | Smashing test in quad? Quite the opposite is entertaining (10) |
| ACCOURTING – AC(COURT)ING. | |
| 9 | Such subtlety is absent in bore (6) |
| NUANCE – NU[is]ANCE. | |
| 11 | Get cracking butcher’s last luxury without stuffing (10, two words) |
| LOOK LIVELY – LOOK (LIVE) L(uxur]Y. Live in the sense of endure, remain. | |
| 16 | Indian retinue accordingly contest bank endlessly (8) |
| SOWARREE – SO + WAR + REE[f]. | |
| 17 | Fad where old ratty outburst replaced very irrational Irish rot (8) |
| PISHOGUE – (-v,+PISH)OGUE. A very clever substitution clue. | |
| 19 | Organic matter in water? Government goin’ to lie in retreat (7) |
| GLAIRIN -G + LAIRIN[g]. | |
| 20 | Northerner’s livid about the core point of needing small chivs (6) |
| BLADES – BLA([nee]D[ing])E + S. |
|
| 21 | American bluesy folk mostly seen round old tree (6) |
| ACAJOU – A + CAJ(O)U[n]. I can’t see why Cajuns would be bluesy; their music is very lively, as is their cuisine. | |
| 22 | Content of mundane letters is to give final relief (5) |
| ANELE – Hidden in [mund]ANE LE[tters]. | |
| 24 | Privately the best team succeeded boring assistant (5) |
| ASIDE – A SIDE, or A(S)IDE, two cryptics for the price of one! | |
| 26 | King on measure of current con (4) |
| RAMP – R + AMP. | |
Damn, I still don’t get the pun.
Wonder who man?
At a guess, can’t say it hit me between the eyes
I have given the answer in the title of the blog!
That crossed my mind (not from your title—I didn’t know her legal name!) but didn’t click for me. More a play on the name than a pun for it, but that must be what’s meant.
I reasoned BLADES the same way: BLAE, (nee)D(ing), S. Not sure why you query whether this is correct?
Thanks, now corrected.
6A: “in the old way” applies to hum = applaud rather than genial = human, and “genial, kind” is a Chambers def for “human”.
Richard is right on 20D (S=small)
WonderWoman?
‘bluesy folk’ may be referring to the music, rather than the people, though that doesn’t help with why it’s bluesy.
Fun, breezy solve, I think this could have been my fastest time for a Paul McKenna puzzle. Enjoyed the pun as always.
Lots of Cajuns in Louisiana, which is sure home to lots of blues. The distinctive Cajun style of Zydeco is influenced by Delta blues (so it’s “bluesy”).
let me check my understanding of how 21 works:
STOA = public area
before = previous word i.e area therefore A
going west = move left to make AS TO
Somehow area has to be used twice in the reading of this clue. Am I understanding this correctly?
I think it’s that “a” = “before” in Latin, as in “a.m.”
Chambers: a (3) abbrev:… ante (L), before
oh yes, that makes much more sense. Something to note for the future.
Thanks