Greetings barred-grid fans.
I had no internet connection to my laptop on Saturday, so this is a late blog and a few of the trickier clues have already been discussed in the comments. I found this one pretty tricky, and took a while to get a handle particularly on the bottom half.
Definitions underlined in italics, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, {} deletions and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Servant that’s packing a vessel in Kyrgyzstan (6) |
| KAVASS – A, VAS(vessel in the body) inside KS(IVR code for Kyrgyzstan) | |
| 6 | Russian measure formerly linked to volume (5) |
| VERST – ERST(formerly) after V(volume) | |
| 11 | A venerable lower part to finish off casque? (9) |
| AVENTAILE – an all-in-one as the full clue could be a definition for the flap on a helmet. A, VEN(venerable), TAIL(lower part) and the last letter in casquE | |
| 12 | Criticise uproar involved in one council (12) |
| PANHELLENION – PAN(criticise), HELL(uproar) and an anagram of IN,ONE | |
| 13 | Past tense — that of place up north (3) |
| PAT – PA T is in Chambers as an abbreviation for past tense, the single word definition is for place in Scots, found in Chambers under PIT | |
| 15 | Lazy Scots son getting little right (6) |
| SWEERT – S(son), WEE(little), RT(right) | |
| 18 | Supporter upset about Hearts (5) |
| SHORE – SORE(upset) surrounding H(Hearts) | |
| 19 | Declared once that only half must go (4) |
| ARED – clever clue – ARED(declared) is half of declARED | |
| 20 | Endlessly heartless tangling fly’s wings? (8) |
| HALTERES – angram of HEARTLESS minus the last letter | |
| 21 | Wave brushes a coral (8) |
| SEA SHRUB – anagram of BRUSHES,A. Given as two words in Chambers | |
| 22 | Water buffalo Albanian’s not allowed out (4) |
| ARNA – ARNAOUT(Albanian soldier) minus OUT | |
| 23 | Western? Linking this with Florida would be a blunder (5) |
| OATER – if you added FL(Florida) you would get FLOATER(blunder) | |
| 26 | Rapidly flick through, upset about following pages (6) |
| RIFFLE – RILE(upset) surrounding FF(following pages) | |
| 28 | My chimney-cowl turns endlessly (3) |
| OOH – HOOD(chimney-cowl) reversed minus the last letter | |
| 29 | Plant family does damage in the small intestine? Beware if taken regularly (12) |
| MARSILEACEAE – MARS(does damage), ILEAC(in the small intestine), then alternating letters in bEwArE | |
| 31 | Love restaurant and leave finally without a bill (9) |
| EROSTRATE – EROS(love), TRAT(restaurant) and the last letter of leavE | |
| 32 | See Z in N rotated? It emerges instinctively (5) |
| NEEZE – ZEE(the letter Z, particularly as Americans say it) inside EN(the letter N) all reversed | |
| 33 | Sapling entirely covered in rot as seen from behind (6) |
| TELLAR – ALL(entirely) inside RET(rot) reversed | |
| Down | |
| 1 | King approved a letter (5) |
| KAPPA – K(King), APP(approved), A | |
| 2 | Occupy oneself with once filling glass of Champagne very quickly (12, three words) |
| VENTRE A TERRE – ENTREAT(occupy oneself with, Spenserian) inside VERRE(French for glass) | |
| 3 | Toil locally in Seychelles, enduring great heat (5) |
| STEWY – TEW(toil) inside SY(IVR code for Seychelles) | |
| 4 | Has already moved enclosure for lots of animals? (8) |
| SALEYARD – ‘S(has) and an anagram of ALREADY | |
| 5 | In places rain brought up English iris (4) |
| SILE – E(English), LIS(iris) all reversed | |
| 7 | Scottish readers just of poetry (3) |
| EEN – double definition | |
| 8 | True about Greek character chasing money, flowing under the bridge? (12) |
| RHINORRHOEAL – REAL(true) surrounding RHO(Greek character) after RHINO(money). Referring to the bridge of the nose. | |
| 9 | Gliding condors flying around both ends of range (9) |
| SCORRENDO – anagram of CONDORS surrounding the external letters of RangE | |
| 10 | Awards working within limits (6) |
| TONIES – ON(working) inside TIES(limits) | |
| 14 | Unpaid debt locally, it runs back over time (9) |
| ARREARAGE – I’m a little unsure about the wordplay, since ARREAR for running late is in the same headword, bit I think it is meant to be that followed by AGE(time). | |
| 15 | Serial sure to be broadcast about Detective Sergeant (6) |
| SUDSER – anagram of SURE containing DS(Detective Sergeant) | |
| 16 | Sheep so much getting over hail (6) |
| THEAVE – THE(so much, definition 2 in Chambers) then AVE(hail) | |
| 17 | Fight large number in US street to protect girlfriend (8) |
| SLUGFEST – SLUE(large number in US, found under SLEW) and ST(street) surrounding GF(girlfriend) | |
| 21 | Society has legal distraint over feudal tenant (6) |
| SOCMAN – SOC(society) then NAM(legal distraint) reversed | |
| 24 | Bleak Scottish housing temperature? A little awkward for locals (5) |
| BLATE – BLAE(bleak, Scots) containing T(temperature) | |
| 25 | Fellow embracing hot mate once (5) |
| PHEER – PEER(fellow) containing H(hot) | |
| 27 | Following my growth in part of Spain (4) |
| FLOR – F(following), LOR(my) | |
| 30 | Casually speaks English in southern Zambia (3) |
| SEZ – E(English) inside S(southern), Z(Zambia) | |
Good luck with that George.
In the meantime I looking forward to finding out how 19ac ARED works. The best I can come up with is (unp)A(I)RED. I’m far from convinced.
And there any more to 16d than THEAVE (sheep) = THE(so much) + AVE(hail)?
That’s it, as far as I can see. ARED is quite clever.
I couldn’t parse THEAVE either.
For ARED l took out half of declared leaving ARED. Do you think this is right.
Yes.
That’s what I thought for ARED (ie half of DECLARED). I agree with the parsing of THEAVE, too: THE = so much, as in phrases such as “the more, the merrier”.
I was wondering about an example of that meaning of THE – thanks.
Half of DECLARED is much better. Makes ARED very neat.
Tricky one! This took me over an hour but I never got completely stuck.
14dn is A (dialect word for it), R (runs), REAR, AGE.
21a is two words. But not mentioned as such. Was that an omission or par for the course in Memphisto?