I offered to do this blog, then discovered that I had thrown out my copy of the solution, which doesn’t yet appear to be available on the Guardian/Observer website, so I had to solve it for a second time, but without an up to date Chambers. This time it took about half an hour, but it was much longer the first time. Quite a lot of unfamiliar words this week.

Across

1 SCHOOLMARMISH - “classroom, I’m HH”*; obviously an anagram, but 13 letter ones are never easy, especially when the word is rather obscure
11 POUK - U(nited) in POK(E).  To poke is to feel about; pouk (or pook) is a Scottish word meaning to pluck
12 SLAINTE - “IN” can mean a member of the party in office, so it’s SLA(IN)TE: it’s Gaelic for “good health!”
13 AMISH - A + mish(it). The Amish are a Mennonite sect, made famous by the film Witness, starring Harrison Ford. I’m not sure how much less likely than any other sect they may be to take the name of God in vain
15 INKPOT - a fountain pen is so called because its store of ink is known as a fountain
16 NIPPERS - double, or even triple definition here, as the word means handcuffs, pickpockets and children. Presumably the question mark is justified because Dickens doesn’t actually use the term in any of these senses (although I haven’t checked)
18 ATHOS - A + SHOT*. It’s a holy mountain in Greek Macedonia
20 MAHSEER - HAS* in MEER (or mere, a lake). It’s an Indian freshwater fish
21 RESTORERS - REST + ERR SO*
24 OVERBID - O VERB I’D
27 NEPIT - hidden. It’s defined in Chambers as a computing term meaning a unit of information
29 ARAROBA - BORA (rev.) in ARA. Also known as Goa powder
31 IMPISH - if I understood this when I solved it, I appear to have forgotten! Any suggestions?
32 AMATI - compound anagram: take the letters “Strad or” from “RAM artist do” and what’s left is an anagram of the answer. An Amati is of equivalent value to a Strad, to a violinist
33 TENSION - IS(rev.) in TENON
34 TABI - tabinet is the curtain material; tabi are socks worn with Japanese sandals
35 ARSENOPYRITES - another 13 letter anagram

Down

1 SPANAKOPITA - PAN + SOAK* + PITA (alternative spelling of pitta)
2 COAITA - aia is an alternative spelling of ayah, a nurse, so it’s CO (care of) + T(emperature) in AIA. It’s a red-faced spider monkey
3 HUMPHREY - HUMPH is a Scottish word meaning to carry, + RYE*. Apparently, to dine with Duke Humphrey meant to go hungry: it’s in Chambers under the entry for dine. Given that it’s shown as an historical usage, perhaps the clue might have been fairer had this been indicated in the clue (e.g. “you went hungry”), although I accept that it would have been no easier to solve
4 OBSESS - BOSSES*; an old meaning is to besiege, and this is also a meaning of the word “invest”. Hard, but fair, considering that it might otherwise be a very easy clue
5 LEHR - the even (regular) letters in eLsEwHeRe
6 ALIZARI - A LIZAR(D)+I. An ai is a sloth, and a skink is a lizard. Madder is a herbaceous plant, whose root produces a red dye
7 RANCH - T(RANCH)E
8 MIKE - double definition
9 STOLE - double definition, alluding to the slang usage of “lifted” to mean “stolen”
10 HETEROTAXIS - TEETH OR* + AXIS; it’s defined as an anomalous arrangement e.g. of parts of the body
14 ASMODAY - AS + MO + DAY; it’s an evil spirit of Semitic mythology
17 DESPOTAT - SPOT in DEAT(H)
19 ATISHOO - another compound anagram; a beautifully compact and clever clue
22 ENAMOR - ROMA(I)NE(rev.)
23 RIBIBE - BIB in IRE*. Another obscure word, which I first came across in Chapter 14 of Don Manley’s Chambers Crossword Manual (but with a different clue)
25 VOMER - REMOV(E)(rev.) It’s a bone in your nose
26 BASIN - B A SIN, where “cob’s tail” = b
28 MISE - CFS, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,is also known as ME
30 RACY - double definition

Definitely harder than the average Dac I thought, with some lesser known words here and there. Good clues as ever though.

Common abbreviations used
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
* = anagram

I really hope we can get the FT puzzles early like the Times and Guardian at 0001hours GMT.

You will always be severely but pleasantly challenged whenever the good Rev John Graham, OBE sets a puzzle and this one is no exception.
There are some misleading definitions which caused many a chuckle whenever I unravelled the trickery

Across
1 VASSAL Cha of V (see) A SSAL (rev lass)
4 ODYSSEUS (b)ODY - S (backing of headlesS) SEUS (rev of sues, goes to law) with headless doing double duty. A beautiful clue with a mysterious definition of “journeyman”
10 COCK-A-HOOP Simple cha
12,29 TEST THE WATER *(setter that we)
13,11,23 WHO’S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF I was able to see the childish challenge fairly early and know it is probably the anagram of certain words which I am too rushed to find
15 OLIVIER Ins of IV (four) in (h) OLIER (more virtuous)
16 TEA BAG Simple cha (in every sense of the word :-)
19 INTERN dd
21 CHELSEA Ins of ELSE in CHA (tea)
25,3 TEARAWAY Tea (drink) RA (artist) WAY (style)
27 ERODE The Queen and ODE
28 ANALOGOUS Ins of A Log (a diary) in A NOUS (common sense)
30 REASON RE (royal Engineers, army unit) AS (when) ON

Down
1 VOCATION I suppose it is vacation with one change of a to o
but why vacation?
2 SECESSION A clue that Cyclops would have been proud of. When I figured it was the ins of Church of England in session, I could not help laughing at the choice of the definition
5 DEPOSIT Ins of SI in DEPOT
6 SNOWFLAKES I love this clue and chuckled at the masterly use of a misleading definition. Ins of OWFL *(fowl) in snakes
7 EXTRA ha
8,17 STEADY AS SHE GOES *(day set) ASS (fool) ins of EGO (personality) in HE’s (men)
9,24 MOTHER GOOSE Cha of MOTH (fly by night, very clever) ERGO (therefore) OSE (of some energy initially)
14 CINE CAMERA C (century) IN (fashionable) ins of CAME (entered) in ARA (period)
18 GARRISON *(roarings)
20 NEWGATE punny clue
21,26 COLLAR BONE Ins of O (circle) LL (lines) in CARBON (denoted by C) + E (point)
22 OBJECT dd

Common abbreviations used
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
* = anagram

Lovely puzzle that has some misleading definitions and a couple of quite elaborate devices. Pity there were two printing errors which were crucial to the wordplay of the clues affected.

Across
1 HUMPBACK BRIDGE Cha of hump (despondency) back (behind) bridge (game). I love the definition “one comes across”
8 PANDA homophone for pander (to indulge)
9 ELEVATED Ins of E (drug) V (versus or against) in ELATED (delighted)
11 CRACKLE Ins of R (river) in CACKLE (laughter)
12 PITPROP Ins of IT PRO (old stager) in PP (very quiet)
13 OSSIA Rev ha or (giving an alternative in music)
15 THROTTLER The tailless = TH and dog in question is a rottweiler.
“wei-rdo” half ignored is “rottler” giving THROTTLER, a strangler
It is therefore my contention that the net version of this clue has a missing “The” in front
17 DIDELPHYS Serendipity is the faculty of making fortunate or beneficial discoveries by accident and this happened to me today.
I looked up Chambers for opossum and “any member of the American genus Didelphys” popped out and it does sound quite like “did Elvis” after you have had about five bottles of 8% Guinness Stout
20 ABASH Ins of BA in ASH
21 INCISOR *(is coin) R (right)
23 SHARPEN Ins of ARP in S (singular) HEN (female). Jean Arp (1886-1966) was a German-born French Dadaist/Surrealist painter
25 SILENCER Ins of Len (man) in ICE (frost-bound) and the whole thing
I-LEN-CE inserted in SR (outskirt of Stranraer)
26 SAUDI Ins of U (classy) in SAD I (woeful one)
27 UNCLE TOM’S CABIN Uncle (relation) TO M/S (manuscript or writing)
Cabin (little house)

Down
1 HYPOCHONDRIA *(H poncy hairdo) It is my contention that the net version of this clue has a typo and poncey should be poncy
2 MANNA Ins of Ann in MA - the food miraculously provided for the Israelites in the wilderness according to the Old Testament
3 BLACKMAIL Cha of Black (thunderous looking) MAIL (rev of LIAM, Irishman). The threat of a soaking is a most cryptic definition
4 CLEMENT Remember the miner’s daughter, Clementine?
5 BLEEPER Cha of B (by originally) (s)LEEPER(s)
6 INAPT Ins of NP (game) in IT
7 GUERRILLA Cha of GU (gun point missed; superb!) + ins of RILL in ERA
10 APPREHENSION dd
14 SEDUCTION Ins of DUCT in SE-ION *(noise)
16 THALASSIC Ins of A LASS (a girl) in THIC (k)
18 HARICOT *(chairto) haricot bean - the kidney bean or French bean (plant or seed); a kind of ragout or stew of mutton and beans or other vegetables
19 SISTRUM Rev of IS -> SI ST (street or way) RUM drink)
22 SWELL dd
24 PLUMB P (quietly) LUM (chimney) B (top boss)