Beelzebub 1313

Some (read quite a few) new words for me today, in fact more than usual for a Beelzebub, but there was one entry with which I am very familiar having lived in 30ac, on and off, for nearly 60 years.

I have a minor quibble with 21ac but this did not delay an enjoyable solve.

Across
1 Source of much heat, hot anvils cooled irregularly (6,7)
SHIELD VOLCANO – an anagram (irregularly) of H ANVILS COOLED

9 Supplier of silk and supplier of nuts getting single railway (9)
COCOONERY – COCO (supplier of nuts) ONE (single) RY (railway)

11 Currency no longer supplied in local branches (4)
REIS – double def.

13 Guy‘s a seducer trashing hearts (4)
ALEC – A LEC[h] (a seducer trashing hearts)

14 Deficient examination – test missing educational basic? (6)
SCANTY – SCAN (examination) T[r]Y (test missing educational basic)

15 Bottle containing run of pathogen? (5)
VIRAL – VIAL (bottle) around (containing) R (run)

16 Exhausted and in two minds about one shed (8)
TIME-WORN – TORN (in two minds) around (about) I (one) MEW (shed)

18 European city jail releasing last European (4)
NICE – NIC[k] (jail releasing last) E (European)

21 Rejecting swishing of cane (concept besetting a teen’s rear) (13)
NON-ACCEPTANCE – an anagram (swishing of) of CANE CONCEPT around (besetting) A [tee]N (teen’s rear) – surely the definition should be ‘rejection’

23 Say ruler’s a bore (4)
EGER – EG (say) ER (ruler)

24 One only seals off test centre because it’s this? (8)
ISOLABLE – I (one) SOLE (only) around (seals off) LAB (test centre)

25 Ploy spurned by English military leader? I’ll try it! (5)
WILCO – WIL[e] (ploy spurned by English) CO (military leader)

26 Investigative skill trapping Women’s Institute? Not at all (6)
NOWISE – NOSE (investigative skill) around (trapping) WI (Women’s Institute)

27 Irish celebration with spirits reduced by a third? (4)
FEIS – FEIS[ty] (with spirits reduced by a third)

28 Animals celebrated after making return (4)
GNUS – SUNG (celebrated) reversed (after making return)

29 Sugar, notice, filling chest (9)
CASSONADE – AD (notice) in (filling) CASSONE (chest)

30 Location of course, Introduction to Management, analysts then revamped (6,2,5)
LYTHAM ST ANNES – an anagram (revamped) of M[anagement] ANALYSTS THEN – I don’t know why the setter has used course, singular (well I do, it’s for the surface). There are three others (Old Links, Fairhaven and Green Drive) within a few minutes drive from where I’m sitting in addition to the more well known Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Down
1 Searching US state, exacting repayment (10)
SCAVENGING – SC (US state) AVENGING (exacting repayment)

2 Hockey venue in Cambodia? Gambler heading off in advance (3,4)
ICE RINK – [d]ICER (gambler heading off) IN K (Cambodia)

3 Lounge lizard’s first to support expression of amusement (4)
LOLL – LOL (expression of amusement) L[izard] (lizard’s first)

4 Old security order never invoked by shameful edict (1-6)
D-NOTICE – NO (never) in (invoked by) an anagram (shameful) of EDICT

5 18 tucking into greens with girl producing delicate stuff (6,5)
VENICE GLASS – NICE (18) in (tucking into) VEG (greens) LASS (girl)

6 Solution involving church school for people at 18 (5)
LYCÉE – LYE (solution) around (involving) CE (church)

7 Crustacean‘s stomach getting thump (7)
CRAWDAD – CRAW (stomach) DAD (thump)

8 Caustic material upset critic and I (6,4)
NITRIC ACID – an anagram (upset) of CRITIC AND I

10 Economic system pooling last of resources unevenly in ordinary year (10)
OLIGOPSONY – an anagram (unevenly) of POOLING [resource]S in O (ordinary) Y (year)

12 Tony senses decaying in bodily connections (10)
SYNTENOSES – an anagram (decaying) of TONY SENSES

17 It’s hard securing everyone of a rough height (7)
TALLISH – TIS (it’s) H (hard) around (securing) ALL (everyone)

19 Swordsman to go ahead of one in awareness training (7)
EPEEIST – PEE (to go) I (one) in EST (awareness training)

20 Dirty article Dad’s friend stands on (7)
UNCLEAN – UNCLE (Dad’s friend) AN (article)

22 Conspirator‘s cleanser of system, ousting a King (5)
CASCA – CASC[ar]A (cleanser of system, ousting a King)

25 Stop curtailing question about love (4)
WHOA – WHA[t] (curtailing question) around (about) O (love)

4 comments on “Beelzebub 1313”

  1. Conrad Cork's avatar
    Conrad Cork

    Thanks Gaufrid and Beelzebub. Enjoyable indeed.

    It may be creeping senility on my part, but I can’t find 7 in the BRB, despite knowing the word.

  2. Gaufrid's avatar
    Gaufrid

    Hi Conrad
    CRAWDAD is not in Chambers but it is in Collins and COED.

  3. Dormouse's avatar
    Dormouse

    I, too, was confused by 7dn. I was sure I knew the word but couldn’t find it in Chambers (even the “supplement”). I ended up googling the word just to confirm my memory wasn’t playing tricks.

    The two I had trouble parsing were 11ac, where I failed to spot the other definition of REIS, and 16ac,6 where I didn’t know MEW. Thanks for the explanations.

  4. Simon Harding's avatar

    Well I never. I spent my teenage years in St. Annes, though haven’t been back in over 20 years. It was certainly a bit of a surprise to see it crop up!

Comments are closed.