A prize puzzle this week, with PARISON the word to clue, meaning a lump of glass, ready to be moulded. Inspiration did not strike. There were a number of errors in the printed version of the crossword, which made some of it more interesting until twitter pointed me at the discussion about it. Clues below are the corrected versions.

  • 1ac: ASTROCOMPASS: Pilot's direction-finder or mascot adjusted before transfer: *(OR MASCOT) + PASS (transfer); I didn't find astrocompass under either astro- or compass in my Chambers, but Wikipedia has it.
  • 10ac: PARISON: A lump of glass for moulding
  • 11ac: OATHS: Curses pipes around start of Hogmanay: OATS (= pipes) around H(ogmanay)
  • 13ac: QUAPAWS: Their womenfolk will appear leaderless, burying father: (s)QUAWS around PA; &lit (ref. Quapaw)
  • 14ac: COOT: Bill's other half cut it – silly: COO (ref. bill and coo) + (i)T
  • 16ac: APOPHYGE: Work extremes of hilarity into edited page – part at top or foot of column: OP (work) + H(ilarit)Y inside *(PAGE)
  • 17ac: GIRNS: Ugly expressions from sailors captured by foreign troops: RN (sailors; ref. Royal Navy) inside GIS (foreign troops; ref. G.I.)
  • 18ac: PILUM: Part of old soldier's kit – this set gets miles put out: *(MILES PUT - SET) = PILUM
  • 20ac: GEOPHAGY: Wildly eggy about a hop going wrong – sign of mania?: *(EGGY) around *(AHOP); ref. Geophagy
  • 23ac: CHARISMA: Personality one follows is weathed in allure: CHARM (= allure) around IS + A
  • 27ac: LAKIN: Little old lady is havin' a work break up north: LAKIN(g) (= dial. play)
  • 28ac: ACTOR: Player in Milan team, rubbish back: AC (ref. A.C. Milan) + ROT reversed
  • 30ac: ANTABUSE: One pill to take as treatment for alcoholism: AN (one) + TAB (pill) + USE (take)
  • 32ac: STAP: Portion of ripest apples and stuff that's gone: ripeST APples
  • 33ac: STINGOS: Tossing off strong drinks: *(TOSSING)
  • 34ac: SITUS: Positions befit me (as editor might put it): SIT (befit) + US (editorial me)
  • 35ac: EERIEST: Extremely weird lake in east of France: ERIE (ref. Lake Erie in EST (= fr. East); this clue in the printed had “Germany” instead of “France”, which was mildly confusing
  • 36ac: CROSSDRESSER: Perry maybe balancing on sideboard: CROSS (= balancing) + DRESSER (= sideboard); ref. Grayson Perry
  • 2dn: SAULIE: What'll make Scots keener? That is following old king? SAUL (ref. Saul) + IE (that is)
  • 3dn: TRAPROCK: E.g. basalt for filling course: PRO (for) inside TRACK (= course)
  • 4dn: RIPEN: Port wine's bottled? Stow to mature thus: ?
  • 5dn: COWPEA: Poet giving away recipe for a legume: COWPER (ref. William Cowper - R(ecipe) + A
  • 6dn: ON SONG: Performing well, Ben maybe loses his first grand: (j)ONSON (ref. Ben Jonson) + G(rand)
  • 7dn: MOOP: The Scots speak indistinctly, low and soft: MOO (lowing sound) + P (piano)
  • 8dn: PACHISI: Brewed cha coming in I drink up – while playing this? *(CHA) in I SIP (= drink) reversed; ref. Pachisi
  • 9dn: SHOGUN: Military governor has shortened broad cannon?: S (has shortened) + HO (slang for sexually loose woman) + GUN (cannon).
  • 12dn: STEMWARE: Mats we're given in arrangement for wine glasses, etc: *(MATS WERE)
  • 15dn: EGG GLASS: Timer with which girl follows say gee-gee: EG (say, as e.g.) + GG (gee-gee) + LASS (= girl)
  • 19dn: LASTAGES: Some duties go on for a long time: Double Definition
  • 21dn: PRIAPUS: Guardian of gardens? Matter holding partner up: SUP (matter) around PAIR (partner) reversed
  • 22dn: SANTIR: Its music is hammered out, a lilting strain: *(STRAIN)
  • 24dn: HOUSED: Put up sort of trough, to employ inside: HOD (= trough) around USE (= employ)
  • 25dn: AUSTER: Visitor to Italy blowing in from the south, e.g. Paul: Double definition; ref. Paul Auster
  • 26dn: MOROSE: Like the Carpenter, or his mate, swallowing first of oysters? MORSE (= Walrus) around O(ysters); ref. The Walrus and the Carpenter
  • 29dn: CANIS: It includes Obaman's ‘Bo’, among Americanisms: ameriCANISms; ref. Bo
  • 31dn: BUSS: Fishing vessel, or smack: Double Definition (smack = kiss)