Typing this up in Sidney Sussex chapel, in between rehearsing for my contributions to De Profundis' concert on 10th May featuring the surviving works of Bernadino de Ribera. Readers, first buy a ticket for the concert, and then come back for the clue analysis of Azed 2186...

  • 1ac: SKUG: Mooching around, left family out in shelter: SLULKING (“mooching around”) - L(eft) - KIN (family)
  • 4ac: DOORMATS: Cook leftovers – mum included such as may regularly be exploited: DO (cook) + ORTS (leftovers) around MA (mum)
  • 11ac: WANY: Tending to decline method that includes small number: WAY (method) around N(umber)
  • 12ac: SOARE: Young hawk once flew aloft endlessly: SOARE(d) (flew aloft)
  • 13ac: ATAP: Roofing material that a palm provides (see within): thaT A PAlm
  • 14ac: REQUITAL: Reward to discharge in bit of Brazilian money: QUIT (discharge) inside REAL (Brazilian money)
  • 15ac: MAISTERING: Scots gaining control of drove after month abroad: MAI (fr. May) + STERING (drove)
  • 16ac: MISANDROUS: Detesting sex? Sounds not quite right for Julie!: sounds like “Miss Andrews”; ref. Julie Andrews
  • 17ac: CHEKIST: Guardian of national security maltreating the sick: *(THE SICK); ref. Cheka
  • 22ac: FALSISM: As films will misguidedly present it, it’s manifestly untrue: *(AS FILMS)
  • 24ac: PRIESTSHIP: Ministry persist with change, following latest political ideas?: *(PERSIST) + HIP (? latest political ideas)
  • 28ac: SHAKEDOWN: Temporary straw bed appeared to contain a wingless pest: SHOWN (appeared) around A KED (wingless louse)
  • 29ac: EGOMANIA: Abnormal conceit, reverse of mature, gripping ME Arab?: AGE (mature) reversed around OMANI (Middle-Eastern Arab)
  • 30ac: GLUE: Leaders in good long underwear – every size: G(ood) L(ong) U(nderwear) E(very)
  • 31ac: OKAPI: African creature, fine sloth, with pressure in grip: OK (fine) + AI (sloth) around P(ressure)
  • 32ac: PINS: Cut back nails: SNIP (cut) reversed
  • 33ac: STONE-AGE: What’s extremely retro one replaces even in Home Counties location: STEVENAGE (Home Counties location) - EVEN + ONE
  • 34ac: INGS: Sign showing diversion for riverside meadows: *(SIGN)
  • 1dn: SWAMP CYPRESS: Inhabitant of everglades was immersed, c-crowd hugging country’s borders: SWAM (was immersed) P-PRESS (c-crowd) around C(ountr)Y
  • 2dn: KATAL: SI unit tailpiece in a discussion brought to the fore: A TALK (a discussion) with K brought to front; ref. Katal
  • 3dn: UNAIMED: Random spraying of medium round piece of art: as best as I can see, a mistake: *(MEDIUM) around A(rt), but one of the ‘M’s needs to be an ‘N’
  • 4dn: DARTS: Board game is starting of a sudden: Double Definition
  • 5dn: OPERAS: ‘Soaper’ represents such (at least nominally, in US): *(SOAPER) &lit.
  • 6dn: ROUNDEL: Disc with undulations in part (end lost): UNDE (undulations) in ROL(e) (part)
  • 7dn: MAIGRE: Fish from the Med, with bit of work I am hauled up: ERG (bit of work) + I AM all reversed
  • 8dn: ARTY: Would-be aesthete some lowly tradesman raised: lowlY TRAdesman reversed
  • 9dn: TEACUPS: Kitchen measures in paste stirred round copper: *PASTE) around CU (copper)
  • 10dn: SELF-SAMENESS: Identity crookedly false chaps put in ‘tax’ form: *(FALSE) + MEN (chaps) in SESS (tax)
  • 18dn: HARD-GOT: Excited dog brought in deer attained with difficulty: *(DOG) in HART (deer)
  • 19dn: IN SHAPE: Trendy one exercises, holding belt up, to get fit: IN (trendy) A (one) PE (exercises; ref. Physical Education) around SH (belt up)
  • 20dn: CIPOLIN: Heading for Carrara, Italy, I cut up new marble: C(arrara) I(taly) + I LOP (cut) reversed + N(ew)
  • 21dn: DESMAN: Insectivore inhabiting everglades (mangroves): everglaDES MANgroves
  • 23dn: ASKING: This price precedes haggling – fell with silver around: SKIN (fell) inside AG (silver)
  • 25dn: HEAVE: Reach harbour, circling east, not north: HAVEN (harbour) around E(ast) - N(orth); “reach” as in “retch”
  • 26dn: SWUNG: Women in oriental dynasty were lively: W(omen) in SUNG (ref. Song dynasty)
  • 27dn: TOKO: Is it over the top when involving king’s head? TOO (over the top) around K(ing)