Relatively simple, I feel, though I did start it early in the week and only finished it on Saturday, so “simple” doesn’t necessarily mean “quick to solve”. I’ve learnt some things this week, for example that baseball teams can be described as Enneads.

  • 1ac: ALPHABETIFORM: English habit with pal from abroad – like letters (13): *(E(nglish) HABIT PAL FORM)
  • 11ac: CARIB: Native American piranha, tailless (5): CARIB(e) (piranha)
  • 13ac: NAPOO: Down on ducks, dead (5): NAP (down) + OO (ducks, as in cricket
  • 14ac: TWEEDIEST: Chirrup about withers, like most hearty outdoor types (9): TWEET (chirrup) around DIES (withers)
  • 15ac: DODDARD: Like decayed old trees, not even protected by Pakistani possibly (7)
  • 17ac: ENNEADS: Baseball teams? BBC rarely shows such, we hear (7): the BBC is funded through the licence fee, and hence rarely shows “any ads”.
  • 19ac: THENCE: Article about cheer our age lost – and after that? (6): THE (article) around ENCOURAGE (cheer) - OUR - AGE
  • 20ac: MOORVA: Fibre requiring one to travel speedily from east to west (6): A (one) + VROOM (travel speedily) reversed
  • 22ac: OUSTER: Being dispossessed one has to change routes (6): *(ROUTES)
  • 24ac: INSTEP: Capital cast by Epstein remoulded for arch (6): *((e)PSTEIN)
  • 26ac: INFALLS: More than one confluence is including northern and southern river length (7): IS around N(orthern) + FAL (southern river) + L(ength)
  • 28ac: RHENISH: It’s damaged her shin, or possibly hock (7): *(HER SHIN)
  • 31ac: APPOINTEE: Primate holding tiptop position? He’s got the job (9): APE (primate) around POINTE (tiptop position)
  • 32ac: LEARN: Master Edward by name? (5): LEAR (Edward; ref. Edward Lear) + N(ame)
  • 33ac: TITUP: Canter nag, mounted (5): TIT (nag) + UP (mounted)
  • 34ac: SCANDAL SHEETS: Yellow press, unbridled and scatheless, scents lead and has broadcast (13, 2 words): *(AND SCATHELESS) and *(SCENTS LEAD HAS). With more Azed exposure I’ve become used to triple clues, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen a double anagram.
  • 1dn: ACADEMICALS: E.g. Hamilton, with special gown, cap, etc (11): ACADEMICAL (ref. Hamilton Academical) + S(pecial)
  • 2dn: LAZO: Llama’s head has me round? Well, possibly (4): L(lama) + AZ (“me” = Azed) + O (round) &lit.
  • 3dn: PRODNOSE: Morse, say, writing about crooked don (8): PROSE (writing) around *(DON)
  • 4dn: HINDER: Back block (6): Double Definition
  • 5dn: BOWR: Stewart’s motor maybe requiring some elbow-room (4): elBOW Room
  • 6dn: TRENTON: River beside state capital (7): TRENT (river) + ON (beside); ref. Trenton, NJ
  • 7dn: INDY: Motor race creating row, quiet banished from the start (4): SHINDY (row) - SH (quiet)
  • 8dn: FAINE: The old pretend being sensitive about acting (5): FAE (sensitive) around IN (acting)
  • 9dn: ROSACE: Prize badge like this is held up in contest (6): SO (like this) reversed in RACE (contest)
  • 10dn: MOTHERSHIPS: Supply craft most deployed when bagging plunder in Scotland (11): *(MOST) around HERSHIP (Scot. plunder)
  • 12dn: REDSHIRTS: College sportsmen (selection deferred) managed thirds in residence (9): *(THIRDS) in RES(idence)
  • 16dn: ANTLIATE: Insect item (not head), turned up proboscis-like (8): ANT (insect) + (d)ETAIL reversed
  • 18dn: DAPHNIA: Had a nip after fiddling with water fleas (7): *(HAD A NIP)
  • 21dn: ON SPEC: Somebody seizing odds on colt, as a gamble (6, 2 words): ONE (somebody) around S(tarting) P(rice) (odds) + C(olt)
  • 23dn: SANNIE: Famous orphan after special bit of beachwear in Largs? (6): S(pecial) + ANNIE (famous orphan; ref. Little Orphan Annie
  • 25dn: THORN: Letter penned by author (Norse) (5): auTHOR Norse
  • 27dn: LIND: Nightingale (so-called) in Tilia tree, first to fly off in dark (4): Double Definition + (b)LIND (dark); ref. Jenny Lind
  • 27dn: HEWS: Hacks: ten staggered away from what dailies serve up? (4): THE NEWS (what dailies serve up) - TEN
  • 30dn: SMUT: Black spot? One of two in smash belly up (4): S (one of two in SmaSh) + TUM (belly) reversed