Independent on Sunday 1114: Crosophile
Posted by jetdoc on June 26th, 2011
I am blogging this in The Old Joint Stock in Birmingham, where we are anticipating tomorrow’s Sloggers & Betters meet (which will have happened by the time you read this). Fortunately, it doesn’t seem much like hard work — Crosophile manages to add a touch of humour and some nifty wordplay to the fairly straightforward clues. I particularly like the construction of 13a.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SECULAR | Lay cryptic clues before adult readers primarily *(clues); first letters of ‘adult readers’. ‘Lay’ is the definition. |
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| 5 | FIGMENT | Fabrication by Feds planted in course of seizure G-MEN = Feds (FBI); FIT = seizure |
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| 9 | AGAIN | Commander having office once more AGA = Commander; IN = having office |
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| 10 | MOUSETRAP | Second employment: recurring role in long-running play MO = Second (moment); USE = employment; TRAP = PART (role) reversed (recurring). The Mousetrap |
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| 11 | RESIDENCE | Home team penetrates defence that’s not brilliant with run for header SIDE = team; [def]ENCE — with ‘def’, in the sense of ‘brilliant’, removed; R = run, as the first letter. ‘Home’ is the definition. |
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| 12 | TORSO | Top of tree’s odd trunk T = Top of tree; OR SO = odd (indicating an approximate number) |
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| 13 | WEEDS | Peas or leeks broadcast round bottom of field are unwanted plants ‘Broadcast’ here is a homophone indicator — ‘peas’ and ’leeks’ both sound like words for ‘urinates’, or WEES. D = bottom of field. A well constructed clue, in the way it interweaves two sets of meanings. |
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| 15 | SPOONBILL | Court charges resulting in bird SPOON = court (in the sense of ‘woo’); BILL = charges |
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| 18 | TESTAMENT | Will trial endorse Chilcott’s conclusion? TEST = trail; AMEN = endorse (as in ‘Amen to that’); T = Chilcott’s conclusion. ‘Will’ is the definition. |
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| 19 | SLEEP | Have a doss when Skins is over PEELS, reversed |
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| 21 | OUTRE | Fantastic tangle holding you French back ORE = tangle (seaweed); TU = ‘you’ in French, reversed |
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| 23 | FOOLHARDY | Reckless idiot half of double act FOOL = idiot; HARDY = half of Laurel and Hardy |
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| 25 | TALKING TO | ‘Royal Highness’ is out of line by dressing down TAL[l] KING = Royal Highness, missing one L (line); TO = by |
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| 26 | KHAKI | In Two Thousand And One, its computer is cut off — this is dull material KK = Two Thousand; I = One; HA[l] = HAL 9000, the computer in the series of films, with his final letter cut off |
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| 27 | REPLETE | Full theatre’s licensed revue at last REP = [repertory] theatre; LET = licensed; E = last letter of ‘revue’ |
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| 28 | HAMMERS | Amateur mercenaries save 100 pounds HAM = Amateur; MER[c]S = mercenaries without C (100). Definition is ‘pounds’. |
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| Down | |||
| 1 | SPARROW | Special pointer finds bird SP = Special; ARROW =pointer |
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| 2 | CLASSLESS | Egalitarian girl is into non-U clues by us LASS = girl; CLES S = ‘clues us’, minus UU |
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| 3 | LINED | Series of descendants with crown of David ruled LINE = Series of descendants; D = crown of David. ‘Ruled’ is the definition (as in ruled/lined paper) |
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| 4 | REMINISCE | Remember, put little old car in salvage (it has no 5th) MINI = little old car; in RESC[u]E |
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| 5 | FLUTE | Musical instrument — loud one F = loud; LUTE = another musical instrument |
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| 6 | GREETINGS | Welcome hints of tomato in garlic sprinkled into cabbage TIG = hints of tomato in garlic; in GREENS = cabbage |
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| 7 | ERROR | Losing head, panic by mistake [t]ERROR |
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| 8 | TOPSOIL | Fertile layer spilt two eggs — broken *(split OO), with O = egg |
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| 14 | SNAKEBITE | Nasty wound — bike seat needs adjusting round bearing *(bike seat N), where N= bearing (north) |
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| 16 | OSTROGOTH | For translation go to short old German *(go to short). Definition is ‘old German’. |
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| 17 | INEBRIATE | I’ll go with last of gin, a beer and one tequila for starters in a cocktail *(I N a beer I T). Can be used as a noun, meaning a drunk person, a drunkard. |
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| 18 | TROTTER | Tango with cad and heel (pig!) T = Tango; ROTTER = cad, Definition is ‘heel (pig!)’ |
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| 20 | PHYSICS | Science of jography (sic) studies Hidden in jography (sic) studies |
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| 22 | TULIP | Put out lit-up bulb *(lit-up) |
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| 23 | FUGUE | Finally oddly used to stuffiness in composition FUG = stuffiness; UE = odd-numbered letters of ‘used’ |
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| 24 | HOKUM | Theatrical claptrap is certainly in bad odour OK = certainly; in HUM = bad odour |
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June 26th, 2011 at 7:53 am
Thanks Jetdoc and Crosophile.
A pleasant puzzle, with some great clues, outstanding of which was the &lit 17D INEBRIATE. Other favourites were 13A WEEDS and 28A KHAKI.
Have some doubts though
10A: don’t see how “recurring” (ie. happening/showing again) could be a reversal indicator;
15A: I suppose SPOON could be stretched to mean “court”, though the former refers to a narrowly defined action in relation to what we normally take “court” to mean;
21A: After your explanation, I did find ORE=seaweed, but only in something called “A general book of Provincialisms”;
25A: “royal”=”TALL” also seems a stretch – I know it means something that is beyond the normal, eg. a royal pain, but eg. a royal tree, man, building, anything that is tall, would sound odd.
June 26th, 2011 at 8:10 am
Hi scchua
10ac Under ‘recur’ Chambers gives “to revert (archaic)” which, in turn, is defined as “to reverse”.
15ac Under ‘spoon’ Chambers has “To court, esp in a sentimental way”.
21ac Ore=seaweed is in Chambers.
25ac I read this as ‘Highness’ indicates ‘tall and ‘Royal’ gives ‘king’.
June 26th, 2011 at 8:27 am
Thanks Jetdoc I like your blogging style it’s nice to have the clues quoted and the colour highlights are helpful. I think there’s a typo in 6d, this should be..
TIG (instead of TIN) = hints of tomato in garlic; in GREENS = cabbage
I agree with Gaufrid re: 25ac
June 26th, 2011 at 10:51 am
Thanks Gaufrid…as uaual you’re spot on! All clear now especially my myopic reading of RH.
June 26th, 2011 at 11:20 am
Thanks, Ergonaut — I have corrected my careless typo.
June 26th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
The WEES could have been read simply as plurals. You went for the verb forms, probably because you like ‘doing’ words. (Sorry, but how could I not?)
I like the ‘I will go with’ start for the weehead &lit, the use of a misspelling with ‘(sic)’, this crossword, and your blog, all of which is great stuff.
Cheers
PB