My first venture into blogging about the Independent, and an enjoyable puzzle to start with! Plenty of good surfaces and not too many unfamiliar words (1dn and 23ac being the only times I had to reach for the dictionary).
I find elaborate c.d.s like 14ac a bit tricky sometimes, but after enough checked letters it became apparent.
c.d. cryptic definition
d.d. double definition
(E) = inserted
(e) = removed
< = reversed
* = anagram
Across
1. DOGMATIC. DOG + MAT(e) + IC. I thought ‘dog’ for seaman and got a bit confused, but realised my mistake eventually.
5. ADDLED. (s)ADDLED
9. WINDSOCK. WIN(DSO + C)K. The Distinguished Service Order.
10. NORWAY. NO (R) WAY.
11. BAWDY. BA(W)D + Y.
12. ARCSECOND. CARDSONCE*
14. ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE. Quite a roundabout c.d. They’re a force who are always ‘up’ (mounted), and famously always get their man.
20. STANDARDS. STAND (b)ARD’S.
21. CHIME. C(HIM)E.
22. CUDGEL. CUD + GEL.
23. KIRIBATI. KI(RIB)T + I. An island in the Pacific.
24. ONRUSH. ON(R)US + H.
25. TEA BREAK. c.d.
Down
1. DEWSBURY. DEW(RUBS<)Y.
2. GANGWAY. GAN(g) AWAY. Scots dialect for ‘gone away’.
3. ASSAY. A S. + SAY.
4. IN CHARACTER. INCH + A RAC(T)ER
6. DUODECIMO. DU(MICE DO<)O. A book with 12 sheets.
7. LOW-DOWN. LOW + DOWN. A cow ‘lows’.
8. DRYADS. An unsuccessful ad would be ‘dry’?
13. CLANDESTINE. C'(LAND)EST + IN E.
15. LAUNDRESS. L.A. + UNDRESS.
16. BENEDICK. BE + NE(DI)CK. Batchelor from Much Ado about Nothing.
17. MEANDER. ME(A)NDER.
18. IMITATE. I + M(IT)ATE.
19. PSYCHO. HCOPY*.
21. CLIMB. C + LIMB.
Tea break …
I think this isn’t exactly a cd.
I see the wordplay as: tea(m) break
Players being team, and break referring to a run in snooker.
The def. is refreshment period.
I wasn’t quite sure about 8dn (Nymphs providing little encouragement to buy? — DRYADS) either. It seems a bit odd to say that a dry ad provides little encouragement to buy, but I suppose that’s what it is.
And what’s the definition in 2dn (Scots go off, ignoring a command to disperse — GANGWAY)?
Hi Wil
A Scottish way of saying “go off” is “gang away”. Take away the “a” and you have “disperse”, a definition of “gangway”.
R
‘Gang away’ is a somewhat hybrid expression: Scottish “away” is “awa'”, as in the farewell song, ‘We’re no’ awa’ tae bide awa’.
I should have said that there’s nothing wrong with the clue: ‘Scots go’ = ‘gang’; ‘away’ = ‘off’.
Richard: that’s my point — how is ‘disperse’ (a verb) a definition of ‘gangway’ (a noun)? Perhaps, although I’m not sure, the answer is that I’ve missed the sense ‘Gangway!’ meaning ‘make space’.
Wil – it’s an ‘order to disperse’
Not quite sure about 6d. I see where it’s coming from but ‘duodecimo’, ‘quarto’, ‘octavo’ etc are generally taken to be paper or book sizes derived from the number of times the original sheet is folded – so a book can be duodecimo size but have far more than 12 leaves. The clue had me thinking about ‘quire’ or ‘ream’ for a bit.
And 3d threw me for a while – I thought of ‘proof’ as a test and also a description of a perfect coin, of which a shilling would be an example.