Independent 7,093 by Phi – Fifteensquared

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.

Thankfully (from a blogger’s point of view!) a good deal easier than some we’ve seen this week, but good fun all the same.

Across
1	STOP – POTS<.
4	JUNTA – JAUNT with the A “turning up late”. I liked this one.
7	COPY – COY “about” P.
9	RITUAL – TU in LAIR<.
10	DOG-EARED – DO + GEAR + ED.
11	ALSO-RANS – SOLAR* + ANS.
12	LUMBER – [s]LUMBER.
13	CHARIOTS OF FIRE – (A HISTORIC OFFER)*.
16	WET ONE’S WHISTLE – (TOWEL WHITENESS)*.
18	ISOBAR – I SOAR “around” B.
20	GENOTYPE – (YET ONE GP)*.
22	GOLD MINE – GO + (LINE “holding” DM).
23	REALLY – E[ngland] in RALLY.
24	ARTY – [p]ARTY.
25	HATCH – dd.
26	EURO – [amat]EUR O[rganisation].

Down
2	TWILL – T + WILL.
3	PLUTOCRAT – PRAT “receiving” CLOUT*.
4	JULIAN OF NORWICH – (JOHN + IRONIC + AWFUL)*.
5	NUDISTS – NUTS “about” DIS[robing].
6	ANGEL OF THE NORTH – (THEN FLOG ANOTHER)*.
7	CHASM – C + HAS + M.
8	PIECEMEAL – EPIC* + (LAME “gripping” [vi]E[wers]).
14	HAWKSMOOR – HAWKS + ROOM<. Nicholas Hawksmoor, architect of Christ Church Spitalfields among much else.
15	INSATIATE – 1 + ASTATINE*.
17	SEGMENT – ST “encircling” (EG MEN).
19	BUDDY – dd.
21	POLAR – PAR “around” (0 + L).

6 comments on “Independent 7,093 by Phi”

Thanks, Simon.

I thought it was a real pity to give such a clunky definition for THE ANGEL OF THE NORTH. Is it really so unfamiliar down south? I thought it was a great anagram but 16ac was rather odd!

If anything merits a clunky definition, it’s surely that…
Enjoyable puzzle, not too difficult.

I’ve just remembered that we were told last week that Phi lives in New Zealand.

Though he hails originally from not all that far from where that Angel is to be seen…

i was just pleased to have a crossword where i could make progress and indeed finish it. mordred, tyrus and nimrod in one week felt tough (and a bit dispiriting)

In 8dn ‘LAME” is reversed (“turned” implausible).

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