This was one of the hardest Indy puzzles I’ve ever tackled. Only one answer entered on first run through as a tentative guess which, as the rest of the puzzle was solved, turned out to be wrong. Solving time, 116 mins. There are a few I do not fully understand.
* = anagram
ACROSS
1 PERTAINING Definition: relative (pregnant i i)*
6 SWI M Victoria in that area of London
9 ART NO (UV)EAU (aeronaut)*
10 WIN O Win no games
12 M (ICRO (BREW) ER)Y New word to me, apparently a US brewery than produces v little drink perhaps for its own staff. Newton & Ridley is brewery in Coronation Street (Corrie). (Corrie)* containing brew = plot (vb), I think. All in MY = I’m surprised
15 ELECT RON RON = 50% of 8 – not understood so far 8 = MOODY BLUES, 50% of 8 is also 4
16 NO-B ALL
18 D(ISRAEL)i
19 Oscar WILD (FIR) E This was my favourite clue, Wilde having nothing to declare except his genius
21 HABER (DASH) ERY the – in the clue in (by rear, he)*
25 WE (LSHWOMA)N (Ohm’s law)* in new (reversed) = updated (revolutionary)
27/4/24/26 FAINT HEART NEVER WON FAIR LADY The 26-letter anagram from the first four words in the clue stood out from the start but it took me ages to get it.
DOWN
1/2 PEAK RATE My last answer Splits, I think, at Box/16 but I do not understand the wordplay “Top-billing now demanded by Box 16, it might be said. 16 in the puzzle is NO-BALL.
3 ATOMIC THEORY I (iodine) in (tracheotomy)*
5 NEARBY “beer nigh” as a Spoonerism. Very good.
8 MOODY BLUES (me doubly so)* Breakthrough answer – very well concealed anagram.
11 SECOND GROWTH “Two drivers in pack have force that only 50% extra produce”
Definition may be ‘extra produce’ but do not understand the rest so far.
13 DELIGHTFUL Reference “Turkish delight”
14 JERRY BUILD “Hastily put up the Germans, having received plug on the radio” This was the one I wrongly guessed as Jerry built on first run through, corrected when 26 across resolved it. Do not yet understand the ‘plug on the radio’ part.
17/7 NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN (wine-tasting hint -his)* Goes back far enough for nmsindy to remember it well
20 CAME RA (sun-god)
22 EM MA Jane Austen’s novel, I guess
23 SNOT Tons (reversed)
50% of MOODY BLUES is MOODY. RON Moody is an actor most famous for playing fagin in the film version of Oliver.
1/2 is “p-crate” p = 16th letter.
11d G (force) in SECOND ROW (two drivers in pack) TH[at]
14d. Build = homonyn of Billed (receieved plug).
…sorry; “nyM”
Re 12, there are lots of microbreweries in the UK, and the presence of one is always a sign of quality, and of diversity because it is economic for them to brew specialist beers.
The best part of an hour while watching the satrt of the test match. Tough stuff indeed! This sort of puzzle is often best enjoyed over a longer period while watching the box. I wonder what young solvers will make of the Moody Blues?
Quixote,
Funnily enough, they featured in The Simpsons last night.
Oh dear, this was rather humbling and easily my worst performance since starting the Indy in earnest 18 months ago.
4 clues in after my 45 minute journey to work, and no more after another 30 mins at lunch!
I couldn’t piece the long anagram together and did myself no favours by assuming the wrong fodder for the MOODY BLUES anagram. I also knew that 17/7 had to be an anagram (of a song) and had the right letters, but was never going to get it without first getting the group (they’re well before my time, but I am aware of them/the song and I’ve no problem with seeing them in a puzzle. We had Arctic Monkeys and Super Furry Animals a few weeks back, so fair’s fair!)
That aside, there were some very difficult clues here and I feel slightly less guilty about having given up now that I’ve seen the answers. I doubt a couple more hours would have made much difference!
Kudos to all who managed to finish this one.
I managed to finish it with the aid of a couple of word searches for microbrewery and wildfire (I was convinced the latter was a disease of trees). I found 17/7 a bit offputting because it included “his” as a reference to 8 whereas 8 appeared to be a group of people (a music group, as it turned out) rather than a single person. This made me slightly doubt whether I’d interpreted 8 correctly. Although the “his” is part of the fodder, I still think it should match the subject to which it refers.
I thought that clue (17/7) was entirely sound. I saw it as “8’s most famous” (definition of NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN) with the rest being the wordplay with “most unusual” indicating the anagram. The misleading context and misdirection of the whole surface reading is, I think, a normal part of the game and adds to the appeal of puzzles. This one misled me for ages before light dawned!
Can someone please fully parse 1/2Down. From Colin’s comments, 16th letter is P and box is crate. So how do they lead to PEAK RATE?
I tackle the daily Indy one day late and today this followed Araucaria and again Nimrod paled by comparison. Yes, it is hard and challenging and that’s that. Apart from the 5D Spooner clue, the whole puzzle was bereft of any sense of humour, naughtiness, amusing surface and other aspects that entertains or causes one to stop and let off a giggle, snicker, chortle or guffaw.
Very challenging but not at all entertaining nor amusing.
From the clue, “it might be said”, so say “P crate”
Yes, a tough puzzle but NOT bereft of humour -what about “wildfire” and “nearby”?
… and 17/7 took ages. I hadn’t got 8 and I was trying to think of the name of a wine. then realised 17 could only be “nights in” and googled for that phrase – and up came not only “nights in white satin” but also “Moody Blues”. Ever felt like kicking yourself?
Can’t agree at all with comment 12. I found this an extremely enjoyable puzzle.
For 1/2 Down I think the “box 16” reference may be peak rate sounds like “p crate” with p being the 16th letter of the alphabet?
A bit back on the thread, Andy, but Colin says that too in comment 2 – I thought the box might be a telephone box but guess that was chosen to help to give a good surface reading.
I’d never have thought of that so great to have it all explained!
Yes. Didn’t see all the other comments until after I’d posted mine (and then felt a bit stupid!)
Spent all day struggling with this puzzle and stumbled across Fifteensquared while desperately searching for a solution. Was so grateful to find your answers and explanations I didn’t notice the comments underneath!
Don’t normally try the Independent so was very relieved to see that this was a particularly difficult one.