Independent 7268 by Hypnos

by

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism

A mostly easy puzzle with a couple of harder clues and one that’s driving me bananas trying to understand. There were some excellent clues with good surface readings (15 down being my favourite). After the recent Indy themes of Only Fools and Horses and football teams, there was even a clue which combined the two together.
 

Across
1 Aged: Hidden, rev in strode gamely.
4 One Man Band: Demon* around an + ban.
9 Bite The Bullet: (Tube Hell I bet)* around t[unnel].
10 Antennae: A n + tenne[r] around a. This was the last one I got and was a bit of a struggle – the def is “group capable of feeling”.
11 Avocet: (Tec = (busy i.e. policeman) + ova)<.
12 Infirm: In film with the L changed to an R.
14 Tripwire: Trip (= experience drug) + w (= with) + ire (= hot feeling).
16 Asphodel: (Poles had)*.
18 Nuncio: Nun (=woman in order) + ci[a]o.
19 Pester: Peter (= type of safe) around s[ett].
21 New Delhi: (Held wine)*.
23 Unintelligent: Uni[o]n + tell + i[mpatient] + gent.
24 Stage Right: Stage [f]right.
25 Saga: &lit. Ag[e] in sa (= Sex Appeal).
Down
2 Go Bananas: “Hospital facilities bordering an area held up – turn mad!” Obviously some term for hospital facilities around an + word for area, all or partially reversed, but I can’t work out which bit is which.
3 Do The Right Thing: CD/DD – Spike Lee film.
4 Orton: Hidden in poor tone.
5 Element: Elt[on] around em en.
6 Adulation: Looks to be U (=university) + I(=institute) around lat (=short for latin), all inside “a don”.
7 Bolton Wanderers: (Del Bo[y] + new rants or)*. The trotters is the nickname for Bolton.
8 Nitre: Nit (=it’s picked for removal) + RE.
13 Moderator: (Rota + red OM)<.
15 Reichstag: (Gets a rich)*. Nice misleading context, a diet being a term for a legislative assembly.
17 Long leg: I think this is Elg[i]n< (he of the Marbles fame) in log.
20 Erupt: ([Ra]pture)*.
22 Waist: Hom of waste (=blue).

5 comments on “Independent 7268 by Hypnos”

  3. Thanks, Neal. Enjoyable and pretty solvable. Tec for ‘busy’ I’m not understanding at the moment, although AVOCET was clearly the only answer; and ‘peter’ for safe is a new one to me – is it rhyming slang? And you’re right, nms, UNINTELLIGENT was cleverly clued.

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