Independent 7622 by Mordred

by

It’s Tuesday, it’s the Independent so it must be theme day.

Well if there is one I can’t see it, seems to be a vanilla crossword. Mordred returns to test us today and he’s got me beat on a couple so any help would be appreciated.

Across

9 San Andreas Fault SAN ( hospital) +ANDREAS (plural Andrea) + FAULT (error)
10 Inamorata A + TAR + OMANI all reversed
11 Inter Double Def
12 Even So 75% of EVENSO(ng)
14 Imminent Double Definition
16 Austral ST in AURA + L
18 Nelsons Double definition. Wrestling holds and a Christian publisher See  comment #4 thanks
19 Evildoer (DO REVILE)* and &lit and as it’s Mordred who was evil a doubly &lit
20 Violin VI (6) + 0 + L(ost) + IN
24 Rider Hidden reversed in 17 (REDIRect)
25 Headlight HEAD (froth) + LIGHT (ale)
27 Unascertainable (CARTESIAN)* in UNABLE
Down    
1 Aspire A + SPIRE (peak)
2 Inca Cryptic Def I guess as South America is largely Spanish speaking
3 Undoes E (note) in SOUND*
4 Trial Double Definition
5 Salaaming ALAS rev + GAMIN with the G moved to the end
6 Official ICI (former company bought out a couple of years ago) in OFFAL (lights)
7 Quatrefoil QUA (Latin as) + TREFOIL (plant)
8 Iterates Alternate letters in dIeT  hE’s + RATES
13 East Indian Beaten on this, Caribbean is West Indian – Anyone get this? Clue: Caribbean immigrant from US region, a native American.
15 Elsewhere No I in ELS(i)E (dim for Alice) + HER in WE
16 Age group Cryptic def
17 Redirect DIRE* + Hom of Wrecked
21 In Line Hidden in wIN LINEker
22 Nether No I (the setter) in NE(i)THER
23 Madam Palindrome
26 Goby GO BY (pass) and a tiny fish species

15 comments on “Independent 7622 by Mordred”

  1. Thanks flashling for the blog, and Mordred for another fine puzzle.

    Thought this was going to be a mild and mellow Mordred until it took me longer than the rest of the puzzle to complete the NE corner.

    It think 13A EAST INDIAN, is used in the Caribbean for an immigrant from India, an Asian West Indian, so to speak. The wordplay I guess is East=US region, and Indian=native American.

    Favourites were 10A INNAMORATA, 27A UNASCERTAINABLE and 15D ELSEWHERE. I think 2D has a deeper wordplay involving perhaps a Spanish-derived word, but I don’t know what.

  3. This one put up a bit of a fight, including the application of Tippex but I got there in the end apart from NELSONS. D’Oh. Very enjoyable, thank you Mordred and Flashling.

  5. Thank you, flashling. I was just thinking the other day that we haven’t seen a Mordred for ages and Derrick hasn’t commented recently either. Anyway, a welcome return and a fine if tricky in places puzzle.

    I too liked INAMORATA and UNASCERTAINABLE. SALAAM is earning its corn this week; Rufus used it on Monday.

    Never realised that Mordred was a baddy, so you’re right, flashling, that one is a double &lit.

  6. This seemed at first to be relatively easy but there were some hidden depth charges. Failed to get GOBY. Got caught by West Indian too until it was obvious 12ac wasn’t going anywhere. Agree with NealH that NEL is the publisher – I’ve got some old paperbacks too. Liked QUATREFOIL and OFFICIAL and was grateful for the easy SAN ANDREAS FAULT as it gives lots of letters. Thanks to Mordred, who I’m sure is not at all like his treacherous alter ego, and to flashling for the blog.

  7. I finished this but I did not like it. My last three were Official, Nelsons and Imminent on the basis that they were the only three words that would fit together.Can anyone give a reference for East Indian meaning a Caribbean immigrant? Besides, East defined as a US region is feeble. Also, can anyone give a reference for Elsie as a diminutive of Alice? Other obscurities were the NEL in nelsons and Finca. I also did not like the way that dire turned up in Redirect as well as being anagram fodder. I liked the clue for violin.

  9. @lenny as per blog it’s dire wrecked as it were and hom of rect. Too tired now, hope Mordred will explain east indian. Thanks to DinP I don’t speak spanish.

  11. Thanks Flashling. This helped me understand a couple. I was pleased to see the (F)INCA explanation which redeemed the clue somewhat. But the result should be a language. The Inca people spoke Quechua and their descendants in the Peruvian Andes still do.

  12. I found this easy for 80% and then ground to a halt. I too was not entirely convinced by EAST being a US region. I realise this worked for the surface but don’t think there is a particularly strong association, certainly no stronger than any other country having an East.

    But there was still plenty to like here.

  13. Definitely a curate’s egg, with some great clues (INAMORATA, OFFICIAL, ITERATES) but also, imho, some less than satisfactory ones (EAST INDIAN, NELSONS).

  14. In defence of Mordred, granted that in the clue for 13D, “US” might be superfluous, I think it does link up with the next part, “native American”, misdirecting one to think of a US region with native Americans, which it might not, if it were “…from region, native American.”

    TokyoColin@11, I think Collins does give Inca as an alternative for Quechua.

  15. Thanks for the blog, flashling. There is in fact a theme here, but it is very obscure and not essential for solving. Before explaining it I would like to say that, although I do hope interested solvers will spot themes, they are largely, for me, a way of getting started on a blank grid. Naturally I hope they will add to solvers’ satisfaction and pleasure, but regard them as a non-essential bonus.

    9Ac was chosen because the girls’ names happen to be the same as two makers of 20Acs. I discovered this on reading a history of music. This was not something I already knew, but I’m always on the lookout for ideas when reading or watching anything. Their surnames also end in the same letter so I hid them in the diagonals which meet under the middle letter of the (plural) first names.

    Collins was the reference for EAST INDIAN.

Comments are closed.