Independent 7,624/Tees

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Two tricky ones on the trot for me. I thought this was every bit as tough as last Friday’s Red Nose Day offering, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t need some help with a few clues. Again!

There were nevertheless some fantastic anagrams here as well as some nice tricky definitions and elegant wordplay. Thanks to Tees for a nice workout.

Across
1 SEA TROUT – ROUT on SEAT
6 RECIPE – E(uro) in (PRICE)*
9 UPKEEP – Cryptic def.
10 EIGHTEEN – TEE[-s] in (HINGE)* – Very tricky, not least as the definition seemed to link to 18A (which I couldn’t get!)
11 CYAN – NAY + C(onservative) rev.
12 SLAP-UP MEAL – PUP in LAM[-b] in SEAL – Another very tricky one. ‘by its parent’ would have helped here I think
14 CUP OF TEA – (FACE UP TO)*
16 EDEN – [-sw]EDEN
18 EDIT – I guessed this from the checking letters and definition, but have no idea how to get there: “Version successful where Cnut proved a failure?”
19 SPONTOON – P(ower) in SON + TOON (Newcastle)
19 GRIEVOUSLY – (GIRLS YOU’VE)*
22 YAWS – Double def.
24 PORPOISE – P[-o]OR POISE
26 ABOARD – BOAR in AD (notice)
28 SELF-MADE – EDAM + FLES[-h] rev.
Down
2 EMPTY – Very nicely hidden in lanarkshirE MP TYnan
3/23/27 THE END OF THE WORLD IS NIGH – (DOWN THIS HOLE, FRIGHTENED)*
4 OPPOSITE – OP (over page) + S(ucceeded) + IT in POE
5 THE FATAL SISTERS – I think this is (FAITHLESS STATE + R(esponse))*
6 RAGOUT – RA(dium) + GOUT
7 COT – [-alcoholi]C + TO rev.
8/13 PREPARE TO MEET THY DOOM – Cryptic def.
15 UNDERDOGS – (SUN-DODGER)*
17 PONYTAIL – PONY (£25) + TAIL (back)
20 MODISH – M(odus) O(perandi) + DISH
25 PHI – PHI[-l] (Collins)

17 comments on “Independent 7,624/Tees”

  2. Ali – we think 10AC is T Bracket (as written this is TEE)and the answer is 18.
    Very tricky we thought!

  3. Thanks Ali for the blog, and Tees for a puzzle that was perhaps a little easier than previous Tees’s.

    Solution was helped by the checking letters of the quite easy-to-get long ones, 3 23 27 and 8 13. Favourites were 12A SLAP-UP MEAL, a pleasure working out the wordplay after filling in the answer, 18A EDIT, nice cryptic definition – reversing the TIDE where King Cnut (Canute) could not, and 26A SELF-MADE.

    I think you’re right in 10A EIGHTEEN – (HINGE)* as Bracket (as in pair of parenthesis) for TEE(s), “writer wanting end”.

  5. Anagram of HINGE is the ‘Bracket’ for TEES without the S. A reference to the comedy duo, which I think is brilliantly contrived, and 18 is a misleading, because it isn’t a cross-reference!! Some great stuff from The Indy and Tees.

  7. Thanks for explanation of 18ac edit – very neat. I enjoyed this one as although tricky in places, it progressed smoothly – no coming to a grinding halt – and there were some easy ones to get started. The long anagrams were a great help and very apposite. 10ac puzzled me even though I got the ‘bracketing’ meaning (extremely good), and I was just going to write here who was the writer called TEES when the light went on. Doh. Liked SLAP-UP MEAL and thought it was fair enough. Thanks to Ali for the blog.

  8. I found this easier than some of the Tees puzzles of the past. I was mainly held up on spontoon, where the problem was that I was convinced that the son was going round the whole word rather than just the power bit (I even put in the N at the end and pressed check to “confirm” this). I quite liked the brazenness of 10, with the answer given misleadingly in the clue.

  9. This was good in the individual style Tees has with quite a lot of thematic material packed in without major strain on other answers tho SPONTOON was new to me. Quite hard as Tees usually is. Favourite clue CUP OF TEA and the misleading definition of EIGHTEEN was esp good too. Thanks, Tees, for the puzzle and Ali for the blog.

  10. Thank you Ali. Late to the blog today because I had to stay over in London last night for business (deep joy). This did mean I had the treat of the Indy delivered to my hotel room so I could have a crack at the paper version this morning for a change.

    Really pleased to have finished this – got all but three this morning and finished on the train on the way home, apart from the middle word in THE ?A?A? SISTERS. I stuck in SATAN just to impress the bloke sitting next to me.

    I really enjoyed this one, despite the rather black theme. Does Tees know something we don’t? There were some excellent anagrams, and I also particularly liked EIGHTEEN, EDIT and PHI. The mention of the black and white part of the North-East took the edge off it, but only ever so slightly.

    Witty and teasing crossword.

  11. A rather fatalistic theme but enjoyable nonetheless. Couldn’t see where the R came from in 5d but the 18s were well done, found it quite easy in the sense of time taken, but had to check yaws for the illness meaning when I got in and porpoise made me smile when I spotted it. Thanks Tees for the run around and Ali FTB.

  12. I’m a red-and-white fan in a way, K’s D, so please don’t fret too much.

    Many thanks to all, and to Ali: r = response as an SLI (oh go on then: single letter indicator).

    Cheers,
    PB/T/N.

  13. Yes, with both Tees and Toon in evidence, the NE red-and-whites could feel hemmed in (and left out). Hope those other red-and-whites can make those two steps back to the top, seem well on the way to the first, tho it’s a long, long journey to a place where results have been hard to get.

  14. First time contributor, and the name will indicate the frequency and length of contributions. I printed this crossword yesterday morning in Orlando to complete on the overnight plane journey last night. I had just started when there was very severe turbulence. The next thing I know was that I had got 3/23/27, 5 and 8/13. What was I to think? Who provides Tees’ inspiration? Does he have some deity in his pocket? Is this prophetic? I did not dare tell my wife about the answers until we had landed this morning. It must be a coincidence, mustn’t it? Or must it??

  15. Thanks Ali.
    Difficult,but very good puzzle.
    My only quibble would be TOON clued as just Newcastle.I think Newcastle United would have been fairer to us non-soccerphiles.

  16. I think it would cover the town, as well, not just the NUFC football people, tho they’ve taken the Toon army title, referred to as the cartoon army in some quarters…

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