This was perhaps at the more challenging end of the spectrum for Independent on Sunday puzzles, but nevertheless reasonably straightforward.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOPELESS | Henry slopes off without sweetheart, dejected H = Henry (SI unit of inductance); *(slopes E), E being the heart of ‘sweet’ |
|
| 5 | MALADY | Disorder from two women MA, LADY = two women (though I’m not sure I like MA as a woman) |
|
| 9 | AGNOSTIC | He claims ignorance of one among certain defects on gadgets returned I = one; in letters hidden in ‘defects on gadgets’, reversed |
|
| 10 | CARIES | College sign’s rotting C = college; Aries = the Ram, sign of the zodiac. Decay, especially of teeth |
|
| 12 | TIGER | Formidable opponent beginning to get in step G = beginning to ‘get’; in TIER = step |
|
| 13 | DEFEATISM | Belief about accomplishment shows pessimism DEISM = belief; FEAT = accomplishment |
|
| 14 | CRAGGY | Rough, Charlie, rough (6) Fresh idea about narrow entrance to kitchen C = Charlie; RAGGY = rough |
|
| 16 | RETHINK | Fresh idea about narrow entrance to kitchen RE = about; THIN = narrow; K = entrance to kitchen |
|
| 19 | COCHLEA | Shell out for chocolate— “hints” of orange and tangerine being de trop *(CHCOLAE), i.e. ‘chocolate’ minus O and T. Anything spiral-shaped, esp a snail-shell; the spiral cavity of the inner ear |
|
| 21 | HERETO | An hour before, most of covering goes on to this H = hour; ERE = before; TO[p] = most of covering |
|
| 23 | ILLEGALLY | The Italian member to join forces in a manner contrary to the rules IL = Italian definite article; LEG = member; ALLY = join forces |
|
| 25 | WORSE | No better wife to receive hybrid rose W = wife; *(rose) |
|
| 26 | EARWIG | Scramble American Government wire tap *(AG wire). Two names for an eavesdropping device |
|
| 27 | DIVIDERS | Princess’s basic education? See inside screens! DI = Princess; RS = basic education (the three Rs); VIDE = see |
|
| 28 | YES MEN | Sycophants surround girl with pony-tail and nice nose ESME = girl; Y = pony tail; N = nose of ‘nice’ |
|
| 29 | HEATHENS | Pagans may do this for Sunday lunch! For Sunday lunch, people might roast chickens, or heat hens. |
|
| Down | |||
| 1 | HEALTH | Toast brioche, although only partially Hidden in ‘brioche, although’. Deceptive use of two meanings of ‘toast’ |
|
| 2 | PANEGYRIC | Affectedly repaying Commons’ leader for eulogy *(repaying C). |
|
| 3 | LASER | Cleanse ears regularly in powerful light Alternative letters of ‘cLeAnSe EaRs’ (indicated by ‘regularly’) |
|
| 4 | SPIN-DRY | Speedily rotate prickly medic in … SPINY = prickly; DR = medic |
|
| 6 | ALABASTER | … Basra — tale about “soft rock”? *(Basra tale). A soft, semi-transparent massive gypsum, widely used for ornamental purposes |
|
| 7 | ALIBI | Excuse from Cohen’s alter ego no good and somewhat brief Ali G without G (good); BI[t], I think — ‘a bit’ can mean ‘somewhat’. I don’t really like ‘excuse’ for ‘alibi’, though Chambers does give it as ‘(inf)’ — an alibi says “I couldn’t have done it: I was elsewhere”; an excuse says “I did it, but I had good reason to”. |
|
| 8 | YASHMAKS | A shy mask to be worn — or several of them? *(A shy mask). Yashmak |
|
| 11 | AFAR | Seafarer’s no clairvoyant at a distance ‘SeAFARer’, minus ‘seer’ |
|
| 15 | GELIGNITE | Explosive, for example, breaking up brown coal GE = ‘e.g.’ reversed (for which ‘up’ can be used in a down clue); LIGNITE = brown coal |
|
| 17 | INTERFERE | Step in before bother with Six Counties arises ERE = before; FRET = bother; NI = Northern Ireland; all reversed |
|
| 18 | ACTIVELY | Briskly do Glow-worm’s laundry — only the external items! ACT = do; IVE = I’ve (the setter has); L[aundr]Y |
|
| 20 | AXLE | Rod’s drink spiked with an unidentified something ALE = drink; X = an unknown |
|
| 21 | HAYRIDE | Keep secret about Scottish town’s pleasure jaunt HIDE = keep secret; AYR = town in Scotland: Ayr. A pleasure ride in a hay wagon |
|
| 22 | TEASES | Meals ’e’s providing for kids TEAS = meals; ES (I don’t really like the use of an apostrophe for a dropped H, to make an anagram work, though) |
|
| 24 | LARKS | Escapades of high-fliers? Double definition |
|
| 25 | WHIST | Man’s within restricted weight for this game HIS = Man’s; WT restricted weight. A card game played by two against two, in which the object is to take a majority of the thirteen tricks, each trick over six scoring one point. |
|
Yes Jetdoc, surprising how the new setters make Sundays more challenging, not to decry Quixote but with the different styles it makes it trickier to do the blog. Agree with the reservation about 5ac.
Thanks, Jetdoc, I agree that this was a more challenging Sunday than the last few. I agree with a couple of your quibbles, and add one for 16 ac, where the definition gives a noun while the solution is a verb. Granted, English turns verbs into nouns all the time (as well as the reverse) and there’s probably a dictionary that gives RETHINK as a noun, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. (Fuddyduddy, me? Never!)
But there were some good clues here. I particularly liked 19 ac and 27 ac, and I enjoyed the exposure to a new setter; every setter seems to approach the art of cluing from different directions and thus keep us on our toes. So thanks, Glowworm.
Interesting (caretman@2). I have only heard RETHINK used as a noun. “We’ve had a rethink”, “after a rethink” etc. The verb form would be “think again”, or “have a rethink”. Maybe Glowworm listens to the same people…
Many thanks for your comments — Quixote is a respected and hard act to follow, but I’m glad you enjoyed a different experience!
Not just “a dictionary”, Caretman, but Collins (our editor’s preferred source), Chambers, Oxford et al all give both verb and noun for RETHINK….
Best wishes to all
Glow-worm