Independent on Sunday 1,108 by Crosophile

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My first ever attempt at blogging a Crosophile, as far as I can see, though I’ve definitely tackled a few puzzles by this setter recently. This was fair and entertaining, without being too challenging, which is very much the style we’re used to on Sundays.

One slight question at 14dn, where I can’t see exactly how the wordplay comes together, though I’m certain that it does.

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.

Across
1 MASSIF – [cli]M[ber] + ASS + IF.
5 WET ROT – WET + ROT.
10 UNAWARE – A WAR in [f]U[n]N[i]E[r].
11 TRAFFIC – (A + FF) in CART<.
12 DARKLY – ARK in D[aring]LY.
13 ARSONIST – SON IS in ART.
15 ARMED TO THE TEETH – cd.
18 MY LIPS ARE SEALED – (I’M SPARELY)* + SEA + LED.
24 HYACINTH – (ANY HITCH)*.
25 AGARIC – A GAR[l]IC.
27 WISHFUL – Spoonerism of “fish wool”.
28 CORACLE – C + ORACLE.
29 UNGLUE – U[rari] in [j]UNGLE.
30 TREBLE – TRE[m]BLE.
Down
2 ANAGRAM – I had to think about this one but (A HORSE + TUP) is of course (PUT ASHORE)*.
3 SMALL AD – MAL in SAD.
4 FLEE – hom. of “flea”.
5 WATER WHEEL – (WHEAT + A + REEL)*.
6 THAW OUT – HAW in TOUT.
7 OFF SIDE – (FED IF SO)*. Cricketing reference.
8 TUNDRA – TUN + ‘ARD<.
9 SCOTCH – dd.
14 COBALT BLUE – I’m uncertain how the elements of the wordplay together here, though I can see we’ve C for “Carbon”, and also B, followed by (L in TUBE*). The clue is Carbon-based rock crushed black’s left in original tube as artist’s pigment.
16 RAY – [c]RAY[fish].
17 TOE – [po]T [no]O[dl]E[s].
18 MOHAWK – MO + HAWK.
19 LIAISON – AIL< + I + SON.
20 PAINFUL – I in PAINFUL &lit.
21 EN GARDE – [oft]EN GARDE[n].
22 LYRICAL – (I CRY ALL)*.
23 DICIER – D + ICIER.
26 ECHT – [br]ECHT.

4 comments on “Independent on Sunday 1,108 by Crosophile”

  1. Thanks for the blog, Simon.

    Re 14d… I see the word play as
    carbon-based rock = coal + B (black’s left in) + (L in TUBE*)

  2. sorry, i meant

    Re 14d… I see the word play as
    carbon-based rock = coal + B (black) + (L in TUBE*)

  3. Thanks, Simon, for the blog. As with the others, I parsed 14d as

    carbon based rock = COAL
    crushed black = encompassed B
    left in original tube = L in TUBE*

    As you say, a gentle puzzle for a Sunday.

  4. Thanks, Simon.

    By the way, 2d (A horse and tup – put ashore for example) also works as A+NAG+RAM

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