Independent on Sunday 1134: Glowworm

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A very rapid solve this week. Not much else to say, really.

Across
1 DISASTERS Cop’s plants are flops
DI’S = Detective Inspector’s; ASTERS = plants
6 DEBUG Pick off insects from budgie I lost when moving
*(budg[i]e)
9 PROSAIC Girl in snap is pedestrian
ROSA = girl; PIC = snap (photo)
10 LEXICAL Content of telex, I calculate, is concerning Collins, perhaps?
Hidden in ‘telex, I calculate’. Referring to Collins Dictionary
11 YIELD Return amateur work about the French volte-face
DIY = amateur work; round LE = the French (definite article); all reversed (indicated by ‘volte-face’). Definition = Return
12 ADDRESSEE He gets a letter of notice and violently sees red
AD = notice; *(sees red). Someone who gets a letter
13 SPEAR Lance spelling “attention”?
SP = spelling; EAR = attention
14 ASSEMBLER One joining rebels Sam mobilised
*(rebels Sam)
17 NEFERTITI Two objects official sent back to Nebraska for old queen
IT IT = two objects, reversed; REF = official, reversed; NE = Nebraska. Nefertiti
18 DRIED Forgot words and exited holding Richard’s head
DIED = exited; R = Richard’s head
19 EMOTIONAL Touching proposal during dinner, perhaps — starter forgotten!
MOTION = proposal; in [m]EAL = dinner, perhaps, without its starter
22 CAMEL Desert transport arrived a bit late
CAME = arrived; L = a bit (of) late. A bit of an old chestnut, I think.
24 EXOTICA Foreign objects crunched in Cox I ate
*(Cox I ate)
25 NONSTOP Constant lack of new kitchenware recalled
NO = lack of; N = new; STOP = ‘pots’ reversed. I think this should have been clued as ‘(3-4)’.
26 SPRIG Small branch opening in Streatham — goody-goody!
S = opening in Streatham; PRIG = goody-goody
27 KID GLOVES Tease German passions with essential wear for diplomats?
KID = tease; G = German; LOVES = passions
Down
1 DOPEY Sleepy? Yes, but not that particular little chap!
Another one of the seven dwarves.
2 STONE DEAF Not hearing rock, fade out
STONE = rock; *(fade)
3 SLANDERER He maligns society, country and Queen without hesitation
S = society; LAND = country; ER = Queen; ER = hesitation. I’m not sure where the ‘without’ fits in, because there’s no containment here — unless ‘country and Queen’ is supposed to contain ‘hesitation’
4 EXCLAMATION MARK With surprising completion of sentence, income tax malarky’s not entirely problematic
*(income tax malark). Definition: surprising completion of sentence
5 SELF DISCIPLINED Ruling oneself out from splendid life is beginning of chastity
*(splendid life is c), with ‘out from’ as the anagram indicator
6 DIXIE Pan-American League?
Double definition: a military cooking-pail or camp-kettle; The southern US
7 BACKS Players ask cabbie to move up a bit
Hidden and reversed in ‘ask cabbie’
8 GOLDENROD Start to gather ancient cane plant
G = start to gather; OLDEN = ancient; ROD = cane. Solidago
13 SENSELESS Out cold and unable to hear, perhaps?
Double definition: completely unconscious; lacking a sense
15 MEDICINAL Encrypted new mail encloses abridged regulation concerning drugs
*(n[ew] mail); containing EDIC[t]
16 LEITMOTIV “Vim” toilet concoction — a recurring theme (for Rumpole, etc?)
*(vim toilet). I don’t know how Rumpole comes into it; is it just that the series has recurring themes, or that most of the episode titles begin ‘Rumpole and…’?
20 ODOUR Regard retained by well-to-do Uruguayan
Hidden in ‘well-to-do Uruguayan’. Odour can mean ‘repute’.
21 ICING Maybe Madeira’s topping, but freezing!
Double definition, though I am not sure that Madeira cakes are iced
23 LOPES Poles out of bounds?
*(poles)

6 comments on “Independent on Sunday 1134: Glowworm”

  1. Thanls Jetdoc, a quick solve as you say, though I didn’t know the military meaning of DIXIE.

    In 3d you’ve omitted LAND = “country”, and I read it as S + (LAND + ER = Queen) around (without) ER = “hesitation”.

    Can’t help with Rumpole, I’m afraid.

  2. The only place I’d ever come across ‘Vim’ was in the Rumpole stories (it isn’t sold in the US, apparently), and it was a small recurring theme there. As Wikipedia’s Vim entry says, “Vim is often referred to in John Mortimer’s Rumpole of the Bailey series as an example of the extravagant purchases made by his wife, referred to as “She Who Must Be Obeyed”.” Rumpole fan that I am, I’d plump for that clue as my favorite.

  4. Yes, a quick solve. Thanks, DorothyS, for explaining the Rumpole reference, it was lost on me.

    Nicely misleading clue to 11a, where either ‘return’ or ‘volte-face’ could have been the reversal indicator on first reading.

  5. Yes, thanks for that, Dorothy. New one on me too.

    My spell-checker did not recognise ‘volte-face’. offering ‘vole-face’ as the best alternative.

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