Independent 8,502 / Radian

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Independent 8,502 / Radian

I had been looking forward to my next encounter with Radian after blogging one of his puzzles on my last Tuesday slot in December.

This was an enjoyable, not overly difficult puzzle, where a lot of entries could be written straight in if one knew and recognised the famous monologue as the theme of the puzzle. Well done to Radian for managing to accommodate all seven of the ages in the grid! At first I tried to make St Albans fit into 22/20 and got nowhere, but when I widened my search to Stevenage, I had my penny-drop-moment and it was full steam ahead from then on.

My favourite clues today were 25 for its sauciness and 2 for its original take on East End, with not a dropped “h” in sight! 8 was also rather cleverly constructed.

 

*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in double-definition clues

 

Across    
     
01

          

LET-UPS Why don’t we insert page breaks

P (=page) in LET US (=why don’t we)
     
04 INFANT First of man’s 22 20 – it keeps nitrogen cooler

[N (=nitrogen) + FAN (=cooler)] in IT; being an infant is the first of the Seven Ages (=entry at 22 20) of Man
     
08 EVENING Time, say, covering 5 to 9 (it varies)

[V (=five, i.e. in Roman numerals) + *(NINE) (=9; “it varies” is anagram indicator)] in E.G. (=say); & lit.
     
09 JUSTICE One of man’s 22 20, only cooler

JUST (=only) + ICE (=cooler); justice is the fifth of the Seven Ages (=entry at 22 20) of Man
     
11 GRIEVANCES Beef and grouse ruin vegan’s rice

*(VEGAN’S RICE); “ruin” is anagram indicator; “beef” and “grouse” are both nouns that can mean “grievance”
     
12 NOSE Ken’s picked up bouquet

Homophone (“picked up”) of “knows” (=kens – disregarding the apostrophe)
     
13 PATIO Where to put barbecue in anticipation

Hidden (“in”) in “anticiPATIOn”
     
14 OBLIVION Last of man’s 22 20 – Russian river hero saves 4

OB (=Russian river) + [IV (=4, i.e. in Roman numerals) in LION (=hero)]; oblivion is the last of the Seven Ages (=entry at 22 20) of Man
     
16 PATERNAL Dad’s chum secures a birdie

[A + TERN (=birdie)] in PAL (=chum)
     
18 ROSES Occupants of bed got up with the sun

ROSE (=got up) + S (=sun); roses are found in flower-beds in gardens, hence “occupants of bed”
     
21 GROUNDLESS Like team always having to play away for no reason?

Cryptically, a football team always playing away from home would have no ground of its own and thus be “ground-less”
     
23 JEALOUS Nice writer met a French king, not one that’s regretful

JE (=Nice writer, I in French, where the “writer” is Radian) + A + LOU<i>S (French king; “not one (=I)” means the letter “i” is dropped)
     
24 RELIEVO Outstanding work that’s framed by clever 1D

I.E. (=that’s) in *(LOVER) (=entry at 1D; “clever” is anagram indicator); cryptically, relievo is “outstanding” in that parts of it literally stand out
     
25 SUDDEN Surprising big-chested European appears in tabloid

[DD (=big-chested, i.e. bra size) + E (=European)] in SUN (=tabloid)
     
26 FLORIN Fellow cut across river to find money

F (=fellow) + [R (=river) in LOIN (=cut, i.e. of meat)]
     
Down    
     
01 LOVER One of man’s 22 20 finished litre first

L (=litre) + OVER (=finished); being a lover is the third of the Seven Ages (=entry at 22 20) of Man
     
02 TANGENT East End rep straddles Northern line

<eas>T (“end” means last letter only) + [N (=Northern) in AGENT (=rep)]
     
03 PANTALOON One of man’s 22 20 every year, thanks to lecturer in 12

P.A. (=every year, i.e. per annum) + {[TA (=thanks) + L (=lecturer)] in NOON (=12, i.e; time of day)}; being a pantaloon, i.e. an ageing man, is the sixth of the Seven Ages (=entry at 22 20) of Man
     
05 NOUNS Some of them are proper sisters without love

O (=love, i.e. a zero score) in NUNS (=sisters); there are proper and common nouns in grammar
     
06 ANTONOV Cargo plane transported Novotona

*(NOVOTNA); “transported” is anagram indicator; the Antonov is a Ukrainian cargo plane, widely used around the world
     
07 TUCK SHOPS Gathers drink ingredients where 10s buy food

TUCKS (=gathers, i.e. in dressmaking) + HOPS (=drink ingredients); schoolboys (=entry at 10) buy food at tuck shops
     
10 SCHOOLBOY Educate by instilling old one of man’s 22 20

SCHOOL (=educate) + [O (=old) in BY]; being a schoolboy is the second of the Seven Ages (=entry at 22 20) of Man
     
13 PLAYGOERS Those who enjoy theatre turn into actors

GO (=turn, as in It’s my turn/go) in PLAYERS (=actors)
     
15 LARYNGEAL An allergy needs surgery in the throat area

*(AN ALLERGY); “needs surgery” is anagram indicator
     
17 ENSILED Model is nearly upset, partly buried in pit

Vertically reversed (“upset”) and hidden (“partly”) in “moDEL IS NEarly”
     
19 SOLDIER One of man’s 22 20, one bound by bond

I (=one) in SOLDER (=bond); being a soldier is the fourth of the Seven Ages (=entry at 22 20) of Man
     
21 GAUGE Judge’s joke about class A drug?

[U (=class A, i.e. superior) in GAG (=joke)] + E (=drug, i.e. ecstasy)
     
22/20 SEVEN AGES Herts town’s set aside time for today’s theme

S<t>EVENAGE’S (=Herts town’s; “set aside time (=T)” means the letter “t” is dropped); the theme is the Seven Ages of Man, from the speech by Jaques in William Shakespeare’s As You Like It

11 comments on “Independent 8,502 / Radian”

  1. I don t usually get the opportunity to tackle the Indie crossword on the day of publication, but I enjoyed this puzzle? A good challenge: last one in was 17d, a word I did not know but which was easily deduced from the clear wordplay.

  2. I found this to be a very enjoyable puzzle. The themed answers went in reasonably quickly but at the end I ground to a halt in the SW with four clues still to be solved. I eventually saw the wordplay for JEALOUS, GAUGE followed swiftly, then the reverse hidden ENSILED which I don’t think I had ever seen before, and finally PATERNAL for which I had been trying to think of a type of bird, and I needed all the checkers before the penny dropped.

    I agree with RR that the alternative use of “East End” in 2dn came as a pleasant surprise.

  3. Actually, I found this one a bit tough and at first didn’t think I was going to get a single clue. Took me ages to get my first – think it was either 26ac or 15dn, and it wasn’t until I got a couple of the themed answers I was able to work out the theme, even after looking at a list of places in Hertfordshire. (In the end, I think I forgot to parse the theme answer, which I didn’t realise till I read the blog.) Then, at least, I was able to get the rest of the themed answers fairly quickly, after reminding myself of the speech.

    Curiously, Andy B@2, I got those last four in the reverse order to which you did (and they were my last four, too). In the end, I had to do a word search to get 23ac.

  4. Like Dormouse, I found it tough to get going with this one, and got a bit frustrated when I couldn’t see the gateway clue (there are lots of towns in Hertfordshire, and I used to live there). So I’d got a couple of the themed clues but still couldn’t see the link; I’ve certainly heard of the Seven Ages of Man, but apart from knowing that it’s Shakesperean I couldn’t name them.

    So I got there in the end, but didn’t enjoy it as much as I have other Radian puzzles. Nothing wrong with it, just an area of knowledge where mine is a bit thin.

    Thanks to R and RR.

  5. Good one from Indy’s Radian, so thanks, cool chap.

    Nice little theme, and I enjoyed the LARYNGEAL anag, which is pretty darn groovy. With EVENING the &litters will disappoint you, I’m sure, as it carries a definition at the front end.

    Thanks all, and I should say I once had a girlfriend from St Albans, and she was the loveliest thing there. ‘But so what?’, I hear you say! Yes, the place is a dump.

  6. I found this a puzzle of two halves. I finished the right side quite quickly but ground to a halt on the left and only got going again after kicking myself for not having considered the possibility of 13 being a hidden. Complete ignorance of the theme didn’t help – I was vaguely guessing at things like dotard for 3, none of which turned out to be close to the answer. I was also looking for a bird in 16, so totally taken in there. An enjoyable and satisfying puzzle, even if the lack of knowledge of the theme made it slow going.

  8. @6 Oh..would we say that? Don’t you think that the ‘&lit.ness’ adds a stunning shimmer to the clue. The definition is there for those who want to just solve and move on. But if you tarry, “evening” does cover 5pm to 9pm, and it does vary (seasonally).

    I also liked the two rather sweet clues: “..got up with the sun” and “some of them are proper sisters..”

    Oh, and me too – East End completely misled me for ages. I love it when setters lure you in by deliberately misusing a crossword staple.

  11. Excellent puzzle as expected. Twigged the theme about halfway through – needed to by then. Couldn’t reel them off by name but the logic of it was a big help.

    First in was 8a – a very good clue I thought.

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