Independent 8,540 / Morph

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It is a long time since I have had the task of blogging a Morph puzzle, so I was keen to see how I would cope with it, first with solving the clues, then with explaining their wordplay.

I found this a fairly challenging and extremely entertaining puzzle, with Morph having the last laugh (as he often does!), in that I cannot explain 12. I enjoyed the fact that there were plenty of longer (down) entries to sink one’s teeth into, but with a good few accessible (across) entries (13, 14, 18, 22, 23) to offer checking letters. Ironically, I ended up with just two four-letter lights unsolved at the end, at 20 and 12, and while I feel that I must have found the right answers from the crossing letters and the definitions, I can explain the wordplay of the former only. Any help with 12 would be much appreciated! I am also a little unsure of my parsing of 16, so please correct me if I am wrong.

Overall, there is much to admire in the construction of the longer entries, especially 3 and 7. I also loved the transport theme running all the way through 10 and the historical reference woven into 4. And how topical to find the Ukrainian capital appearing in today’s grid at 9 …

 

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

 

Across  
   
01 GENDER-SPECIFIC Sex-exclusive pics find Greece in trouble

*(PICS FIND GREECE); “in trouble” is anagram indicator
   
09 KIEV Norseman returning halfway across eastern European capital

E (=eastern) in KIV (VIK<ing>=Norseman; “halfway” means only half of letters needed; “returning” indicates reversal)
   
10 BRONCHITIS Old rail operator, reversing refusal, is to accept bill for tube problem

CHIT (=bill, i.e. to be paid) in [BR (=old rail operator, i.e. British Rail) + ON (NO=refusal; “reversing” indicates reversal) + IS]; bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchial tubes, hence “tube problem”
   
11 MANICURED Doctor’s proud description of patient who got well treated

MAN I CURED (=doctor’s proud description of patient who got well); “treated” is the definition, i.e. having received a manicure treatment
   
12 BAKE Chattering with cold, build fire

A person with a cold might pronounce “make” (=build) as “bake”; bake = fire, e.g. clay
   
13 ETCHINGS More than one piece of art and so on depends on dropping ecstasy

ETC (=and so on) + HING<e>S (=depends on; “dropping ecstasy (=E)” means letter “e” is dropped)
   
14 SCRUMP Apple in sights, launch raid? You’ll need credit in reservoir

CR (=credit) in SUMP (=reservoir); the apple in question is of the orchard variety!
   
16 ACCRUE Gather half of one hard rock band and almost half of another

AC</DC> (=hard rock band; “half of” means half of letters only are used) + <mötley> CRÜE (=hard rock bank; “almost half of” means 4 of 10 letters only are used)
   
18 IRANIANS It was me controlling Scots – their land has oil

I RAN (=it was me controlling) + IANS (=Scots, i.e. Scottish men called Ian!)
   
20 CHOC Kind of full? Not quite, for sweet!

CHOC<k> (=kind of full, i.e. chock-full; “not quite” means last letter is dropped)
   
22 PLAINTIFF Unattractive argument of one involved in case

PLAIN (=unattractive) + TIFF (=argument)
   
23 REVELATORY Exposing a politician on the right of party

REVEL (=party, celebration) + A + TORY (=politician)
   
24/25 BUSH ADMINISTRATION Government by hedge fund management?

Cryptic definition, since bushes can form hedges!
   
Down  
   
02 ENIGMATIC Obscure magazine, missing centrefold, excited inevitable response

*(MAG<az>INE) + TIC (=inevitable response); “missing   centrefold” means middle two letters, like two middle pages of magazine, are dropped; “excited” is anagram indicator
   
03 DEVONSHIRE CREAM Regional delicacy in France and Germany of pickled cherries and cured meat – no starter

DE (=of in French, i.e. French word) + VON (=of in Germany, i.e. German word) + *(CHERRIES) + <h>AM (=cured meat; “no starter” means first letter dropped); “pickled” is anagram indicator
   
04 RUBICON River after which revered figure captured heart of republic

<rep>UB<lic> (“heart of” means central letters only) in [R (=river) + ICON (=revered figure)]; & lit. in that once he had crossed the Rubicon, Julius Caesar had no choice but to lead his army on towards Rome
   
05 PROCRASTINATORS A strain struggling to separate university officials – they’re off-putting types

*(A STRAIN) in PROCTORS (=university officials); “struggling” is anagram indicator; “off-putting” is to be understood to mean delaying, stalling, not repulsive
   
06 CICADAS Intelligence agency’s holding ne’er-do-well who might sing?

CAD (=ne’er-do-well) in CIA’s (=intelligence agency’s); cicada are singing insects, with each species having its own distinctive song
   
07 FLIBBERTIGIBBET Mischief-maker, one lying about pound note, raised large stake

[L (=pound, as in LSD) in FIBBER (=one lying)] + TI (=note, i.e. in music) + GIB (BIG=large; “raised” indicates vertical reversal) + BET (=stake)
   
08 CLINK Cheers often heard at this prison

People say “Cheers” when clinking glasses as part of a toast
   
15 MANIFESTO Main set of reforms?

*(MAIN SET OF); “reforms” is anagram indicator; & lit. –ish
   
17 EXPLAIN Clear up old wound with injection of laudanum principally

EX (=old) + [L<audanum> (“principally” means first letter only) in PAIN (=wound)]
   
19 ANNOYER One bugging sound system losing time by hesitation

<t>ANNOY (=sound system, e.g. in supermarkets; “losing time (=T)” means letter “t” is dropped) + ER (=hesitation)
   
21 HYENA Carnivore having a bit of a laugh about Japanese bread

YEN (=Japanese “bread”, i.e. money) in HA (=bit of a laugh)
   
   

15 comments on “Independent 8,540 / Morph”

  1. Thanks RR an Morph,

    I agree with your parsing of 16.

    12 is an allusion to someone attempting to say “make” whilst suffering from a cold.

    Lovely puzzle.

  2. It’s Thursday, so expecting a challenge, I was pleased to finish this. Well done, RR and Muffyword, for parsing ACCRUE and BAKE – would never have got those.

    Morph’s previous puzzles have put him down as a political animal (the MPs’ expenses themed puzzle comes to mind) so to see KIEV in the grid was not a great surprise. IRANIANS too was nicely contemporary. And in an act of random association in what passes for my brain, I liked FLIBBERTIGIBBET because it reminded me of The Sound of Music. It had TI (a drink with jam and bread) in the clue and of course Maria was ‘a flibbertigibbet, a will o’the wisp, a clown’. And the last of the real von Trapp offspring passed away just recently. I’ll take my medication now and see everyone tomorrow.

    Thanks to RR and to Morph.

  3. All parsed except 12ac where I had BAKE from the definition, so thanks for that Muffyword. Not the best of clues IMHO, but the rest of the puzzle was mostly excellent.

  4. Thanks to @1Muffyword, also could not parse BAKE, not keen on it, what purpose does “build” fulfil?

    Liked PROCRASTINATORS, great spot by setter. After a rapid pass of all clues, had two answers. Coming back, things started to click. Most enjoyable puzzle. Let’s have more.

    Thanks to Morph and RatkojaRiku.

  5. Definitely easier than your average Thursday Indy and, being Morph, some nice topical allusions in 9ac, 18ac and possibly 15dn. And at risk of becoming a 19dn to some people I’d say that 21dn is a bit &lit-ish. Needed the blog, though to parse some answers, e.g. 16ac where I got the AC bit but couldn’t fathom where CRUE came from.

    Thanks, Morph and RR

  6. Re 12a: As I understand, from my setting coal fires days, one can ‘lay’ a fire in advance of lighting it and then ‘make, ‘set’ or ‘build’ it after the kindling catches. To my grannies, cooking scones, etc., was ‘firing’ them.
    Hence: bake: from a person with a cold in the nose trying to say ‘make’ works.

    Thanks to setter and blogger.

  7. gwep @7 – build equates to ‘make’

    Got the first 3 across clues straight off, then nothing else on first reading… but slightly easier for a Thursday than of late

  8. The usual enjoyable topical cryptic from Morph. I too was confused with BAKE so thank you to Muffyword for explaining that one.

    Thanks to Morph and RR too.

  9. Chalk up another one who couldn’t see why it was “bake”. Even did a word search to see if there was another word that fit that I’d missed. But apart from that, easy for a Thursday – i.e. I finished it.

  10. Thanks RR count me another stumped by bake, made heavy weather of this then it was suddenly over. Classy stuff as ever from morph.

  11. Also stumped by 12ac. I even tried saying “make” out loud whilst pretending to have a cold, and decided I was being ridiculous

  12. @6Heather McKay and @7PaulA, notwithstanding, find the clue contrived to the point of absurdity.

    Reiterate otherwise most enjoyable.

  13. Thanks to Muffyword for the explanation of 12 – I would never have got there alone, but evidently I am in good company 🙂

    Am glad others enjoyed this as much as I did.

  14. We’ve just finished the puzzle – late start as usual. Count us as another one (or two in this case) who couldn’t parse BAKE or ACCRUE. Bert got ACDC but couldn’t figure out the rest.

    Apart from 12ac we enjoyed this so thanks to Morph.

    Many thanks to RR for the blog – without it and Muffyword we would still be scratching our heads!

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