Independent on Sunday 1281 / Nitsy (7/9/14)

Nitsy only provides us with two or three puzzles each year and, looking back, I see that for the last five years there has always been one in September, though the previous ones have appeared a couple of weeks later than today’s offering.

A relatively straightforward puzzle that shouldn’t have caused too much angst, though I do have a slight reservation regarding 10ac.

Across
1 Leaders in Westminster imply Clegg, perhaps, is a weak person (4)
WIMP – W[estminster] I[mply] (leaders in Westminster imply) MP (Clegg, perhaps)

3 Breaking fuse in hospital department (8)
EMERGENT – MERGE (fuse) in ENT (hospital department)

10 I’ll use nice oven around university, cooking this? (8,7)
NOUVELLE CUISINE – an anagram (around) of I’LL USE NICE OVEN around U (university) – with the word order, ‘around’ has to be doing double duty. If the anagram indicator is ‘cooking’ and the definition simply ‘this’ then the ‘around’ is superfluous or alternatively ‘around university’ would have to be moved to the start of the clue.

11 Nice melody by Debussy’s first to be adapted (4-5)
FINE-TUNED – FINE (nice) TUNE (melody) D[ebussy] (Debussy’s first)

12 Washington info regularly ignored – a neglected issue (4)
WAIF – WA (Washington) I[n]F[o] (info regularly ignored)

13 Hit with no effort, right off the bat (7)
RAPIDLY – RAP (hit) IDLY (with no effort)

15 Might Doris perhaps call for help? (6)
MAYDAY – MAY (might) DAY (Doris perhaps)

17 Alan Titchmarsh possibly removed from French store (6)
GARNER – GAR[de]NER (Alan Titchmarsh possibly) with de (from [in] French) removed

19 Exert wildly and Nitsy gets stiff (7)
EXTREME – an anagram (wildly) of EXERT plus ME (Nitsy)

20 Holiday pay? About time (4)
FETE – FEE (pay) around (about) T (time)

21 Judge‘s support returns – and with it, esteem (9)
ARBITRATE – BRA (support) reversed (returns) IT RATE (esteem)

24 Drink before run – it should get you up to speed (9,6)
REFRESHER COURSE – REFRESHER (drink) COURSE (run)

25 I got plane up in the air, leaving number for my fee (8)
PILOTAGE – an anagram (up in the air) of I GOT PLA[n]E

26 Just working with heartless amateur (4)
ONLY – ON (working) L[a]Y (heartless amateur)

Down
1 Find nuts in snug – this should give you plenty of energy (4,4)
WIND FARM – an anagram (nuts) of FIND in WARM (snug)

2 Grieve for a short time with container for ashes (5)
MOURN – MO (a short time) URN (container for ashes)

4 Mother holding a rascal’s coat on the street (7)
MACADAM – MAM (mother) around (holding) A CAD (a rascal)

5 I want a Royal – it’s possibly Victoria? (7,7)
RAILWAY STATION – an anagram (possibly) of I WANT A ROYAL IT’S

6 Stop to lift up clothing I’m in (9)
ELIMINATE – ELATE (to lift up) around (clothing) I’M IN

7 Quaint woollen cloth daughter dropped off (4)
TWEE – TWEE[d] (woollen cloth daughter dropped off)

8 Stake tent – it deserves to be hammered (6,8)
VESTED INTEREST – an anagram (to be hammered) of TENT IT DESERVES

9 Lucky to employ new servant (6)
FLUNKY – FLUKY (lucky) around (to employ) N (new)

14 Priest on a ferry at sea starts to utter litany, being this? (9)
PRAYERFUL – P (priest) plus an anagram (at sea) of A FERRY plus U[tter] L[itany] (starts to utter litany) – the def. being extended by ‘priest’ and ‘litany’

16 Dead centre (8)
CEMETERY – cryptic def.

18 Reckless motorist runs over a hound outside hospital (4,3)
ROAD HOG – R (runs) O (over) A DOG (a hound) around (outside) H (hospital)

19 Start removing centre from tree, and what’s on the trunk (6)
EMBARK – E[l]M (removing centre from tree) BARK (what’s on the trunk)

22 In favour of wearing an item of clothing in the kitchen (5)
APRON – PRO (in favour of) in (wearing) AN

23 Stole / package (4)
WRAP – double def.