Independent 8,932 by Punk

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New month, new Punk to do so saddle up…

More than the usual amount of horse-play from Punk, not smutty nor hackneyed but in the mane some grand clues whipping up the crowd, not going to hedge my bets but a fine crop of clues, some of which threw me a bit, but most of it went at a canter then a gallop into the final furlong. OK don’t bet on it.

 

completed grid

Across

8 For this is put on some horse, say? (2,3)
AD HOC

Bit of an odd start, def seems to bleed into the wordplay. Sounds like ADD (put on) & HOC(k) (part of a horse)

9 Love mark that’s prized by luvvies (5)
OSCAR

0 (love) & SCAR

11 Sign bricks no good (3)
LEO

G(ood) removed from LE(g)O bricks

12 Sound marks on spear (7)
HARPOON

HARPO (marx) & ON

13 Flip over the top during jump, one half on the saddle? (7)
BUTTOCK

Cryptic ish def part and OTT reversed flipped in BUCK (jump)

14 Second in tally misplaced, bringing up the rear (6)
LASTLY

S(econd) in TALLY* misplaced

15 A horse’s third in photo finish – that explains everything! (8)
GLOSSARY

A & third letter of hoRse inside a GLOSSY finish. Very cute surface.

18 Those such as Dench playing M and Llewelyn playing Q? (9,6)
CHARACTER ACTORS

Cryptic def

22 Musical style always holding a horse back (6)
REGGAE

Poetic E’ER with A GG inserted – all reversed

25 One country journalist sent over for money in the past (7)
DENARII

Another I initally had the wrong idea trying DENMARK which doesn’t quite work. It’s 1 & IRAN & ED all reversed

27 Native Australian newspaper getting work that may be slated? (7)
ROOFTOP

ROO & F.T. & OP

28 Transport in Oz commuter belts (3)
UTE

Hidden –belted by commUTEr

29 Very good spelling (5)
MAGIC

Double definition

30 Unemployment slowing initially, then time for employment (5)
USAGE

U(nemployment) S(lowing) & AGE

21 See 4 down

Down

1 Liberal – one addicted to felines? (8)
CATHOLIC

a Cat-holic like workaholic or alcoholic

3 Appear ingratiating welcoming Harrow’s principal in aloof teacher (10)
SCHOOLMARM

Took a while as I was trying to make this SCHOOLMA’AM and looking for a homophone indicator for SMARM until I checked my dictionary and it says this is OK as a US variant. H(arrow) principally in COOL (aloof) all in SMARM

4,21A US memorial with words of encouragement from a 7 down? (5,8)
MOUNT RUSHMORE

As a JOCKEY (7d) might say MOUNT: RUSH MORE

5 Pace of horse that’s red (4)
TROT

Double def

6 Place of great riches where old dear unfortunately has nothing (8)
ELDORADO

0 – nothing – in [OLD DEAR]* unfortunately

7,2 Riders admitting their typical stature is pants (6,6)
JOCKEY SHORTS

SHORT in JOCKEYS. Punk without at least an underwear clue is unthinkable!

2 See 7 down
10 Farriers for humans? Nonsense! (8)
COBBLERS

Farriers fit rather rather than make shoes for horses and cobblers make or repair for humans so this doesn’t really work but you know what Punk means.

16 Racecourse designed as a place of worship (5-5)
SACRE COEUR

RACECOURSE* designed. Anyone else been looking for that old chestnut horse of ORCHESTRA* so far whilst solving this crossword?

17,24 Odds given by dodgy racing tipster – this making Arkle sparkle! (8,5)
STARTING PRICE

S(tarting) P(rice), the SP as it were, added to ARKLE gives SPARKLE

24 See 17 down
19 Someone missing a worker, claiming dispatched (8)
ABSENTEE

SENT in A (worker) BEE

20 Pulse oddly found in horse built like a church? (8)
STEEPLED

PuLsE in STEED

21 Horse butchery on the up (3,3)
RED RUM

MURDER reversed

23 Frenchman endlessly quaffing drink that’s sweet (6)
GATEAU

TEA inserted – drunk by GAU(l)

26 Bottom card, not top (4)
RUMP

Top removed from (t)RUMP

13 comments on “Independent 8,932 by Punk”

  1. A fine puzzle, once I’d worked out how to spell “coeur” again. Thanks, flashling, and Bottoms Up, Punk!

  2. I must admit I carelessly wrote in Denmark at 25, even though, as you say, it doesn’t really work. That made 26 and 17/24 my last in.

    Re 17/24: Not only does SP make Arkle sparkle, but STARTING PRICE is an anagram of “racing tipster”.

  4. I didn’t see the “starting price” anagram fodder either even though I understood the (SP)ARKLE element of the wordplay. Very good indeed. I also smiled at the CAT-HOLIC once the penny dropped, and LASTLY was my LOI.

  5. Enjoyable puzzle although I did need the blog o get me going again! So I had to jump quickly past the displayed grid.
    Also, our (excellent) farrier makes some of the shoes he uses- from fullered bars of steel – and buys in some ready-made depending on the hooves in question.

  6. A themed puzzle to mark the Epsom Derby meeting at the end of this week?

    Conversely to flashling and Tom, I got STARTING PRICE from the anagram fodder and only then twigged the ‘making Arkle sparkle’ bit.

    Got MOUNT RUSHMORE from the enumeration and a couple of crossing letters before getting 7/3dn.

    Too many good clues to nominate a CoD

    Thanks, Punk and flashling.

  7. Very good fun, especially for a Monday. Also missed the anagram in 17/24, which indeed made the clue even better.

    8A I think the definition is simply “for this”.

    Thanks to Punk and flashling.

  8. Just right for a Monday. Got it all in without too many troubles. Curiously, 17/24 I saw the anagram but failed to work out the “Arkle sparkle” bit.

    Did like 1dn.

  9. @Heather, I’ll try to see if I can add the grid elsewhere after the clues or ask PeeDee who wrote the software to make it an option.

  10. A good start to the week.

    Really liked the wordplay in 15ac and 17/24 was excellent.

    Thanks Punk and flashling.

  11. Thanks, Flashling [and welcome back!].
    Late to the party but I would like to say that, for me, this was Punk at his very best.
    15ac, 1d and 17/24d being particular highlights.
    In fact, I found this crossword more enjoyable than some of the recent Pauls (good though they were).

    Yes, and then tomorrow (or is it today?).
    Don Manley already announced it last week but he gives us a puzzle in each of the three broadsheets discussed at Fifteensquared.
    I solved the Quixote already but didn’t see anything special.
    However, there must be something, I guess.

  13. Hi Heather, I’ll just add a link for folks to follow in future, the coming Sunday everyman is already committed. Feedback is the way we improve these things, I know it sounds crass but Gaufrid lets us do our blogs any way we feel fit and none of us satisfy everyone.

Comments are closed.