Independent 8939 / Radian

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This is our 200th blog!! (exclamation!)

 

 

We haven’t blogged a Radian since last September – and this was a reasonably straightforward and enjoyable solve, let down only by the reference to the power maniac at 11ac.

As it’s Radian, we’ve looked for a hidden theme, but can’t see anything – but then it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve missed one. There are three connections with weights – including the surprisingly obvious (for Radian) clue at 5d (though it results in an excellent surface reading!) – that surely can’t be it?

Across
9   Manage drink before about a quarter past six
SUPERVISE SUP (drink) ERE (before) round S (south, a ‘quarter’) after VI (six)
10   Mark and Charlie knock back rounds
COMMA C (Charlie, in the phonetic alphabet) + AMMO (rounds) reversed or ‘knocked back’
11   Media boss often defends Republican party
MURDOCH MUCH (often) round or ‘defending’ R (Republican) DO (party)
12   Drop version of EU blog about Luxembourg
GLOBULE An anagram of EU BLOG (anagrind is ‘version of’) round L (Luxembourg)
13   Group of operators withdrawing carriage allowance
TARE A ’group’ of letters in opERATors reversed or ‘withdrawing’
14   Claimed petty officer delayed visiting boss
POSTULATED PO (petty officer) + LATE (delayed) in or ‘visiting’ STUD (boss)
16   Hug English married couple
EMBRACE E (English) M (married) BRACE (couple)
17   See chief quietly concerning dispute
PONTIFF P (quietly) ON (concerning) TIFF (dispute)
19   Free boating here in Sussex around harbour
ON THE HOUSE ON THE OUSE (where one might go boating in Sussex) round H (harbour)
22   Perhaps trainer has head office in Kent?
SHOE HO (head office) in SE (south-east, possibly Kent)
24   It’s strange following old rule
FOREIGN F (following) O (old) REIGN (rule)
25   He leaves the Russian unit upset
TROUBLE The without ‘he’ + ROUBLE (Russian unit)
26   Business unit ignores international matter
COUNT CO (company – business) + UNiT without or ‘ignoring’ the ‘I’ (international)
27   He earned his credit, some might say, in vain
EGOTISTIC Someone who drops Hs might say ‘E GOT ‘IS TICk (‘he earned his credit’)
Down
1   When a dull queen met old king at court in reality
AS A MATTER OF FACT AS (when) A MATT (dull) ER (queen) + OFFA (old king) CT (court)
2   Cut superfluous joke
SPARERIB SPARE (superfluous) RIB (joke)
3   Academic suppresses old evidence
PROOF PROF (academic) round or ‘suppressing’ O (old)
4   How Ibsen transformed part in “The Wild Duck”
WISHBONE An anagram of HOW IBSEN – anagrind is ‘transformed’
5   We might shed mass losing it
WEIGHT Cryptic definition – WE mIGHT without or ‘shedding’ ‘m’ (mass)
6   Champion ducks taking part in pitch for coach’s job
SCHOOLING CH (champion) OO (ducks, as in cricket) ‘taking part’ in SLING (pitch)
7   Soldier receives second posh volume
AMOUNT ANT (soldier) round or ‘receiving’ MO (second) U (posh)
8   To have impact, give notice if about to open barrier
MAKE A DIFFERENCE MAKE (give) AD (notice) IF + RE (about) in or ‘opening’ FENCE. We weren’t too sure about ‘make=give’, but both can mean ‘render’, as in 2+2 makes (or gives) 4, so it seems okay.  
15   Do this while waiting to go up for cosmetic procedures?
FACE-LIFTS If you are waiting to go up in a building you might FACE the LIFTS
17   Varied portions matter but not much
POSITRON An anagram of PORTIONS – anagrind is ‘varied’
18   Tenants terribly upset about heroin addict at first
INHABITS IN BITS (terribly upset) round H A (first letters of ‘heroin addicts’)
20   Arm band and revolutionary force
TORQUE Double definition
21   Ring relatives lacking large units of 5
OUNCES O (ring) UNClES (relatives) without or ‘lacking’ L (large)
23   The obvious point in conversation primarily
TOPIC Cryptic definition – first or ‘primary’ letters of The Obvious Point In Conversation

 

16 comments on “Independent 8939 / Radian”

  1. Congratulations, Bertandjoyce, and thank you very much for all your efforts. You do us all a great service.

    My last answer here was 20D torque. I had __R_U_ for a long time, and convinced myself the answer must be “Airgun”, the arm, because the revolutionary force could be “Irgun”, but I could not make “A” fit “band”. I was not helped by 19A “On the House”, my penultimate answer, because I did not realise there was an Ouse in Sussex. The whole puzzle took a long time, much head-scratching, but I did complete it to my satisfaction.

    I had never realised that “tenant” could be a verb. Thank you very much, Radian, for a good challenge.

  4. Very nice! My first ever all out unaided and having grasped all the ideas shown in the blog. Pheeuw. It’s been a ling time coming. Thanks to both!

  5. Heather, Congratulations to you too! Very well done. Forget Prosecco, this calls for champagne all round!

  6. Congrats on blog #200 B&J.

    I found this towards the easier end of Radian’s spectrum but very enjoyable. I agree that the clue for EGOSTISTIC was a gem and it was my NTLOI before TOPIC. I’ve been thrown by SPARERIB as one word before because I always want to spell it with two, but I remembered it this time around. I also smiled at the “See chief” definition for PONTIFF.

  7. Only 200? – mere beginners 😉

    I too found the Radian easier than his ‘usual’. Thanks to him for the crossword and the celebratory couple for the blog.

  8. Emrys@5

    I’m too mean to buy champagne these days – though Piper Heidseick Rose Sauvage remains my favourite – but my Live-in Nina Spotter recently won a bottle of prosecco in the IoS picture details competition, so we are having that.

  9. Had to do this in a bit of a rush this morning before work, so only now have had time to have another look. It struck me as pretty straightforward for a Radian, but Tuesday is usually theme day … Can’t see anything, though.

    Lots of good clues. Got AS A MATTER OF FACT straight away from the enumeration, then smiled when I parsed it. PONTIFF and EGOTISTIC were also favourites.

    Well done B&J on the double century and thanks to Radian too.

  10. Congratulation B&J on your double century.

    I think 5dn WEIGHT has a technical interpretation too: weight is a unit of force whereas mass is a unit of substance. So to lose weight you must actually shed mass not weight.

  11. Congrats Bert & Joyce seems like yesterday I was congratulating and thanking you for taking over my midweek slot for a short break at the s&b in Derby.
    Thanks Radian unless much has been missed the usual Tuesday theme is a bit light on the ground but a good use of my time on the train nonetheless.

  12. I have solved several crosswords before, but first in memory that I have completed unaided, without reference to dictionary, thesaurus , crossword solver, anagram solver. Took me 2 hours, but extremely pleased with my efforts.

  13. Welcome to the blog Harish – congratulations on the solve and thanks for the comment. Hope you tackle more Indy crosswords and visit the site again.

  14. Heather @4 and Harish@12 – a tip of the hat to you both! I guess you’re confirmed addicts now!
    I found this swift but pleasant. I was hesitant over H as a standard abbreviation for harbour and, unlike Andy B, have never encountered SPARERIB as one word. Neither has my Chambers – perforce it is as inexperienced as I? I actually thought WEIGHT the neatest clue.
    Many thanks to Radian and heartfelt congratulations, respect and continued thanks to Bert and Joyce (would it be niggardly of me to suggest that makes just one century each ….. or a crafty way to goad another two hundred?!)

  15. Fell over with 19ac. I had ON THE LOOSE for ages then convinced myself that it was ON THE COAST, but despite the Sussex oasthouse connection I couldn’t make it fit. I always associate the Ouse with more easterly parts and didn’t think of H for harbour. Better luck next time. EGOTISTIC made be smile and a shame it wasn’t used as a lead in for 11ac.
    Thanks to RADIAN for a nice puzzle and congrats to the various landmarkees above.

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