Independent 9013 / Knut

by

Knut is an up-to-date setter

 

 

 

I like the topicality of Knut’s puzzles and today’s offering is no exception.  Many solvers will have been aware of the news stories describing the fall out from the HACKing of the ASHLEY MADISON WEBSITE recently.  [see top and bottom rows of the grid].  The site is an online dating and social networking services aimed at people who are married or in a committed relationship.  The site has been HACKED and the names and addresses of any subscribers have been published

The grid is liberally sprinkled with words of phrases associated with the activities of subscribers to the site – obvious ones being AFFAIRS (FOREIGN or otherwise), ROMANTIC (though many may dispute this), ADULTERY, INFIDELITY.  FIASCO may also be relevant, as may CLIENT

I think all the thematic material is in the Across entries, although you can make what you wish of EIGHTSOME at 3 down.

One of the results of lots of thematic material is difficulty in filling the rest of the grid,  There are some words in the down entries that are not in common use, OBREPTION being the prime example.  I suppose though that OBREPTION could be associated with the theme within the context of cheating.

There are a few clues where the indicator is towards the outer edge of words that could be used.- e.g. ‘using’ and ‘work’ as an anagram indicators at 11 and 13 across.  It was obvious what the solver had to do to get the answer once the crossing letters were in place so many will say that the indicators are fine.  I also wasn’t too sure about ‘conceded’ as an indicator of a hidden word at 5 down, but the dictionary gives admitted as a definition of conceded so it’s OK

Having said all that I enjoyed the puzzle and it was late on before the theme became obvious to me as I solved the top row quite late on.

Across
No. Clue Wordplay Entry

1

 

Chap set tree by meadow (6)

 

ASH (example of a tree) + LEY (meadow)

 

ASHLEY (man’s name; chap)

 

4

 

"Hell, Chomsky’s turning round, Mr President" (7)

 

(NOAM [reference NOAM Chomsky {1928 – date}, American linguist] reversed [turning]) containing (round) DIS (name for Pluto, the infernal world; hell)

MA (DIS) ON<

MADISON (reference James MADISON, fourth President of the United States 1809-1817)

 

8 / 9

 

Hammond’s brief flings away from home ? (7,7)

 

FOREIGN (away from home) + AFFAIRS (romantic intrigues; flings)

 

FOREIGN AFFAIRS (at the time of writing this blog, Philip Hammond is the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs)

 

11

 

Review of eastern drama using litotes "a workmanlike effort" (6,4)

 

NOH (traditional Japanese [eastern] style of drama) reversed (review) + an anagram of (using) LITOTES

HON< EST TOIL*

HONEST TOIL (workmanlike effort)

 

12

 

American dad, English father (4)

 

POP (American term for dad) + E (English)

 

POPE (Holy Father)

 

13

 

Total failure of Sofia Coppola’s earliest work (6)

 

Anagram  of (work) (SOFIA and C [first letter of {earliest} COPPOLA])

FIASCO*

FIASCO (complete failure of any kind)

 

15

 

Caper after gypsy man; it’s wild and fantastic (8)

 

ROM (gypsy man) + ANTIC (caper)

 

ROMANTIC (wild and fantastic)

 

17

 

Rover susceptible to this dual tyre burst (8)

 

Anagram of (burst) DUAL TYRE

ADULTERY*

ADULTERY (a person described as a rover [wanderer; inconsistent person] may be susceptible to ADULTERY)

 

19

 

50 Cent’s about to welcome Knut as a hanger-on (6)

 

CENT containing (about to welcome) (L [50 in Roman numerals] + I [descriptive of the setter, Knut])

C (L I) ENT

CLIENT (hanger-on)

 

21

 

One given biting criticism and told to buzz off (4)

 

GNAT (I’m not really sure how this works.  A GNAT is an insect that bites and one may well tell a GNAT to buzz off when it is irritating you.  I don’t see where criticism comes into play)

 

GNAT cryptic definition?

 

22

 

A member of the World Chess federation left it; why?  I heard for cheating (10)

IN FIDE (descriptive of a member of the World Chess Federation – he/she is IN FIDE [Fédération Internationale des Échecs]) + L (left) + IT + Y (sounds like [I heard] WHY)

 

INFIDELITY (unfaithfulness in marriage; cheating)

 

24

 

"Golden light ale", our American brew (7)

 

Anagram of (brew) (ALE and OUR and A [American])

AUREOLA*

AUREOLA (halo or corona around the sun or moon; golden light)

 

25

 

Model quits abusin’ drug (7)

 

INSULTIN‘ (abusin’) excluding (quits) T (reference Model T [Ford])

 

INSULIN (a protein hormone produced in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas of animals, important in the regulation of glucose in the blood, and used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus; drug)

 

26

 

It’s found in search; Lord Coe "ashen-faced", according to Spooner (7)

 

A Spoonerism of the phrase SEB (reference Lord SEBastian Coe) WHITE (ashen-faced) would be WEBSITE

 

WEBSITE (the result of an online search is frequently a link to a WEBSITE)

 

27

 

Two journalists (not Brooks and Coulson) got through security (6)

 

HACK (journalist) + ED (editor) both terms being descriptive of journalists.  Rebekah Brooks was cleared of all charges against her relating to hacking or interception.  Andy Coulson was found guilty on some counts of conspiracy to intercept voicemails.  Both denied the charges of hacking

 

HACKED (descriptive of websites that have been accessed unlawfully)

 
Down
No. Clue Wordplay Entry

1

 

Very excited; oxygen is found in abundance (1,4)

 

AGOG (very excited) + O (chemical symbol for Oxygen)

 

A GOGO (in abundance)

 

2

 

White fish swallows wriggling eel (7)

  

HUSS (any of various kinds of dogfish, when used as food) containing (swallows) (an anagram of [wriggling] EEL)

HU (ELE*) SS

HUELESS (without colour; white)

 

3

 

Formation dance moves get homies jigging (9)

 

Anagram of (jigging) GET HOMIES

EIGHTSOME*

EIGHTSOME (Scottish reel for eight dancers [formation dance moves])

 

5

 

Terrible draw Fulham conceded (5)

 

AWFUL (hidden word in [conceded {admitted] DRAW FULHAM)

 

AWFUL (terrible)

 

6

 

Serpent I encountered in pub, dazed and confused (2,1,4)

 

(ASP [venemous snake; serpent] + I) contained in (encountered in) INN (pub)

IN (A SP I) N

IN A SPIN (dazed and confused)

 

7

 

I look into Repton after ex pupil’s historical attempt to cheat (9)

 

OB (old boy) + (I contained in [look into] REPTON)

OB REPT (I) ON

OBREPTION (obsolete [historical] word for obtaining or seeking to obtain a gift, etc, by false statement)

 

10

 

Spoiled rotten at first, now struggling to get by (6,3)

 

POORLY (sick; unwell; rotten) + OFF (if something has gone OFF it is spoiled)

 

POORLY OFF (struggling to get by)

 

14

 

Wearing false tooth is a contractual obligation (9)

 

IN (wearing) + DENTURE (the plural DENTURES describes a set of false teeth so presumably a DENTURE is a single false tooth)

 

INDENTURE (a written agreement between two or more parties; a contract; contractual obligation)

 

16

 

A comedian upset an entire nation (9)

 

Anagram of (upset) A COMEDIAN

MACEDONIA*

MACEDONIA (land locked Balkan nation)

 

18

 

Latvian head of state’s correspondence (7)

 

LETT (Latvian) + ER’S (Elizabeth Regina’s; Head of State’s)

 

LETTERS (correspondence)

 

20

 

Kill off Frenchman in a stroke of misfortune (3,4)

 

LUC (French male name; Frenchman) contained in (in) an anagram of (off) KILL

ILL (LUC) K*

ILL LUCK (stroke of misfortune)

 

22

 

Fastnet, say, has tenants (5)

 

IS LET (has tenants)

 

ISLET (Fastnet is a small islet in the Atlantic Ocean off the Southern coast of Ireland.  Immortalised in Shipping Forecasts and a biennial sailing race)

 

23

 

Riding for a place? (5)

 

THIRD (a Riding is one of three former divisions of Yorkshire, so one Riding could be described as a THIRD [of Yorkshire])

 

THIRD (descriptive of a place in a race)  double definition

 

15 comments on “Independent 9013 / Knut”

  1. I liked the theme (and ? do the top and bottom rows count as a nina as well). A few words I didn’t know – 2 (another one to add to the piscatorial vocabulary), 3, 7 and the acronym ‘FIDE’ in 22a- but all solvable from the wordplay. Hadn’t come across CLIENT as a “vassal, dependant or hanger-on” but it’s there in Chambers. I also didn’t know that a ‘riding’ derived from an old Danish term meaning ‘THIRD’. I’d always assumed there were four Yorkshire Ridings and was interested to follow the relevant Google links about the ‘missing’ South Riding.

    A good work-out – both fun and educational – for a Thursday.

    Thanks to S&B.

  2. Thanks, Duncan.

    As usual, the theme passed me by. When you pointed out the top and bottom rows, I was vaguely aware of the story, but I never got beyond the headlines. There is more serious stuff happening in the world.

    Good puzzle: one or two tricky ones, but on the whole clearly clued (apart from GNAT, which I don’t understand either).

    Well done, Knut. Keep them coming.

  5. Quite a challenging morning with Tramp followed by this, but enjoyable and a few new words/usages learned.

    The gnat clue was puzzling, but I think it’s just a bit of Rufusian whimsy – you curse the creature initially for biting you (so it becomes “one given ‘biting’ criticism”) and then a second time…(although possibly using words stronger than) telling it to “buzz off”.

    Many thanks for the puzzle and excellent blog.

  6. I don’t get GNAT, and ‘I look into’? That’s no good at all. Why use ‘now’ at 10? Strange stuff indeed.

  8. My usual troubles getting on Knut’s wavelength – I did give it four goes too! Today’s trickiest cryptic – well I thought so anyway.

    Thanks to him and Duncan.

  9. I think the parsing of 19ac should be L in CENT (50 with CENT about or outside) with the insertion (to welcome) of I.

    I wondered about a theme when ADULTERY and INFIDELITY appeared but then forgot about it, only realising there was one when I came here. 8/9ac held me up for a bit as I was trying to think of something to do with Richard Hammond and Top Gear.

    Some great clues – too many to name a CoD – and the usual comprehensive blog. thanks, Knut and Duncan.

  11. hello folks,

    Thanks for the blog and comments. When I get bitten by a gnat/mosquito, I swear at it (criticise it for biting me) and then tell it to go away (buzz off). Sorry that didn’t come across in the word-play.

    @K’s dad #2…
    There is most definitely more serious stuff going on in the world. I’m a bit of a news junkie and I have tried to break into this game, in which I have found it extremely difficult to gain a foothold, by writing puzzles based on current events. However, the themes are obviously tricky to pick….one doesn’t want to set or solve puzzles themed around some of the dark events in our newspapers, and I have to try to use something which is not merely here today and tomorrow’s fish and chip wrappings.
    Warmest regards,
    Knut

  14. Knut, not at all a criticism of your theme. I was just musing on the trivial and the important in this screwed up world. You have a fellow news junkie here, but I’m getting less and less inclined to open the newspaper each morning. Thanks again for the puzzle.

  15. A superb blog from Duncan (as expected) and a lovely puzzle from Knut (as I’m coming to expect).
    My personal gnat – the “now” in 10dn! Why?
    Many thanks, both.

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