Independent 9082/Kairos

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I’m more used to solving and blogging Kairos in the Independent on Sunday, where he is usually gentle with us.  Monday comes round …

 

 

 

I found this hard, but that could just be me not having brain engaged for the start of the week.  All sound, but some head-scratching required in places.  And one where I need some help, please.

Abbreviations
cd  cryptic definition
dd  double definition
(xxxx)*  anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x]  letter(s) missing

definitions are underlined

Across

1  A pectoral cross for ruler
CLEOPATRA
(A PECTORAL)*  It was the asp what did it.

6  Unspoken agreement a citizen conceals
TACIT
Hidden in agreemenT A CITizen.

9  Elder Dumbledore maybe an egotist
BIG HEAD
A charade of BIG and HEAD.  BIG as in ‘my big (elder) brother’ and HEAD as in ‘Dumbledore’. If you’ve been asleep for the past eighteen years, Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is HEAD of Hogwarts, where Harry Potter was educated. Still no idea?  Get over yourself and move on.

10  Break down with new leader and complain
GRUMBLE
CRUMBLE with the first letter replaced by G.

11  Dish made from wood, elm and teak primarily
ASHET
Yes, I had to look it up as well.  A charade of ASH and ET for the first two letters of ‘elm’ and ‘teak’.

12  Catches character briefly grabbed by balls
OVERHEARS
Let’s not do smut in the Indy, please.  Good surface, though.  It’s HEAR[T] in OVERS for six ‘balls’.  Although of course if there were NO BALLS during the over, then there would be more than six, and it would be difficult to grab them.

13  Suitable old stamp’s found in exercise books
EXPEDIENT
A charade of EX for ‘old’ and an insertion of DIE for ‘stamp’ in PE for ‘exercise’ and NT for ‘books’.

14  Falls leaving lake for reservoirs
SUMPS
S[L]UMPS

16  A French drudge oddly never having seen a spade?
UNDUG
A charade of UN and the odd letters of DrUdGe.

17  News stories of revolutionary father in old hospital
HEADLINES
A reversal of DA in SENILE H.

20  Weapon fashioned from hard stick
FLINTLOCK
A charade of FLINT and LOCK, I think, but my brain is running on empty.

22  Split condition included in offer
BIFID
My dictionary says ‘of a part of a plant or animal divided by a deep cleft or notch into two parts.’  So now you know.  It’s IF inside BID.

23  Overcharge teetotaller in support group
OCTETTE
I can’t work this one out, so help appreciated.

24  Inspires a body of scientists to cross river
AROUSES
An insertion of the river OUSE in A plus RS for ‘Royal Society’.

25  Stunner is more gentle after a change of heart
TASER
Kairos is asking you to remove M from TA[M]ER and replace it with an S.

26  Penniless Swiss hoped for employment in fairground attractions
SIDESHOWS
(SWISS HO[P]ED)*

Down

1  Small carriage carrying pop group to Savoy?
CABBAGE
Apparently CGE is an abbreviation of ‘carriage’, so you need to put ABBA in that.

2  For example, Greek leader with small type  of pencil copied ovoid
EGG-SHAPED
A charade of EG, G, S, H and APED.

3  “God is tripartite” corrected conjurer
PRESTIDIGITATOR
(GOD IS TRIPARTITE)* as he is indeed in the Christian tradition: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.  Although because children got frightened, the third member is now usually called the Holy Spirit.

4  Briefly run away on short tryst maybe returning with youngster
TADPOLE
There are two removal indicators: ‘briefly’ and ‘short’, so it’s a reversal of ELOP[E] and DAT[E]  A tryst was more exciting than a date when I were a lad, because with a tryst you just knew you were going to get your leg over.  But maybe I’m just old and usage has changed.

5  Increase in tension after African Union captures American agents
AUGMENT
An insertion of G MEN in AU followed by T.

6  Hard-nosed veteran involved in foolish thug’s boast about ducks
TOUGH AS OLD BOOTS
An insertion of OLD for ‘veteran’ in (THUGS BOAST)* about two letter Os for ‘ducks’.  Chuffing spiders.  Is Kairos deliberately trying to rough us up this morning?

7  Horse runs about after snake
COBRA
A charade of COB, R and A.

8  Locks Hitler’s bodyguards in boxes?
TRESSES
An insertion of SS in TREES, which could of course be ‘boxes’.  It’s a type of TREE, don’t you know?

15  Aims – often broken!
MANIFESTO
(AIMS OFTEN)* and I’m going to stick my aching head out and say that it’s &lit.

16  Open in advance without a break
UPFRONT
‘Open’ is UPFRONT; put a ‘break’ in it and you have UP FRONT, which is ‘in advance’.

17  Possibly smacks prostitutes
HOOKERS
Smack: ‘a fishing vessel’.  Hooker: ‘a commercial fishing boat.’  So it’s a dd.  I think.

18  One week with foster child possibly is difficult
AWKWARD
A charade of A, WK and WARD.

19  Brutes assisted in revolt after European departs
SADISTS
(ASSIST[E]D)*

21  Seizure in cardiac tissue unsettles surgeon initially
INCTUS  ICTUS
IN plus the first letters of In Cardiac Tissue Unsettles Surgeon.  Apologies for the typo and wrong parsing.  Brain fade.

Many thanks to Kairos for this morning’s puzzle.

8 comments on “Independent 9082/Kairos”

  2. Yes, a different level to Kairos in the IOS.

    23A is O/C + TT in TEE.

    As for FLINTLOCK, I can only suggest the inadequate FLINT for hard (“hard as flint” or “flint-hard”) and LOCK for stick eg if you stick something in place it’s locked in. No, I’m not convinced either.

    21D You have a rogue “n” in there. It’s just the first letters of in cardiac tissue unsettles surgeon – “initially”.

    Thought TADPOLE very clever.

    Thanks to Kairos and Pierre.

  7. A good start to the week. We thought 15d was very amusing and there was some inventive clueing with good surfaces

    Thanks Kairos and merci Pierre.

  8. Agree that this was pretty tough for a Monday – got the Independent because I’d already done the Rufus and the Quiptic online before my doctor’s appointment, and found this quite an entertaining challenge, with one or two left unparsed. Thanks for explaining the Dumbledore reference – I’m one of the few who has never read Harry Potter or seen the films. TADPOLE last in, ICTUS and ASHET new to me

    Thanks to Kairos and Pierre

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