Another new setter to the Independent fold.
Well not really that new since Wiglaf has set a couple of Inquisitors and E.V.s but as far as I can tell his first foray into the “normal” puzzle world. Not too difficult once I got going but a slow burner certainly. No obvious theme or nina but wouldn’t be the first time I missed one…
Thanks setter.
Across
1 For example, this party game (6)
CLUEDO
CLUE (e.g. this clue) & DO (party)
4 Work that involved colour spectra originally (6)
OPTICS
Nigh-on &lit. OP(us) & T(hat) I(involved) C(olour) S(pectra)
8 Humble in more ways than one (6)
MODEST
MODE & ST. Two different “ways”
9 Fools designed shapes to cover poster (8)
SAPHEADS
AD (poster) in SHAPES* designed
10 It’s easy to understand in short story circles (10)
FATHOMABLE
Nicely done Wiglaf. FABLE (story) circling AT HOM(e) – IN shortly
11 Award prize, ignoring judge (4)
EMMY
(j)EMMY – to prize – with J(udge) leaving
12 A girl unloved, treated like a locust (3-9)
ALL-DEVOURING
[A GIRL UNLOVED]* treated
15 Peter has a rest prior to bank robbery (4-8)
SAFE-BREAKING
SAFE (Peter) & BREAK (rest) & ING (a dutch banking group). Pity the use of Peter rather gives the game away here.
19 The legend of Jeremy Thorpe (4)
MYTH
Hidden answer
20 Thomas Kray with blow up doll (10)
MATRYOSHKA
[Thomas Kray]* blown up. Those Russian dolls that fit one inside another
22 Host gains trick after discarding clubs in hand (8)
EMPLOYEE
PLOY (trick) in EM(c)EE (host) with C(lubs) discarded
23 Novel Kinks song about sex (6)
LOLITA
IT (sex) in LOLA (Kinks song)
24 Tracey initially hurried on over to display her work, some say (3-3)
NON-ART
I take it Wiglaf isn’t a fan of Ms Emin. T(racey) & RAN & ON all reversed
25 Paella, for instance, always has cheese? (6)
PANEER
PAN (paella is a type of pan) & E’ER (ever, always)
Down
1 Singing test taken by small child (6)
CHORAL
CH(ild) & ORAL
2 Arthur’s at sea crossing English Channel (7)
URETHRA
Not the first channel I thought of. E(nglish) in ARTHUR* at sea
3 Daughter’s joining a corporation in fact (5)
DATUM
D(aughter) & A & TUM (stomach-corporation)
5 Ginger and I consume Argentine meat product (9)
PEPPERONI
PEP (ginger) & PERON (famous Argentine) & I
6 Cake decorator, hosting social gathering, serves fresh drink (3,4)
ICE BEER
BEE (social gathering) in ICER (cake decorator)
7 Told to go collecting money for deposit (8)
SEDIMENT
DIME inside SENT
9 Attempt to intimidate wild bears scoundrel let loose (5-6)
SABRE-RATTLE
BEARS* wildly & RAT (scoundrel) & LET* loose
13 Nobleman accompanies girl soldiers to see civic official (4,5)
LORD MAYOR
LORD (nobleman) & MAY (a girl) & O.R. (soldiers)
14 Buckle my sandal, Casanova (5,3)
LADYS MAN
[MY SANDLE]* buckled
16 European male student working in pursuit of college grade (7)
ECHELON
E(uropean) &C(ollege) & HE (male) & L(student) & ON (working)
17 Private entrance to see the girl in French ballet (7)
GISELLE
G.I. (soldier) & the entrance to S(ee) & ELLE (the girl in French)
18 Fish recipe for sportsperson (6)
SKATER
SKATE & R(ecipe)
21 Loyal Tatars protecting port (5)
YALTA
Hidden answer
Certainly not un-10ac, though I needed an anagram solver for MATRYOSHKA – a new word for me but I guessed what it was and confirmed it by googling. My initial thought for 9dn was SCARE TACTIC, though I couldn’t see how to get it from the clue. And I always thought of Casanova as a LADIES’ MAN rather than a LADY’S MAN. Too many nice clues to nominate a CoD.
Thanks, Wiglaf and flashling.
@Allan re-Casanova agree indeed, that’s rather the point of his fame/infamy 🙂
I enjoyed this one, getting it out by use of my two online aids, though. Thanks to both.
The definition in 22a is HAND.
Found this quite tough, but enjoyable.
Thanks to setter and blogger.
@Rullytully, yes I’ve underlined the wrong thing, oops. Fixed thanks
Thanks to Wiglaf & Flashling for a littler corker. •ATHOM• from ‘in short’ is pure class.
Thought for a bit that the SE corner – YALTA, MATRYOSHKA, LOLITA – might lead us yet further eastward but, no, Nina is banished to Siberia for the moment as far as I can see.
New setter to me but lovely precise clues made it a joy.
In 15ac ING could also be an area of river-bank land, as in the ings of the Yorkshire Derwent at Wheldrake. Just thought I’d mention it!
Isn’t the fodder in 11ac (‘prize’) American?
In the UK it is surely ‘prise’, isn’t it?
I am not a Brit though.
Lady’s Man is fine.
It’s in the dictionaries as an alternative to Ladies’ Man.
I found this a somewhat unbalanced mixture of really easy and much harder clues.
Great anagram in 20ac!
Just popped across to see what they were saying on the (heavily-populated) Guardian Xword blog. Golly, they’re a grumpy lot, aren’t they? Think I’ll stay here where it’s friendlier.
Delightful. Some lovely examples of creative thinking from this setter, new to me but out for whom I shall be keeping an eye. FATHOMABLE my favourite, but enjoyed NONART too! ‘ING’ for bank new to me, though I’ve a feeling we’ll be seeing it more often now.
Nicely done, Wiglaf!
And thanks – to W and the flash.