Independent 9236 / Anax

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With only a handful of entries during my first pass through the clues I thought I was going to be in for a bit of a slog and so it proved – but a most enjoyable one. Thanks, Anax, for the challenge.

Unravelling the parsing proved tricky in places and there is still one (22dn) that I’m not sure about. I think the answer I have given matches the definition and I can see ‘housework’=DIY but never having visited Twitter I am at a loss regarding the ‘share’ etc., though I have given my best guess.

Having covered for Bertandjoyce yesterday and today, I will see you all again on Monday when I am standing in for flashling who is also away on holiday.

Across
1 Hotel doubling as retreat to a great extent (4)
MUCH – H (hotel) CUM (doubling as) reversed (retreat)

3 Exercising of law is short in these (4,6)
SHOW TRIALS – an anagram of (exercising of) LAW IS SHORT with an extended def.

10 Reject a composition over new organ parts? (7,3,5)
PERSONA NON GRATA – PER (a) SONATA (composition) around (over) N (new) and an anagram (parts) of ORGAN

11 Pink Parisian and parting gift (8)
DETONATE – ET (Parisian and) in (parting) DONATE (gift)

12 Nothing legitimate about duke’s anguish (6)
ORDEAL – O (nothing) REAL (legitimate) around (about) D (duke)

14 Naff poem deleted from life story (9)
CHRONICLE – CHRONIC (naff) L[if]E (poem deleted from life)

15 A brief concern about missile (5)
ARROW – A WORR[y] (brief concern) reversed (about)

16 Filled out, cut belt up (5)
AWASH – AWA[y] (out, cut) SH (belt up)

18 Via / the A5 for example (5,4)
ROMAN ROAD – double def. – the A5 is/was Watling Street

20 Row of people, / perhaps one standing up (6)
COLUMN – double def.

21 Secret group taking drug during Mass (8)
CLOSETED – SET (group) E (drug) in (during) CLOD (mass)

24 Actress in cast is younger, we confirm (9,6)
SIGOURNEY WEAVER – an anagram (cast) of IS YOUNGER plus WE AVER (we confirm)

25 One might take milk and leave bread? (5,5)
TOOTH FAIRY – cryptic def. alluding to milk teeth and money

26 Worker, one against leaving service (4)
NAVY – NAV[v]Y (worker, one against leaving)

Down
1 Was sulky / a basic form of transport? (5)
MOPED – double def.

2 I keep article penned by rude men (7)
CURATOR – A (article) in (penned by) CURT (rude) OR (men)

4 Fix the transport cuts to provide nursing etc (10)
HEALTHCARE – HEAL (fix) CAR (transport) in (cuts) THE

5 That’s a stop! (4)
WHOA – WHO (that’s) A

6 Runner received some flight detail by phone (5,9)
ROGER BANNISTER – ROGER (received) plus a homophone (by phone) of ‘banister’ (some flight detail)

7 Lay into team at Euros (7)
AMATEUR – hidden in (into) ‘teAM AT EURos’

8 Accepted a wave, OK? (9)
SWALLOWED – SW (a wave {radio}) ALLOWED (OK)

9 Blue feathers clogging trap (4,2,3,5)
DOWN IN THE MOUTH – def. plus cryptic indicator

13 Supply housing area with hen – or sheep? (4,6)
TEAM PLAYER – TEMP (supply) around (housing) A (area) plus LAYER (hen) – I’m not sure that I agree with the definition having been voted the best team player on several management courses.

14 Is gambler disguising his accent? (7,2)
CHANCES IT – an anagram (disguising) of HIS ACCENT

17 Totally selfish guards run fast (7)
ALLEGRO – ALL EGO (totally selfish) around (guards) R (run)

19 Love – desperate act to get through tragedy (7)
OCTAVIA – O (love) plus an anagram (desperate) of ACT plus VIA (through)

22 Improper ‘share’ on Twitter about homework (5)
DIRTY – is this RT as an abbreviation for re-tweet (‘share’ on Twitter) with DIY (homework) about?

23 Old native‘s home state (4)
INCA – IN (home) CA (state)

9 comments on “Independent 9236 / Anax”

  2. Thanks Gaufrid. A lot of cunning misdirection from the ever-devious Anax.

    I am as puzzled as you by 22. Perhaps someone at Derby today will corner him and get an explanation

  4. As expected a real challenge from Anax but good fun as it started to fall in to place. I’m a Twitter non-expert, but parsed DIRTY as you did and I think it is correct. Defeated by yet another 4 letter clue, in this case WHOA. Entered DETONATE from the wordplay but hadn’t heard of that meaning of ‘pink’ before and didn’t really understand TEMP for ‘supply’. 14a (CHRONIC for ‘naff’!) was my COD.

    A big thanks to Anax and a very hard working Gaufrid.

  5. Hi Wordplodder @4
    I too wondered about the supply=TEMP but it would appear that ‘a supply’ is an accepted short form for ‘a supply teacher’ who is, of course, only a TEMP.

  6. I think that’s a duff clue, there. TEMP for ‘supply’ is a strange usage, it’s pretty far down the noun list in Collins anyway, and ‘sheep’ isn’t right for team player. That was the only one. All good for a weekend puzzle.

  7. Thanks, Gaufrid, for the blog – as you say, a tough challenge, even by Anax standards, but rewarding, as ever.

    Favourite [of course] was ROMAN ROAD, along with the ‘naff poem’ and the TOOTH FAIRY, ROGER BANNISTER and ALLEGRO.

    It took me a minute or two to see the clever anagram in 14dn.

    Lovely clue for HEALTHCARE – see also Arachne on Wednesday: Horrible Hunt and his leaders lacerate NHS provision.

    As a former teacher, I had no problem with temp = supply.

    Re 22dn – I had the pleasure, Conrad, of cornering Anax at Derby: RT is, apparently, indeed ‘re-tweet’.

  8. Very tough, necessitating several visits but most enjoyable. Also puzzled until coming here about temp = supply and parsing of DIRTY. Favourite was ROGER BANNISTER, also noting that if RB were getting flight details the person at the other end, especially if in control tower, may well have said, “Roger, Bannister”.

    Thanks to Anax and Gaufrid.

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