I think this is an Independent daily debut for Serpent today.
Serpent has appeared twice in the Inquisitor series where I enjoyed blogging his puzzle with a Cluedo theme.
I struggled a bit with this offering and found some of the wording of the clues a bit odd. It was clear what the wordplay was doing but it seemed to me that some of the constructs were described in a back to front way. Examples are 11 across and 15 across. However that’s just a personal opinion. I expect many solvers thought the clueing was crystal clear.
There were a number of instruments, mainly musical, in the grid. As a retired land surveyor I was pleasantly surprised to see a QUADRANT [1 down in the grid] in the grid. The THEREMIN (18 down) was a new instrument for me.
The grid is a pangram but I didn’t use that fact to complete the puzzle.
I had to think about the parsing in a few clues before I felt confident in writing something in the body of the table below. I’m still not sure what the phrase ‘in the van’ is doing 11 across (IMAGINABLE).
Overall though this was an enjoyable challenge.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
7
|
Unveil reforms inspired by case of Japanese youth (8)
|
Anagram of (reforms) UNVEIL contained in (inspired by) JE (outer letters of [case of] JAPANESE) J (UVENIL*) E |
JUVENILE (youth)
|
|
9
|
Reserve theatre seats for chilling performer (6)
|
ICE (reserve) + BOX (small enclosed seating area in a theatre)
|
ICEBOX (freezing compartment of a refrigerator; chilling performer)
|
|
10
|
Projected vain image (4)
|
IDOL (sounds like [projected] IDLE [vain])
|
IDOL (image)
|
|
11
|
It’s possible gifted writer’s hostile to going in the van (10)
|
AGIN (against; hostile to) contained in [going in] (I’M ABLE [gifted writer’s description of him / herself]) IM (AGIN) ABLE I’m not sure if I have got this right as I don’t understand where ‘van’ fits into the word play. Is it simply that the writer’s bit is I’M, the gifted bit is ‘ABLE‘ and AGIN comes before [in the van] ABLE? |
IMAGINABLE (something that can be formed as a mental image; it’s possible)
|
|
12
|
Unable to conceive of lawyers’ split being reduced (6)
|
BAR (barristers or advocates collectively; lawyers) + RENT (split) excluding the last letter (being reduced) T
|
BARREN (incapable of bearing offspring; unable to conceive)
|
|
14
|
Walking mud over grass verges (8)
|
SING (inform on; grass) containing (verges) (DIRT [mud] reversed [over]) S (TRID<) ING |
STRIDING (walking)
|
|
15
|
Resistance figure’s gained importance (7)
|
STATUE (figure) containing (gained) R (resistance) STATU (R) E |
STATURE (importance)
|
|
17
|
Something on which one can play back some offbeat selections (7)
|
CELESTA (hidden word [some] reversed [back] in OFFBEAT SELECTIONS) CELESTA< |
CELESTA (keyboard instrument in which bell-like sounds are produced by hammers striking steel plates suspended over wooden resonators)
|
|
20
|
Lads went dancing in Slough and similar places (8)
|
Anagram of (dancing) LADS WENT WETLANDS* |
WETLANDS (SLOUGH can be defined as marsh or marshland creek)
|
|
22
|
US President will broadcast a great deal for Americans (6)
|
BUSH (reference US Presidents George H and George W BUSH) + EL (sounds like [broadcast] ‘LL [will])
|
BUSHEL (American word for a large amount or number)
|
|
23
|
Byzantine art I’ve seen in Istanbul perhaps displays originality (10)
|
Anagram of (Byzantine) ART I’VE contained in [seen in] CITY (Istanbul is an example of a CITY) C (REATIV*) ITY |
CREATIVITY (originality)
|
|
24
|
European capital exuded an unpleasant smell (4)
|
GREEK (example of a European) excluding (exuded) the first letter (capital) G
|
REEK (offensive smell)
|
|
25
|
Representatives of the international community support rebellion (6)
|
UN (United Nations; representatives of the international community) + REST (support for an object, e.g. a snooker cue)
|
UNREST (discontent verging on insurrection; rebellion)
|
|
26
|
Deny Conservative leader in Daily Mail is wrong (8)
|
C (first letter of [leader] CONSERVATIVE) contained in (in) (anagram of [wrong] D (daily) and MAIL IS) DIS (C) LAIM* I may have got this wrong as I can’t find a dictionary giving D as an abbreviation for ‘daily’. The best I can find is several references on Google to D being used by doctors in prescriptions to indicate that a medicine should be taken ‘every day’ |
DISCLAIM (repudiate; deny)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Players dropped soprano and went with tenor instrument (8)
|
SQUAD (a number of players trained in readiness for the selection of a team) excluding (dropped) S (soprano) + RAN (went with, the editor RAN a story) + T (tenor)
|
QUADRANT (a surveying instrument with an arc of 90 degrees for taking altitudes; one of the four segment) |
|
2
|
Fanaticism upset Zionist leader and those right of centre in Israel (4)
|
Anagram of (upset) (Z (first letter of [leader] ZION) + AEL [the three rightmost letters {of six, so all right of centre} of ISRAEL]) ZEAL* |
ZEAL (fanaticism)
|
|
3
|
Legal clause waives argument in favour of faculty (6)
|
PROVISION (legal clause) excluding (waives) PRO (in favour of)
|
VISION (faculty of sight)
|
|
4
|
Intricate pattern young woman said matches everything but the walls (8) |
FILI (sounds like [said] FILLY [young woman]) + AGREES (matches) excluding [everything but] the outer letters [walls] A and S
|
FILIGREE (kind of ornamental metallic lacework of gold and silver, twisted into convoluted forms; intricate pattern)
|
|
5
|
Don’t take so much notice anyway (10)
|
REGARD LESS (don’t take so much notice)
|
REGARDLESS (anyway)
|
|
6
|
People dropping ecstasy at every opportunity in Fabric (6)
|
PEOPLE excluding (dropping) all (at every opportunity) the Es (ecstasy tablets) + IN Fabric is the name of a night club in London.
|
POPLIN (fabric|)
|
|
8
|
What time will do when you’ve fallen asleep (6)
|
Anagram of (fallen) ASLEEP ELAPSE* |
ELAPSE (what time does)
|
|
13
|
Got back at later date after arranging where I will live? (10)
|
I contained in (where … will live) an anagram of (arranging) LATER DATE RETAL (I) ATED* |
RETALIATED (repaid in kind; got back at)
|
|
16
|
Hits lowlife controlling vice ring! (4,4)
|
(RUNT [derogatory term for a person; lowlife] containing (controlling) SIN [vice]) + O (ring shape) RUN (S IN) T O |
RUNS INTO (collides with; hits)
|
|
18
|
Article about small period instrument (8)
|
THE (definite article) + RE (about) MIN (abbreviation [small] for MINUTE [period of time])
|
THEREMIN (electronic musical instrument played by moving the hands around two antennae to vary pitch and volume)
|
|
19
|
Saw is a perceptive gift that is returned in the end (6)
|
ESP (extra sensory perception; perceptive gift) + I.E. (id est; that is) + D (last letter of [in the end] RETURNED)
|
ESPIED (saw)
|
|
21
|
Rambling diatribe in support of the queen (6)
|
ER (Elizabeth Regina; queen) + RANT (diatribe) As this is a down clue the word RANT is supporting the letters ER
|
ERRANT (roving; rambling)
|
|
22
|
Youthful mistake covers up cry for attention (6)
|
BISH (informal word for mistake) containing (covers up) (YO [cry for attention as in George W calling ‘YO Blair!’] reversed [up]) B (OY<) ISH |
BOYISH (youthful)
|
|
24
|
Depend on contents of reference library? Quite the opposite! (4)
|
RE (outside letters [not contents] of REFERENCE) + LY (outside letters [not contents] of LIBRARY)
|
RELY (depend on)
|
Excellent puzzle and nice to see Serpent in the Indy.
The theremin was immortalised on “Good Vibrations”
Quite hard for me, especially after I had a few easy ones in early on. I couldn’t see an alternative parsing to yours for 11, and in 26 I think D is for ‘daily’ in medical notation as you say, eg ‘od’ on a prescription means ‘take once daily’. Overall though I really liked this and thought there were many good clues, my favourite being FILIGREE. If someone hasn’t said so already, a THEREMIN is also used in the ‘Midsomer Murders’ theme.
Thanks to Duncan and Serpent.
Thanks Serpent & duncanshiell.
Nice puzzle although the grid is not very friendly; this sort of grid is often used for alphabeticals and allows the unusual letters to go outside for the pangram. I got a bit stuck in the NE corner and I didn’t know CELESTA or THEREMIN.
Yes, FILIGREE was particularly good.
Not simply a pangram, but a pangram around the perimeter. Getting J,Q and Z in 7,1 and 2 early on alerted me to the possibility, together with the realisation when I had a few more answers that all the other perimeter letters I’d got were different. So as each perimeter letter emerged I checked it off and this helped me complete the grid. I did waste a bit of time trying to see if the sequence QZVFRP etc matched one of the alternative keyboard layouts to QWERTY (there was a puzzle quite a long time ago which had the QWERTY sequence as the perimeter unches) but it appears to be just how it worked out – still a great achievement, especially for a debut puzzle.
Thanks, Serpent and Duncan.
Sorry, Robi, you got in while I was still typing. I should have refreshed before submitting.
allan @4; ah, I hadn’t noticed it was a perimeter pangram – a great achievement.
In 11A, “I’M AGIN” goes “in the van” – i.e. at the front of the answer.
I was lucky enough to be a test solver for this puzzle and thought it an enjoyable solve with lots of lovely clues and a nicely done and helpful pangram nina. An excellent debut from Serpent.
Thought this was an excellent debut, a superb construction and elegantly clued throughout.
Yes, a nice debut. I saw the pangram but not the exterior one. So, farewell to the Don and welcome Serpent. However, what with Gila and Scorpion already this week is there a setters’ Nina on the go? Will it be Phi tomorrow or another, more scary creature?
Bravo, Serpent – nicely done! (Satisfaction for me, too, as another masterclass graduate takes a well-deserved place at the Indy …)
I’ve done quite a few of Serpent’s blocked puzzles (sadly, I lack the necessary smarts for the barred stuff) and I am a confirmed fan.
Many thanks to Duncan for a fine blog, which I certainly needed in a couple of places.
Welcome to Serpent on fine Indy debut. In 26A I thought it might be that C is an abbreviation for Conservative and D was leader (ie first letter) of Daily.
Thanks Serpent and Duncan. To expand on Jason@7’s parsing of 11ac, ABLE is just “gifted” and I’M AGIN is “writer’s hostile to”. Clever, like many others.
Congratulations to Serpent on an excellent Indie debut. Found this quite tough in places and didn’t finish it, but with plenty to enjoy.
Thanks to Serpent and Duncan
Many thanks to Duncan for the excellent blog and to everyone for the kind comments. nmsindy @13 has the parsing of DISCLAIM exactly right, likewise HKrunner @14 for IMAGINABLE.
Hope to be back soon…!