Poins has been more prominent as a compiler in the Independent on Sunday, but today he’s making an appearance in the daily Indy cryptic. Good puzzle, in which I found the top half much more tricky than the bottom half, for some reason. One solution I’m not sure about, so help welcome.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letters missing
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Hard to grip top of plastic fastener
STAPLE
An insertion of P for the first letter of ‘plastic’ in STALE. Think bread.
5 American policy, initially dividing opinion, causes a state of nervous uncertainty
SUSPENSE
Another insertion: of US and P for the first letter of ‘policy’ in SENSE. Think ‘It’s my sense/opinion that Poins is an excellent setter.’
9 Film obscene act
FOUL PLAY
Possibly not the best ever known film, but it was released in 1978 and starred Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. A charade of FOUL and PLAY. Good surface.
10 Convince son to invest in a safe
ASSURE
I bolloxed up the NE corner by putting in PESTER, having got the S from ESSEN. It kind of works: S in PETER for ‘safe’. But what passes for my brain didn’t really twig that PESTER is not really a synonym for ‘convince’. It’s in fact S in A SURE.
11 Exercises horse around north of island
PENANG
The Malaysian island is PE for ‘excercises’ and N inserted into NAG.
12 Old king with hint of narcissism gets put on occasionally
OFF AND ON
A charade of OFFA, he of the dyke fame, N for the first letter of ‘narcissism’ and DON for ‘put on’.
14 Occurring occasionally when meaning to accept an end to it
INTERMITTENT
An insertion of TERM and IT in INTENT.
18 Start with a remark about soldiers attending church
COMMENCEMENT
Another insertion: of MEN and CE in COMMENT.
22 Vegetable eating wholly brought about King George’s disease
PELLAGRA
Never heard of it. Nor have I had it, which I’m happy about, because its symptoms include diarrhoea and mental disturbance. An insertion of ALL reversed and GR for ‘King George’ in PEA. In Alan Bennett’s The Madness of King George, his disease was porphyria. Allegedly.
25 Helping to make Alfie’s Tasmanian holiday
FIESTA
Hidden in AlFIES TAsmanian.
26 Children’s writer endlessly absorbing until becoming a poet
MILTON
An insertion of TO for ‘until’ in MILN[E]. The creator of Winnie-the-Pooh and the creator of Paradise Lost featured here. Similar themes to both books.
27 Plant book Maria’s edited covers osmosis at the beginning
AMBROSIA
I’m rubbish with plant clues, so this was my LOI. (B MARIAS)* with O for the first letter of ‘osmosis’ inserted.
28 Present gripping work on leader of postal strike
STOPPAGE
An insertion of OP for opus or ‘work’ and P for the first letter of ‘postal’ in STAGE for ‘present’.
Down
2 Absorbent cloth protecting tip of roofing tool
TROWEL
An insertion of R for the first letter (again) of ‘roofing’ in TOWEL.
3 Element of hesitation shown by architect for the most part
PALLADIUM
Element number 46 in the periodic table is PALLADI[O] plus UM for ‘hesitation’. Never heard of the Italian architect, but luckily had heard of the element.
4 The last thing Len broadcast is free from prejudice
ENLIGHTEN
Another last letter indication. The last letter of ‘the’ followed by (THING LEN)*
5 Jane maybe, in retrospect regrets keeping ring belonging to me
SEYMOUR
RUES with an insertion of O MY all reversed. The reversal indicator is ‘in retrospect’. The only gripe I’d have about this clue is that there are a lot of Janes in the world. This one is one of the six wives of Henry VIII, and the only one who bore him a son. It was such an ordeal that she died twelve days later, purportedly from sepsis following the birth.
6 It’s used in building to give support
STAFF
I’m not rightly sure about this. I want to make it a dd, since STAFF is a ‘support’. But the ‘building’ bit I don’t see. Some kind person will help, I’m sure.
7 Starts to excavate sacred site extremely close to Egyptian city
ESSEN
The first four letters of ‘excavate sacred site extremely’ and the last letter of ‘Egyptian’. Nice surface.
8 Overcome and almost certain to need support
SURMOUNT
A charade of SUR[E] and MOUNT in its nounal sense.
13 Ready to be transported without resistance
APT
[R]APT
15 Geoff oddly ignored during ridiculous life ban – it’s beyond words
INEFFABLE
Poins is asking you to insert EF for the even letters of ‘Geoff’ in (LIFE BAN)*
16 Right to take part in Hamlet for example
TITLE ROLE
A charade of TITLE and ROLE.
17 Senseless love isn’t for Joyce perhaps
NOVELIST
(LOVE ISNT)* Referring to James Joyce, perhaps best-known for Ulysses, but author of many other great works as well.
19 Time fuse eventually found by soldiers
ERA
The last letter of ‘fuse’ followed by RA for Royal Artillery or ‘soldiers’.
20 Send out spring issue
EMANATE
I think that this is a triple definition.
21 A series of letters from Charles Tringham
STRING
Hidden in CharleS TRINGham. I discovered that Charles Tringham is to do with a scandal involving Charles Dickens. You learn stuff from crossies, don’t you?
23 Distracted lute player’s first to stop
LET UP
A charade of (LUTE)* and P for the first letter of ‘player’.
24 Information primarily about storing old port
GENOA
An insertion of O in GEN and A for the first letter of ‘about’. We’ve had a lot of first and last letter devices in today’s puzzle.
Many thanks to Poins for setting this one for us.
Comments are closed.